LRC06301983 Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Okay so I have some THEORETICAL questions.I have searched on the internet for these but haven't been able to find the right info I want.From what I understand, each wax has a certain ability to absorb things like fragrance oils and/or dyes. Both of which are an oil base. So here are my questions...Can a candle (in theory) soak up (to a certain extent) any oil or substance that is put into it. I mean if I can put a fragrance oil into my candle, then why can't I put olive oil into a candle, or baby oil, or food dyes...Has anyone here ever put anything unusual or odd into their candles just to see what happened?-Luke- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Enroll in chemistry Wax can only hold so much, so yes and no about it being a sponge. Food dyes are water based and water and oil don't mix. Never have and likely never will. Can't answer about baby oil. Don't use it and have no desire to. Won't even answer about mustard, because now you're ruining a condiment I'm fond of. I can't get get too technical about this stuff and have no real desire to get technical about it really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetacea Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Yes wax is a sponge.It will absorb anything that is oil based...that means that yes it will absorb olive oil, Crisco, Veggie Oil....etc...as long as it is incorporated while the wax is in a liquid state and the oil is in a liquid state.I seriously doubt that it will incorporate mustard as it is mostly water. That goes for food dyes too.I realize this is theoretical, but considering that if you add Olive Oil, Veggie Oil and even Crisco, the eventual result will change the burning characteristics. So even though it is just theory....there doesn't seem to be a point if it will change the burning to the point where the candle will smoke like a chimney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Vanilla extract WILL NOT mix...I know, I tried -- that was the end of my experimenting with wierd stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donita Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Has anyone tried avocado? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRC06301983 Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 they tried, but someone kept eating them all before it could make it into the parafin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I've made a container candle out of some of my soaping oils - a mix of palm, coconut, palm kernel. It burned but wasn't pretty. I mixed in a little veggie wax (some left over Cleanwax).The wax and oils mixed and hardened up nicely in the container, but separated after the first burn. Once it melted, the oil and wax didn't want to stay together - it was just a slushy mess. Very strange indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlelady4ever Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 DO a search...Ive read, on the old forum I think, that there are some people that use Crisco in their wax for candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scents for me Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I heard hot dogs with a little ketchup make great candles if inserted correctly, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 DO a search...Ive read, on the old forum I think, that there are some people that use Crisco in their wax for candles.A lot of people use it ( I think to get a 'creamy' look ), in small quantities. Alan did some experiments on different things like this and posted his results on the old board. As I recall, he got a little punchy, toward the end of the night and just stuck a wick into a can of Crisco. Damned thing actually burned pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I heard hot dogs with a little ketchup make great candles if inserted correctly, LOLThis should give you an idea of the fat content of those things. Since people started using parafin and soy to make candles, they had to do *SOMETHING* with all that tallow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsyjen Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I found the thread in which Alan did his "burn tests"...cracks me up!! http://www.candletech.com/cgi-local/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Discussions;action=display;num=1100670458;start=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRC06301983 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 I tried searching for that thread and couldn't find it. I'm glad you did. That was really some interesting stuff...I never would have thought that vicks would have made a usable candle. lol.Good input everyone. Keep it coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I think I can tackle the theoretical side of it more or less accurately.When the wax is hot, it's not a sponge issue but a solubility issue, just like the matter of what dissolves in water or not. Some things are soluble in wax and some aren't. Obviously water won't mix with the hot wax to much of an extent. Oils tend to be soluble in it, but other things are also (otherwise FO and liquid dye and such wouldn't work). Some things are kinda-sorta soluble like some of the vanilla components in FO. Actually many components in FO, but the vanilla is an example everyone has seen clearly even at high temps.Everything changes when the wax cools down. There's typically some separation of what you put in. Partly because some things only bind well with the wax at elevated temperatures but otherwise aren't super soluble. Partly because some of these things are liquid at room temperature whereas the wax is a solid.At this point it becomes at least partly a sponge issue. At a microscopic level the wax has a grainy crystalline structure. Some of the separated stuff may bleed out and the rest will hang out between the crystals. How much stays in there depends on a few things. The more soluble stuff tends to stick to the wax more than to itself so the wax will hold more of it. Stuff that's less soluble and/or very different in density than wax (like that vanilla stuff) will have more tendency to bleed out. The main point behind J-225 for instance is that they address that issue in the formulation to make it more compatible with more FOs.Additives change the sponge. If you imagine the crystal structure as sand, many of the additives we use change it from sand to powder. Think about which of those can hold more liquid. They might also have other properties that help bind stuff with the wax.So basically it all depends on what you put in and how much of it. One of the most compatible things is mineral oil. That's what they take out to make refined paraffin. Parol oil is just a brand name of mineral oil. Baby oil is mineral oil with some extraneous ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRC06301983 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 When you do put an FO in a candle, or lets say you put Mineral oil into a candle, I understand that it evaporates and that is how you get a scent. Is any of the oil burned up though and if so, approx how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 When you do put an FO in a candle, or lets say you put Mineral oil into a candle, I understand that it evaporates and that is how you get a scent. Is any of the oil burned up though and if so, approx how much?It's definitely burned up. Put the wrong wick in the there and you might hardly smell the candle at all. Even in the best case, I'd guess the majority of it gets burned up with the wax. Haven't seen any specific info on that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixylight Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 A lot of people use it ( I think to get a 'creamy' look ), in small quantities. Alan did some experiments on different things like this and posted his results on the old board. As I recall, he got a little punchy, toward the end of the night and just stuck a wick into a can of Crisco. Damned thing actually burned pretty well.-Ya...I had to do a survival game in nursing school and decide what objects to keep from a plane crash choosing from a long list. Needless to say a can of crisco and a shoe lace is near the top of the list of objects to keep. Information I hope to never use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katinka Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 O, this is very interesting - I've wondered about the same things. Along the same lines, what about adding something a bit more solid, say like avocado butter or shea butter? I checked the MP - it is about 10* (celcius) lower than that of soy. Wouldn't this mix better than oil with the wax?Just wondering...Katinka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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