Presto Pot--I'm ready to use but one quick question...

[lightmyfire]

I have read every single post about Presto Pots (I think!) and I'm only missing one bit of info before I break mine out of the box.  Mind you, it's been on the shelf for 5 months because I just haven't had time to work with it in my studio.  I can no longer keep up with my orders while using the double boiler method, although it is what I know and love.  I'm hoping the Presto will be my new love, based on all the glowing reviews.

 

So my question is, how do you know how much melted wax to put into your pour pot?  Obviously when I melt using the double boiler method I weigh the dry wax and melt.  I'm assuming this is still a weight based system with the Presto.  Do I need to weigh my pour pot with melted wax from the double boiler to determine what the weight is for X amount of candles and then use that weight as the baseline for use with the Presto?  I'm hoping I'm not having a "silly question" moment with this..........sometimes it's the simple things that can get confusing when you're changing methods. 

 

Thanks for your help...........this will get me going with my more efficient system! 

[TallTayl]

The process is the same. Weigh your starting ingredients and go.  I often add a little extra wax into my formula to allow for the little bit that sticks to the sides of the presto.

 

alternatively you can melt more, pour the needed weight of melted wax in your pout pot and let the extra molten wax cool in the presto for next time, the scenting and coloring usually is done in the pour pot.

 

prestos are so fast that tiny batches of wax will overheat quickly. 

[lightmyfire]

14 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

The process is the same. Weigh your starting ingredients and go.  I often add a little extra wax into my formula to allow for the little bit that sticks to the sides of the presto.

 

alternatively you can melt more, pour the needed weight of melted wax in your pout pot and let the extra molten wax cool in the presto for next time, the scenting and coloring usually is done in the pour pot.

 

prestos are so fast that tiny batches of wax will overheat quickly. 

I'd really like to just put a bunch of wax in there and have it ready for the next batch.  So I'll need to weigh the melted wax in the pour pot to determine what the weight is for a certain number of candles then measure that out of the Presto?  Got it.  I will also try the electric griddle warming method for the pour pot!

[Arch Rock]

When I first started out, I chopped up wax, weighed it on an ounce/pound weigher and ended up that the Presto could hold 11 pounds of my wax.  Now I eye-ball it because my wax comes in 10-11 pound slabs.  You'll get the hang of it.  No need to weigh the melted wax.  It weighs the same as the wax before it's melted as far as I know, or maybe I need to go back to science class.  Electric griddles are also great for warming pots and jars.  Best wishes.

[Sarah S]

9 hours ago, Arch Rock said:

When I first started out, I chopped up wax, weighed it on an ounce/pound weigher and ended up that the Presto could hold 11 pounds of my wax.  Now I eye-ball it because my wax comes in 10-11 pound slabs.  You'll get the hang of it.  No need to weigh the melted wax.  It weighs the same as the wax before it's melted as far as I know, or maybe I need to go back to science class.  Electric griddles are also great for warming pots and jars.  Best wishes.

 

Your science is spot-on, but I think @TallTayl's reference to weighing the wax was for pouring amounts smaller than the total of what is in the presto. For example, I may have 5lbs in the melter, but I only want to pour one 10oz candle, so I weight out the 10oz in my pour pot, scent and color there, and pour the candle.

We are all in agreement, far as I can tell. 😁😁