In a change of fortunes on our weather forecast, we have snow predicted for most of the foreseeable future. It’s been so dry till now that it was beginning to worry me for the coming summer. Warm weather has been scary as is, but we have not been building up a snowpack for summer irrigation for our farmers. There goes the hay prices!
Today’s work outside got the wood to the door and the hay to the animals. I have also been messing about with the DigiBoil to try to get the wax in it to melt. That has not been going as well as I would like. I put it on last night and have let it sit all night and all day today, and it still has not melted down. I started it out at 150F, and now have it up to 160F. Hopefully it will melt through soon. The heat is slowly climbing the pot and can be felt through the jacket. In fact, I think I can feel it in the jacket more than I can when I reach under to feel the side of the pot.
I had to take a break from writing about 30 minutes ago and came back to find I could stick a butter knife through the wax at the top of the pot that was still solid. That allowed me to make a flow hole and push the top surface wax down into the pot a ways, which I hope will melt it rather than making temperature barrier with it that blocks the top to allow it to solidify. I checked the temperature of the wax that flowed up and it was right at 170F. That’s a little to close to burning for my liking, so I have turned the temperature down a bit to try to prevent that, even at the risk of creating problems with the final bit of the wax melting. I’ll check it again in a bit and try to determine if I should have just left the temperature up. I assume the wax is convecting in the pot, and the hot wax will rise rather than just stay low and burn.
So while the melted wax was at the top, I set up a mold with some hemp wick and poured it for some six-inch candles. I’ll be watching them for color and I will probably test burn two of them and put the rest into inventory.
Now I have just topped the candles for shrinkage and noted that the wax that was spilled out on the top of the mold was an excellent color, very light, and quite where I want it for selling. Maybe I will do some more molds tonight to lower the level of wax in the pot so the next time I melt it all, it will be easier. I think about three-quarters full is a nice limit if I am to keep a solid batch in the pot between pouring days. It is really hard to say for sure but spending more than 24 hours to melt it all down again is a bit much. I think it is better to add a block when required and try to keep the pot between half and three quarters full. That’s a hypothesis at the moment. I will write it into theory when I have tried it and know more information.
I poured two molds then let them cool before I started this paragraph. Meanwhile, the wax melted completely. I have shut the melter down to 150F. I’ll see how it holds overnight. I’d like to leave it till tomorrow afternoon.
I learned a lesson while doing these two molds. I poured a little in each candle mold, then came back around and poured more, then again to top each off. Not pouring each to the top left a little line in the candles that looks like they could break on that spot. I’ll be using them for test burns or personal or both, really. I could melt them down and start again, but why not set them aside to test burn them to be sure I know what I am selling?
Overall, I am happy with the gear I am now running and the methods I have developed over the last little bit. I wish there was a way of getting the wax from the pot to the candle molds without spilling and cooling. That’s really the most difficult part of the whole thing.
I want to make some old-style furniture, especially come spring. But sticking to the ideas of tradition, candle making was a part of the life for people back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It’s how they lit their nights. I’ll also be making some candle boxes. It is only sensible. I plan to offer them in the candle shop. Just got to get the arthritic hands through winter first!