Not happy with paraffin :(

[EricofAZ]

1 oz FO per pound of paraffin is fine, in fact, its the standard these days --- as long as you are not using a raw Chinese wax. Any IGI should take that amount. Yaley and GeneralWax might not. I'm not thinking that the FO was a big issue.

One chip of dye for a pound of paraffin is fine, no big deal there. Yeah, its on the heavy side, but OK. One block of dye is way too much.

I noticed the wick was off center. Get yourself a wick centering tool of some sort. Hold it upright during the cooling process.

Definitely more heat. A 133 MP wax (hobby lobby) needs to go to 170 or so and then add your dye and stir then add the FO and stir a lot. Let it cool to 150 or so to pour. Temp is not as critical as it sounds. Stay away from 190 and above, stay away from 140 and below.

Soy sometimes pours well when slushy, but not paraffin.

Stir for 2 minutes or so before pouring.

I've experimented with Hobby Lobby 133. It doesn't hold high amounts of FO but it should hold 1 oz/per pound.

I don't like stearic in that wax, I prefer vybar. If you really are using HL 133, then either vybar will work because you're pretty close to the cutoff temp between VB 103 and 260. Either will work. I prefer the lower temp which is the higher number = 260, but like I said, either will work for that temp MP wax. The actual cutoff is 145 degree MP wax.

Stearic doesn't do much to increase FO load, but it does harden a wax more. Vybar tends to increase FO load.

IGI waxes have these already formulated in so even though they cost a tad more to buy, you really don't need to add stuff to make it work really well. I'm not entirely certain, but I suspect HL 133 has some additive already. I've used the Chinese wax with no additive and HL 133 has a higher FO load. Someone posted that HL 133 is not an inferior wax, just meant for things other than containers and I agree with that, but it also doesn't measure up to most IGI blends.

J50 is awesome, so is J223.

As for the pour temp, the higher the temp at pouring, the more the wax sinks. I can make a multi pour wax work with one pour and a light top off if I pour at low temps. I can make a low shrink wax leave a crater in the center by pouring hot. Wax expands with temperature and shrinks with cooling. All wax does, so one of the keys to single pour is the temp. However, the cooler the pour, the more lumpy the tops so its a delicate balance and the manufacturer has already figured that out when they give you temp recommendations.

Edited October 29, 2011 by EricofAZ

[JanetsCandles]

So completely agreeing with most of what's said here. You CAN do a remelt with this, but keep your temp low to start until you get a good base of wax, and do yourself a favor and just towel off the goo so you don't hate the feel of the wax. I use paraffin primarily, mostly because we've got some weird molds and I've never had any success in molding palm or soy. They just don't pull out right. The wax you're using is similar to Hobby Lobby's. I prefer vybar in it as well, unless I'm making a mottled candle. In which case I tend to use only about 1/4 to 1/2 ounce in the raw wax, or wax with steric.

Also a temp of 170 to 180 is a lot more helpful in keeping the wax bound. Make sure to stir well too. If it's not incorporating, it will look like water drops at the bottom of the pour pot. Read what Eric has said, he's got plenty of good info there that I won't bother to repeat. Also note, I don't think Hobby Lobby actually does a lot of testing on their product. Let that be a consideration on if you want to do it more. You're better off going to one of the other suppliers.

Also, if nothing else, you can use it to make some firestarters. They'll catch well! LOL

[Candybee]

Parrafin makes a great candle when you use the right wax for the right candle. The fact that you got a greasy sunken candle means the wax was inferior, or it was the wrong type for your candle, or you used too much FO, or some other problem. Any of which points to inexperience using that wax. It all comes down to having experience and knowledge working with parrafin wax. Or any wax for that matter. Just like soy you need to learn how to use it and which kind to use.

I started out using parrafin and love it. It was the easiest and most versatile of all the waxes I have used. I also work with soy and palm but parrafin will always be my favorite. Now I make strictly palm candles but I often miss parrafin.

You should give it another try someday. I simply can't imagine any candlemaker not wanting to master as many waxes as they can at one time or another.

Edited October 29, 2011 by Candybee

[clueless]

Definitely never said I wouldn't give it another try someday. I will someday. But for now I just wanna play around with me soy wax, beings I'm brand new to candles and the soy had turned out very pretty and clean looking, vs slimey and gross.

I'm sure my buying cheap wax from HB was a bad idea and I should have known better. I may remelt the paraffin and try again soon.

But I'm a very determined person and typically when I want to figure something out I obsess over it lol. So when I decide to give paraffin another whirl I will take all this info and jot notes, and redo. If my outcome is the same, I will buy a small amount of paraffin from a well known and trusted supplier and give it a whirl. If for some reason that does not work well for me then I would just assume stick to soy. Nothing wrong with someone finding their niche. I think thats a good thing. One doesn't have to master all things in candlemaking. But I do agree on atleast trying!

[rjdaines]

There is nothing "cheap" about HL wax. It is a straight, unmodified paraffin that actually works well once you are familiar with what additives it needs for the task you set it you. Something obviously went wrong when the materials you used were added to the wax, most likely too much of something. Soy has just as many, if not more challenges to overcome than paraffin. I enjoy working with both waxes.

[Sharon in KY]

And clean up was a nightmare.

I agree completely with this but I love the looks of paraffin. I'm such a messy pour-er I will stick with soy....

[Scented]

1 oz FO per pound of paraffin is fine, in fact, its the standard these days --- as long as you are not using a raw Chinese wax. Any IGI should take that amount. Yaley and GeneralWax might not. I'm not thinking that the FO was a big issue.

It was a problem, because there was not enough of an additive. W/O additives, HL wax holds about 3%.

Definitely more heat. A 133 MP wax (hobby lobby) needs to go to 170 or so and then add your dye and stir then add the FO and stir a lot. Let it cool to 150 or so to pour. Temp is not as critical as it sounds. Stay away from 190 and above, stay away from 140 and below.

For rustics, 140 is a good temp to pour at. I've used this wax before w/o problems at 195 or 140. For this person starting out, I would say pour between 170 and 180 just to get the hang of the wax as long as the proper additives are in it.

I've experimented with Hobby Lobby 133. It doesn't hold high amounts of FO but it should hold 1 oz/per pound.

Not without additives. Stearic not only hardens, but it does increase the FO load and does absorb the slime, which is typically over saturated wax. Without additives, it doesn't do well over 3%.

I don't like stearic in that wax, I prefer vybar. If you really are using HL 133, then either vybar will work because you're pretty close to the cutoff temp between VB 103 and 260. Either will work. I prefer the lower temp which is the higher number = 260, but like I said, either will work for that temp MP wax. The actual cutoff is 145 degree MP wax.

Stearic doesn't do much to increase FO load, but it does harden a wax more. Vybar tends to increase FO load.

Vybar 103 is for pillar candles. Vybar 260 is for containers. The two shouldn't be mixed to get the proper use out of the application one is going for. Vyber is a polymer that is used to harden wax, increase opacity, improve scent (not scent load) and inhibit mottling. It, as does stearic, helps to combat sag in paraffins. How it improves scent is that it helps to bind the scent to the wax better, but the downfall is that too much vybar will lock up the scent as well.

As for stearic, it helps to harden the wax and usually works best at a rate of 3 T to a pound of wax. It can be used in larger quantities, but I've not gone above 4T to a pound of wax.