How to add Texture for Paraffin Pillar Candles
Posted by Lyschel Bersch on
| The possibilities for candle texture are endless! Even when you start with a simple metal mold. You will need a form to give you the basic shape that you would like. But by varying the colors, pouring temperatures and metal candle mold temperatures you can create so many different styles of candles! We only use paraffin or beeswax for our candle pillars. We have tried to use soy but when they are greater than 2" in diameter they crack and blow out the sides. They also "bloom" when burning. For ease we will stick to discussions about paraffin pillars only. | 
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| Metal Candle Molds |
The directions that follow are really not to teach how to make a candle. Newbies may get very frustrated trying to figure out what I am talking about. I strongly suggest that you know the properties of your paraffin. But, that being said, learning how to make different textures is a very good learning experience and you can can always re-melt mistakes!
Straight paraffin with a melt point of about 140F works well for a lot of pillars. Adding vybar 103 will make your candles more opaque and may help with scent release. Adding too much vybar will lock in scent, so be careful when using vybar. One little prill can make a big difference. Adding stearic acid will keep candles more translucent while helping to give them more strength and resistance to dents and dings. We tend to add both to our candles. Along with a bit of beeswax which acts like vybar with it's own smell.
The candle on the far left was made by adding hot wax (~180F) to a cool (room temp in winter) mold. The pillar in the middle was made by adding cold wax (still pour-able but starting to get hard) to a frozen mold. And the pillar on the end was made by drizzling hot wax on a finished white candle.
In this picture of our "Galaxy" candles, (Candles with the chunks below) we made the chunks first. (Pour wax into jelly roll pan, wait until just warm and cut with a knife) creating the white chunks. We then packed them into the mold and took a heat gun on the outside of the mold to warm it up. We then pressed the wax chunks to the sides of the warm mold. We used a cool water bath to stop the wax from melting too much. Then we squirted the fuchsia color in the mold with a turkey baster. Then the purple was squirted with a turkey baster. Then we finished by pouring black wax quickly and a cool water bath to set the wax.
This was a fun and easy candle to make. We "whipped" white wax in a pour pot. (Very cool wax whipped with an egg beater or fork). Then poured a little hot blue wax onto the white wax while still in the pour pot. The pressed the wax mixture to the side of a warm metal mold (warmed with a heat gun). We then filled with hot wax in the middle of the candle and gave a cool water bath. This way the candle had a nice solid core and not "puffy" wax that would burn unevenly.
The yellow and orange candle was done in almost the same way as the blue one from above. We let the wax set up until we could whip it. Then pressed it against the sides of a warm mold. Then we heated the outside of the mold again Right where the yellow ended and added hot orange wax. (remember the candle would be upside down in the mold). And water bathed the candle so the yellow wouldn't melt too much. We then let the orange sit till cool then whipped the wax, warmed the mold a little and pressed it to the sides of the top of the mold (bottom of candle). Filled the candle with more hot wax and water bathed.
Ah, the simplest looking candles. Shinny. You have to make sure your mold is clean!!! Then you pour hot wax into a warm mold (warm with a heat gun). Water bath IMMEDIATELY. When putting into the water-bath use one quick motion. Every time you pause you will create a "jump" line.
Hope that you enjoyed this short texture tutorial. There are SO may other textures that you can do that it would be impossible to cover them all here. If you have questions just ask. I can figure out just about any candle design!