Loony Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Hello everyone,I've been looking for a community place to talk about my latest hobby: candle making! I am particularly drawn to gel candles, they're so beautiful! I'm excited to meet new people and learn the millions of things I'm sure there are to learn about candles. There's so much to read on the internet but nearly all sources say something different, and most of them don't even have the experience to back them up, so I thought I'd try a place where people actually get their hands dirty, if you know what I mean.I just bought me a big tub of gel at Michael's and decided to give it a hand. I'm bummed though, because my first candle came out really really cloudy. I read up that it could be due to putting too much scent in it (which I think I did) and vanilla seems to be prone to cloudy candles. Again, going by the internet, I re-heated my candle in an oven and all I got was my wick ungluing from the bottom of my container. So I took all my embeds out, re-melted the candle, and got the same results. Bah.Today I tried a smaller candle and added only two drops of scent. I left it cooling before coming to work and left the boyfriend on candle watch... so far it doesn't seem bad, but I can't tell very well on the picture. I also got a lot of tiny bubbles but I'm worrying about one issue at the time!So, what say you, candle wizards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 (edited) I just bought me a big tub of gel at Michael's and decided to give it a hand. I'm bummed though, because my first candle came out really really cloudy Did you get your FO from Michael's? I'm wondering if it is gel safe. If you aren't familiar w/the polarity test, you can find it by Googling. That would be my first concern.Otherwise, if your FO is fine, did your embeds melt any when you poured the hot gel over them? If they are not made of a high enough MP wax, that could cause it as well.edit...I'm assuming the gel is low density. That can only take .5 oz FO/pp. HTH Edited December 11, 2011 by jeanie353 additional info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loony Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 Hi Jeanie, thanks for your reply. I did get the FO from Michael's and it said it was gel safe. I'm not sure what low density means in relationship with FO, but I'm guessing that I used too much fragrance. If so, is there any way to salvage the used gel? Can I re-melt it and add more gel?Also, how do you guys usually measure the amount of gel for the container?The embeds were fine in the hot gel. In fact, when I melted the gel for the second time I didn't see one little clear bead and it got into the pan with the gel... and it took the heat like a champion!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 (edited) Hi Jeanie, thanks for your reply. I did get the FO from Michael's and it said it was gel safe. I'm not sure what low density means in relationship with FO, but I'm guessing that I used too much fragrance. If so, is there any way to salvage the used gel? Can I re-melt it and add more gel?Also, how do you guys usually measure the amount of gel for the container?The embeds were fine in the hot gel. In fact, when I melted the gel for the second time I didn't see one little clear bead and it got into the pan with the gel... and it took the heat like a champion!!Here is a link on how to conduct a polarity test to make sure your FO is gel safe. When I did gel, I'd do it just to make sure b/c it can be dangerous if a mistake is made by the mfg.http://rusticescentuals.com/All-About-Gel.htmlGel comes in three types, low density, medium and high. Low density can only take .5oz/pp of FO. High density can take up to 1oz/pp. If you want my honest opinion on whether or not you can salvage the gel, I would say no. Toss it and start over with clean gel. Gel can be very safe under the proper circumstances and precautions. It can also be very dangerous if the precautions are not taken. The best way to figure out exactly how much gel your particular container will take is to pour melted gel into it to the fill line. Let it cool, peel it out and weight it. After that you know how much gel by weight to melt for your container.In candle making weighing is very important. Your FO and wax or gel should always be measured by weight not by any type of container that has measurement increments on it or anything of that sort. If you don't have a scale, you can pick one up inexpensive at Walmart, Kmart or maybe even Michael's. A regular kitchen scale that measures in ounces will be fine for you at this point.It sounds like your embeds are made of a high enough MP wax so you are ok there. You may want to consider ordering your gel and FOs from one of the candle distributors. Many times we find that we are saving money including shipping costs over Michael's, HL and other similar places. The link included above is from a very reputable company that carries gel and compatible FOs, if you would like to consider them as an option. There are many others out there possibly closer to your home to save you on shipping. Just Google candle supplies.If you have any other questions, feel free to post them. Many people on this forum are very willing to help. Have fun with your new endeavor. Edited December 11, 2011 by jeanie353 additional info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Hi there, welcome to the board, nice to meet you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loony Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Hi Kitn, thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to contribute more on the board.Jeanie, thanks a lot again for your input. My second candle was totally clear -mind you, full of tiny bubbles, but that's easier to solve I think. I know about stirring with a metal spoon instead of a wooden one, but is it true that stirring a lot causes more bubbles?I know what you mean about eventually buying better/higher quality gel, and I probably will in the future. I just didn't want to experiment with the "nice" gel, if you know what I mean! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 (edited) but is it true that stirring a lot causes more bubbles Yep, that will do it and pouring too fast into your container can too. If you stir slowly it will cause less. I recently heard about a technique on the forum about pouring the gel over a spoon. Then there are the times you want lots of bubbles in the finished product...lol.A lot of people start out with craft store wax or gel to get the feel of making the product and then move on the the regular suppliers. Some continue to use craft store wax in different ways such as blending. Have fund with your gel candles. It is a lot of fun and sooo many things can be made with it. Edited December 12, 2011 by jeanie353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loony Posted December 13, 2011 Author Share Posted December 13, 2011 Thanks Jeanie, you've been great help.I'm off to make something this week. Hopefully I can coax the gel into holding my embeds in the middle of the jar, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Thanks Jeanie, you've been great help.I'm off to make something this week. Hopefully I can coax the gel into holding my embeds in the middle of the jar, lol.If they won't suspend in the gel you have now, they will if/when you move on to HD. Some in MD. Being unsure which you have there...and assuming it is LD....LD (low density) may not suspend them. Does not hurt to try though. If they are light embeds the fishline technique might work. You would attach some fishline to the embed. Once the gel is totally cooled, cut the fishline and pull it off embed to see if it holds.Have Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loony Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) ^ That's what I was thinking with the fishing line, which I actually have! My embeds are not very heavy but they do not have a loop to get the fishing line through, so I gotta get creative. In my experiment candle, I poured gel about halfway through, waited like 10 minutes, placed the embeds on top, and poured some more. They actually stayed, but they were little. I'm not sure if bigger ones will stay.I've heard people talk using glue guns to stick the wick in. But if you put the candle in the oven later on to get the air bubbles out, will it melt the hold from the glue gun? It certainly melts with the stick-um I used, although I suspect that if I let it cool again and don't touch it, the sticky will get hard again... not sure. Edited December 14, 2011 by Loony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 ^ That's what I was thinking with the fishing line, which I actually have! My embeds are not very heavy but they do not have a loop to get the fishing line through, so I gotta get creative. In my experiment candle, I poured gel about halfway through, waited like 10 minutes, placed the embeds on top, and poured some more. They actually stayed, but they were little. I'm not sure if bigger ones will stay.I've heard people talk using glue guns to stick the wick in. But if you put the candle in the oven later on to get the air bubbles out, will it melt the hold from the glue gun? It certainly melts with the stick-um I used, although I suspect that if I let it cool again and don't touch it, the sticky will get hard again... not sure.Hmmm....Ya know, I'm thinking the wicks may come loose from the heat of the oven and some gel could get under there before they harden up. The air bubble gods were kind to me possibly b/c I used med or high density but I have heard of people putting them on a window sill where the heat from the sun would help. If you have your wicking worked out, there is a silicone out there some use to secure their wicks. I'm not sure on the temp it would melt at but I hear once its on, it isn't coming loose. I believe it takes 24 hours to set up. You could probably bring it up in a search of the forum under silicone for wicks or something along those lines. I'm glad the gel is holding light objects for you by the double pouring technique. You'll be able to make some projects and get used to it at the same time I'm thinking how to get the fishing line around the embeds to pull it out later. Maybe a knot that is more like a once around loop type thing around the embeds so when its cut it still will pull out? I don't know...lol. Thinking out loud. Keep us informed and GL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAVAEBOY Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 As for the silicone to hold the wicks, that is an excellent idea. You can get the silicone adhesive in either small squeeze tubes or in the 10 oz tubes that fit into caulking guns. The tubes will say clear, and it does stay "fairly" clear, but it does have a little bit of a cloudy look to it. You can find it at Lowes, Harbor Freight, Graingers, Home Depot and even Walmart sometimes has it. Do a search for Silicone, on the Lowes website, and one of the ones that comes up is GE 9.8 Oz. Clear Silicone, it is $4.97 in my store. It really goes a long way. You also may find it listed as silicone for Aquariums. If you buy it at the pet store, it will definitely be more expensive, but you need so little, it doesn't make that much of a difference. Once cured (24 hours), it will handle 400 - 450 degrees, so you shouldn't have any problems in the oven. I use it in my double glass candles, just don't use too much, I have had a few occasions when it reacted a little with the LD gel when in an oven at 250 degrees or more (I know that isn't always a safe temperature to put gel in an oven, but I tried to rush getting the bubbles out of a few candles once and found this out.) The adhesive stuck fine, I just got a little cloudiness near the adhesive.Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 JAVAEBOY....We learned a bit here...thanks. I knew about the silicone (had forgot the name) but not the actual properties. Its perfect for gel users in that they don't have to worry about the wick loosening up at all. Reading your list of places to buy it was like going with DH shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loony Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 Thanks Javaeboy, I have a Lowe's only a few blocks away from my house. I'll give it a try!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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