topofmurrayhill Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 This week I put on my mad scientist hat and set out to experiment with custom wax formulations for mottled candles.Fragrance and color are just placeholders for these tests -- primarily I'm creating custom blends to shoot for certain burning properties and other properties, then adding enough oil to see what kind of mottling and finish I get.I'm sharing this one because it's kind of freaky and interesting. Actually I don't love the look of it all that much, but still it's interesting. One thing about it that I DO like is that I kept the translucency of the wax, so you can see the effect happening at various levels below the surface of the candle. It does give it some depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 What additives did you use on that one? Wonder what happened to the top? Looks more like bubbles than mottle. Mottles can make you crazy. I find them to be hit or miss.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Interesting effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 5, 2005 Author Share Posted August 5, 2005 What additives did you use on that one? Wonder what happened to the top? Looks more like bubbles than mottle. Mottles can make you crazy. I find them to be hit or miss.The top is the part I like the least, but it's mottle rather than bubbles. There's more on the surface because of slower cooling. That's one problem I find with pillar pins -- the metal base traps too much heat at the bottom of the mold so funny things can happen to the top of the candle sometimes. Seldom desirable things.The style of the mottle is unique to this particular wax blend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 That's one problem I find with pillar pins -- the metal base traps too much heat at the bottom of the mold so funny things can happen to the top of the candle sometimes. Seldom desirable things.The style of the mottle is unique to this particular wax blend.Interesting. What wax is that and what additives did you use? I have to make some mottles for an order so I'll post them. I don't use wick pins but Trish does. I'm burning a fantabulous mottle that she sent me right now; Peak's Blackberry Sage.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 5, 2005 Author Share Posted August 5, 2005 It's my own custom wax blend with no additives. I won't be using this particular one, but I can't talk much about the waxes I'm working with because it's product development for a startup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtngrl Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 The candle has a concave top ... what if you were to fill in the top w/ some leftover wax, if there is any, & see if you can get a pattern you like better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulette Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 I love the mottling you got there. Very pretty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 6, 2005 Author Share Posted August 6, 2005 The candle has a concave top ... what if you were to fill in the top w/ some leftover wax, if there is any, & see if you can get a pattern you like better?Doesn't matter, it was just one of several test candles from yesterday and there were better ones. It's just interesting how different waxes mottle in utterly different ways so I posted one of the freakier ones. This was a reject though and is already in the trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 This was a reject though and is already in the trash.TRASH, are you kidding? We don't toss much here; just repour LOL!e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 6, 2005 Author Share Posted August 6, 2005 TRASH, are you kidding? We don't toss much here; just repour LOL!eI know it's a bit of a waste, but I have a lot of trials and tests to do and remaking every reject is too much work. In this case it's a custom wax blend that I don't intend to use, so there's not much I can do with it that's worth the extra time. There are other candles that need to be poured.I'll tell you one more thing that helps rule it out. Since the main point of the tests is to come up with a wax blend for a mottled pillar product, I didn't want to waste the extra expensive FOs on experiments. So I bought some regular fragrance oil without regard to anything except having something normal priced to use for test candles. As it turns out I happen to hate the fragrance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Interesting. What wax is that and what additives did you use? I have to make some mottles for an order so I'll post them. I don't use wick pins but Trish does. I'm burning a fantabulous mottle that she sent me right now; Peak's Blackberry Sage.eE, how's that pillar doing?? LOL I'd love to see the mottles you're working on!I just poured 6 mottles, all ivory colored. I made one last week that looked so pretty that my friend ordered 6 of them for her mom, hope they turn out! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 I have had my pillars bashed (by people on this very forum) because they look JUST LIKE YOURS. My customers specifically ask for mottled pillars, so that is how I make them. It gives the pillars a unique look, and you can experiment with different techniques to refine the look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 6, 2005 Author Share Posted August 6, 2005 Frankly I prefer a more conventional mottle myself. I have a normally-mottled test candle from yesterday burning next to my monitor and I think it looks a whole lot better. Certain waxes seem to want to mottle in this unusual way and the photo is just kind of a striking example.Aesthetic consideration aside, I've noticed that the big mottle flakes tend to put a lot of pressure on the wax. Within a day or two you can feel the bumps on the outer surface of the candle. That's not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajl Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 I think it looks really good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.