Steve-42 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I use steric acid to make white wax but it clogs my zinc core votive wicks. I started useing 2 tablespoons to 5 pounds and later went down to 1 teaspoon.I also use Crisco to make white and it has the added benifit of makeing the candle throw scent better. But then some times my burning wick grows mushrooms. I use about 1 tablespoon per pound. Sorry about the spelling, I am a little dyslexic and spelling has been a problem for my all my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Welcome to the board Zinc wicks will mushroom some, it's just their nature. 1T stearic pp shouldn't make your wick mushroom. Many here use 3T in making mottles. TD (titanium Dioxide) makes white. BUT it has to be used sparingly, since it's like a pigment and will clog wicks as well.Oh, and no worries about the spelling. We all make mistakes. The spell checker, the little ABC in the upper right hand above where you type your message, helps enormously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 You can get a nice shiny white by adding luster crystals to your wax Otherwise, don't put anything but a clear liquid FO into your wax lol. Too me that's too low of a rate of steric to affect much, especially at 5 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 That amount of stearic shouldn't clog your wick. Never cloged mine, and I use substatially more than that.Don't worry about the spelling. Mine's probably much worse, most days, and I can't blame mine on dyslexia.And why the HELL did they pick a word that even 'normal' people can't read or spell to describe a condition that makes it hard to read and spell ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Dallas_Texas_Dean Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I know there has been a lot of discussion about this. I elected to stay on course with what I had always done with excellent results. I purchase white "dye" from AAA Candle Supply. I realize that it may not be a dye....BUT, it works, and I have had zero issues with wick clogging. Tonight I used it with some WYW Fresh Linen...I added 7 drops of white per Lb. Scientist I am NOT...but I do know white when I see it and OFF white when I see it, and I prefer WHITE WHITE, and have been doing well with it.Just for grins and for the sake of testing, I have used up to 20 drops per Lb ( with other colors....ie black to achieve several shades of gray.) Could be luck, could be AAA's dyes, but the wicks did not perform any differently on that test run.Edited to add: I am a complete idiot, and did not have my Votive molds as clean as I thought they were. Needless to say, my WHITE WHITE has a faded HOT PINK cast to the bottom of them and I am quite sure that the top of my attempt at a pillar will be the same. UGH !! Note to self:Be absolutely certain when pouring white that the molds are spotless, NOT just popped in the oven on a paper towel and wiped out! NOT good enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyl55 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Michael, are you saying you made blushing votives today? I remember someone posted earlier that they had designated 'white' molds and pour pots to prevent color contamination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valleygrls98 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I looked at your site and love your candles !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I know there has been a lot of discussion about this. I elected to stay on course with what I had always done with excellent results.If something works for you, then by all means do it. I still feel compelled to emphasize the basic principle behind making wax white, which has never been about adding pigment except for special purposes.Fully refined paraffin is basically white, but it's translucent. All you need for a white candle is an additive that makes it opaque so that light reflects off the surface. Stearic works in significant quantities. The quantities mentioned in the original post wouldn't do a thing. I've never tried to find the minimum amount to get a good white, but I'd say 10% should work well. In the past candles were often made with 10% to 30% stearic and those sorts of quantities will make white candles if you don't add dye.These days you would more likely use a smallish amount of a polymer additive. For instance, Michael, you had one of my swap votives. In particular, the ones made with a colorless FO were snow white. Even with a slight color cast to the FO they were very white. This is done with no pigment at all: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showpost.php?p=84518&postcount=1For the votives I used EVA, but you can get comparable results with Vybar, polyethylene (such as Gloss Poly C-15), or 2-5% Universal Additive. The white pillar layer in this set is undyed wax with about 2% UA: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showpost.php?p=100978&postcount=1 At 2% the UA maintains a little translucency but you can use more to increase the opacity if you like.All of these additives harden the wax, and in the process make the crystal structure more fine grained and amorphous, which also makes it opaque white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-42 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 Thanks for all the advice. I am not familar with all the abreveations. What is FO? I don't think it is ment as an insult in this case.I don't see a spell check icon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candlesprite7 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 . What is FO? I don't think it is ment as an insult in this case.Nope no insult, FO = Fragrance Oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 What is FO? I don't think it is ment as an insult in this case.Nope no insult, FO = Fragrance OilOops, no, I meant it to stand for f*ck off in this case. Sorry, didn't mean to be cryptic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrycat Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I also use Crisco to make white and it has the added benifit of makeing the candle throw scent better. I have seen Crisco before on this board. My question is, do you really put crisco in your candle wax???? And....what does it do?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breanna Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I use the powder white color dye from BCN or BCS one of them anyway,,its good stuff and you dont have to use alot,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 What is FO? I don't think it is ment as an insult in this case.If it had been said in reply to something *I'd* posted, it might have been meant as an insult. In this case, it's just fragrance oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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