With proper care your molds will last for a very long time. You may wash your molds in warm water with a gentle detergent. Take care not to scrub or pull. Do not stack your molds on top of each other without cardboard. When storing your molds, fill them with wax, the wax will help the molds from becoming warped. This will help keep their shape when not in in use.
Micro wax is one of the most costly additives to use for candles, but it is also the highest quality. Most waxes that are pre-blended at the manufacturer and sold as pre-blended have some amount of micro wax included in the formula.
Blue Goose Candles is devoted to candle making, we have spent many long hours of testing until we came up with what we believe, and our customers tell us, is the wax formula that give our scented candles a complete burn and an amazing scent throw.
Our candles are individually hand poured right here in our workshop in Amherst, Ohio and are made with the maximum amount of the finest fragrance oils (6% to 9%). Each candle is hand poured at the time of order, this ensures a fresh, highly scented candle each and every time. Soy Wax
Soy wax is made from natural soybeans grown right here in the U.S.A. It is a natural non toxic, biodegradable wax; therefore, it is an excellent choice for those wishing to burn natural, environmentally friendly candles. Although once fragrance oil and dye is added to soy candles they cannot be defined as completely natural.
Soy wax burns cooler (slower) than paraffin, therefore increasing your burn time. Soy wax has a lower melt point so remember to keep your candles out of the sun and bright light as this may cause your candle to sweat or discolor. If "sweating" occurs, place your candle in th refrigerator and it will quickly return to normal.
Soy wax candles produce very little (if any) soot and smoke. To keep smoke to a minimum, be aware of how long you burn your candles. Each time you light your candle, trim the wick down to 1/4 - 1/2 inch. Do not allow wick trimmings to fall into your melt pool and burn the candles in areas free from drafts.
You can burn a candle too long. The maximum recommended burn time is 4 hours per burn. Another rule of thumb is, 1 hour burn time for each inch or diameter. (If, the candle is 2 inches wide, burn time is 2 hours.) Burning your candle to longer may result in an unstable wick that could fall over into the wax melt pool. Once this happens, it is almost impossible to burn your candle again. Burning your candle longer than the recommended time is also dangerous, especially when combined with improper wick trimming. Although we use heat-safe glass, it cannot withstand the high temperature of an excessively deep melt pool and high flame. The glass may crack and spill hot wax onto your furniture or even worse, burn someone.
Soy wax cleans up with soap and water, but remember it is still a wax and should not be poured down the drain.
Soy wax candles have a few unique characteristics to them that in no way effect the wonderful way they burn. As well as containing a lead free wick, your candle will have a creamy, off white color to it. There are a few fragrances oils that are a bit darker and will add a pale yellow tint to the soy wax. Your soy candle may have a crusty appearance on top of the candle. This creates a rustic look to it, but in no way effects the way your candle will burn. It is completely normal and again is one of the natural characteristics of soy wax that make it unique. You may notice some wet looking spots on your candle where the wax has adhered to the surface of the glass, They are caused by temperature variations and are simply due to the expansion and contraction of the wax. You will notice that they change as the candle is burned or when room conditions change. They in No Way affect the quality of the candle.
Soy candles are very sensitive to temperature and light, so be aware of the location when placing or storing your soy wax candle. Place your candle away form sunlight, fluorescent lighting and sources of heat. When traveling with your candles, be careful as extremes in temperature will melt or freeze our candles.
Additives for Soy or Paraffin Candles
Palm Stearic Acid
This triple pressed Stearic Acid is a derivative of Malaysian Palm. This additive will improve a candles burning time, and give an opaque or white appearance. Recommended use for SOY WAX, Vegetable and Paraffin Wax is 2 to 9 Tablespoons per Pound of wax. Natural (SOY WAX) candle makers use this to harden their wax blend for votives and pillar candles. Palm Stearic will help increase the fragrance load in soy and will help you achieve a smooth, even finish to your candles.
UV Light Stabilizer
A small amount of this additive goes a long way in preserving the quality of color in your candles, especially if your candles will be displayed in a sunny window or you plan to do outdoor craft shows. Purple is the worst for fading under UV light, followed by red.
Use about 1/2 teaspoon per one pound of wax.
Universal Wax Additive
Universal Wax Additive (UA) is used to help fragrance oil bind to the wax, aids in the retention of the scent, helps reduce mottling, and helps to reduce bubbles. It adds gloss to candles and helps retain translucency in the more translucent waxes. You can add from 1 teaspoon per pound of wax up to 2 tablespoons per pound of wax to your recipe
Kemamide
Kemamide powder is used as a mold release. Add 1 teaspoon of Kemamide powder per pound of wax to make your candles release from the mold more easily.
If you want a glow-through quality in your candle, add some Paraflint to your wax (use no other additives), 1 teaspoon per pound of wax. Paraffin wax is naturally translucent but it tends to bare snow-spots or mottling. No additive will make paraffin transparent, but Paraflint can clarify it, providing a cleaner glow. Having a relatively high melt point, Paraflint needs to be melted separately from the wax with a higher heat source. Adding 20% makes a good veneer, which will help reduce dripping.
Melt point is approximately 208° F (98 C).
Vybar
Vybar 103: higher melt point Vybar used in molded candles to lock color and scent in wax. Use 1 teaspoon per pound of wax as a hardener, and to make candles opaque.
Vybar 260: lower melt point Vybar used in container and votive candles to lock color and scent in
wax. Use 1 teaspoon per pound of wax as a hardener, and to make candles opaque.
Vybar 343: Used in mottling wax candles. Helps lock in color and fragrance and will make your candle more opaque.
Micro waxes are denser,tackier and generally have a high melt point than paraffin. The melt point for micro waxes can range from 140 to 200 degress. Most micro waxes are not onlt flexible, but are also very sticky at low temperatures and are great for hand sculpting or adhereing wax to other wax in layers such as cut-n-curl candles. Micro wax is available either in pellet or slab form, depending on the manufacturer.
In pre-blended waxes, Micro Wax is proably the most widely used additive to harden wax, lenghthen the burn time, and remove mottling effect from straight paraffin wax. Using from 1 to 20 percent will improve wax performance and apperance.
Hurricane candles or candles with embeds, need to have the wax as translucent as possible.
5 percent Micro Wax will change the burn time and fragrance loads in your paraffin candles. This will allow for you to increase the scent or fragrance in the candle. 5 percent micro wax will increase the burn time.
Micro Wax by itself makes an excellent adhesive and is generally called sticky wax. Small amounts can be used in the base of candle holders to hold a taper candle straight, or used on the outside of pillar candles to adhere wax appliques or other decorations.
Candle Types
