About Gel...

So what is known to cause bubbles?

1. Allowing the candle to set in a cool place. The refrigerator is the best for producing bubbles.

2. Pouring too hot; pouring too cool.

3. Stirring your gel too much.

4. Some fragrances cause more bubbles than others.

5. Weather and Climate - i.e. humidity, temperature, elevation.

6. Your embeds. To reduce bubbles trailing from embeds, dip your embed into gel before placing it in your candle.

7. Pouring gel at too high a distance from your container. To reduce bubbles, pour gel onto a metal spoon with the spoon placed inside the container as far as possible.

If you are having excessive unwanted bubbles we suggest you use a heat gun to heat your container before pouring your gel and after pouring your gel. You can also try placing your container in 150* oven to reduce bubbles. This can take up to 2 hours in the oven.

If you think you've tried everything and still have unwanted bubbles try pouring your gel into your container without a wick, embeds, fragrance, or dye. Observe the bubbles and then from there start adding one item at a time until you determine the cause.

GENERAL SAFETY RULES
Candle making can be dangerous if you fail to use the basic candle safety rules. Working with gel can be even more hazardous because of the high temperatures and direct heat necessary to melt the gel. Take these precautions seriously or you will be at risk of injuring yourself or damaging your home. If the basic rules are followed, you should have no problem with fire, but it's best to be prepared anyway.

1. NEVER leave melting gel or wax unattended. Gel needs to be melted at a higher temperature than wax. Therefore, the double boiler method does not work. Use direct heat to melt your gel by placing gel in a metal pan and heating on your stove on low heat. You can also use a Presto Kitchen Kettle. A Presto Kitchen Kettle can be purchased for around $20 at Walmart, Kmart or this type of store. They hold up to 6 lbs. of gel and you can set the temperature control for steady heating.

2. ALWAYS use a thermometer in your gel. A candy thermometer works fine.

3. NEVER heat gel above 250*. Your gel won't catch on fire until it reaches approx 375* - 400*. However, it will scorch and thus turn yellow if it is heated too high.

4. ALWAYS keep gel away from an open flame.

5. NEVER put water on a wax fire. Keep a pot lid or baking soda and a dry chemical fire extinguisher nearby when melting wax or gel.

6. NEVER pour wax or gel down the drain. Instead keep a disposable container handy to pour the wax or gel into. After it has hardened you can throw it away.

7. If you do spill wax or gel on yourself, immediately place the burned skin under cold running water. It's also a good idea to wear an apron or something thick to protect your clothes.

DYE IN GEL CANDLES
We suggest using liquid dye in gel to help preserve the clarity of gel. Our liquid dye is very concentrated and often just a toothpick dipped in the dye will be enough to color your gel. If you want a deep color then start with only 1 drop. It's much easier to darken the gel than lighten it.

USING FRAGRANCE IN GEL CANDLES
Before you begin making Gel Candles, you should have a good understanding of the safety factors involved. This is by no means a complete safety guide, but it will give you some guidelines (as set forth by Penreco) of the safety of gel candles and fragrances.

Fragrance Flashpoint
Each and every fragrance has a flashpoint (FP). The FP is the point of temperature in which the fragrance will flash. A flash is just as it sounds . . . it's a quick flash flame which extinguishes almost immediately. If you are using fragrance in gel, you will need to take some precautions.

Gel burns hotter than wax, and therefore, is easily heated to a temperature which many fragrances may flash. In other words, the gel can easily reach the fragrance FP. For fragrances used in gel candles the FP should be 170* and higher.

If you have some favorite fragrances you currently use, but do not know the FP, contact the supplier where you purchased the fragrance and ask for the flashpoint. They should have the FP and have no problem giving you the information. If they do not know, ask them to contact the manufacturer and find out. Do not use a fragrance without knowing the FP.

Polarity
Basically, gel is non-polar and therefore mixes and binds best with non-polar fragrance. In the past we have tested each of the fragrances we sell and established a polar or non-polar classification for them. However, we have discovered inconsistencies with the mineral oil test, and will no longer be testing fragrances for polarity. We encourage you to test burn each gel candle you make to be sure of its safety, and not rely solely on the polar/non-polar test. The polar and non-polar information we have retained on our Fragrance Page is reliant on our fragrance chemists and not on our own testing.

We have performed the mineral oil test on our fragrance enough to conclude that the test definitely yields conflicting results with different grades of mineral oil. We have used mineral oils used for making gel for the testing, and find separation of fragrance and oil in one oil and not the other. We have experienced non-polar fragrance separating from some mineral oil, and we have experienced some polar fragrance binding with some mineral oil. We have also experienced some polar fragrance maintaining a clear color and some non-polar fragrance causing cloudiness in some oil. Therefore, we conclude that it is best for you to conduct the polarity test using your mineral oil and then test burn a candle from each batch to determine safety.

How Much Fragrance for Gel
Gel cannot handle as much fragrance as wax. If you are using LP or MP gel we suggest you use 1% to 3% fragrance load. To figure this out take your total ounces of gel you will be fragrancing and multiply it by .01 to .03. This will give you the amount of fragrance to use. You will probably need a digital scale for measuring your gel and fragrance. Digital postal scales work fine. So if you're scenting 16 oz. of gel, multiply 16 X .01 to find out you should use .2 oz. fragrance. If you want to use a 3% fragrance load, multiply 16 X .03 to find out you should use .5 oz. fragrance. (That's point 2 and point 5 oz.) For HP gel you can use up to 5% fragrance load.

Always be sure to mix your fragrance thoroughly. The biggest cause of flash fires in gel candles is because of the fragrance pooling in the gel. Mixing very well will help the fragrance bind with the gel better. Also, if you don't want lots of bubbles, let your gel relax for 2 minutes or so after mixing fragrance into the gel.