Quick Question about Gel Wax?

[CandleRon]

Hey All,

I purchased the 7lb bucket of gel wax from (Hobby Lobby) for the 34.99, used the 40% coupon, so not so bad, now I know some are going to say yuck to the gel and supplier, I know, but is cheap enough to play with for now....learn on the bad, make with the good..lol

my question is this, I have read many many posts about Gel wax being high medium and low density...does anyone out there know what this bucket is? as there are no indications on the label nor does the supplier/manufact answer to our lonely emails...so I figured I would ask here incase someone already knew....TIA

Ron

[ladysj]

Sorry Ron I can't help on the density question but I use this wax still to practice with & also use it in finished products with good results so far.

[EccoLights]

Sorry no help over here either Ron, we have played around with some gel wax but got it from our supplier locally and it was labeled. One thing I can say is WOW it took forever to melt the gel wax down!

[jeanie353]

Does it by chance say what percentage of fragrance oil it will hold? With Penreco the low density recommendations are .5 oz pp. Medium and high density will take .75 oz pp.

You will be able to play around with it as far as checking burn, wick sizing, etc. without knowing the density but unless it is medium..preferably high you won't be able to suspend anything.

Once you get to know gel you will be able to tell the density when it melts but for now go ahead and use your zinc or HTP wicks to try it out. I'd only go maximum of .5 oz pp seeing we don't know the density just to be on the safe side.

Also, don't forget to make sure your fragrances are compatible with gel wax. You can Google how to conduct a polarity test to be sure which should really be done on all fragrance oils even if the supplier says they are safe since it can be such a dangerous area with flashing.

Additionally, heat it up slowly. It is going to take a little while since it melts slower than regular waxes. You need to take it up to 200 degrees, then add a bit of color on the end of a toothpick, fragrance. stir slowly (to avoid bubbles) yet good and pour.

GL and Have Fun

Edited November 19, 2011 by jeanie353
additional info

[Vicky_CO]

Hobby Lobby gel wax is LP or low density wax.

[ladysj]

Thank you thank you Vicky

[CandleRon]

Hobby Lobby gel wax is LP or low density wax.

Thank you for the information Vicky, I appreciate it. Well that has saved me a bunch of time as I was going to use it to practice suspension and forever candles as per your tutorial on the Double Glass instructions, which was very good BTW..., so now to find a not so costly HP gel wax to play with...again thanks to all for the information that you could provide.

[CandleRon]

Looking around I find: LP: Lowest density- most commonly used for plain gel candles. Not the best gel wax for suspending objects.

not to seem misunderstood and to clarify, when they say plain gel candles, they mean pies and the wine in a glass candle, or do they mean just in a container with an embed at the bottom and pour over it with no colour or scent, and only the latter? or do you use MP for the pies as for the embeds and strength to hold crust or lattuce on, or is the LP enough for the scent color and embeds. I've been through the Pie Tutorial, but just states Gel Wax...TIA

Ron

[ladysj]

Ron you can use it for embeds on the bottom just nothing you want suspending in the candle or hanging in the candle Hope that makes sense lol

[CandleRon]

Ron you can use it for embeds on the bottom just nothing you want suspending in the candle or hanging in the candle Hope that makes sense lol

Yes it does, thank you, I was just curious as to the strength and the LP as to holding embeds on top of pie if it had enough strength to hold and not tear off easily as it is LP...but yeah that pretty much sums it up...thanks again ladysj

[JAVAEBOY]

CandleRon, I use their gel a lot. I don't really do embeds the way most people use them, I actually use the gel as a way to hold the crystals and glass pieces I use in my double glass candles, more or less just to hold everything in place. I'm a novice at this stuff, but I would guess that you can still use the LP consistency if you plan your execution correctly. By that I mean if you were going to suspend a few marbles 1" from the bottom, you could pour 1" of gel, let it set, put your marbles in, then pour your next layer on top of that. I think you get the idea. As others have said, you can't use as heavy of a frangrance load as a MP or HP.

Hope that helps.

[CandleRon]

CandleRon, I use their gel a lot. I don't really do embeds the way most people use them, I actually use the gel as a way to hold the crystals and glass pieces I use in my double glass candles, more or less just to hold everything in place. I'm a novice at this stuff, but I would guess that you can still use the LP consistency if you plan your execution correctly. By that I mean if you were going to suspend a few marbles 1" from the bottom, you could pour 1" of gel, let it set, put your marbles in, then pour your next layer on top of that. I think you get the idea. As others have said, you can't use as heavy of a frangrance load as a MP or HP.

Hope that helps.

It does help. Yes I get the idea, pour different layers add small embeds so you can achieve suspension items in between the layers, very helpful, thank you Javaeboy...