sink holes

i have been attempting candle making off an on for the past couple of years and I am stumpted about this. i am making pillars. The wax is 1343A, mold is 3 x3.5, 24 ply flt wick, 1/8 of uv, 1/2 tbs of vybar and 1 tbs to each color. I heated the wax to 190 then added the additived, the mold was warmed for the first color. I decreased the temp to 180 for the first pour and waited about 45 minutes. The mold was set in beans no water bath. After1 hour I poked relief holes by the wick waited until it solided up then poured the second color, poke relief holes after about an hour then filled. when i looked the next day i had a big sink hole on one side of the wick about 2 inches in width and about 2 inches in depth. I am wonder if adding more stearic will stop this sink hole. At first I thought it was because i did not warm the mold the first time so i melted it down and tryed again and the same thing happened. Any suggestions. I want the third time to be a charm and not get discouraged so I am waiting for a response bhefore I continue. I enjoy making candles and would like to produce candles that can one day be sold so I must practice

You'll get lots of help by putting this is the proper section: General Candle Making Discussion.

I don't make pillars or I would attempt to help...

Good Luck!

Thanks for the tip I have moved to to area you suggested

Don't make relief holes for each layer; at that point it's too early for them to do anything. You just have to get the timing and pouring temperatures right so that the layers have a smooth seam.

You should poke some generously-sized holes in the final layer after it's got a good skin on it and then keep the holes open as the candle cools --poke down to liquid wax from time to time. When the candle is completely cool or just about there, do a final pour to fill in the spaces.

Paraffin wax shrinks more than just about anything as it goes from liquid to solid. On its own it would typically get a huge sink hole down the middle and possibly hidden cavities in the candle or dents on the side. The stress relief holes are like sinkholes that we make ourselves to control the process and avoid those problems.