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Gel Candle WaxGel wax is the wax used to make clear, see-thru candles. These are candles with a theme that usually have some type embeds embedded in the clear wax. Anything that wil not burn can be used to decorate these highly popular candles. Most gel candles are decorated using embeds made either of glass or a very hard paraffin wax embed. Your imagination is your only limit when making these candles. They make great theme candles for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, fishing, hunting, camping, fruit themes, summer, winter and fall themes, and the list goes on and on. This wax is a little different to work with than paraffin or soy bean wax. Not every fragrance oil is compatible with gel wax. Some fragrances will cause the wax to get cloudy while others will not bind properly in the wax. The flash point of a fragrance oil must be at least 170 degrees in order to work properly with gel wax. We list on our fragrance oil page whether each of our fragrance oils are compatible with gel wax. Gel wax can create a crystal clear candle, but if you use a fragrance oil that is tinted in any way, it will effect the candle accordingly. it also has a tendency to produce tiny air bubbles in the wax. There are a couple of things you can do to control the amount of bubbles in the wax. High heat reduces the air bubbles and excessive stirring of the wax will create the air bubbles. After you have added any dye and fragrance oil to your wax bring your heat up to about 225 degrees, this will reduce the amount of bubbles. As with any wax, gel wax does not bubble or smoke when it's temperature gets too high, once it reaches it's flash point it will burst into flames without any notice or warning so always regulate your temperature and keep a lid that will cover your melting pot close by. In the event you ever have any wax burst into flames do not spray water or anything else into the pot, simply cover the pot with a lid that covers it completely and turn off your heat. After you pour your candle you will have some air bubbles even if you poured at a high temperture. There are a couple of things you can do to remove them. Set your candle in the oven on about 200 degrees until all the bubbles disappear or you can set it outside in direct sunlight. That should eliminate any air bubbles that you don't want. Here's another tip when making gel candles. If you use a wick that has been primed (wax coated), which most wicks on the market are, then you'll want to remove the wax from the wick before you use them in your gel candles. If you don't remove the wax from the wick, your gel candle will appear cloudy throughout the candle, all around the wick. To remove the wax from the wicks, place the wicks on a cookie sheet lined with several paper towels. Put this in your oven on keep warm for just a few minutes. The wax will melt off the wick and you wick is no longer primed, it is almost ready to use with your gel candles. There is one more step you need to take in order to get your wick ready. Because we removed the wax coating on the wick, the wick now will now produce air bubbles when you pour your candle because air can be trapped in the many strands of the wicking. So, you'll prime your wick again, this time using gel wax. Before you add any fragrance or color in your gel wax, simply dip your wick in your melted gel wax to coat it, and then let it dry. It's now ready to use in your gel candle. Penreco™ holds the patent on gel wax and will vigerously defend that patent against anyone attempting to capitalize on their trade mark. We are proud to be an authorized distributor of Penreco™ CMP Gel Wax, manufactured exclusively for candle making.
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