It's like God poked His finger into my candle...

[DelphicScorpion]

I asked a couple of days ago how to melt old candles, and this is my result.

I put it in the oven and let it melt, then poured a little out. I think next time I'll let it all melt before pouring because that first bit I poured never stuck to the second, it's just like I stacked two candles on top of each other. (Because of the temperatures, I know.) Then I poured the rest into an old yogurt container. I was only doing this for scraps, but I wanted to test out the container at the same time.

I got a little relief hole happy and stuck a birthday candle into it a couple of times. (No pokey things. Stop laughing.) After that stroke of brilliance I managed to poke the middle all the way through so there was a huge hole in the middle. Ah well, I thought, it will dry.

Then I poured the rest of the wax, realized when all the wax spilled over that no, the yogurt container will NOT hold all of the wax, and let it dry.

Here's where I ask you to look at the finished product and tell me why it has a gaping hole in the middle. Was my relief gouge not good enough?

Anyway, then I couldn't get it out of the mold, so I stuck it in the freezer. Didn't work.

So I hit it with a hammer. Also didn't work.

So I finally just sliced it through with a knife. Remember the first bottom piece I mentioned that wasn't connected? Well the hammer made it crack into millions of pieces. (Keep in mind here though, I expected that. This is only scraps, remember.)

So yeah. That was my little adventure. Despite the obvious failure, I'm all excited because my first attempt at melting wax worked! This is pretty long, so I'll put the pictures into another post. If you bothered to read this all the way through. If you did, you get a medal. Go you!

Edited April 25, 2010 by DelphicScorpion

[DelphicScorpion]

Pictures. Every time I poked a hole with the birthday candle it gathered quite a bit of wax, and so I made it it's own little candle thingy. The third picture is when I thought it would be alright. But no. The fourth is the finished product.

Then we've got Stubby. Poor Stubby is just a Nub now. Only half the candle he once was. (Ha, I crack myself up...)

Edited April 25, 2010 by DelphicScorpion

[topofmurrayhill]

The sinkhole is from the shrinking wax. The wax keeps shrinking until it's cool. The problem here is that you didn't effectively create the relief holes, plus you did the second pour too early.

Poke relief holes after the candle has formed a good skin on top. Make 3 or 4 of them, about 3/8 or 1/2 inch wide, halfway between the center and the outside edge. Re-poke down to liquid wax periodically until there is no more liquid wax. The relief holes should end up going something like 2/3 of the way into the candle.

The shrinkage should take place in the relief holes, so there won't be a sinkhole down the center. Fill the holes with a second pour at about 180 degrees after the candle is at room temperature or close to it.

[debratant]

This is a visual of relief holes poked around the wick. I use a bamboo

skewer. You can buy a pack of them at the grocery store. This candle

is cool at this point...and ready for the top off pour.

[JacquiO]

This is why chandling is a art and takes a little craftsmanship. Your experience is expected like Top said , iIt's shrinkage - an attribute of all paraffin waxes. The art is knowing when to poke the holes and do the repour. Do it too soon and you get air pockets in your candle. Do it too late and you get those telltale rings where the repour went over the the edge of your first pour where it shrunk away from the sides of your mold.

This is why in the beginning I gave up on making large pillars then I discover the wonders of veggie wax which has little to no shrinkage but... and this is a big BUT (as in pain in the butt)..it does have a tendency to crack if cooled to quickly.

As far as your plastic tub mold all household molds like that plastic or cardboard are perfectly usable but they are one time uses and have to be cut and peeled away.

If you wanted to try and make a candle using a yogurt tub like that poke a hole in the middle of the bottom with a small nail or large embroidery needle. Spray your tub with some Pam. Wick it and seal your wick with putty or duct tape. Then pour and repour to about 1/4 inch from the top. When cooled remove your wick seal, snip the top of the tub in several places and gently peel away from you candle like banana and viola! It won't be perfectly straight but it will be an interesting looking candle. You can even layer some colors in it too.

Whenever pouring into molds with holes on the bottom be it one-time household molds or professional molds always place your molds on a baking sheet or pan with at least a one inch lip. This way if your seals leak you won't have wax all over you counters and floors.

Also I just wanted to point out that you mentioned pulling this wax from various jar candles. Well there is a distinct difference between jar candle wax and pillar/votive wax and that is adhesion. Jar candle wax (called container wax) is designed to adhere to glass and will not pull away from a pillar mold. Pillar wax is designed to pull away from your mold so you can release it and if you pour it in glass not only will you get large wet spots but often it can slip right out of the glass container.

HTH,

Jacqui

[topofmurrayhill]

Do it too late and you get those telltale rings where the repour went over the the edge of your first pour where it shrunk away from the sides of your mold.

It needn't ever be too late if you don't pour higher than the first pour. Handcrafters sometimes like to max out on the height and don't mind that "repour band" around the bottom of the candle, but molds generally provide 1/2" leeway for shrinkage and leveling to produce a standard size pillar. For paraffin, this generally works up to a 6 1/2" mold to produce a 6" candle. Beyond that there's too much shrinkage. Illuminations used to hand pour candles into seamless aluminum and they used the 9 1/2" molds to produce 8" candles. With veggie wax I imagine you can make 9" candles with those and avoid having a visible repour.

[DelphicScorpion]

Thanks so much everyone, this was really helpful.

I think (hope) it would have done much better had I been trying... (For example, when I do a candle for real, I will be using thermometers, the stove, etc.) So don't lose hope in me yet!

"If you wanted to try and make a candle using a yogurt tub like that poke a hole in the middle of the bottom with a small nail or large embroidery needle. "

I've had that idea from the very beginning (and I've been wondering if it would work, so thanks!) but I had no wick, and I wasn't planning on using one since this would just be scraps. :smiley2: Thank you!