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Candle Making List of Categories

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Can I add petroleum jelly to soften my wax?
Can I remelt old candles?
Why does my recycled wax come out brown?
Can I prevent my recycled wax from turning brown?
What are some good uses for recycled wax?
How can I clean my wax?
How do I prepare the base of a finished candle to give an even ,professional finish?
Why do the gel wax pages show such a low pouring temperature?
Can I pour gel wax at 300 degrees?
Why can't I use dye blocks or flakes to color gel wax?

Can I add petroleum jelly to soften my wax?

Several sources have been advocating this for years, but we do not recommend it. Our experience has shown that most candles with petroleum jelly added caused excessive smoke, mushrooms, and soot. If you need softer wax, start with softer wax and avoid these problems.

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Can I remelt old candles?

Yes, wax can and should be recycled. The only drawback is that you may have to experiment to find a good wick size unless you made the candles and know what wax formula is in them.

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Why does my recycled wax come out brown?

If you mix different colors of wax, the result is often brown or reddish brown. This is because mixing the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) makes brown. The secondary colors (green, orange, and purple) are mixtures of two primary colors, so often adding just two colors together will make brown. For example: orange contains red and yellow, so mixing orange with blue gives similar results to mixing red, yellow, and blue.

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Can I prevent my recycled wax from turning brown?

Yes, just sort it into color groups before using.

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What are some good uses for recycled wax?

We use it for firestarters, and citronella candles mostly. Color is not a major factor for these. Another benefit is not having to worry about proper wick size - firestarters have no wick, and citronella candles work better when they smoke a bit (use an oversize wick).

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How can I clean my wax?

New wax can accumulate dust and dirt from shipping, storage, dropping it, etc... When recycling wax it will also have a substantial amount of undesirable stuff such as charred particles and wick. The quickest way to clean wax is to melt it down, then strain it through a paper towel into another pot. The paper towel will filter out all the crud. Our preferred technique is to position a paper towel across the top of an empty pot forming a dip in the center. Hold it in place with a strong rubber band. Pour the wax slowly through the paper towel. After straining, remove and discard the paper towel.

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How do I prepare the base of a finished candle to give an even ,professional finish?

The base needs to be leveled on a hot pan or electric griddle.

Hot Pan Procedure:
1. Place a cake pan or similar atop a pot of boiling water.
2. The base of the candle is held against it to melt the candle level.
3. Make sure the candle is perpendicular to the pan.
Electric Griddle:
1. Preheat the griddle to 200 degrees.
2. The base of the candle is held against it to melt the candle level.
3. Make sure the candle is perpendicular to the griddle.
Tips:
- Looking at it from the side is much easier than looking down on it.
- The pan or griddle will not be usable for food after this.
- Periodically pour out the melted wax in the pan.
- Use a teflon spatula on the griddle to push off the melted wax.
- Practice - it takes a few tries to get the hang of it.
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Why do the gel wax pages show such a low pouring temperature?

They show the minimum pouring temperature. Any cooler and the gel wax will not pour easily.

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Can I pour gel wax at 300 degrees?

Yes, if all safety rules are followed gel wax may be safely poured at 300 degrees F. Pouring this hot will eliminate most air bubbles.

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Why can't I use dye blocks or flakes to color gel wax?

Actually you can, but there is a good chance they will cloud the gel. Dye Blocks and flakes contain paraffin wax which is not as transparent as the gel. This can potentially cloud the gel - especially when large quantities of dye are used.

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