Red Color Question

[Luanne]

I'm trying to get a good red color for MacIntosh Apple. I use liquid color. So far I've tried 1 drop black and 1 drop red per lb. of wax. Too much blueish purple. Then tried 4drops red 1 drop black. Much better, but still a little too purpley. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Luanne

 

[Hazel]

What brand of liquid dye? I've used Spectrum Colors Red and I was very happy with it. However, I used it to make heart wax melts. It isn't quite the color of McIntosh. Since this type of apple generally is red and green, have you considered adding a little green to the red and trying to do a color variation of red, red/green and green? However, I'm not sure how well this would work in a candle if this is what you're making. I've only attempted variations in melts.

Since the black produced a more purple color, I'm wondering if using a little purple with the red would produce a closer color to the apple. Hopefully, someone will have a better suggestion.

 

[Luanne]

Hazel,
I'm leaning towards leaving out the black completely and adding more red. I agree that the black is contributing to the purple. The red color is from Candle and Supply and the black is from Peak. I'm afraid of adding green to the red. In basic law of color theary class (mixing hair color in cosmetology school) red and green cancel each other to make mud brown. I'm assuming it's the same in mixing any kind of color. I'll keep playing and keep you posted.

 

[Hazel]

But we're not discussing hair color dyes. These are candle dyes specifically manufactured for wax and I've found they're really hard to blend together to achieve colors based on a traditional color wheel. Also, you don't want to add a lot of green to the red. I'd start with a 4:1 ratio and see what happens. This is probably going to require some experimentation. If I get a chance, I'll try this and let you know how it turns out. That is if I still have green. I'm not sure if I have it.

 

[Luanne]

I'll give it a try too and let you know.

 

[firedancer]

with liquid colors especially red you need to use about 7-12 drops of color per pound, sometimes MORE!! then you will get a really nice red!