palm stearic ?

[silverm00n]

Hello candle buddies!

I've been playing around with rustics as of yesterday. All those tempting photos in the gallery, plus I have a case of 1343 all sad and lonely

I've been reading that you use stearic and vybar for these, but have only been adding vybar. Found some stearic, but it's palm. Can I use that? ~TY

[topofmurrayhill]

Palm stearic works fine. More and more that's what the suppliers are selling and most people are using.

A lot of the rustics you see in the gallery are made with just stearic and no Vybar. You can use whatever you want depending on how you like the results. I think you're much better off with a teaspoon of Vybar per pound if you like the look. An ounce of FO is really a lot for 1343 to hold and can lead to wicking probs and compromise the burn quality.

Good luck and enjoy.

[silverm00n]

Ah Top I saw you on here and was hopin you'd answer me! Thanks much

[Laura]

i use 1 oz fo and 3 TBS of stearic

[silverm00n]

Palm stearic works fine. More and more that's what the suppliers are selling and most people are using.

A lot of the rustics you see in the gallery are made with just stearic and no Vybar. You can use whatever you want depending on how you like the results. I think you're much better off with a teaspoon of Vybar per pound if you like the look. An ounce of FO is really a lot for 1343 to hold and can lead to wicking probs and compromise the burn quality.

Good luck and enjoy.

Hmmm I though vybar was a requirement for 1343? I'm not sure what you mean about the appearance, does it make it smoother?

[topofmurrayhill]

Hmmm I though vybar was a requirement for 1343? I'm not sure what you mean about the appearance, does it make it smoother?

Everyone has their way of doing things. Personally I would agree it's a requirement if you're going to use anywhere near 1 oz pp of fragrance oil in IGI 1343.

However, there's a certain rustic look from the gallery that a lot of people have wanted to duplicate and the instructions are to use 3 TBS stearic with straight paraffin and no other additive. It's a nice look, but IMO the wax in those candles is oversaturated with FO and I don't like the burn qualities.

If you use Vybar you will still get a candle with a cold-poured look, but it will have an effect on the color. The wax will be more opaque and the colors will be lighter using the same amount of dye. The surface finish will also be somewhat different.

[silverm00n]

So does 1343 hold 3% or 6% FO with no additives? I keep coming up with conflicting answers.

I know Eugenia says that she only uses 3T of stearic for these, but I'm confused as to if stearic helps up the FO load or does it just help with the sweating?

[silverm00n]

Ok called Peak and they said 3% w/o additives and that stearic only helps with appearance. Yes?

[topofmurrayhill]

Ok called Peak and they said 3% w/o additives and that stearic only helps with appearance. Yes?

Yes 3% is roughly the maximum the wax will hold without Vybar or certain other additives.

I don't believe stearic acid changes that. It may help concentrate the FO a more towards the center of the candle, which can cut down on sweating a little but then it's even worse for the burn.

Many people do use 1 oz pp regardless, but you can end up with big wide melt pools (or a bulging candle if the wick burns into the center), tall flames, inconsistent flame sizes, mushrooms, flare ups, sweating, strange wick sizes, etc. Different symptoms depending on the FO and other things.

Personally I'd suggest going real easy on the FO, or if you want very strong throw then go with the Vybar. It's not like dog shows -- there's no official standard for what a "rustic" candle should look like. You can do your own thing. Better to make a candle with a good balance of qualities that burns really well.