Container Mottle

[RMullen99]

Hi Everyone......I have a question. I have three waxes, 125 mp parrafin(straight) 2530h from Candlewic and 1288 from IGI. If I wanted to use these for container mottling, which woud you suggest? Does anyone know the difference other than basic Melt point? Is it better to use the 125 and some stearic....does the 2530H and 1288 already have stearic in it? Or are these all the same wax just manufactured differently? Second part....sorry....what temp would you pour at to get the most mottling? Thanks for the help!

[topofmurrayhill]

Those are different waxes. Both are plain paraffin blends without additives. The 2530H has a slightly lower melt point, but there are always differences between paraffins besides the melt point. It might be worth experimenting with both. The 1288B might hold a little more fragrance and that would also make it melt more easily.

As a starting point, I would suggest pouring at 180 into slightly warmed glass. If the room is cool you could throw a box over the candles to help keep the sinkhole from getting too deep. You'll get more attractive candles if you do a slow second pour at a considerably lower temperature (try 160 maybe) and keep the repour from getting too near the glass. You're not trying for a smooth flat surface with this type of wax. You just want it to look neat and for the sides not to get messed up from the second pour.

While you're learning how to design mottled containers, I would strongly recommend testing with 2 3/4" tumblers before trying anything more challenging. Plain paraffin has a low viscosity and burns easily, so the flame tends to be high relative to the wick size. For that reason I doubt it's practical to design a container over 3" with a single wick, because it would be prone to flicker and soot or have a lot of hangup.

You could start by making one candle with no stearic acid and another with 1% too see how they compare. Please weigh the stearic on a scale because accuracy is important for consistent results. I think you might want to keep the additive to a maximum of 2% so as not to fry the smaller wick sizes. If you see drowning and mushrooming towards the end of the burn, it may be too much.

Candlewic says you might be able to use up to 5% fragrance and IGI says 4-6%. The fact that the candles are contained in glass makes the issue less critical, but I think the upper limits suggested by the manufacturers are debatable. I would suggest starting with 3% with the possibility of testing up to 4% (or maybe a little more with the 1288B).

HTH.

[RMullen99]

Top...Thanks again...I am going to try a few tonight. I am anxious to see how they turn out.

Do you prefer a certain type of wick in a straight parrafin? TIA

[topofmurrayhill]

Top...Thanks again...I am going to try a few tonight. I am anxious to see how they turn out.

Do you prefer a certain type of wick in a straight parrafin? TIA

What do you have?

[RMullen99]

What do you have?

I have 3" tumblers to wick. I just poured a 2530H and 1288 with 1% stearic in each. I have Cotton Cored, CD's, LX's, HTP's, Cottons from Peak and some sample packs of Premiers and Filltecs....I have a bunch of samples as well...I think I have some ECO's, RRD's, Hemps, Performas. I thought I would try to get as many wicks in to see how each of them work. Yeah ...I spent alot of money but really want to learn this craft better! The only ones I didnt want to use were the zincs...so I dont have them. I know they arent lead but I would rather not have to explain why there seems to be a lead core in a wick....its easier to just not use one. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[topofmurrayhill]

LOL. So you have everything.

I would maybe choose one of the flat braided types and just stick with it while you experiment with the waxes, stearic and fragrance. Later when you have a better idea what sort of formulation you're using you can try some wick type variations.

I think the CDs might work well and they have a good selection of sizes in the range you'll be needing. Don't know exactly what you should start with though. The 3 inch container worries me. 2 3/4 vs. 3 is liable to be just the difference between pulling your hair out or not.

[RMullen99]

LOL. So you have everything.

I would maybe choose one of the flat braided types and just stick with it while you experiment with the waxes, stearic and fragrance. Later when you have a better idea what sort of formulation you're using you can try some wick type variations.

I think the CDs might work well and they have a good selection of sizes in the range you'll be needing. Don't know exactly what you should start with though. The 3 inch container worries me. 2 3/4 vs. 3 is liable to be just the difference between pulling your hair out or not.

LOL...yeah I have pretty much all of them......Thanks for the advise....I didnt have a 2 3/4" so I just poured in what I had. I do have a 2 3/4"...mason jar that I can try. I looked at the candles before I left this morning....they both seeped out alittle at 5% I might have to back it down to 4%....I ll burn them tonight with the cd's and see how they work....Thanks again!

[topofmurrayhill]

LOL...yeah I have pretty much all of them......Thanks for the advise....I didnt have a 2 3/4" so I just poured in what I had. I do have a 2 3/4"...mason jar that I can try. I looked at the candles before I left this morning....they both seeped out alittle at 5% I might have to back it down to 4%....I ll burn them tonight with the cd's and see how they work....Thanks again!

When the first pour sets up it's not unusual to see seepage in center. That not a concern unless it's a lot, or you see lots of droplets when you light the candle. Apart from that it's a matter of how they burn.

But yeah, 5% is a lot of FO for a plain low-MP paraffin. With most fragrance oils I think the practical maximum would be about 4% for the 2025H and possibly a little more for the 1288B.

Good luck.