Color Block Crud

[topofmurrayhill]

Now I see what people mean. I guess I was lucky before because it doesn't seem to happen with every color, but today (right now) I'm apparently working with a color that has a high crud factor.

I have tried putting in the color even before the wax is fully melted to give it a head start mixing. Then I've stirred and stirred until I'm certain that anything that's going to dissolve must have dissolved. Yet the crud remaining in the melt pot does make some streaks, so even though I already feel like I'm stirring forever, do I just need to stir forever and a day? Is it only a matter of time or is some of the crud unmixable?

Blah.

[Tanya]

I have gotten that sometimes with color blocks, hate it. I dont know if heating your wax higher will help dissolve the crud or not. I just went to liquid so as not to deal with that.

[Trish]

I had the same problem, and sometimes with the chips too. Even when it looks like it's fully dissolved, I would notice flecks settle to the bottom of the container when it cooled. I, too switched to liquid and no more crud! LOL

[sharyl55]

I'm just a newbie, but when I have to use a color block I melt it in a cat food can with a T. of wax. Seem to be able to get a better melt and the crud stays in the can when I pour it into the pour pot. I only use the blocks for a couple of colors.

[topofmurrayhill]

Thanks Sharyl that sounds like a good idea. One could even filter it through something on the way into the melt pot.

What a PITA this product can be. I can't imagine what prevents them from designing it so it works right.

I guess this wouldn't be as much of a hassle in a melter, cuz you could use higher temps plus anything undissoved probably wouldn't come out of the spigot. I'm just trying to make some test candles one at a time though and the crud is driving me nuts. It's worse than stirring vanilla FO.

[Donita]

I uise a tiny sharp kmart knife to slice little pieces off of the block....and only put it into hot wax.....then really stir and stir. Let it sit for about 2 minutes then stir again and it will usually mix. Oh and I do hate those vanillas too.

[shutterbugg]

I always put the slivers of color in my pour pot first, heat with a heat gun,, then add my wax and stir like crazy. Always worked for me.

[Trish]

Another thought is to grate it, like with an old cheese grater. That worked better for me.

[Terrie]

I used to have this problem with the chips. But, I found something that works for me. I heat my pour pot in the oven, so while it is in there heating up, I throw the chip(s) in it to melt. I never have had that problem again.

[Fire and Ice]

I personally don't care for the liquid dyes. I only use blocks. I get my wax pretty hot and make sure everything is good in the melt pot befor transffering to the pour pot. Still, if you stretch a leg of panty hose over your pour pot, you'd br straining those tiny pieces out. But That's too big a hassle for me So I just keep it in the melt pot longer.

[lbtddr]

i use a powder that i mix with wax. about one forth lb. of wax. and put the color in really dark. then pour it out .when it is not hard yet i cut it into pieces. then bag it up and have them ready for when i wont this color.it works great never had stuff in the left in the pour pot.

[topofmurrayhill]

I can confirm that the color blocks are fully soluble despite the unreasonable crud factor of certain colors. Today I was mainly testing wax formulations so I wasn't overly concerned, and one of the candles did indeed get a fair amount of crud in it. This evening I had the opportunity to re-melt it to make an adjustment, and the crud was gone by the time the candle melted. It's very difficult to dissolve all of it sometimes (at least in a double boiler) but apparently it's possible. Crud is color.

[raginabr]

I have also had the "opportunity" to remelt some candles that had crud in them and found that the crud would melt if heated long enough or hot enough. I have been adding my chip to the wax in my pour pot and then putting it in a double boiler to get it hotter. I have decided this is a royal PITA though and I am going to try some of the ideas listed here.