Christening gifts!!!

[chauntelle]

im planning on doing a hurricane candle for two of my cousins who are getting christened in july. Im going to start practising with photos of my children(guessing they arent going to be able to be remelted if they go wrong!!) but i have a couple of questions firstly do i have to add anything to my straight paraffin wax to make the melt temp higher or is it safe as it is with stearin added, and secondly can i use scanned pictures or will they not show through the wax!!!

[SatinDucky]

First, do some reading here on making the hurricanes and it will save you many headaches in the beginning.

It's best to use a hurricane wax, even for practice. You wont get a straight paraffin as hard as the hurricane wax. It's possible that if you made it big enough and only put a tealight inside, you might get away with a lower mp wax, but.... people are famous for not following directions and it would be bad to have it melt down on them. IMO it's better to be safe than sorry later.

As for the picture, yes, use a scanned one. Never put an actual photograph in the wax. To cut down on the hassles, print it on 24 lb Bright White paper. Believe me, it really makes a difference.

BTW: if you mess up.. melt it down and start over. It wont hurt anything. Just drop the whole thing back in the pot. Once it's melted, fish the picture out and start again. Personally, I soak all my pictures in the wax before starting anyway. It cuts down on air bubbles.

Good luck and just keep trying... you get it

[chauntelle]

thankyou thats a great help, my wax is 45 degrees c and another thats 68 degrees c melting point. does the higher of the two sound high enough to handle a hurricane style candle especially if i do a wider style i thought i had read that if it is wider a lower melt point wax should be fine might be wrong and obviously dont want to cause an accident.( can only find instructions with fahrenheit not celsius and can not find a conversion chart)

Its exciting to try a new product by damn hard work before youve even begun and i've a feeling that this will take a wile to purfect!!

Friends are great all offering to give me pics,i think they are hoping im a natural at this and that they will all get nice keep sakes- LOL!!

[sharyl55]

I went to Google to get a conversion. 68 C = 154 F so that would probably work for your pic 'cane. Like SD said, go to the Techniques and Ideas on the left of this screen and read the section on picture 'canes. I always put a cork pad under the votive holder in my 'canes. Some folks use a ceramic tile. That for the folks that insist on burning the votive all the way down.

[chauntelle]

Tried it last night with the wax that i had i just couldnt resist having a go it was just like starting all over again and needing 10 pairs of hands after cutting the paper to wot i thought would fit and placing it in the pot i was really impressed with myself and thought this isnt so bad ...famous last words it all went down hill from then on. So i pour my wax and it starts the paper does what it wants it floats up to the top i push it bac it floats up again the pot then wouldnt sit in the water bath level so i had to hold it for ages!!! Then finally as it started to set the paper i noticed was sticking out of the top DOH So i am now feeling like a newbie and just like then i am itching to try again and again and again and i am determened to get it right so i am back to reading and searching!!

But u no wot once it had dried i put a t-light in it to try and if you ignored a few air bubbles and paper that wasnt quite near the front enough and an uneven top and looked carefully it actually worked and looked quite cool in a quirky kinda way!!

Anyway guys thanks for the help and starting me on my way into another candle chapter and a different style for my addiction!!!

Happy melting:yay: :yay: