Good Sealant for Concrete

[NightLight]

Additionally why don’t you get an inside container non porous then Create mold for concrete outer. 
There are also concrete sealers sold at hardware stores for countertops. They def work.

There are various silicone sealers. You would have to do your r and d regard8ng if they can be exposed to heat and or there is chemical interaction with wax and fragrance oils, you don’t need to kill humans 

[Kass]

59 minutes ago, NightLight said:

Why don’t you try melting high melt point wax and coating inside use carnauba wax

I shall, unfortunately due to covid (and/or Brexit...) I cannot get soy wax for love nor money at present in the UK.  I'm assuming from other previous responses that may not be the total solution....? 

[Kass]

3 hours ago, NightLight said:

Why don’t you try melting high melt point wax and coating inside use carnauba wa

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Kass

[Destinykay]

I've just made a vessel and did the cheng sealant inside and outside. I'll be testing it tomorrow once the sealant has dried. I will post a picture of the wax melted and dry. I've got one vessel plain and one coated in sealant. Hope my efforts are educational for us all.

[Cdhazz]

Did the cheng sealant work? I would love to know b4 I make the investment. Thanks

[Toffeekins]

I’d also like to know how this went?  I’ve heard sealers melt with the heat or they are heat proof, but not burn proof.

[GHM]

I make my own lightweight concrete pots as containers for the candles I make. I use a non toxic resin based (manufacturer’s product statement) concrete floor sealer to seal same. I also use perlite as my lightweight aggregate, which acts as a heat insulator (as it is used in concrete insulation material in some outdoor ovens etc,). My pots don’t gets as hot as glass or metal containers. I have been wondering about the sealer I use and if it melts or not. I don’t think so. But to help further this discussion, I have poured a little sealer off into a small container and will heat test in a hot water bath in 7 days time (curing/hardening time). Will see if it melts in similar situation to melting wax using a pit and container with wax in it. Hopefully, this will give me an idea if the sealer I use decomposes at all under heat and if so at how hot a temperature it will. Not total science, but close enough for my purposes.

 

Honestly, I doubt even if the sealer does decompose a little under heat, in environments where candles burn, I’m thinking there should be enough clean oxygen in the air to dissipate any potential nasty chemicals, which would be minute in quantity it’s the he sealer I use, I’m thinking (hoping?). Who knows?

 

As to concrete being porous, sure, but if your pots are made with a tight enough matrix, seepage should not be an issue in the candle making application you are talking about IMO. For me, the secret is getting your concrete mix (your slump) wet enough to work the air spaces out of, but dry enough for it to set as strong as possible. With ‘heavyweight’ aggregates (like stone or sand), this should be achievable IMO. I seem to be able to achieve it with a lightweight aggregate (perlite). Not sure my pots will seep even without sealer, but I may be wrong. Might try that next batch! 

 

As I said above, this is a good discussion. I’m always keen to research and learn and have my ideas challenged. Cheers.

Edited May 5, 2021 by GHM
Typos

[Esther]

We have dip sealed our concrete vessels and wiped down with a microfiber towel. Let dry and then wiped down again with same towel we did this procedure twice and see that the sealer is leaving what looks like watermarks when it dries. Does anyone know of a solution to fix this? We used the diluted Rutland cement floor sealer as recommended on several candle making sites. And diluted 4:1 as per manufacturer instructions. Help! I don’t want to lose the whole set of 24 vessels.