arkangel Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I make CP soap and have been for over 10 years. A while back I attempted the foray into candlemaking, using a presto pot over a pot of boiling water. The main problem was the wax! I bought a 'slab' of wax and that sucker was HARD. It was hard work trying to get that thing chopped up into managable pieces to fit into the presto pot. I think I broke out into a sweat! Well, I may be ready to give it another go. I think I gave away the last slab of wax. Is wax sold in more managable pieces? How about the new soy wax...is that any easier to work with? I'm interested in just container candles for now. I've seen 'one pour' wax advertised too - should I look into that instead? How about a crockpot for melting...I've read about the Presto's but I have a crockpot already with a low and high setting. Can you use one of those, or no??thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 When I ventured into containers it was with Greenleaf's 70/30 (soy/paraffin blend). I found it very easy to use and it's a one-pour wax.http://www.greenleafcandlesupply.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 One-pour waxes will certainly eliminate the need to break up slabs. They cut like butter.It's not worth ordering from Green Leaf, living where you do. There are two suppliers I'd suggest looking into.One of the best in the business is CandleScience in NC. Everything in the container wax section at the top of this page http://www.candlescience.com/wax/paraffin-wax.php is a one-pour except for 1288B and 4786. They're all popular and widely used. There's no predicting which you'll like best, so just read and decide or go eeny-meeny-miney-mo. You can also scroll down to the bottom and consider the 6006, a paraffin/soy blend.Another useful supplier is Candlewic in PA. They have their own proprietary one-pour blends on this page http://www.candlewic.com/store/category.aspx?q=cCandlewic+Custom+Blends.Candlewic is closer to you, but CandleScience has awesome shipping rates and exceptional customer service. Another one in PA is Candles & Supplies, but they suck IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cissy Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 With my hard slab wax, I put the slab in a 33 gal. trashbag. I slam it onto my concrete shop floor a time or two, (cuss a time or two...not really, it's not that bad) then the pieces left too large to put into my Presto, I angle them on another pc. of wax in the bag and bang it with a rubber mallet hammer. If you don't have a concrete floor, do it on your driveway or any hard surface you can't damage. I then leave it in the same bag and use as needed. I wouldn't change a wax I preferred just to save the extra trouble.I do use a new bag each slab or two, 'cause I beat holes in it sometimes.LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlessjade Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I use a little paring knife to break up my hard slabs. If you push it straight in it does a pretty good job of making the wax split. The trash bag method would probably be a little faster though, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkangel Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Thanks everyone. I think I'll try the one pour. I did attempt to break up the slab by wrapping it in an old ninja turtle sheet and banging it on the garage floor (you can tell how long ago this was by the sheet - I did not have much success and like the poster above, made numerous holes in the sheet. I think I'm done with that method - I'll try the one pour. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Using a screwdriver and a hammer works great for breaking them up. I just put the scredriver where I want it, hit it with the hammer a couple of times, and it breaks apart. I leave the wax in the box, and it doesn't make a huge mess. Any little piece that happens to chip off stays in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wick'd Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Using a screwdriver and a hammer works great for breaking them up. I just put the scredriver where I want it, hit it with the hammer a couple of times, and it breaks apart. I leave the wax in the box, and it doesn't make a huge mess. Any little piece that happens to chip off stays in the box.That's what I do, except I put it in a 13 gallon trash bag to make sure I catch all the little bits that chip off too. Works great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmhoneybear Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 At first, my DH had a table set up for me in the garage where I broke the wax up with a hammer and chisel. What a mess I made! Now I put a slab in a large plastic sterilite container and break it up with the hammer. The tiny pieces don't go all over the floor and aren't wasted anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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