Hurricane Help

[diamondgirl_26]

I want to try to make some hurricanes. I have a couple questions. I plan on using the igi-1554, do you guys add the microwax or the universal additive? Also is it possible to just decoupage a pic on the outside instead of struggle with putting a pic in the wax?

Also I dont know if this question is allowed so let me know if it's not OK

Since Peaks is out of the round hurricane molds and the igi-1554 can i ask if you guys know any other places that sells them at a price as good as peaks.

The mold is 5x6.5. I dont have to much patience.

[topofmurrayhill]

Since Peaks is out of the round hurricane molds and the igi-1554 can i ask if you guys know any other places that sells them at a price as good as peaks. The mold is 5x6.5. I dont have to much patience.

I checked Peaks first but I was impatient too. Bitter Creek has the hurricane mold. They don't have the 1554 but they have 1260, so that's one place from which you could order wax and mold together.

I think UA would be a no-no because it would make the wax more opaque.

Hardness isn't a problem with these high MP waxes but brittleness can be. A bit of micro could help with that but it should work OK with or without. You choose which way to try first.

[mystical_angel1219]

If you find that Hurricane wax that Peaks carries anywhere else, please share!

I have looked high and low for this wax in closer proximity to me. I just bought a bit from someone in the classifieds to hold me over.

Embedding a photo or picture is not that hard. I would think that perhaps decoupage would yellow in time. I have experienced many a hurricane wax and can tell u that the IGI 1554 is the easiest to work with and your finished product will be shiny and smooth. I threw out an entire case from another supplier because it was ABSOLUTELY the worst wax I ever experienced for hurricanes.

Never used any additives. It might interfere with the clarity of the picture in the finished product.

[topofmurrayhill]

What wax did you toss?

[sharyl55]

I add 1% pp of micro 180 to help with the brittleness to the IGI 1260. Also 1 tsp of UA pp to help with air bubbles. 1260 is what the closest supplier to me carries. Sure wish there was a wax supplier close enough so I could pick it up.

[Donita]

I also use the micro 180 for brittleness and it keeps the bubbles out. That is what made ALL of the difference in my canes. I have recently been adding 1 T per pound of steric too. It helps to give clear wax a little color and mold release. If I want to creamy up the color a little, I add gloss poly, about 1/2 tsp. per pound. Everyone has their onw receipt......I like Cilantro, my sister doesn't. Donita

[Donita]

I would also like to try IGI 1554. I may have used it years ago....I have been using Candlewics 5055....they have a higher mp, but I haven't tried it because this has been working for me....but I am always looking so I will try something new soon.

[diamondgirl_26]

I think i'm gonna wait for Peaks to get the 1554 back, because I cant find any other place that sells microwax less than 10 lbs. Does anybody know when that is?

[Alohagirl]

I cant find any other place that sells microwax less than 10 lbs.

Genwax sells microwax in smaller quantities. Plus they're in cubes--much easier to measure out.

[Mtngrl]

Embedding photos isn't that hard, but it does take some patience. The first one is always the hardest. I think that if you allow yourself 2-3 'canes as experiments, you'll feel really good by your 4th one.

The first 2 I did I remelted. The 3rd one was pretty good, but now that I have it worked out to use one piece of paper the size of my mold, I feel confident that my fourth one will turn out very well indeed. The only thing holding me back is leanring my new photo software ... cuz the pix I want to use, have issues! lol.

Hang in there, keep working it - you'll get it & be very proud of yourself for not giving up.

I sent you a PM, too.

[topofmurrayhill]

Regarding the microcrystalline...

One thing I've been finding mysterious about this stuff is that there are so many kinds out there without much information on their properties. Suppliers, when they carry any, typically just carry 1 kind (2 at most) and give you some suggestion about what you might use it for.

Well, I decided to look into it more so I ordered a handful of different kinds to mess with, and let me tell you they are very different from each other in important ways.

And now I damned well know what I'm going to try in my hurricanes!

I have a few lbs of this stuff called Mico 835. It came in a small slab that I wanted to break so I propped it up and wielded my trusty hammer against it. Whack!...Whack!...WHACK!...W-H-A-C-K!!

I never did succeed in breaking it. I was afraid the hammer would go first and hit me in the face!

It's not even that the Mico 835 is super hard. With some effort you can get through it with a knife, and shaving off thinner slices is easy. However, this stuff is the furthest thing from brittle I have ever seen. The slab actually bent very slightly from my efforts, but without the slightest sign that it was anywhere near cracking.

[Donita]

One more thought that might be helpful....I have glued on thousands of pictures and flowers then overdipped them...it is a pain.....When you glue on a picture.....any brush strokes or missed spots will show up when lit.....ask me how I know.....then I brush mod podge over the front of the picture when it is completely dry....then wipe the edges around the picture carefully....let dry....Then hold it over a dipping pot of 200 degree overdip clear wax and dip it in...hold a few seconds then take out slowly.....I then roll over the picture with a brayer to make sure the air bubbles are out.....then overdip it very quickly and plunge it into cold water.....Sometimes I get little runs in the wax......so if you can learn to embed it will save you a whole lot of grief.....also, we have had people pick at the pictures and try to see how they are made....they pick at flowers too. If you read any of my post from the last two weeks you will see that I was going to give up embedding photos....it wasn't working....then I went thorough two years of archives here at CT and several people on this board talked me through it. Honestly, I can make one in about 2 minutes now......and they come out PERFECT....no air bubbles and just a thin film of wax over the photo. I keep getting better.....just because my mother was right "Practice makes perfect"....it really is just a matter of practice and using 24# bright white copy paper. Follow Alan's direction....I use the cheap wooden spoon because it is sorta flat and a chop stick....but the secret for me to get the air bubbles out is to first put your picture in your melt pot.....let the bubbles come out there instead of in your mold. Fish it out and put it into the wax in the mold and push it up against the mold wall...then proceed with the rest of it....I use a terrycloth dish towel soaking in very very icy water......take it out, squeeze out most of the water and fold it into fourths.....that seems to work for me to cover the picture....make sure that is is resting exactly on the bottom of the mold before you place the cold towel on the picture......I made two candles yesterday for my friend and sister.....they were perfect. The day before I noticed that for some reason I was letting the right side slip up just a little and it wasn't even....now I use the wooded spoon to push it down and hold down that bottom edge. I water bath them until just under a 1/2" edge forms....cut or pour it back into the melt pot....then I use a heat gun to smooth the edge and inside.....put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes...if it isn't ready to come out....wait.....and be sure to use silicone in your molds....then I clean mine with WD40 and Pam.....I want to make sure that they don't stick and come out shinny. I ordered new 5 x 6 1/2" molds but I see that I need brand new 4" molds too....mine are sooooooooo old, that I want perfect molds for this process. Little dents can scratch your candle when you unmold it....ask me how I know.......good luch and most of all, have fun. Donita Oh any one more thing......thin walled molds work better....then tin ones not the seamless aluminum....unless you can fine very thin aluminum.

[diamondgirl_26]

Thanks so much for your guys input.

[SatinDucky]

That was a mouthful Donita! I've save it to notepad for when I get more 1554

Candlewic does offer the micros in smaller quantites, it just doesn't show that way on the website. You can either call them or download the catalog. All the "extra" listings that don't show online are in the catalog. HTH

[Alan]

For those waiting on 1554, look into 1260 instead. I've just learned that 1554 can no longer be produced because one of the feedstocks used to make it is no longer available. The properties of 1260 are very close to 1554. :smiley2:

[sed8ed]

I generally don't shop anywhere but peaks for anything related to my candle making business however one of my customers requested a mold that peaks didn't carry so I did some shopping around and found the mold that I needed and several different hurricane shape molds at pourette.com at a reasonable price. But do yourself a favor and stick with Peak for your wax it's worth the wait and then some!!