hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Ok, ignore the seam line. I didn't mess with that yet. What are all of these little dimples all over the candle? I got a kit from Peak and followed all the instructions, so is this a normal problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerinarkansas Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I don't know anything about pillars but I like your furniture...it looks just like mine.LOL Sorry to butt in... Ginger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 I don't know anything about pillars but I like your furniture...it looks just like mine.LOL Sorry to butt in... GingerThanks! We just moved into a new house and got new furniture too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterBaker2 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 What temp did you pour at? What kind of wax? I'm guessing it was either your pour temp or you may need to add some stearic next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 The wax with the kit said you don't need to add anything to it. The pour temp was 180, because it said 175-185 so I went in the middle lol. I want to try another one soon, this was fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatCandleMaker Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Did you poke relief holes? If you don't do the relief holes, as the wax cools it pulls away from the sides of the mold in a fashion similar to this. It is called dimpling.Dat eta: It is a very nice looking candle. Great 1st time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroome2005 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Man, I want my house to look that clean!!! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Did you poke relief holes? If you don't do the relief holes, as the wax cools it pulls away from the sides of the mold in a fashion similar to this. It is called dimpling.Dateta: It is a very nice looking candle. Great 1st time!I did do relief holes, I don't know if maybe I didn't do them soon enough or something though. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Man, I want my house to look that clean!!! :-)You can't see the floor lol. I have 3 little ones, but I do use flylady.net lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozzie Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 They look a bit like pin holes to me, which I understand happens when the pour temp is too hot. Maybe try again at 175F to see if that helps. While there are a ton of hints and instructions out there getting a style and finish that is pleasing to you will likely take a fair amount of experimentation. Nice first job BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 I got a converted presto pot forever ago. Would it be easier to use that instead of the double boiler method? Easier to control the temp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Well I'm thinking differently than what I've read here. Thinking: 1) Poured too fast2) mold was a little dirtyIt looks like you have some surface bubbles on there too. Are there any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Nope no bubbles, must just look like it in the pic. It's burning nicely and just for me anyway lol, so I don't mind much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Well to me those pin holes are from dust that wasn't caught or could have been trapped by your releasant or could be your releasant or air bubbles that happened because the outside cooled too fast or the wax was poured too fast. If you don't water bath, try it with tin molds. You get a really shiny surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I don't know, I think it's a nice looking candle, a few dimples never hurt anyone!Great first attempt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 Thanks! It looks and smells good while burning too. I lit it for dinner last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtngrl Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Hi, great 1st pillar. It only gets better from here! I would like to suggest that you not leave your candle naked on a wood surface. I've done that before & later regretted it when I found a wax ring on my table. I've left candles bare on a lazy-susan only to discover later that the FO really ruined the surface of the plastic due to the solvents used to produce the FO ... one of those solvents sometimes being acetone that you find in nail polish remover. Highly suggest that you keep something between your candle & anything it comes into contact.Prestos are better to use than 2x boiler method - melts wax much faster & you have more control over temp, BUT you should still check your temps as the gauge can sometimes be wrong.Here's a few thoughts on relief holes: (1) use something fat to poke your holes, say the fatness of a bic pen or a tad smaller. Fat holes are easier to fill than skinny holes made by something such as thin skewers. (2) with paraffin wax, I typically poke at least 4 relief holes. (3) with palm wax, I poke a lot of relief holes. When I make a palm piller, & it turns out poorly, for whatever reason, I remelt it in my presto, laying on its side rather than top or bottom. During the melt process, I remove the candle several times to check for holes. Sure enough, I often find caverns between relief holes, esp if I only poke 4 holes. This seems to be less of an issue when I poke a lot of holes (8 holes or more, depending on mold size). I can't see the surface flaws to which you are referring in your pix. However, I do have a couple thoughts about it. When I 1st started candle-making a couple of years ago, I noticed a pitty surface all over the pillars I was making. I had read, as Mozzie suggested, that one potential cause was pouring too hot. When I decreased the temp, I still had the pitty surface. Over a period of time using the mold, the pittiness went away. I'm more inclined to blame the new mold for this imperfection. As Scented suggested, perhaps dust. I've discovered that if I "season" the mold, this problem rarely happens.Seasoning the mold. Basically, when I get a new mold I fill it w/ clear molten wax, poking relief holes, & repouring. Once the candle has cooled, I remove it from the mold & then weigh the faux candle. This gives me an exact volume for that particular mold, which is particularly helpful on odd shaped molds. I set my oven temp to 150*, place the mold upside down (open side down) in the oven on a cookie sheet covered w/ newspaper. After the mold has been in the oven long enough for the residual wax to melt, I remove the mold & wipe down w/ paper towels. If you can afford to buy the lint-free variety, I highly suggest it. I discovered this trick when I got polycarbonate molds. The 1st one I did not "season" & it severly stained the 1st time I used it w/ liquid dyes. I then "seasoned" the 2nd mold before adding color & it has helped decrease staining. I then adopted "seasoning" as a general practise to get accurate volume measurements on my odd shaped molds (anything other than a square/rectangle & circle/round).Hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfitz5051 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 Thanks for all that great advice Mtngrl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwin Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Man, I want my house to look that clean!!! :-)Me too!!The candle looks great. The color is very vivid.Here's a few thoughts on relief holes: (1) use something fat to poke your holes, say the fatness of a bic pen or a tad smaller. Fat holes are easier to fill than skinny holes made by something such as thin skewers. (2) with paraffin wax, I typically poke at least 4 relief holes. (3) with palm wax, I poke a lot of relief holes. When I make a palm piller, & it turns out poorly, for whatever reason, I remelt it in my presto, laying on its side rather than top or bottom. During the melt process, I remove the candle several times to check for holes. Sure enough, I often find caverns between relief holes, esp if I only poke 4 holes. This seems to be less of an issue when I poke a lot of holes (8 holes or more, depending on mold size). I use a chopsticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macusa360 Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Hi! I am new in this forum; :highfive: . Here's a few ideas: When you use the releasant in the mold, turn down a minute before pouring the melted wax. When you pouring the wax very hot and there is some drops of releasant, cause some kind of efervescent ( seems like boiling) and the candle will be with the little holes...( It happen to me several time) . Try the temp of the wax no more than 90C degrees, 200 F..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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