cybersix Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Hi!!Please any one of you ha s the patience to help a newbie?What's the difference between straight paraffin waxes and pre-blended waxes?I read that a pre-blend wax does not mottle for example.. then I read that there is IGI 1302B Mottling Pillar Blend !!!!!! (I take this for example from bittercreek)Help!!! What do I have to do if I want to place an order????Let's say that I'm interested in:-pillars (rustic and not, draped, chunky)-free standing molded candles-hurricane/embeds-MOTTLING!!!What type of wax should I use??What are pro and cons with straight paraffin and pre-blend??Help I'm getting a very very very big headache, I don't know where to start from!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Straight paraffin waxes are only paraffin and contain no additives. Just plain old wax. You can use them for just about anything and you have to put in additives for just about everything. Pre-blends are paraffin with additives. You use them exactly as they are without adding anything except fragrance and color. They perform very well for the type of candle they are designed to make, but there may be certain candles you can't make with them. For instance, you can't make a real mottled candle with any pre-blend.The reason you're confused about IGI 1302B is that wax manufacturers do some blending and selecting of paraffins to keep a certain line of wax consistent for a certain purpose. However these "blends" are really just straight paraffin with no additives. With IGI products the real pre-blends all have the 4000 series numbering.As far as I know, 1302B is a discontinued product and Bitter Creek is selling off old stock. If you want to make mottled pillars you can use pretty much any straight paraffin with a melting point around 140. From Bitter Creek the 1239 and 1343 would be appropriate choices. The 1343 is more widely available so a lot of people use it. Either of them can also be used for any other kind of pillar you would like to make. For hurricanes or embeds you'd get the 1260, but I wouldn't start with that if I were you.As for what to start with, it sounds are though you're most interested in pillars, so you'll want to either get one of those straight paraffins I just mentioned, or the IGI 4625 pillar pre-blend (since you mentioned Bitter Creek I'm simply shoosing from what they have). The latter will make a good opaque pillar that will hold scent well and color nicely. There's only so much you can do with it, but with a little imagination people do make a variety of nice candles from it. It's easy to work with and eliminates the issue making your own formulation with additives.Hope that covers your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Well, let's see if I can help ya some....Straight paraffin - It's basically what it says. There's no additives in it to enhance anything. Makes the wax more versitile. You add which additives you want to get the outcome you want. Take the 1343 for example(straight paraffin).... you can make smooth shiny pillars, rustics, or mottles by adding different additives. It had a low FO load by itself but it can be increased with additives. There are straight paraffins with different melt ponts for making different types of candles. Ie... lower mp (softer) for containers, med mp for pillars/freestanding candles/tapers, and high mp for things like hurricanes and embeds.Preblended waxes - These are just the paraffin with the additives already in it. A pilar blend already has the additives in it. No fuss, no muss. Add your color and fo, then try to find the right wick It's designed to give you nice smooth pillars. You can do chucks, layers, draped and get a certain amount of rustic with it, but it wont mottle, unless it says it's a mottling wax.Hurricanes need a high melt point wax designed for hurricanes, usually 160 degrees or so.There's been a lot of threads here lately on how to get mottles and rustics.. seraching for them and reading all the way through might help ya too I'm sure I've missed some stuff, but I'm still half asleep...LOLAdded: Well there ya go, Top is up and on the ball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Ok, many thanks!!Only can you tell me why I should not start with hurricane waxes?The blend you mentioned (IGI 4625) does not mottle.. but if I want mottling?And if I want rustic? I can use it? So if I'm not wrong, you suggest to have a general purpose blend.. now I'll sit down adn take the time to think abou this! Thank you very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 If you are wanting to make hurricanes, start with a hurricane wax 4625 will NOT mottle. If you want a mottle, you need a straight paraffin( or blend that's designed for mottling). You can get a certain amount of rustic with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I'm pretty new to the whole candlemaking thing, and all the additives and stuff used to confuse me, so I started with pre-blends, and have been very successful in producing rustic, and mottled pillars.For rustic pillars, I use 4625 adding only FO and dye. For mottling I use 1274 and I add 3 Tbs of stearic (to retain the FO), FO and dye. Pretty simple, and you'll come up with some pretty cool candles. Once you've mastered the basics, you can start trying some of the "recipes" of the pros in this forum.Good Luck....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I just want to clarify that 1274 is not a preblend. That's a straight paraffin, which is what you need to make a mottled candle. You can also make any kind of pillar you want with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 ....according to IGI it's a blend. Their description states "IGI 1274 is a paraffin wax blend designed for use in "mottling" pillar and votive candles.http://www.igiwax.com/downloads/pis/pis_1274.pdfAm I the dufus or is blend and pre-blend two different things?!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 girls, I love you all!!Hope I can buy some of these waxes.Another question: the corrisponding waxes from astorlite (ifr they exist) how are named?Also, are there only IGI e Astorlite? Or are there other famous names?Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 ....according to IGI it's a blend. Their description states "IGI 1274 is a paraffin wax blend designed for use in "mottling" pillar and votive candles.http://www.igiwax.com/downloads/pis/pis_1274.pdfAm I the dufus or is blend and pre-blend two different things?!?!?I mentioned that in my original reply. Sometimes they use language that would lead you to confuse it with a pre-blend, but it's a just a straight paraffin wax. Plain old wax. It's not much different from 1343 actually and you can use it for mottles or rustics or anything you want. Only the IGI 4xxx waxes are preformulated blends.As far as the waxes that IGI specifically markets for candles (they have many others that also work great), here's the low-down:Straight paraffin wax:12101242127412861288A1288B1343Preformulated blends:Parafflex 4625 (Pillar)Parafflex 4794 (Votive)Parafflex 4627 Comfort Blend (Container)Parafflex 4630 Harmony Blend (Container)Parafflex 4786 Classic Blend (Container)(I left out the paraveggies which is the 6xxx stuff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fern Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Margaritamama: You are not a "dufus". LOL There are blended "straight paraffins"...a blend of several different paraffin waxes...and then there are pre-blended waxes that won't mottle or do rustics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 girls, I love you all!!Hope I can buy some of these waxes.Another question: the corrisponding waxes from astorlite (ifr they exist) how are named?Also, are there only IGI e Astorlite? Or are there other famous names?Thanks!!IGI bought Honeywell Industrial Waxes so they own the Astorlite line now. You can get more info on those at http://astorlite.com/jsp/home.jsp.Those are probably the 2 most "famous" but that's based mostly on the size of their operations. You can also get paraffins and pre-blends offered by individual suppliers such as Candlewic. Peak is in the process of rolling out their own line also. There are lots of other sources for wax.Oh by the way I'm not a girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Margaritamama: You are not a "dufus". LOL There are blended "straight paraffins"...a blend of several different paraffin waxes...and then there are pre-blended waxes that won't mottle or do rustics.Thank You - that makes perfect sense.... I learn something new about this candlemaking stuff every day!!!! Topofmurrayhill - Thanks to you to. Your replies are always so erudite and help explain things really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Genwax used to have a great description of the different wax terminology, but it seems to be gone. It was a really clear description. They had 3 different categories of paraffin.1 - the straight. It could vary in melt point and characteristics from batch to batch.2 - the blended. It was a blend of paraffin, done so the melt point and other characteristics like color would be more consistent from batch to batch.3 - the preblends (though I think they called it something else). These are the waxes with the vybar/other additives in it, to allow more scent retention, opaqueness.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Oh by the way I'm not a girl. ops, sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clc404 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I have wanted to try to make hurricanes. The ones here on the board are just beautiful. You say hurricane wax, is there a wax that you just use for hurricanes only? I went to one of the places I get my supplies and asked about making hurricanes. I was told you could use any kind of pillar/votive, I didn't think that was right. clc404Cheryl C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 hi, the only thing I know about hurrican is that they have to be made with a high melting point wax. And they have to be a bit large, so the tealight you'll light inside won't burn them!Also I read if you add scent to the wax for your hurricane the tealight inside cause the hurricane to warm and diffuse the fragrance.Now if I'm writing something wrong stop me!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyl55 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 IGI 1260 is a good hurricane wax. Check out Techniques & Ideas on the left of this page. Alan has some good instructions posted. You don't normally scent the wax in a hurricane. The scent is in the tea light or votive burned inside the hurricane. Molds should be over 4" in diameter. I think the scented candles you referred to have an electric light bulb inside them. The light bulb is suppose to get hot enough to release the scent from the candle. They are typically smaller than a hurricane. Don't make them so don't know what wax is used. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clc404 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Thanks. I did check the techniques on what wax was used. I can't find any of that wax here in Columbus, Ohio. But I'll keep checking. Thanks again for your help. I just love this boardclc404Cheryl C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 Oh by the way I'm not a girl. Top ~ If you'd stop lounging around in the silk lingerie, people wouldn't keep making that mistake clc404 ~ It doesn't have to be that particular wax. The main thing is that you use a wax with a high melt point. Preferable 160 or above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 Top ~ If you'd stop lounging around in the silk lingerie, people wouldn't keep making that mistake You think that could account for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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