Not getting rustic texture

[starlessjade]

I posted about this in the gallery but I'm not sure very many people saw it there. I started out pouring layered rustics, and they turned out pretty nice, but then I tried to make solid rustic pillars, and I have yet to make one with a "rustic" texture- they are all coming out smooth. I have been pouring IGI 1343A with stearic 3 T pp and FO 1/2 oz pp, at 150 degrees (the melting point is 139). I have been trying to pour quickly but it seems like maybe the mold is actually heating up enough as I pour to ruin the reaction between the wax and the cold mold. Chilling the mold hasn't seemed to make any difference. Someone suggested pouring at 140 and also coating the walls of the mold with wax before filling the mold, so I'm going to try that in a few minutes. Anyone have any advice? I'm just getting really frustrated because I've been following the directions posted everywhere on the internet and it's not working!

If you want to see the photos, they are in a post in the gallery. I am also getting bubbles and pinpricks in the surface.

[kalamazoo]

So glad you posted this question, because I have been having the same problems. In the Techniques and Ideas section on the left is a tutorial for a rustic effect candle, and no matter how I try, just can´t get it. If you pour too cool, then I get too many bubbles, and a lot of the frosting stays in the mould. Pour too slow and I get jump lines. Pour a bit too hot and then the whole mould seems to get too warm and no rustic effect. So I really understand what you are going through. Hopefully someone will help with some tips or ideas on what to do.

[Wick'n'Wax]

oh thank heavens! thats 3 of us with the same problem.

I've just bought some stearic today, hadn't used any additives before.

I'm still confused over plastic or aluminium mould, chill in the fridge or not, pouring temps

also read its 1/2 tsp for 1lb of wax, and 3tsp for 1lb of wax for the stearic

utterly confused, but dying to try another one

How can something so frustrating be so enjoyable lmao

[starlessjade]

At least I'm not the only one! All the instructions, including the tutorial here, make it sound so simple, but it's totally not working for me.

I just poured one at 140, and there were billions of bubbles... so even if it did work, the candle is still going to be totally screwed up.

[Wick'n'Wax]

what mould are you using? I've got metal ones, but also a kid plastic tumbler

[starlessjade]

I'm using a seamless aluminum mold.

I've always heard that plastic molds wouldn't work for rustics at all. I've also heard that tin works better than aluminum, so maybe that's something for me to try, but a lot of people said they used aluminum and it worked just fine.

[Wick'n'Wax]

call me thick....... lol

not sure if mine are metal or aluminium

[starlessjade]

Do they have seams? I think seamless molds are only made with aluminum, so maybe that could be a clue.

But I could be wrong.

I mean, I can't even follow simple instructions without screwing up!

[AnjieBurdett]

Its really not that confusing once you get the hang of it, but yeah, I KNOW how frustrating it is trying to get these rustics right!!

All I can say is - don't chill the mould, there's no need. They do work in plastic but aluminium is soo much better. For the air bubbles - tap the mould as soon as you've poured the wax in. The little buggers don't come out straight away because they tend to get caught behind the wax on the sides of the moulds - the bit that sets up as soon as you pour it in. But keep tapping up and down and around the mould and they do come out, you can see them come to the surface.

Use the stearic at 10% of whatever amount of wax you are using. I work in grams so if i use, for example, 857.1g of wax then I add 85.7g of stearin. You basically move the decimal point to the left one place. It works for me so I stick to it.

And pour at 150

Anjie,x.

[starlessjade]

Did all that- and they come out smooth every time.

[Wick'n'Wax]

Its really not that confusing once you get the hang of it, but yeah, I KNOW how frustrating it is trying to get these rustics right!!

All I can say is - don't chill the mould, there's no need. They do work in plastic but aluminium is soo much better. For the air bubbles - tap the mould as soon as you've poured the wax in. The little buggers don't come out straight away because they tend to get caught behind the wax on the sides of the moulds - the bit that sets up as soon as you pour it in. But keep tapping up and down and around the mould and they do come out, you can see them come to the surface.

Use the stearic at 10% of whatever amount of wax you are using. I work in grams so if i use, for example, 857.1g of wax then I add 85.7g of stearin. You basically move the decimal point to the left one place. It works for me so I stick to it.

And pour at 150

Anjie,x.

I have one that has a seam and 2 without.

So, don't chill, its a 350g amount of wax mould (already measured and marked in pen on the mould so I don't forget ) which is 35g of stearin.

Pour at 150 and tap tap tap?

Gonna try all that tomorrow.

Will let you know then

thanks xx

starlessjade, will let you know if it works. Have you chilled your mould and tried not chilling it?

[AnjieBurdett]

My flingers and arms and legs are crossed for you :party:

Anjie,x.

[topofmurrayhill]

The single colors aren't coming out right for you because of the wax temperature. When you pour small layers the wax cools off very quickly. When you pour that large amount of wax in the mold you're trapping a bunch of heat in there, especially towards the top, and the sides are coming out too smooth.

There are two things you can do. Either lower the wax temp and pour as you've been doing (you overdid it with 140, that's a huge change from 150), or pour the candle real slow so that the wax in the pot is cooling off as you pour. You just need to get the feel of it.

[starlessjade]

It did seem like they were coming out a little better in the beginning when I was pouring more slowly, but all the instructions said to do it quickly. :rolleyes2 Now I'm thinking that was probably just to prevent jump lines, and I really don't mind them. They actually look pretty cool in the layered rustics!

I'll try pouring one at 150 but slowly and one at a lower temperature... so maybe 145-ish? I've tried around 148 and that didn't seem to help.

Wick'n'Wax, I've tried both chilled and room temperature molds and haven't seen any significant difference. I've even done a few tests where I've poured two identical candles but with one in a chilled mold and one room temp, and couldn't tell which was which at the end. Most sources say that chilling is unnecessary, but being the experimental type I had to try it myself just to make sure.

[eugenia]

If you want to do a solid rustic, try freezing the mold first and pour at 150. You should get a good texture that way. You don't need the stearic for the texture, it creates the frost effect, which will probably stick to the mold if you freeze it.

e

[sugarysweet95]

Hi, I've recently been experienting with rustics and found that the generally come out looking ok. I waited for the wax to start to form a thin lining on the top of the pouring jug, then i poured it into the mould. I did get air bubbles, but i found using a long wooden bbq stick worked great! I pressed this down the sides of the mould to squeeze out the air bubbles. The final candle had signs of air bubbles, but they weren't v deep at all and made a nice addition to the rustic effect.

Wish i could post some pics of some i've recently made - see what you all think, but the button for posting attachments isn't there!!

[starlessjade]

If you want to do a solid rustic, try freezing the mold first and pour at 150.

That's exactly what I've been doing.

[Wick'n'Wax]

I did one last night, very late lol.

I got some frosting. yayyyyyyyy

but a lot stuck in the mould

I had 350gms paraffin, 4 level tablespoons of stearic and poured at 140. I could tell a difference straight away, as I poured it poured more like thick jam than complete liquid and had froth on the top.

It has a big dent in the side though. I poked relief holes and went to bed! bad idea, they weren't there this morning and I think a bit of the overpour ran down the side.

Posting a piccie later over on Gallery.

Gonna remelt today and try again.

btw, does the stearic stay active or will I have to add more to a remelt?

I'm quietly confident lmao, tempting fate aren't I!

[AnjieBurdett]

YAYYYYY :whoohoo: *super banana* :highfive:

I lose the frosting sometimes - very annoying. But I kind of like that look, when you lose some and keep some, looks like lace I don't know if moulds become 'seasoned' with use, but if i try a rustic in a new mould i always lose the frosting, but with future uses I get to keep more and more on the candle. I never wash my moulds, i turn them upside down on a peice of foil in a hot oven until the wax runs out, then wipe out with paper towel - burning my hand sometimes LOL.

Anjie,x.

[Wick'n'Wax]

anjie, do you 'grease' your mould?

I haven't got any mould release, my dad said use margarine lmao

If its just a straight forward paraffin, it glides out the mould, but it didn't so much with the rustic attempt.

Just remelted and wondering whether to try a layer effect.

[AnjieBurdett]

I don't use any mould release or grease of any kind. I'm just melting some paraffin to make a couple of rustic 2 tone pillars yeah, gettin' brave aint I? LOL. I fancy hmmmm warm vanilla sugar (creamy beige colour) and strawberries and cream (very pale pink). That may sound weird but they are lovely together, I am melting 2 melts right at this minute one of each and wow! LUVIT!

Anjie,x.

[Wick'n'Wax]

I'm trying a 3 tone one at the moment (rustic), strawberry, milk chocolate and frosted cupcake, so its pinks/browns/white

also doing some melts (my first), chocolate with strawberry underneath

must say, the chocolate smells very strong and weird at the moment

[AnjieBurdett]

My strawberries and cream smells a bit strange in the bottle, but in the cured wax - m-m-mmmmm.

I have just poured both layers of my next experiment I tilted the mould by resting it on my dish drainer, poured the first layer at just under 150, then bashed away to get the bubbles out (without moving mould), then waited for that layer to set enough so i could upright the mould for the next layer, i poured when there was a skin over the first layer that was JUST thick enough to hold the melted wax underneath back long enough for me to get the next layer poured - I poured the 2nd at 150 exactly.

Now I am waiting to do my repour .

Anjie,x.

[Wick'n'Wax]

for my rustic

I've done first layer at 140, 2nd at 150, 3rd at 160, 4th will be 170 and left 1hour in between each repour (although last will be 90mins as got school run)

put equivalent of 4tablespoons stearic in each diff colour.

[judyvega]

for my rustic

I've done first layer at 140' date=' 2nd at 150, 3rd at 160, 4th will be 170 and left 1hour in between each repour (although last will be 90mins as got school run)

put equivalent of 4tablespoons stearic in each diff colour.[/quote']

You do not need to go so high w/your temps! I don't know about the 160, but your 170 prob will not be rustic at all. Pour each layer between 150-155.