Hurrican help

[tammyc]

I have been inserting fall leaves in my hurricanes. My problem is air bubbles. I heat my wax to 190-200, pour into my mold and let sit until the air bubbles have settled. I insert my leave and twist around until it seems like all the air bubbles are gone. I use a wooden paint stir stick to press my leave against the mold and use a frozen wash cloth to create the frost to hold the leave in place while using the paint stick to try to release any air bubbles. Then water bath, etc. I have been leaving them overnight before removing them. When I remove them I usually end up with small white spots here and there, which eventually turn into large raised white spots (air bubble). I know, practice, practice, practice. The problem is I have been remelting about 6-10 times each, just to get one good one. I don't have this problem with photographs. Could it be the leaf? Does anyone else use leaves or flowers? Should I be doing something different?

[marika]

Your leaves have moisture in them still and the wax will repell it (oil and water do not mix) Make a color copy of your leaves and use them.

Mari

[Everito Bandito]

In addition to what marika said, I use a little universal additive and a bit of stearic to my wax. It seems to help with my photo canes. I have not tried real leaves. Maybe putting them into a book to keep them flattened out while drying may be a help.

[Aspencreek]

You can either make a copy of them or throw them in the dehydrater. That will take all of the moisture out and you should get a better cane. Good Luck!!!!