Margaritamama Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Okay, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Candlemaking ..... Here is my dilemma.... I'm having such a hard time trying to get my candles to stop bulging, and the sides of the shell from being so soft. I really want the candle to self-consume. I have tried just adding 3tbs pp of stearic, and that doesn't seem to be doing much, so I decided to try the vybar. Well, what a right royal disaster!!!!! Firstly, as can be expected, NO MOTTLE, and I could not get the rustic effect........ and then the wax is so opaque that the colors seem downright insipid!!!! I have not tried to burn one of the vybar disasters, but it just is not going to do it for me if I can't get my mottle, or rustic. What is there next to try?!?!? Where do I go from here?????I'm using 1274, 3tbsp pp stearic, 1oz FO and liquid dye. I added 1 tbsp vybar for every 2 pounds, and the result is awful! Oh, I use 36ply flat wick.HELP...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 If the vybar is 103, it kills all mottle, as you can see. Even as small as 1/4t pp will kills it. E and Dana did research a while back using the gloss poly to harden the wax without killing the mottle. I didn't mark the threads but there some in the gallery and general sections. Have you tried vybar 343? I don't know how much it will harden it though. Possibly the micro 180 too.try searching " mottle additives" maybe....Even if you don't care about the mottle, that's too much vybar. It comes out to 1 1/2 tsp pp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Isn't 1274 a softer wax like 1343? I've not used it but with the 1343, the stearic eliminated most of the bulge (used 30 ply wicks in 3" 'ers). Do get some bulging after 5-6 hrs of burn but hugging takes care of it fairly well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaGA Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 MargaritaMama, Did you check IGI's product info sheet for 1274? 1274 is a 'mottling' pillar wax. Holds a 6% FO load and needs no additives.HTH.Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 MargaritaMama, Did you check IGI's product info sheet for 1274? 1274 is a 'mottling' pillar wax. Holds a 6% FO load and needs no additives.HTH.Donna1274 is plain paraffin and holds about 3% FO just like 1343. They are virtually identical. I guess since it's a "mottling wax" they say 6% on the assumption that people expect it to turn into a wet spongy mess, LOL. Or maybe adding the stearic goes without saying.Actually you don't have a lot of choice with this wax. Add as much stearic as you can without killing off your mottle, wick it conservatively, and try cutting back the FO. There's nothing else you can do besides use a different wax. Mottled pillars are among the hardest candles to make well. 1274 won't make great ones. Other plain paraffins will mottle pretty reliably, or there's a paraffin blend from Astorlite that's marketed for mottled candles but I haven't tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 Actually you don't have a lot of choice with this wax. Add as much stearic as you can without killing off your mottle, wick it conservatively, and try cutting back the FO. Top, Do you think that wicking down will have an effect on the bulging??? Does the size of the wick make a difference to candle bulge, or will it just cause more wax to be consumed???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Top, Do you think that wicking down will have an effect on the bulging??? Does the size of the wick make a difference to candle bulge, or will it just cause more wax to be consumed????Waxes soften with heat, some more than others. 1343/1274 get a lot of complaints for that. It might even be the hot melt pool weighing against the outer walls that makes it happen. So yes, wicking down a notch could help because the melt pool will be smaller and the outer wall of the candle will be cooler. To get a better idea of how you're wicking these we'd need to see a photo after a 3 hour burn -- but it's usually worth experimenting with wick sizes a bit to get an idea of the alternatives. There's usually more than one wicking solution that could be called "right".I weighed out 3 level TBS stearic with a measuring spoon and that's plenty for a mottle if we're measuring tablespoons the same way. I'll bet the wax is feeling way overloaded with FO if it's still mottling well with that much stearic in it. Does it sweat on the outside when you burn it?I think decreasing the FO load could be a good idea. If you're putting in 1 oz pp using a measuring cup, try splitting the difference between 1 oz and 3/4 oz. That should get you somewhere around 5% FO load. 6% is really a stretch for this wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 Does it sweat on the outside when you burn it?Sure does.... I'm going to try decrease the FO, and drop down a wick size to a 30 flat, and see what happens.Thank you - Always appreciate your good advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Mama, I use 30flat for all my 3" pillars. I do use vybar with the rustics, but just a pinch. For regular votives and stuff, I add 1/2 tsp pp of vybar so at 1 TBS for 2 lbs, that's a LOT of vybar. BTW, it was not the gloss poly that helped with the rustics, it was the fischer trop translucent crystals. We were trying to get more FO in there and it worked.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Ohhh, e. I thought someone told me the gloss poly was the same as the fischer trop, just a different name. That was the only reason I got it to try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 Mama, I use 30flat for all my 3" pillars. I do use vybar with the rustics, but just a pinch. For regular votives and stuff, I add 1/2 tsp pp of vybar so at 1 TBS for 2 lbs, that's a LOT of vybar. BTW, it was not the gloss poly that helped with the rustics, it was the fischer trop translucent crystals. We were trying to get more FO in there and it worked.eThanks E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.