Let's talk color

[Dana]

Ok, I have GOT to get a color system down. Right now I am using a little bit of everything. I hate the liquid, to messy but stirs in nicely with no specs at the bottom of the jar. Powder, sometime specs but creates a "dusting" all over the workspace. Flakes takes to much to get the color I want. So the only thing I haven't tried is the dye chips. From what I have read those also can be a pain to dissolve. I want to simplify my color system but I also want to be neat about it. I pour a ton of candles, so it has got to be economical as well. I buy in bulk. Any suggestions on which system to invest in that is not so MESSY but gives a good rich color with no undissolved specs?

[shimmerglo]

The only type of dye I've ever used is the dye chips and there's maybe 1 or 2 of the colors out of ALL the different colors there are that will have the specs in the bottom of the jar, every single other color blends in very well with the wax. And with those 2 colors, the specs are very minimal. Very easy to use too, and I get nice rich, bold colors with them too. HTH! :smiley2:

-Hannah

[Bernadette]

I primarily use color blocks. I say primarily because I do alot of custom colors, and sometimes need a liquid add to achieve certain shades. Color blocks last a long time, and give good shade range within a certain color. I just shave off alittle with a serrated knife, stir, and add accordingly until I achieve the shade I want. :tiptoe:

[nursenancy]

I've tried chips, blocks and liquid, but I keep going back to liquid. I hate the mess, too - but now I use the yorker tops and I find it cuts down on the mess.

[grama]

Nothing but liquid for me all I ever used and wouldn't think of changing:cheesy2:

[Candybee]

I've used both liquid and dye chips and prefer the dye chips. Don't have any problems with it and I like the intensity of the color much more than liquid. Tried using the color blocks and never like those at all.

I get my dye chips from CS and they sell them in bulk.

If you are going with liquid get the 1 oz bottles with the dropper top. Got mine from Lonestar. They last forever and the dropper makes them easy to work with without the mess. They also sell in large sizes so you can buy in bulk. But use the droppers.

Edited September 25, 2010 by Candybee

[Wessex]

I use both the chips and the liquid. The only chip I have had the "speck" problem with was the salmon (CS). Lots of undisolved specks. I don't find the liquids messy at all, as long as you are careful. I have had one problem with the liquid. Went to put in one drop of magenta the other day. Do not know what happened, but the dye just gushed out of the dropper, like I had squeezed the bulb (which I had not)! So needless to say, that one batch of candles was VERY dark magenta! But I kinda like the color, just did not match the scent. Only a couple testers, so no big deal.

Cheers,

Steve

[EricofAZ]

I've used the chips and the liquid and probably will stick with the liquid and the dropper tops.

The chips are great for small usage and odd colors like Rust or some sort of shade that I don't feel like mixing. I've not had any difficulty with the chips. Been buying on ebay and several of the sellers have some great stuff. The star shaped chips work the best for me. The hexagonal chips take longer to dissolve and are not as strong. Not sure who makes what.

So back to the liquid... There are programs on the internet that provide a CMYK or RGB formula for any color or shade or saturation that you can think of and they work for me. The CMYK is the easiest to figure out, unfortunately, nobody makes a Cyan liquid so you have to actually formulate your bottle of Cyan and then buy the MYK.

From there, I work out the number of drops of CMYK needed to match a CMYK formula for a specific hue. Once formulated, then it is a matter of how much to add to your wax for the right saturation.

This is working well for me, but I'm using up a lot of old half and one ounce glass bottles for those special colors that will last longer than I will.

[EnvyCandles]

I do not use the dye chips anymore because of the specks!

I switched to liquid and am so happy that I did. I did not have any mess problems, but can see how some might. I would recommend getting dye with a dropper style top and not just one with a pointy top. I like that it is so easy to mix shades to get your perfect color!

HTH

[chuck_35550]

I quit using color a long time ago. My customers have never even asked for a specialty order with color. I do color for a wholesale account but could probably talk them into not having color. I use liquid dye and it really doesn't matter to me but dropping a few drops beats having to spend the extra time making sure the chips dissolve. HTH.

Steve

[Dana]

Thanks for all the response. I almost always make 6lbs. of wax at a time, so I am thinking the chips would be VERY simple to use. Clean, already measured, consistant, everything I am looking for. It is the only type of dye I have not used. It will be a little more expensive though. And about the specs, I get those now with some powders and flakes. I do hate that...but hate dye all over my hands even more. It seems no matter what kind of dropper I use, it still runs down and makes a mess. So off I go to place another order at CS for the dye chips!

[jennyjo]

I use dye chips but I keep liquids on hand and use liquid for reds/pinks, and when I want dark colors of green or blue. I love chips for browns, yellows, orange, etc. Red dye chips never got red enough for me in my soy blend.