Rustic 1343 Experiment

[eugenia]

I've never added anything other than 3 Tablespoons of stearic per lb of wax.

Recent discussions of the low oil retention (3%) of the 1343 got me thinking.

For this pillar I used the 3T of stearic, 1/2 t of vybar 103, 1/2 t of uv inhibitor and 1 t of fisher trop micro crystals. I had to heat the wax to 210 for the additives to dissolve completely. I added 7% FO at 180 (1.25 ounces) and cooled to 150, then poured as usual.

Much to my surprise, the additives did not have an adverse effect and the candle was dry and fragrant. Took 3 views for you.

[Vicky_CO]

Interesting, I would be interested in the results of your burns when you get them done.

[debscent]

E-

Love the candle. What FO?

[eugenia]

Thanks Deb! Blackberry Sage, one of my favorites.

e

[debscent]

Perfect color selection. But then again your pillars are beautiful every time. (Envy)

[topofmurrayhill]

Nice rustic.

I haven't tried the FT crystals but I've tried the polyethylenes and that stuff will dry things right up. Might not be so noticeable on a rustic but it makes an exceptionally smooth surface too, plus hardens the candle nicely and raises the MP. I think the FT is supposed to be very similar in effect and suspect that's the additive doing the heavy lifting in your formula.

If I were in your shoes what I'd try next is to simplify the whole thing - just double the FT crystals and ditch everything else. The crystals are already doing more or less the same as the stearic, plus the Vybar 343 is for mottled candles and if it's doing anything it's probably lost in the soup.

FWIW.

[Henryk]

Eugenia, your stuff always look great. Thanks for the sharing the formula. I always get confused however when people say "fisher trop". Did you use the luster crystals or the translucent crystals or something else?

TIA

[eugenia]

Nice rustic.

If I were in your shoes what I'd try next is to simplify the whole thing - just double the FT crystals and ditch everything else. The crystals are already doing more or less the same as the stearic, plus the Vybar 343 is for mottled candles and if it's doing anything it's probably lost in the soup.

FWIW.

I did not use the vybar 343 in this one, I used regular vybar 103, which we've all read to avoid with Rustics. As for the Fisher Trop, it does not impart opacity. I got it from Candlewic. They don't even have it listed anymore. The large amount of stearic is essential to the Rustic finish; the stearic is what gives the white "frost" lines to the finish.

e

[eugenia]

I always get confused however when people say "fisher trop". Did you use the luster crystals or the translucent crystals or something else?

Thank you, Henry. They were the Fisher Trop Translucent Crystals. I was fascinated at being able to go to 7% on FO with no weeping and pretty surprised about the vybar. I was actually considering switching to 4045 for the increased FO retention but if I can get 7% or 8% out of 1343 I'll stick with it. Rustics are my "thing".

e

[DanaE]

Eugenia, do you think, that since I use 4045, I could actually increase it's scent load by doing the same thing? It already holds probably 6-7%, but I'd like to increase that and I have the fisher trop here, as well as the stearic and vybar..

Hmmm...nevermind. I'll just go try it myself and see what happens! I have certain scents that weep like crazy at 6% with the 4045, so maybe trying this combination will get rid of that problem.

Thanks for letting us know of your experiment. I'm going to print out your experiment and see if I can increase my scent load.

DanaE

[scents for me]

I've never added anything other than 3 Tablespoons of stearic per lb of wax.

Recent discussions of the low oil retention (3%) of the 1343 got me thinking.

For this pillar I used the 3T of stearic, 1/2 t of vybar 103, 1/2 t of uv inhibitor and 1 t of fisher trop micro crystals. I had to heat the wax to 210 for the additives to dissolve completely. I added 7% FO at 180 (1.25 ounces) and cooled to 150, then poured as usual.

Much to my surprise, the additives did not have an adverse effect and the candle was dry and fragrant. Took 3 views for you.

Pretty as always Eugenia

[eugenia]

Pretty as always Eugenia

Thanks Scents; I thought of you when trimming my wick :smiley2: . I know how much you hate the long ones LOL.

e

[SatinDucky]

I did not use the vybar 343 in this one, I used regular vybar 103, which we've all read to avoid with Rustics. As for the Fisher Trop, it does not impart opacity. I got it from Candlewic. They don't even have it listed anymore. The large amount of stearic is essential to the Rustic finish; the stearic is what gives the white "frost" lines to the finish.

e

I've always wondered why the Vybar 103 was to be avoided for rustics.... Yours turned out great with it :smiley2:

[Scented]

Hadn't heard vybar 103 was a no-no for rustics either ... just mottles.

[DanaE]

Okay, I tried Eugenia's experiment yesterday, but used 4045H mottling wax.

1 lb of wax, 3 tablespoons stearic, 1/2t of vybar 103, 1 teaspoon of Fisher Trop, some UV inhibitor and 1-1/2 ounces of FO.

My candle is completely dry - no seepage at all. I'll post a picture in a little while, after the sun comes up . I do have a rustic effect, although I lost part of it to the inside of the mold.

The candle itself has a very creamy look, like a preblend pillar wax, and the sink holes were much deeper.

One question though - Eugenia, since you're currenting burning your experiment, is the scent bound up because of the amount of vybar? That's a lot of vybar for 1 lb of wax (for me, I usually use about that much in a 4 lb batch).

I'm going to burn it today, using a low smoke 19 wick (don't have a 30 ply).

I'll post pics after it's been burning for a couple of hours, although I don't know if the 19 is the right size or not..

DanaE

[DanaE]

Here are two pics. Obviously, these aren't as pretty as Eugenia's candles, and the 4045H may not be the best wax to try this experiment with. I just lit it so in a few hours I'll post a pic of it burning.

*Edited to add* - the candle looks completely different than Eugenia's. It really does act more like OK6228 or 4625 when I put the additives in it.

I'm going to try a few more variations - using the Fisher Trop and no vybar and using vybar and no Fisher Trop to see if I can get a better finish to it.

DanaE

[eugenia]

One question though - Eugenia, since you're currenting burning your experiment, is the scent bound up because of the amount of vybar? That's a lot of vybar for 1 lb of wax (for me, I usually use about that much in a 4 lb batch).

Dana, most sites recommend 1/2 - 1 tsp per lb of wax so I didn't think it was excessive. Still working on the testing.

e