IGI 1343 in pellets

[Rae]

Has anyone gotten the IGI 1343 in the pellet form yet? If so, are you having any problems? I have used over a half case and no mottling at all. Lots of pin holes and never got that before. Just wondering if anybody else has tried the pellets.

[topofmurrayhill]

I wasn't aware that 1343 is available in that form. In fact I would have said it's not. Where did you get it?

[Vicky_CO]

I have only ever got it slab form are you sure it is 1343?

[Rae]

I got two 60 pound bags of pellets from Candle Science. They said IGI is

now replacing 2 of their waxes in pellets. I thought it was great at first. It melts faster, but no mottling.

[Deb]

I've never seen it in pellet form either. If I remember correctly, 1343-A mottled and 1343-N didn't. Could the pellets you received possibly be

1343-N?

[topofmurrayhill]

CS knows what they're talking about so it must be 1343. Presumably 1343A because they know people use it for mottles. What are the additives and pouring temp you're using? Mottling properties can vary between lots even with the same wax. You might just need to tweak something.

[Rae]

It is 1343a. I was pouring at 185, no additives with the slabs. Now with 185, there is no mottling. CS told me to pour it at 200 to make it do its mottling. I thought that was too high, but I tried it. It came out very smooth as if I had added Vybar, which I did not. I used the wax tonight to do the basic rustic candle and they did really good. Maybe I will hear back from CS tomorrow. They were going to get the spec from IGI to make sure

nothing changed when they went to pellets.

I appreciate all the feedback. You all are great!

[topofmurrayhill]

Unusual that you should get no mottling at all when doing it without additives. Pouring at excessive temps is common advice but I think a little misdirected. If it's not happening at 185 then something is off.

Can I ask also whether you're cooling the candles normally or doing anything special. Also what's the air temp in your pouring area?

[judyvega]

Please keep us updated on how this performs for you in the future- I use 1343 and would love to have it in pellet form if I can count on it behaving the same way - I get really tired of breaking up the slabs. This is intriguing.

[Rae]

Just letting it cool on its own. After topping it off and cooling some, then Iwill put it in the freezer to get an easier release. I pour in our basement which is around 77. I do have ceiling fans in my pouring room. Would that make a difference?

I did not hear back from CS today. I am hoping they are testing the pellets, so I want to give them until tomorrow and then I will call them.

[Rae]

Talked with Diane at CS today and the answer to 1343 is that it is NOT a mottled wax. It sometimes mottles, but no guarantee it will every time. CS is testing the new pellets now and will get back to me if they have any other

results. Diane said IGI 1274 is a mottle wax and transparent. With the 1343 pellets my chunks candles are coming out opaque now instead of transparent. Therefore, I am now going to try 1274 to do my chunks. I will let you know when CS is finished testing the 1343 pellets.

Thanks to all of you.

Rae

[judyvega]

Well, the 1343N does not mottle, but I will tell you that my 1343A has mottled consistently for 2-1/2 years, and I believe that's the general consensus of people who use it a lot and aren't adding vybar to inhibit the mottle. So it seems to me that they must have changed something in the formula for it to not mottle. I haven't gone back to read the post, but you ARE adding fo or mineral oil, correct? And no vybar? If nothing has changed in the formula, you should get mottle, at the very least to any remainder that is sitting in your presto or pour pot or whatever after it cools down.

[topofmurrayhill]

Oh well, the pastilled 1343 was intriguing but that's one of the reasons I steer clear of this wax. If it's not sold as a mottling wax there are no guarantees.

[Rae]

Well, the 1343N does not mottle, but I will tell you that my 1343A has mottled consistently for 2-1/2 years, and I believe that's the general consensus of people who use it a lot and aren't adding vybar to inhibit the mottle. So it seems to me that they must have changed something in the formula for it to not mottle. I haven't gone back to read the post, but you ARE adding fo or mineral oil, correct? And no vybar? If nothing has changed in the formula, you should get mottle, at the very least to any remainder that is sitting in your presto or pour pot or whatever after it cools down.

I have gone through 3 full cases of the 1343a and it was very consistant with the mottling. I loved the wax. CS is still checking the spec with IGI and testing the pellets. I hope they can some how get it back to where it was with the slabs. I just ordered a case of the 1274 and 4625 to try them.

[topofmurrayhill]

I have gone through 3 full cases of the 1343a and it was very consistant with the mottling. I loved the wax. CS is still checking the spec with IGI and testing the pellets. I hope they can some how get it back to where it was with the slabs. I just ordered a case of the 1274 and 4625 to try them.

You won't find the inconsistency so much between cases as between lots.

Most lots of 1343 will mottle (though less than 1274), but there have always been some that don't. Some paraffins are tested for that and in the past I've heard about non-mottling lots of 1343 being labeled 1343N. It isn't mentioned anywhere in IGI's product info as a distinct version of the wax, so I don't suppose we can count on them doing that always and forever.

I sometimes use another IGI paraffin that gets tested for mottling. It's always sold as the same wax. They just put a sticker on the cases to indicate if it will mottle or not.

[Donita]

Since I am new to experimenting with IGI waxes....again....I have found that the 1274 burns better than the 1343. I get less bulging. Does anyone else see a difference. The 1274 mottles consistently for me. (so far ....smile).... It costs me a little more but I have continued to use that one. Donita

[Georgia]

I subscribed to this thread because I use 1343 and was interested in the pellets. Anyway, CandleScience posted Thursday afternoon. When Alan restored from Thursday morning their post was lost. Here is a copy of Candle Science's reply...

At Candlescience, we truly value Candletech as a very important resource to our

business. It allows us to not only see what pleases our customers but also to

determine what they dont like about our products as well.

Unfortunately, this post is in response to something that has made candle making

more difficult for at least one customer, and for that we are very sorry. We pay

serious attention to our customers experience with our products, and thought

that this thread on the mottling characteristics of 1343A warranted a post to

fully explain the situation.

Firstly, IGI (the manufacturer) does not guarantee 1343A to mottle. This is

something that must be understood but it in no way relieves us of our duty to

offer a consistent product that our customers can rely on. Weve been selling

slabbed 1343A for years, and the batches have always had a similar mottle that

people have come to expect.

When our team member in charge of purchasing found out that IGI also offers the

1343A in pastille (pellet) form, we jumped at the chance to offer such a popular

wax in an easy-to-handle form. Whether a terrible coincidence or a processing

issue at IGI, our second batch of pastille 1343A did not mottle in the typical

way. Our technical team has performed tests and is in contact with the

production staff and R&D team at IGI Headquarters to figure out whether the

pastille process has any effect on the likelihood of 1343A mottling

consistently. If we find that it does, whether based on information obtained

from IGI or our personal experience, we will immediately go back to slab form

only. If we find that it is only a coincidence, we will purchase a new lot

(tested to insure mottling) in pastille form & sell off our existing supply as

surplus material to an offline customer that requires a wax with a smooth

appearance.

You can be assured that we follow every post that relates to our company, and

take the comments very seriously. We celebrate the positive posts and appreciate

the praise, but we spend even more time on any post where we feel a customer has

not received the kind of experience we strive so hard to provide.

Thanks once again to the Candletech community for the wonderful dialog and

feedback that you provide. We promise to put forth our best effort into

addressing the issues raised on Candletech both fixing posters concerns &

living up to any praise the community is kind enough to offer.

Sincerely

Dan S. & the Candlescience Team

[judyvega]

I'm glad you had that post, Georgia - I saw it before the site went down and thought it was a shame that they took the time to post than and then have it be gone

[Donita]

I respect people who take seriously what we as customers do. Hats off to Candlescience for paying attention. Donita

[Rae]

I think CS rocks. They have been nothing but great with me over this problem. They have, without a doubt, the best cs in the world. I buy all my supplies from them, with the exception of the dupes that they don't carry. I have a great respect for the team at CS and will continue to be their biggest fan.

Thanks for posting the response from CS. I would have missed it when the website went down.

AT their advice I ordered a case of 1274 and it is working great. It looks just

like 1343 looked before it went to pellets.

[Rae]

Since I am new to experimenting with IGI waxes....again....I have found that the 1274 burns better than the 1343. I get less bulging. Does anyone else see a difference. The 1274 mottles consistently for me. (so far ....smile).... It costs me a little more but I have continued to use that one. Donita

Donita, I am testing the 1274 now and I agree with you. I am also still testing the 1343 at the same time. I am getting bulging on the 1343. So, would you normally wick down in that case?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[topofmurrayhill]

It can bulge with a smaller wick if too much hot wax is accumulating in the melt pool. Depending on how your candle is burning right now, wicking either up or down could help or it just might bulge either way.

Other things that can help include decreasing the FO or increasing the stearic acid. Stearic pretty much always helps to some degree with sagging and can make your mottles come out of the mold a little less messy. Try it out if you aren't using it. At least 1 TBS per pound (less can be counterproductive) but more like 2 TBS.

[Rae]

Thanks for the advice. I am only using the recommended amount of FO which is 3%. I have been burning my candles sometimes 6 hours because

I forget them. I guess that could cause the bulging also.

[MaggieTheCat]

This could be entirely my imagination since I'm new to candlemaking, but it seems that I'm not able to get the same texture on rustics with 1343 pellets. The pellet was is more ripply--don't quite know how to describe it. Also, the darker colors (browns, mahogany, in particular) don't seems to have the soft effect that I was getting with the slab.

Is this crazy? As I said, I'm new but I'm keeping notes and have been able to get some consistency until this new wax was thrown into the mix.

[Rae]

It's the pellets. You are not crazy. I went crazy trying to correct the

problems. I switched to 1274 and it is probably better than the 1343 in slabs. I still have a case of the 1343 pellets that I can't use. The 1274 is more consistant than the 1343.

Good luck!

Rae