tammy Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Hi I am new to candle making. My first candles came out beautifully. A local gallery asked me for them. Now, that I have been making them for almost 6 monthly I am having a problem. I have not made a clean looking candle for my last 6 batches. They look snowflaky (sort of mottled), but I am not trying to mottle. I add my color chips just after wax is melted. Then I heat my 130 wax to between 175 and 185 degrees. I remove from the heat, add my FO at about 165 degrees. I stirr for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour. Last night I tried stirring for 5 to 6 minutes. The mottling was not as bad, but my candle has little white flecks all through it. Also my scent is fading very quickly. Could the problem be with the FO's that I am using? I bought them on ebay trying to save some money. I am going to have to restock my candles soon and I don't have anything gallery worthy. Does anyone have any suggestions. I am getting very discouraged. It happens every batch I make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Seeing a picture of what you're talking about would be easier to help ya. Is your wax a straight paraffin? No other additives? Just FO? If it's not a preblend wax, add a little vybar103 to help bind your scent to the wax (I'd probably start at 1/4 tsp per pound.) Vybar also helps to kill mottle. How much FO are you adding to your wax? Usually 1 oz per pound is a good starting point for most FOs. After testing, you can add more or less. Depends on how much your wax will hold. The flecks, are they snowflake in appearance or half moonish to rain drop looking? The snowflake appearance would be mottling. The other is finger nailing that sometimes gets misrepresented as mottling.What's your pouring temperature? By the time you stir and stir, are you under 160? I like my pouring range between 170 and 180 unless I'm going for a rustic effect, which you can get around 150, and will sometimes leave a whitish coat on your candle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammy Posted July 28, 2005 Author Share Posted July 28, 2005 It is snowflake like. I was adding my FO around 175, stirring 2 minutes and pouring immediately. I never checked my pouring temp until this started happening. I thought maybe I was pouring to hot, so I started pouring around 165. No change. I am confused. Could my FO's be separating, and the oil cause mottleing? Maybe if I shake them well before using. I am reaching here. Don't know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniejr Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 What wax are you using? It would be alot easier to help you out if you could answer the questions that Scented asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 It is snowflake like.Straight paraffin will mottle unless you add vybar. Lower temp won't change that. As far as the FO and ebay, it's hit or miss. I'd stick with reputable suppliers. There are a ton of them out there, including Peaks.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammy Posted July 28, 2005 Author Share Posted July 28, 2005 Hi, sorry I didn't answer all the questions. I hit reply and thought I would be able to see what I was replying to, but couldn't. I just realized it is all below, I feel silly now. Anyway, I am using straight paraffin, with no additives (making container candles). I did try adding a teaspoon of a couple of additives that I got with my original kit. I am at work right now and I don't remember the name of them. I think it was poly AC something or other and kermicide. It is written on the bags. One is for candle smoothness and the other is for aid in mold release. It did not matter anyway, I got the same results. I am using 1 oz per pound of FO. I only melt 1 pound at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I am using straight paraffin, with no additives (making container candles).Tammy, sorry, I assumed you were referring to pillars. Scented did also I think. I've only used container blends. There is a vybar made just for container wax, I think it's vybar 260. It should help with scent throw and make it creamier in appearance.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammy Posted July 28, 2005 Author Share Posted July 28, 2005 Thanks for your help. I just ordered some vybar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I feel silly now. Anyway, I am using straight paraffin, with no additives (making container candles). Ok, here you state that you're making container candles (I really thought you were making pillars per your other posts), and then here:One is for candle smoothness and the other is for aid in mold release. It did not matter anyway, I got the same results. I am using 1 oz per pound of FO. I only melt 1 pound at a time. You state that you were adding an additive for aiding in mold release.I'm sooooooooo confused now. I really don't think a straight paraffin is the best wax for container candles, as it's pretty hard, which means it takes longer to get a FMP, which then means you won't have as much scent.JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Hi Tammy.If you're using the same wax, then the likely cause for the different result is the fragrance oil. In any event, the way to get the same result you got before is to use less fragrance oil. The mottling happens when you start reaching the limit of how much oil the wax can hold.The ability of wax to hold FO varies wildly from oil to oil. Every time you use a different one there's a chance you might have to adjust your formula a little (or occasionally a lot). Each different wax is also a whole new ballgame so you'll want to keep that consistent until you're up for experimentation.In terms of your candlemaking education, I'd agree that Vybar is a basic additive you should have some experience with and see if you find it useful. If you don't want mottling it will eliminate it very effectively and help your candles hold fragrance better, as well as make them a little harder and perhaps burn better with the right wick.The usefulness of each additive depends on your intentions of course. Vybar will make your candles different and you'll have to decide if that's better. For instance, if you've been using a relatively translucent wax with no additive and you like that effect, you'll find that the Vybar will makes your candles more opaque. It wil also make the wax shrink more.To reproduce your previous results simply use less FO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Yeah get you some v260 since you're doing the containers. That will stop your mottling. Assumed you were talking pillars the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I must've missed something. Why use a mold release with container candles? You said they had been turning out fine until the last 6 batches. Are you using the same bottle of FO or has it changed? Buying FO on eBay is risky IMO, been there, done that. If you want a quality candle, you need quality ingredients. You can get pretty good deals from reputable suppliers if you look around. I don't know about your situation, especially if it's a mottle you're getting, but think if anything has changed between the good ones and the not so desirable batches. Is it the same batch of wax? Even the heat and humidity can cause problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammy Posted July 29, 2005 Author Share Posted July 29, 2005 Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. The reason I added the kermide which is for mold release is because I never have this problem when making votives. I was trying to duplicate exactly the process of when I made votives.Last night I made a batch of container candles. I used just the poly ac additive. I heated the containers and I kept my wax temp at 175 consistantly until I poured. They came out perfect. Hopefully this is not a fluke.I thought straight paraffin was with no additives was the way to go for container candles. That is what the instruction book that came with my original kit said. What should I be using for container candles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Theoretically you should not be using the poly AC in containers, but then who knows? You'll have to see how they burn. The benefits of this additive are primarily for molded candles and it could have hardened the wax and raised the melt point such that they won't melt to the edge of the container. If it's not too big of a container it should still be OK. One thing for sure is that the wax won't mottle with poly AC in it, but Vybar 260 might be a better way to accomplish that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenna Louise Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Hi, I have a question, I am making body candles, using just soy wax, some body's look perfect, most when taken out of the moulds between the creases on the body is a brighter white colour, I do the same temperature when pouring, why is this happening please help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Jenna Louise said: Hi, I have a question, I am making body candles, using just soy wax, some body's look perfect, most when taken out of the moulds between the creases on the body is a brighter white colour, I do the same temperature when pouring, why is this happening please help do you have any pictures to help us troubleshoot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieGuy Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 21 hours ago, TallTayl said: do you have any pictures to help us troubleshoot? I have the exact same issue. Using soy wax and a silicone mould, when I use a dark dye eg brown or black, it shows up so much and looks awful. I’ve read previously about heating up the mould so I make sure the mould is clean and warm. I’ve tried so many different temperatures of pouring, with no FO and it happens every time still. Any suggestions on what will help? https://photos.app.goo.gl/t4q5JFikmj2iAPwC6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 I don’t have a Google pics account so can’t see the pic. soy is often not a smooth color just because of the nature of soy. Depending on a LOT of environmental factors, soy forms different sized grains as it cools, which is my guess from the description. smoothing out soy polymorphic crystals is usually down to adding something like paraffin or polymer to minimize the crystal malformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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