kssoaper Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Have a couple issues I was hoping for help in diagnosing. I've attached pics. Wax was melted to 200Poured at 180FO 6%Mold is 3 x 31/2"I insulated with bubble wrap and put the wrapped mold on bubble wrap on the counter and put a box over the top (CS says slow cooling is the best)Needless to say, my results are less than desirable Relief holes were poked at about 1 hour into cooling and then again in another 30-40 minutes. Does the fact that the voids are close to the bottom of the candle mean I almost had that part right, with the air being able to move up almost all the way but getting trapped at the very end; meaning I should have poked again?? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) Air is not getting trapped. It gets sucked in as the wax shrinks. That's normal.The point of making holes is so that you can pour wax in to fill the voids at the end. There's no point in doing it too early. You could wait until the candle is cooled, but a preliminary poke while the candle is warm might make it easier.Lose the bubble wrap and it will come out a lot better. The CandleScience instructions are correct if you don't try to read too much into them. Keep it simple. I have some notes here: http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showpost.php?p=829659&postcount=40 Edited March 25, 2010 by topofmurrayhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soy327 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) I think you did almost have it. When I do mine (only have made 4):laugh2:I did the wrecking job. I cut a circle around the wick or wick pin and push that circle of wax deep down inside the candle. I do it 4 or 5 times until I feel slush towards the top (which is really the bottom) I use a 3x4 1/2' mold. can't bring myself to cut one open though.Funny, Top and I must have been typing at the same time. Edited March 25, 2010 by soy327 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Destroying the interior of the cooling candle several times keeps the air trapping caverns from forming. The liquid interior of the candle fills the voids as they are formed & wrecked. You end up with a depression in the top (bottom) which can either be filled with a shallow second pour or trimmed and smoothed with heat. The trouble with trying to fill the voids after the candle has cooled is that the wax frequently does not penetrate the voids - it becomes solid before it gets all the way down into the nooks and crannies. Easier & more effective to let the interior of the candle fill the voids as they form, then fill a shallow depression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 The trouble with trying to fill the voids after the candle has cooled is that the wax frequently does not penetrate the voids - it becomes solid before it gets all the way down into the nooks and crannies.I haven't seen the slightest sign of that purported trouble. When I do a 190 degree second pour, it doesn't freeze up quickly at all. It fills the space, remains liquid for a while, and even remelts a little of the existing wax. All in all, it has less tendency to freeze up quickly than paraffin does.If you ask me, all this wrecking stuff is just another overly elaborate OCD-style candlemaking approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) Okie dokie. Whatever works for you. I've tried it both ways in the years I've been pouring palm wax and I know for SURE the voids get filled when its wrecked. I HAVE seen the wax seize up BEFORE it got all the way down (with liquid on top) or I surely wouldn't bother! And after all, one manufacturer of palm wax recommends stirring it as it sets up to prevent air trapping, sooo... Guess they've got OCD, too. Edited March 25, 2010 by Stella1952 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kssoaper Posted March 26, 2010 Author Share Posted March 26, 2010 Thanks everyone - we poured 3 more today - no bubble wrap - so we'll see what we've got in the morning. I'll post new pictures, but my husband says he will not cut another one in half, that palm wax is hard and brittle! I bet his curiosity will get to him about the voids, so I'm sure at least one of them will get "autopsied" I just love the way the palm wax feels, it is so smooth and clean feeling. We've only played with soy up until now, but I think I've got a new favorite!Thanks again and again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 my husband says he will not cut another one in half, that palm wax is hard and brittle! I bet his curiosity will get to him about the voids, so I'm sure at least one of them will get "autopsied"The next time I try this, I'm gonna use a fine-bladed hacksaw. A knife just doesn't cut it...I just love the way the palm wax feels, it is so smooth and clean feeling. They DO feel smooth! I think it's cause the wax is so powdery... feels like talc rather than grease. It DOES make a ton of dust in my candle room, but that's just part of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kssoaper Posted March 26, 2010 Author Share Posted March 26, 2010 (edited) Ok, well, of the three we poured one came out pretty good, picture below. We already threw the other two in to be remelted. The only thing different was the blue one was by itself under a box and the other two were together under a box. Could the heat of the two combined been enough to affect the tortoise shelling? One had a hint of the crackling, but the other was smooth (which I really like, too ) If we could just get a consistent visual we could jump to testing wicks, which I'm sure will give me more grey hair. Oh goody P.S. My camera is giving me fits so this isn't the best picture.... Edited March 26, 2010 by kssoaper Forgot - No candles were sacrificed to look for voids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 (edited) You forgot to keep it simple--stash the boxes with the bubble wrap. Just pour them at 180 let them cool. The patterns happen automagically. Slowing down the cooling is the easiest way to mess them up. Edited March 26, 2010 by topofmurrayhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kssoaper Posted March 26, 2010 Author Share Posted March 26, 2010 .... running over there ripping the boxes off...................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 What a pretty baby that blue candle is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 (edited) .... running over there ripping the boxes off......................Hopefully you were in time. The important thing to understand is that the tortoise shell pattern is formed in the first hour or so of cooling. If it cools too slowly, the surface can come out less than ideal or even be ruined. Cooling too fast is also possible, but in practice I've found that to be a lot less likely as long as it's not an exceptionally drafty spot.After the outer shell is formed, the cooling rate doesn't particularly seem to matter.I think a good lesson here is to always start with the simplest possible procedure and only make it more elaborate as necessary. IOW, don't try to solve problems before they happen. Sometimes having access to too much advice can do you in. Edited March 27, 2010 by topofmurrayhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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