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Showing posts with label eco-friendly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eco-friendly. Show all posts

Thursday, July 01, 2010

As promised, soy taper candles, all my secrets revealed

Well, not pure soy, because that's impossible.   Have you ever heard of a soy taper candle?  Do a search and I think you'll find that they don't exist.   Even the harder pillar soy wax is too soft for a taper, so I concocted a soy/paraffin blend which seems to work well.  I make them for my soy unity sets which are very popular.  I've tried all kinds of additives, but found that a simple blend of pillar soy and high-melt paraffin work just fine.  Your taper will still look like soy in texture and coloring, but the paraffin gives it enough hardness to prevent massive dripping which occurs in a pure soy taper.  And even though there's some paraffin in the mix, it's still more eco-friendly than a pure paraffin, burning with less soot and fewer irritants. 

So now, on with the secrets.  I'm telling all, in great detail. 


Ingredients:
Pillar Blend soy wax (I use EcoSoya PB which is the hardest soy wax, http://www.ngiwax.com/products/ecosoyaproducts.html
Paraffin wax.  I used IGI 4625 pillar wax in the past, but switched to a higher melt wax, 160 melt point. The higher the better.
Wicking. The tiniest you can find.  I use WR2000, 6/0, a square braided cotton wick.
http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c61,p598&title=Square-Braided-Wick-Spools  This is the smallest wick I've found anywhere. 
Molds.  You can buy molds in 1 pair on up.  I bought a 4-pair mold which makes 8 candles at once
Plumber's putty  - buy in any hardware store

Melt paraffin in a pot in simmering water bath until the pot is about 1/3 full.

After the paraffin is melted, add soy wax gradually until the liquid is doubled.


Meanwhile as the wax is melting (keep an eye out so the water doesn't boil away!), prep your molds.   Using a long thin florist wire, double the length of your mold, fold it in half to make a threader.  Insert in the tiny hole, push all the way to the other end, thread your wicking through the end, and pull back through the hole, just like you would a needle and thread.  It might be tight, so make sure your wire is small.   Leave a couple inches on each end.  continue until all molds are threaded.  Then carefully tye the open ends onto a wooden skewer and pull tight.  It takes a bit of juggling to get them lined up and centered.  At the pointed end, pull each wick tight and secure with Plumber's Putty to prevent leaks.  Place molds in a metal tray to protect your counter and catch any leaks.  Keep a glass of water nearby just in case.















Now that your molds are ready, check to make sure your wax is at least 180 degrees, but not over 200.  Transfer melted wax from large pot to smaller glass measuring cup, and proceed to pour wax into each mold.   Pour full and don't worry if they overflow.  Tap the sides of each mold gently with a butter knife to release any bubbles.



The wax will almost immediately start to set.  Poke holes in the wax to release pressure.  The wax will form a pit under the wick, which is fine.   After about 1/2 hour, do a second pour with hot wax to refill the holes, and set in the fridge until completely cool.   Cut off the skewers,  remove plumber's putty, scape off all the wax overflow and dump it back into the melting pot to use again later.  If you have a butane torch, you can smoothe off the bottoms.  The candles will probably just fall out.  If not, tap them lightly.  They will look like this:


Ah, but we're not done yet!  You do want them to fit in holders, don't you?  Well, here is the secret that will make your candles look finished and professional.  Think:  19mm 12 point socket!  It has to be this size or it won't work.  You can get one at your local hardware store.    Oh, I'm sure seasoned chandlers know this secret, but I'm sharing anyhow since it's such a clever solution.


Here's how to put a professional finish on your candles.  Line a pan with heavy foil and place the socket on the foil.  When it is hot, push the taper down into the socket for form a scalloped base.  Some of the wax will melt onto the foil, so keep the heat low.  You can also use your butane torch to heat the socket, but this takes more time. 
voila! 

And here is the finished product, burning brightly with hardly a drip, but if they do, break it off the drip and continue burning.  Be sure to place something underneath to catch any melted wax.
These tapers will give you many hours of enjoyment. 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.  I can sell some of the components, such as wicking in smaller amounts.  You can buy soy wax in small amounts and paraffin in 10 lb blocks.  Contact me if you need further information, sources or have any questions.   If you have any suggestions to make these candles even better, I'd love to hear from you. 

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Eco-friendly Handmade Dishwasher Detergent

Just wanted to post a quick review of handmade dishwasher detergent.  Lots of folks like me make their own laundry soap, but few people make their own automatic dishwasher soap.  I thought this was worth trying since it uses some of the same ingredients as laundry soap (which I will post some other time).   This not my recipe, just one I found on PlanetGreen.  This is a website worth checking out.

I made up a batch today and tried it and I must say, my dishes came out sparkling clean.  Just like laundry soap, I'll never buy dishwasher detergent again.  I'm saving a huge bundle of money too.   When you see how easy it is to make, you'll wonder why people spend so much money on commercial products. 

Here's the recipe:

You can find washing soda and borax in the laundry section of your grocery store

1 cup washing soda (I used Arm & Hammer)
1 cup borax (20 Mule Team)
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup citric acid (Fruit Fresh) or unsweetened lemonade packets

Mix and store in a mason jar or other tight fitting container.  Use 1 tablespoon per load. 

If you have a rinse dispenser, fill it with white vinegar for best results.

My dishes came out sparkling clean, no spots and no filmy residue.   Everything in this soap is eco-friendly, and since I have a septic tank, this is important to me.  And who wants to drain chemicals into their public sewer system?  Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a natural substance made from salt and limestone and acts as a grease cutter.  Borax is also an ingredient that occurs naturally in the environment and usually mined.  Salt is well, salt.  Can't argue that.  And citric acid is also a natural ingredient.

These are some of the ingredients in the bottle of soap I have left.  These are only the emergency treatment ingredients, so who knows what else is in it:  sodium carbonate (that's ok), sodium hydroxide (lye, which is caustic),  sodium silicate (used to preserve eggs and pressure treated wood, really?  WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES SEVERE IRRITATION TO EYES, SKIN AND RESPIRATORY TRACT), clorine bleach (is highly toxic to fish and invertebrates).  Well, yeah, I'm rethinking using bleach in my laundry now.  So the bottle under my sink also cautions against getting in eyes or on skin and breathing fumes.   No, not the kind of stuff I want in my dishwasher. 

So folks, do yourself and the environment a favor and try this soap.