What causes motteling?

[Sherl]

I have motteling wax [4045H from Candlewic] and am getting inconsistant motteling. Some are motteled a lot and others none at all. I have been consistant in wax temp, when I add fo and when I pour. Any idea why the different resulys?

[eugenia]

Mottling is kind of hit or miss. You never know exactly what you're going to get. Pour hot, cool slow. I made this thing out of foam, (kind of like a can cozy) that I taped together and use that to insulate my molds. The cooling is drastically slowed down.

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[Glowlite]

It sure can be fustrating. I made 3 yesterday 2 mottled great the other one only on the top I wrap them in foam like e then put in a box and let sit over night.

[Trish]

I use 1343 with a little stearic and about 1oz/lb of FO. I don't heat my molds or insulate them and (knock on wood) I get a nice even mottling.

[topofmurrayhill]

You'll get good results out of the 4045 with a little experimentation.

Mottling is controlled by the proportion of oil to wax. You'll have to experiment and figure that out for each individual FO. If you're getting inconsistent results with one particular oil, bump up the amount just slightly to make sure you're in the zone. Once you have the right amount, measure carefully and mix very thoroughly (minutes, not seconds) for consistent results. Just keep in mind that the oil percentage is the biggest factor and you need to control it as precisely as you can.

As others have pointed out, the cooling rate has a bearing on the results too. You don't have to go out of your way to cool the candles slowly, but cool them under similar conditions each time for consistency and don't do anything special to make them cool rapidly.

Additives will affect your results. Stearic will suppress mottling in larger quantities but can increase it a bit in small quantities as well as add a little hardness. Avoid micro wax and Vybar.

[PrairieDweller]

mottling is the extra oils migrating out of the wax, taking dye with. You literally overload the wax beyond its capability. I LOVE the way a mottled candle looks but honestly hate the way they burn.

Anyway, top is correct...ANY amount of additive, including transferance of just a HINT of vybar, will affect mottling, so make sure your wick bars, molds and pour pots are spotless.

I have heard the M38 is a good mottling wax as well, though have not tried it myself.

[Beth-VT]

Good advice given above. Mottling is displacement of oxygen molecules by the oil as it migrates out of the candle...the whitish effect you see is actually little teeny tiny air pockets/cracks where the oil no longer is. Think of a worm farm, lol, all those skinny little tunnels left behind .

Higher %'s of oil cause more mottling, but you WILL have to clean up the bleeding. 4045H is a great mottling wax and I find it very consistent once you find your groove. Not all FO's react the same, and some won't mottle very well. You can add 2-4% of Vybar-343 to increase to load and help control the bleeding without affecting the mottle. HTH.