Dye won't mix in

[sugarysweet95]

Hi everyone and happy christmasJust wandering if anyone can helpe me. I've recently bought some candle dye powder from pourette but i'm having trouble getting it mix into the wax properly. I've had this happen with other dye chips, like the ones from pourette. It seems to stay as little flakes and sinks to the bottom of the wax. I know the wax isn't saturated with dye, as when i add more it still goes a darker colour. I just using straight paraffin, always give my wax a good stir and add my dye when the wax is about 80 degrees or more. I have tried adding it both before and after i add the scent. It doesn't always happen, but i haven't been able to put a finger on what the difference is! Its annoying as i have to give my melting jug a v good clean each time i use it and sometimes the little flakes get into the wax!!!Does anyone else have this problem and / or know what to do to get the dye to melt in properly?

[Scented]

Well sounds like a pigment to me, but I'm not familiar with the flakes. If you're adding at 80 degrees, that's ummm quite low. Perhaps try it at say 180.

[sugarysweet95]

Sorry, meant to say degrees centrigrade. Some of the dyes are pigment, and their much much worse (though sometimes they all melt in wonderfully and other times not, even with the pigment dyes) and some of the dyes are just ordinary colours!They're v noticable little flakes in the wax which can ruin a nice pillar candle!

[topofmurrayhill]

The dye powder is pure dye with no dispersing agent at all. It can be very difficult to incorporate, especially certain colors. I know someone who described it as trying to dissolve hot cocoa mix in cold milk.

Generally this stuff is best for larger batches and professional use. It's very concentrated, difficult to measure, and benefits from some automated stirring like an immersion blender. It's also a good idea to wear a mask because you will breathe the powder. You may also start seeing colored specks on surfaces around your work area.

One thing that will get you better results is to dissolve the powder in hot stearic acid before adding it to your batch. That's how they make the chips and blocks, so you can see it doesn't entirely work.

Another technique that's sometimes used commercially is to pour the wax through a filter mesh to remove any residual sediment.

[sugarysweet95]

Hi, thanks, i'll try that. Will using stearine help with candle dye chips that don't always dissolve too?Thanks

[topofmurrayhill]

Hi, thanks, i'll try that. Will using stearine help with candle dye chips that don't always dissolve too?Thanks

The chips are already dye powder dissolved in stearine, but maybe it would still help. I haven't tried it.

[Scented]

With the chips that don't dissolve, I had an old metal egg poacher that I put on direct heat and just melted them in there before adding to the wax.

[sugarysweet95]

Thanks everyone. I tried stearine and the dye dissolved much better, but not all, so i'll try melting them before as well. Fingers crossed, lol!