Question about presto pots

[MommaD]

In making candles, I used a fish fryer, a huge pot of water and melting pots in that to heat and mix my waxes. I notice that many of you use presto pots and such. Explain to me how you do this? Do you only heat the wax, and then put it into something else to color and scent it? How does this work for you? Do you mix it in the presto pot? If so, isn't that a pain to clean out? Thanks!

[Linnyeg]

Normally I only melt the wax in my presto and then scent and colour in my pour pots. The only time i'll scent and colour in my presto is when im making a big order (more than 4lbs of the same scent/colour).

[Breanna]

Normally I only melt the wax in my presto and then scent and colour in my pour pots. The only time i'll scent and colour in my presto is when im making a big order (more than 4lbs of the same scent/colour).

I do the same. Only melt the wax in my presto pots, then add everything else to my pour pots.

[Pam W]

same here..and cleaning isn't hard at all - as soon as I pour the last of the wax from the presto, turn off & wipe down with a handfull of paper towels

Paper towels are a Chandler's best friend

[MommaD]

So, you do have a pouring pot for each scent, or do you clean it out each time? I was cleaning out pots every single time I made candles.

[SatinDucky]

Some may have pour pots for each scent if they're doing a big order, but it's not practical for everyday, especially if you have 30 or 40 scents. I have 4 and clean them before putting a new scent in. I also use the presto for just plain wax only.

Just a note: I don't know if it's what you have in mind or not, but make sure you don't melt wax directly in any kind of electric appliance that doesn't have a variable temp control on it.

[Peggy]

Ditto. I love my Presto and use the pour pots for color and FO. Before I took making candles seriously my SO would help. He would do everything in the Presto so all we had around the house was one color and one fragrance. Me, I like variety.

[Llyrellin]

I was wondering - besides not being able to scent and color your wax in the presto pot, are there any other problems when using the presto pots to melt wax?

[daniedb]

Llyrellin -

The only drawback for me is finding the best way to get the wax into the pour pots without spilling it everywhere. Some chandlers will modify their pots by drilling a hole in them and adding a spigot, so the wax will pour out through the spigot like a tea urn, but that's waaaay more trouble for me.

So, the only drawback is that I will get some small drips when I ladle my wax into the pour pots...but it's no big deal, easy to clean and I have it down to where I hardly spill any anymore.

[wvcandleguy]

I melt in my Presto pot and mix everythign in the pour pot, Unless its a fairly big order, then I do it all in the presto pot. Big tip... the presto pot is good for about 7lbs of wax without overflowing... HTH:cheesy2:

[moonrose64]

Sometimes mix everything right in the presto.

I use Pyrex measuring cups for pouring.

After I am done with that batch, I just pop my

Pyrex on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels

turn the oven onto 175 and let the wax melt

off onto paper towels.. Works great

Gotta love those pyrex. Just watch out if 1 breaks..

Not a pretty picture...

[Trish]

I only put wax in my presto. I don't like to weigh it out before I dump it in to melt. Especially when I'm working on large orders, I am constantly adding wax.

I do have spigots on two of my prestos and the third I cuss out when I have to use it because I spill everywhere!

I have about 8 pour pots, some big and some little and I just wipe them out when I'm done.

[scents for me]

I was wondering - besides not being able to scent and color your wax in the presto pot, are there any other problems when using the presto pots to melt wax?

No problem melting, scenting, and coloring right in the presto. Just wipe clean with a paper towel when you are done. I have had 6 of them for 5 years and they are all fine with no scent mixing, which I think a lot of people are afraid of. Turn the presto on high when you wipe it clean. Just pour right from the presto into your pour pot. A lot of time saved by doing this.

[Bev]

I do both ... mix in the presto and mix in the pour pot. Just depends on what I'm doing. If I'm making several different scents in one day, I'll just have my pots melting wax and mix the FO's and dyes in the pour pots. If I'm just working on one particular scent, I'll do all the mixing in the presto. No problem with cleaning up ... just wipe clean with a paper towel, then I use a soapy rag to wipe clean and dry with a towel.

[rookie2004]

They're great and easy use. Oh yeah they're also cheap $20. Melt wax, mix whatever you want to do. Just be careful not set it too hot. On mine about right at the M in WARM on the dial is about 185 TO 200 degrees, so if you go out and get one this weekend pay close attention where you set the dial and experiment with temperature settings.They're also pretty fast at melting wax. Sure beats the double boiler.

Happy Candle Making,

John

[islandgirl]

No problem melting, scenting, and coloring right in the presto. Just wipe clean with a paper towel when you are done. I have had 6 of them for 5 years and they are all fine with no scent mixing, which I think a lot of people are afraid of. Turn the presto on high when you wipe it clean. Just pour right from the presto into your pour pot. A lot of time saved by doing this.

That works for me too!! I just mix it all right in the pot, ( usually 8 pounds of wax)then I laddle or pour into my pouring pots. Then I wipe clean and heat presto pot for a minute to make sure all wax and scent are gone!.

I do have a pouring pot for each scent since I am carring 40 scents at the present time. It just makes it a lot eaiser for me not to have to clean out each pour pot every time.

[The_Dallas_Texas_Dean]

I have a Presto Pot but much prefer my Regal Kitchen Pro ( it holds way more wax AND has the thermostat also). I went to the Restaurant Supply and purchased different size laddles with long handles with the Fluid Ounces marked on them. In the beginning it took some testing to know exactly how much wax each full laddle holds in wax ( by weight )....I kept good notes and now I use the scale SO MUCH LESS and have very few drips "laddling" the wax into the pour pots because they are so large and easy to use.

[Llyrellin]

Thanks for all the replies:).

I was wondering where you got the presto pots for $20, as the cheapest I've found has been $45. Also, a friend told me the presto pots will not let you heat the wax over a certain temperature, but I haven't been able to find the info. online. Does anyone know if this is true, and if so, what temperature? Also, have any of you had to make any changes to the presto pot (add spigots, modify it, etc.) to make it more efficient?

Thanks for your help.

[topofmurrayhill]

Thanks for all the replies:).

I was wondering where you got the presto pots for $20, as the cheapest I've found has been $45. Also, a friend told me the presto pots will not let you heat the wax over a certain temperature, but I haven't been able to find the info. online. Does anyone know if this is true, and if so, what temperature? Also, have any of you had to make any changes to the presto pot (add spigots, modify it, etc.) to make it more efficient?

Thanks for your help.

For $45 you can get one that already has a spigot installed from some sellers on e-Bay. Also here are instructions if you want to make the modification yourself. Some people get by without the spigot and just ladle the wax.

As regards the temperature you can reach, let's just say you won't be using anything past the low end of the dial. This appliance can work as a fryer, so its maximum temp gets awfully close to the flash point of wax. One of the convenient things (if you're very careful) is that you can heat wax hotter than a double boiler if you want to cook out air and moisture, or if you need to use some of the higher melting point additives like polyethylene or F-T wax.