Crumbly soy tarts and unmolding snags

[LauraHoosier]

I started testing out soy tarts and most of them are coming out fine except for 2 batches yesterday. I know about selling tart crumbles and while I'm not trying for these on purpose it's what I got on those batches. Could this be from letting the wax get too hot, much like soaps overheating?

I do use a candy thermometer but its too short to reach the bottom of the candle melting pitcher I bought so I have to reach down in and hold it just up from the bottom to see the temps. Not only not very accurate but not very safe either. I have a point-and-shoot thermometer on my list.

I had a heck of a time unmolding most of them and I have silicone spray on my shopping list too but wanted to ask if anyone's tried cooking spray like Pam? Also, I remembered this afternoon that I do have some yellow beezwax pastilles and instead of doing a small batch at 16ozs 415 soy wax I'm trying out 14ozs soy and 2ozs beezwax. I'm hoping this helps with the crumbling and the unmolding.

I'm also testing what affect cooking spray on a sampling of molds with a 16ozs soy/beezwax batch. I took 2 same or similar molds and sprayed one and not the other then poured the wax mixture in a few cavities of each mold I'm testing.

Any thoughts, suggestions or advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[LauraHoosier]

Well I poured the test batch at about an hour ago and most were ready to unmold already :shock: even the bigger cavities like my 1oz fleur-de-leis. I'm blown away. Whether I sprayed or not they all popped out easily so now to test if the cooking spray alters the smell when melted.

I have a 1/2 snowman scented with a blend of 5/8th oz cappucino and 5/8th oz of cinnamon in my melter now. 1 1/4ozs scent to 16 ounces of wax blend due to a little sloppy pouring by me but the scent from the molds, cold throw, was just amazing and the melting one is really throwing nice through our main floor, about 1,100sqft. My melter holds a lot more but I want to see how the least amount used throws.

 

[Hazel]

I'm interested in hearing how the cooking spray worked in the mold and if it alters the scent.

I know you're doing tarts but I found a candle making troubleshooting guide. You may have already seen it but if you haven't, it might be helpful.

http://www.nuscentscandle.com/candle-ma ... guide.html

 

[LauraHoosier]

I haven't read the post yet, I'm in the middle of trying to remove a virus from my pc :roll: I will once I get my pc straightened out.

The cooking spray so far, I used Pam regular, isn't changing the scent even once melted but I am also blotting them once I unmold them if I see any excess. I spray the molds, metal, plastic or silicone and wipe the excess from them before heating and scenting the wax to pour into them. Pour, let firm up and cool a few hours then with the metal and plastic ones I can pretty much turn them upside down on the table and tap them and the wax tart falls right out.

The silicone needs a little bit of nudging but I expected that because of the firmer fit you get. Also if using the small cube silicone ice cube trays they will need longer to cool since they seem to hold in the heat and keep the wax slightly soft if you unmold them too soon.

I did adjust my recipe to use 10% beeswax to firm them up a bit more and help end the crumblies and it worked. You could do 5% but will see some crumbling still from some molds. I mostly get this in the silicone ice cube trays. Being crumbly might be a case of the wax staying too warm too long much like soap overheating because none of my other molds do this and there is a separation between each cavity unlike the ice trays.

 

[Hazel]

Thanks. I'm glad the PAM doesn't alter the scent.

 

[LauraHoosier]

I was glad too but today I see what it does do. It leaves a white mottled film on them that doesn't wipe off and it dulls their appearance. I'll have to find silicone spray after all. I'll add pics shortly.

ETA: Pics!
The Molds one day after using Pam regular cooking spray:



The tarts one day after using Pam regular cooking spray in the molds:



Pink ones had no spray releaser used on them, the cream ones had Pam used on their molds. See the white stuff and how their dulled some?



This is a comparison between the pure soy wax, soy wax/beeswax blend 5% and soy wax/beeswax blend 10%. The 10% one shown on the far right of the screen had Pam used on it's mold as well.



I'll be trying the 10% blend again today with no Pam spray used to see if they come out dull again or if I can write it off to the Pam spray.

 

[Hazel]

Thanks! Now we have an answer to the question on whether a spray on cooking oil works or not.