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As this article is about to show you, you don't need much
to radically transform the appearance of a candle.
There are many surface techniques (techniques that have an influence on how
the surface of your candles looks like) and you're about to learn 3 of them.
I picked these three techniques because they give candles such a different
look with little effort.
high pouring temperature give the created candle a
shiny finish
Most of the time, a molded candle will automatically show
a shiny finish, mostly because of the relatively high recommended pouring
temperature (180°F to 190°F).
The rule of thumb is: the hotter the wax and the faster it cools off, the
shinier the finished candle will be.
So if you want to achieve a shiny finish, pour the
paraffin in the mold at a temperature close to 190°F and, if possible, speed
up the cooling process by placing the mold in a water bath.
When it comes out of the mold, your candle will have a
shiny aspect, just like the candle in picture 1.
You can accentuate this effect even more by wiping it
gently with an old nylon stocking.
Note:
Because of the relatively high pouring temperature, the wax may shrink a
lot. Don't forget to poke relief holes along the wick while the wax cools
off.
On the contrary, a very low pouring temperature will
help you achieve a nice rustic look
This technique, which gives your candle a superb rustic
look, is the exact opposite of the previous technique.
As a matter of fact, to achieve this effect you will need to pour wax in the
mold at the lowest possible temperature (depending on the paraffin blend
used, around 140/150°F). You can also just wait until a film starts to form
at the surface of the wax in the pouring jug: it's a sign that the wax is
about to return to a solid state. This is the perfect time to slowly pour it
into the mold
Because the mold has not been preheated and the paraffin
is at such a low temperature, by pouring very slowly the wax will
immediately
set when it touches the sides of the mold. This creates a multitude of
horizontal pale lines, also called jump lines (see picture 2).
Furthermore, when you will unmold the candle, parts of the candle surface
may remain stuck against the sides of the mold, thereby accentuating the
candle's already distressed and dry look. Experience will show you that you will get better results with some colors
than with others. Dark colors seem to work better for this technique...
The disadvantage of a cold pour is the high potential
for air pockets inside your candle. To avoid this, you can use the "shell"
method.
Do exactly as above but as soon as a thick (at least 7mm) wax shell has
formed along the sides of the mold, break the surface film if necessary and
pour the wax back into the melting pot. Then, bring the wax in the melting
pot to a temperature between 170°F and 180°F and pour it back into the mold.
The wax shell should be thick enough to resist this new pour.
You can get a snowflake effect by adding mineral oil
to the wax and slowing down the cooling process
This third technique gives a candle a very soft, almost
cottony look which is called mottling in the candle making world. It creates
a very nice snowflake effect just under the surface of the candle, unlike
the previous technique that actually acts on the surface itself.
If you're using a metallic mold, don't forget to preheat
it (in the oven or with your faithful heat gun).
Pour the wax in the mold; as soon as it's hard enough to flip the mold
upside down without spilling, wrap the mold in one or two old bath towels to
keep it warm and give the candle all the time it needs to completely cool
off (the longer the better).
Unmold the candle: you will notice a great snowflake effect on its whole
surface, as showed on picture
Never use Vybar when you want mottling to occur:
Vybar will bind the mineral oil with the wax and that's
exactly what we don't want to see
happening.
If you really need to use Vybar (for instance if you're making a triple
scented mottled candle), use the new Vybar 343, specially formulated for
mottled candles
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