Dariablue Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I work with feather palm wax and have not run into this type of problem before. I recently purchased a new, metal mold that is 12 inches tall by 2 wide. The width is the same the whole way up instead of getting wider or narrower. I have poured a candle into it twice and both times I have had a terrible time getting the candle to unmold. I have never had a palm wax candle not slip out of the mold fairly easily, but this one is far from easy. The second candle that I poured in it, I finally ended up taking a wick pin to try and pry it out. Needless to say, I got to the point I didn't care what the candle came out looking like, I just wanted to get it out. It was unscented without any dye, so I was going to remelt it and pour it again if it got scuffed. I finally got it pulled out, but ended up pulling it so much that the candle broke in half with half of it still stuck in the mold. I was so frustrated at that point that I put the entire thing in the wax melter and melted the wax out of it. The mold does not have any groves or a lip on it that the wax is getting caught on (at least not that I can figure out), but it does not come out easily. I have never used a mold release in the past, no need to - but now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how I can make this a usable mold with palm wax. Any advice???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Sounds like you'll be using mold release in the future. I use it. Sometimes the fridge is good for a while then take it out and let the metal warm to room temp. Fridge only. Don't freeze it unless you want cracked candles.I've had palm stick badly so now I just automatically use a release spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetsCandles Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I've used feather palm and not had it stick, but then I haven't tried it with that long/skinny of a mold either. Try putting it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. You may not even need it to warm back up before pulling it, it should be visibly pulled away from the top edge, tip it over and it should fall right out. Seconding Eric on the "don't freeze it!" part. Frozen candles crack at the weirdest times, I swear...I do recommend silicone spray (a light coat) if you keep having problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dariablue Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 If I use a mold release, will that affect the feathering of the palm wax?Thank you for the fridge suggestion, I will give that a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I don't think so. The pattern is more sensitive to the cooling period. Cool it slower and you'll get better crystalization. Some people put the freshly poured moulds into a carboard box and cover it so that the cooling takes longer.I found that palm tapers have to be really slowly cooled or they crack (and don't fully form the crystals). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetsCandles Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 No it won't. You can still use a heat gun on the empty mold after it has the silicone on it before you pour and have no problem. And you can still use a heat gun after it has been poured as well to increase the cooling period. No problem there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardLOZ Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Could also be a bad batch of palm. Down here in Australia last year one of the suppliers had a batch that did this. Basically every candle poured stuck, and as a result they had a recall and a severe shortage of feather palm for a few months here. Might not be what is happening to you, but worth calling the supplier to see if anyone else has had any similar issues with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Adding some stearic acid (i Tbsp. PP) is a good idea to aid with release for pillar palm wax. When one does get stuck, try putting the candle in the refrigerator (NOT the freezer!) until it's well-chilled. If it doesn't fall right out, invert and run some HOT water over the outside of the mold. The candle should slip right out. Don't wash your molds with anything - simply put them in the oven upside down or heat up with a heatgun and wipe out with a paper towel. Silicone spray will help, but the stearic will work just as well for palm wax. If it's getting hung in a deformed mold, no amount of lube will help. Generally the only time I lube a mold is the first time it's used. After that, heating and wiping out should keep the metal seasoned. Tin molds are the worst because they don't season well and they deform so easily. I love my aluminum molds, but the really el cheapo, thin ones can be problematic because they ding easily, too.Sometimes new molds have a slight deformation that causes them to hang up. Because yours is a narrow and tall mold anyway, it could have a teensy ding or tight area anywhere along its height that's giving you fits. You might try pouring the next candle with a wick pin, which helps greatly when extracting candles from tight-fitting molds. If it's hanging, grasping the wick pin with vise-grips and pulling it straight out will help you be able to see where it's hanging up more easily. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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