Lianne Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hello!I have decided to experiment with tortoise shell pillar palm wax. I am using Peak's brand with approximately 15g of palm steric/lb and 1oz/lb of fragrance. I poured at 210-220 (did I pour too hot?) and also warmed the mold but did not achieved the tortoise shell design. Any advice?Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 The only advice I can think of is keep the mold warm as well. The slower the candle cools the more the effect will show up. Also what is the reason for the additional stearic? Palm waxes are already high in stearic and IMO they don't need any extra. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lianne Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Thank you for the reply! I have found that with the inflexibility of palm wax, the steric aids in preventing cracks as the candle burns down. This may not be the case with circular candles but I use square molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Cracks? Can you describe what you mean. Palm is known for its air pockets but I have never heard of it cracking and have never seen it in any of my palm pillars. I also never use stearic as Janel mentioned palm is full of it and its not needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lianne Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Huh, interesting...when I burn my square palm pillars, cracks often appear on the top sides of the candle as it burns further down, I figured it was due to the wax's hardness and lack of flexibility, different from paraffin and soy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Hi,I can tell that tortoise shell palm wax cracks. It's a very hard and brittle kind of palm wax, I decided not to use it for this reason. Adding stearic acid seems to help to a certain extent but it doesn't resolve the problem.I had cracks on the bottom and on the top after burning and cooling.Tortoise shell palm wax is a really strange thing, sometimes the "crystals" show up big, sometimes smalls, and sometimes not at all. Try warming the molds and letting the candle cool at a very slow rate.I'm sorry to tell you this but while fascinating, I think it's the worst palm wax I ever saw! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Since I've never seen the cracks you describe I'm not sure how to help you with that. When I heat my palm I heat to 200-210 and pour at 195-200. I don't preheat my molds. I just keep the wax hot enough to mix in my scent and color then pour into the mold. I keep the molds a few inches apart so the air can circulate around the molds. In the winter I keep heater on in the pouring room to make sure the air temp is at least 70. But with my wax melter on that's not hard to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Tortoise shell palm wax is really different from other palm waxes. It cracks. No matter what you do. It may crack after the first burn, or you can see cracks in the bottom.I tested once and decided it was not worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I missed your earlier post Sabrina. I was wondering if mixing tortoiseshell with another palm wax may help with the cracking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) No problem Candybee.It could help but it's more or less as using stearic acid. I wouldn't waste time on tortoise shell palm wax. It also make bumps sometimes so the bottom becomes a ball instead of being flat. I would use it as a mixer with paraffin for pillars. Edited January 18, 2015 by cybersix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 If I ever get around to it I may try mixing tortoiseshell with either feather or crystal palm. I know someone here used to do that a few years back. Maybe Stella or Top? Anyway, I remember the pics of the wax combo and the pillars were beautiful. Maybe a 50/50 blend could make the difference in cracks. Don't know til I try right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lianne Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thank you all for your replies, information and ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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