Is liquid dye superior to buttons or chips or blocks?

[BerryPatchMama]

I am finding that the buttons, chips, not so much the blocks, though... do not melt completely and blend with my wax.

I read somewhere that liquid dye does not 'clog' the wick, therefore you can make more vibrantly colored candles, too.

Is that correct?

Any supplier recommendations?

[cindym]

Peaks has nice liquid dyes. I use liquids and blocks, I find the trick with blocks and chips is to get them in the presto or whatever you are heating in, get the temp to 200 and hold it there for about 10 mins and all should desolve fine, if you watch when you are pouring if there are any shreds left they sink to the bottom, just don't pour those into the candle, I pour it into a heavy duty dixie cup and use it next time I make the color and fo. Hope that helps Cindy

[smiley_miley]

I don't know if this might help at all....I use liquid dye. I bought mine at Jo-Ann fabrics, and got 1/2 ouce for $2.99, but you can get it cheaper at other places. One thing though.....when I bought my dye, I had no idea how messy it could be! The ones I got didn't have a dropper on top, and it got EVERYWHERE! But I do love the liquid. The next time I buy though, I will definitely get the kind with the dropper top to protect from spills, leaks, etc.

[Henryk]

I've heard blocks more so than the diamonds/chips/buttons (whatever) will clog if a lot is used, likewise the white color. That is what I've heard - I've not used the blocks.

If you are doing soy or a soy blend I'd recommend the diamonds if you don't like to mix colors or want very dark colors. I've had no problem with them dissolving. I bust them up a bit and put them in before the FO so the wax is still hot - your wax should be at least 170 anyway if you are adding FO. (There are soy-based diamonds also but so far I've found them only in primary colors). The diamonds seem to be also of a lower melt point that crystals/flakes - which I've had to put in at least 180 to get them completely dissolved. I've also had no problem with residue with the diamonds - which I did fully expect. Perhaps your wax simply isn't hot enough when you add your solid colors? (I don't know if there is one large company making them or not - but I know with flake dye I've had different results with different vendors - some seem to be made out of a really high melt point base).

I have had problems using liquid dye in soy if enough is used to get a very dark color. It seems to interfere with the setting up of the wax. I've had no problem with them in my paraffin though. If I do a color blend with black liquid dye it does cause a need for me to wick up one size in soy.

Peaks sells both they solid and liquid dyes. I can PM you where I get mine, but basically, they are so light in shipping that I would just buy them when you order something else.

[7Angela7]

Here is a good post to read through http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1264

I like using the chips - although I do have problems with the reds & greens mixing and they leave speckles. I will be using liquid for those colors. For me, it's kinda hard to get the same amount of a drop though.

[AngelaVA]

I love the liquids and use them exclusively. Definitely get the ones with the medicine-dropper top. That will prevent a lot of spills and leakage.

[Terrie]

I love the liquids. Never had a problem with the wick clogging, but I've never gone over 7 drops per pound, either. I use the ones from Peak and they are great. I've tried some from some other companies that were kinda yucky. I still use chips for some colors. I heat my pour pots in the oven, so I just throw the chips in the pots before heating them, and they always mix right in.

HTH:)

[gottabt]

I use liquid only and love them - the range of colors is great and the consistancy I get from batch to batch. I transfer mine (I buy them in a squeeze type bottle) to amber bottles with droppers from SKS. I could not stand the smell until I changed over to the amber bottles. I also love the fact that they last so long - I think that it is probably less expensive in the long run.

[topofmurrayhill]

The FAQ database could probably use a little more detail on this topic. Here's a shot at summarizing the coloring options for candles:

Color Chips - Small pre-measured morsels of dye in a solid base. Generally designed for for 1 chip to a pound of wax, but you can adjust to proportions such as 2 chips per lb, or 1 1/2 lbs per chip, etc. Available in a variety of pre-mixed colors. Most chips mix quickly with wax, but others might require extra time, heat, and/or agitation to mix completely and avoid speckles. There can be color variations between batches of chips. A simple and convenient option that's popular with beginners but also used by more advanced candlemakers. Soy chips are available also in a more limited range of colors.

Color Buttons and Blocks - Like big color chips, each designed to dye 15 to 20 lbs. of wax. Gives you more control than chips because you can cut or shave them and weigh the exact amount you need. Good for arbitrary-sized batches including small batches because they're not too concentrated to weigh, even down to one candle if you have a good gram scale. Excellent selection of pre-mixed colors. Same problem as chips with certain colors being difficult to mix and color variation between batches of dye.

Color Flakes - Yet another form of dye in a solid base. Just a little bit more concentrated by weight than dye blocks, so may be difficult to measure for small batches. High quality dye available in a wide variety of pre-mixed colors.

Liquid Dyes - Excellent color consistency for large batches or batches of a standard size. Liquid dyes mix more easily with wax and eliminate the possibility of color sediment and speckles. Can be messy and smelly, but the main disadvantage is that the dye is too concentrated to measure by weight unless your batches are quite large. People usually measure by number of drops, which can be difficult to scale to arbitrary sized batches. Fewer pre-mixed colors to choose from but you can achieve a large number of colors by mixing or varying the amount of dye. You can even create your own homemade color blocks for more convenient measuring. Some liquid dyes work great in soy, but some don't because of the solvent used.

Powdered Dye - Like liquid dye without the liquid. Very concentrated and hard to measure accurately. Can also sometimes be hard to mix. Available in a wide variety of pre-mixed colors and another good way to create homemade color blocks for easy measuring. Good choice if you want to avoid any paraffin base or solvent in your soy.

All of these coloring options contain similar aniline dyes. As long as they are fully dissolved in the wax, none of them will clog a candle wick more than any other. All pigments (as opposed to dyes) will tend to clog wicks and aren't generally recommended for core candle color.

Some of these options can be considered more advanced or less advanced, but to some extent they are all used by candlemakers of all experience levels. It comes down to a matter of personal preference, or your particular needs based on the kind of candles you make, the way you make them, and the amount you make. Some chandlers use more than one type of dye depending on the coloring they want to achieve.

Please correct me if I got anything wrong!

[Scented]

I use the chips, blocks and liquids. Some liquid I have isn't all that easily dissolved either. I find it's just easier to reach certain colors using one or the other and sometimes mixing them.

[Fire and Ice]

I tried the liquids and didn't care for them too much, Too messy. I tend to like very dark colors on my candles so I stick with strictly dye blocks.

[Amberlei]

When I first started making candles, I tried using the liquid dye found at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and wasn't happy with it at all. I'd gotten something like a four pack of 1 oz of each of four colors and found that it took almost half a bottle to get one pound of wax an intense color. Great for pale pastels, but worthless for anything I wanted a vibrant color on. Seeking a better method, I switched to the color chips, but found, as has been noted previously, that they didn't always melt completely and left little particles of color in my candles. Then, I finally discovered liquid candle dyes in the dropper bottles from Peaks and LoneStar. What a huge difference these make! I can't imagine ever using anything else ever again. It takes just a small amount to get the most vivid beautiful colors imaginable. I think they're more economical than the chips as well as better colorants. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth.

[scents for me]

I am finding that the buttons, chips, not so much the blocks, though... do not melt completely and blend with my wax.

I read somewhere that liquid dye does not 'clog' the wick, therefore you can make more vibrantly colored candles, too.

Is that correct?

Any supplier recommendations?

Liquid dyes are the best. You are right about the blocks, I can never get them to melt completely no matter how high the temp of the wax.