Presto pot question

[tammyc]

I am in the process of turning my candle making hobby into a business. I want to relocate my work area from my kitchen to my basement, where I can have a more room to work. The problem is I do not have a 220 line for a stove in the basement. I am thinking of going with presto pots. My question is when do you add your dye and fo. I assume not directly to the presto pot. Currently I am making one candle at a time, one color at a time in one pouring pot in my kitchen. I am thinking I will need to pour off the desired amount and add dye and fo at that time. So how do you reheat for the repour? I am trying to figure out how to do this without a stove. Maybe a hot plate? I am trying to make a business plan and I need to know what I need to upgrade my area. Another question is what do most of you that use presto pot use for pouring? I was going to buy more pouring pots, but was thinking that large pyrex measuring cups may be more practical as they have measurements marked on them. Last question, I promise. Maybe this is a silly question, but is 1 lb solid wax the same as 16 oz liquid wax. Currently I add dye and fo according the amount of solid wax that I put in my pot to melt. I was thinking if I pour off 16 oz of liquid from a presto pot would I add the same amount of dye and fo as I do currently when I weigh 1 lb of solid.

Sorry to be a pest, with so many questions.

Tammy

[Georgia]

Well, we don't have a pest smiley so I guess I'll just try to answer your questions...

I moved my shop to the basement and have no stove. I have several prestos - I slap a label on the handle so I know what wax is in each one. The only thing in the presto is wax and UV inhibitor. I add color and FO in the pour pot. I use the aluminum pour pots. They are lighter than the pyrex. And you don't need the fluid measurements on the pyrex - you need a good digital scale and always deal with weights. A pound of wax weighs 16 ounces whether it is solid or liquid. Oh, and yes I have a hot plate for repours. You need a pot of water sitting on the hot plate. Don't heat wax directly on the hot plate...do a search for "fire" and you'll find my post where I set my pour pot on fire and burned my hand!

[judyvega]

I'm kindof an oddball (newsflash lol) - I mix my scents and colors in my prestos (I have three currently) - I pour around fifteen or so at a time right now. Most people don't do it that way, though, they melt wax in presto, put in pour pot and then mix in scent and color...

[aswan01]

I've tried using the large pyrex measuring cup things and the problem with them is that the glass cools the wax really fast and you end up with a pretty thick layer of solid wax all in the cup.

A lb. of wax always weighs a pound whether it's solid or liquid, BUT it melts down into approx. 20 oz. liquid volume (parrafin). Soy a little less I think. So you don't need a lb. of wax to fill a 16 oz. container.

Georgia's right about a digital scale being a must and the pot of water to set the pour pot in.

Judy's right, too. Most people do not mix their color & fo in the presto. If you did that you would have to have a lot of candles the same color & scent if it was full and when you wanted to change either you would have to clean the presto out for every new batch. Much easier to have one presto for each type of wax and several pour pots to work with for color & scent changes.

HTH

[CandlesNMore]

I use the large pyrex measuring cups and never had a problem with them. I melt my wax in the presto, pour the amount needed into my pyrex and then add FO and color.

[jhepp7gw2]

I use the 32 oz pyrex measuring jar and the tin pouring pot. I love my Presto and would never put anything in it but wax. I mix my dyes and FO's in the pour pots. When im done with that batch I wipe them out with a paper towel and off to the wash. You guys are right about the wax cooling and building up on the pyrex though as I have to work a little harder to get it clean. One other thing I always forget is that even if you melt the right amount of wax for a pound I always forget the scent actually weighs an ounce. Since I do 2 pounds pouring at a time I always forget this and end up with extra. I use soy wax.

[candlebean]

I'm kindof an oddball (newsflash lol) - I mix my scents and colors in my prestos (I have three currently) - I pour around fifteen or so at a time right now. Most people don't do it that way, though, they melt wax in presto, put in pour pot and then mix in scent and color...

I'm with you - I have always mixed my FO and color in my presto pot and have never had a problem. I use Goo Gone or Dissolve-It to clean my pot and then I clean them in a utility sink I have in my basement to make sure that all of the scent and color are gone.

[judyvega]

I'm with you - I have always mixed my FO and color in my presto pot and have never had a problem. I use Goo Gone or Dissolve-It to clean my pot and then I clean them in a utility sink I have in my basement to make sure that all of the scent and color are gone.

You know, all I do to clean my prestos is heat them up and wipe them out good - works for me! Also, I never use pour pots - I have small plastic ladles that I use that are heat resistant up to 300 degrees - zap them w/heat gun, wipe them off and they're good to go for the next batch!