Candle-Making 101: Additives and Molds
The type of additive you use in your wax mixture will depend on what type of effect you want and what type of mold you’re using. Stearin, for example, is nor to be used in rubber molds or container candles; there are other additives better suited for those types of molds. If you find you’ve accidentally used the wrong additive (or too much of the right one), resist the temptation to toss the wax down your sink where it will only stick and cause damage; instead, wait for the wax to cool, then toss the pieces in the trash.
Stearin is the most common additive, used widely in metal molds. A little goes a long way-usually 1 to 1 Ã?½ oz. to every pound of wax. Stearin helps shrink the wax just enough for the candle to be removed easily from the mold. It also causes greater color retention, gives the candle more sheen to its finish, decreases the mixture’s translucence and hardens it to prevent it from bending. It also lengthens your candle’s burning time and helps the mottling process when you’re trying to create a candle with a mottled effect. However, as mentioned previously, stearin works best with metal molds but causes problems with rubber molds and containers. These types of molds have their own additives you can use: vybar and microcrystalline.
Vybar works very much like stearin, but is used in rubber molds. You need less vybar in the mixture than stearin-only about 2% of the entire mixture. Vybar hardens the candle to prevent bending. Also like stearin, it gives the candle a shiny finish. It also helps reduce bubbles in the wax and retains fragrance oil much better. While it works well in rubber molds, for container candles you should turn to a material called microcrystalline.
Microcrystalline wax works best on container candles. Before you buy any, check to make sure you don’t already have microcrystalline in your wax; if you do, you don’t need any more. There are two types of microcrystalline: soft and hard. The soft variety is what’s used in containers candles, for the specific reason it causes the wax to stick to the sides of the container (contrasted with stearin, which shrinks the wax away from the sides of the mold.) You’ll use a great deal more of this additive in your mixture, around 10%. Hard microcrystalline can be used for other molds at a rate of one teaspoon liquefied microcrystalline to every pound of wax. The hard version lengthens the burning time of the candle and brings a smooth finish to its surface. Microcrystalline (both soft and hard) will end up making the mixture thicker overall, so plan on using a larger wick than you do with other candles. (Wicks will be covered in the next part of this series.)
There are other additives besides these main three that deserve some note: luster crystals react in a similar manner to stearin, and (as the name implies) offers an even brighter finish. Mottling or “snowflake” oil is also fairly self-explanatory, lending a mottled finish to your candle with a snowflake effect. Wax glue rounds out this group of secondary additives, which simply lets you glue (non-flammable) items to your candle. If you plan to glue wax pieces to the candle, you might prefer cutting those pieces from appliquÃ?© wax-that way you can apply them by warming them up with a hair dryer instead of gluing them.
Before you even consider what additives you’ll want to use, you need to figure out what kind of mold to pick for your candle. Molds are made from a variety of different materials to achieve different results, so what mold you need will depend on what kind of project you’re working on. Metal molds are the most common type of mold mainly because they’re the strongest and most durable. Keep a few metal molds on hand if you plan to make a lot of candles, because they’ll be the mainstay of your projects. Plastic molds are useful for wax mixtures that won’t go above 170 degrees; any hotter and the plastic will warp or melt. Rubber molds are more flexible than either metal or plastic, but are the least durable of the lot. Use rubber molds for more delicate candles with a lot of detail and features. Remember to gently pinch the rubber mold to release excess bubble from the wax.
Cleaning molds are an easy matter: for metal molds, pop them in your oven and heat to 150-200 degrees; wipe the excess wax with a cloth. For rubber and plastic molds, a wax cleaning spray or solution should do the trick. Don’t use your fingernail or a utensil to scrape the wax away; that will only ruin the mold. Now that you know more about additives and molds, you should notice an improvement in the quality of your candles.
