First Candle

[chappy6107]

wax = c3 1 lb

fo = 1 oz(weight) / 1 lb of wax

dye = none

wick = eco 12

container = 16 oz mason jar (regular mouth opening)

 

melted and brought temp to 180* then added FO at 170*  and poured at 150*

jar was heated in oven, after pour jar was put back into cooling oven to cool.

extra wax poured into clamshell molds.

 

Any one see any problems or have any critiques for me?

should FO's be done by weight or fluid ounces?

how long should this cure before use?

Edited January 12, 2015 by chappy6107

[Jcandleattic]

Everything you measure (besides drops of dye - which you didn't use) should be done by weight. It's more accurate than volume measurements, which can cause many things to go wrong. 

 

In theory everything looks good, but the true test will be when you do the test burn in a week or so. 

Good luck. 

[chappy6107]

Thanks Jcandleattic

[GoldieMN]

Great questions, Chappy.  I'm still pretty new at this.  What is a cooling oven?

Goldie

[kandlekrazy]

I use C3 as well and do everything you're doing except I don't use the cooling oven and I use a different wick due to my jars.  Eco wicks always worked well for me

in the mason jars.

 

Good luck, I hope you hit a home run!

[chappy6107]

GoldieMN by cooling oven I meant that after heating my jars up in the oven, I turned the oven off then poured my wax then put the finished candle back in the oven to cool down slower.

 

kandlekrazy I bought the eco sample pack & the CD sample pack.  I thought I might try an eco & cd next to each other, but did not melt enough wax to make 2 mason jars.  LOL  I had no idea how much the wax would melt down.  I have since found the calculator to determine how much wax would be needed in a container.

 

BTW should I be curing my candle with the lid on or off?

[Candybee]

I let my candles cool down for a few hours then lid them. I usually lid them the same day once the jars are cool to the touch. Others may do different. But then I use palm which goes from liquid to hard once cooled-- no in between like soy or paraffin.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Candybee

[Shoegal]

I use a different wax, but I always cure my candles with the tops on. Good luck with your candles OP! Let us know how they turn out!

[chappy6107]

So after curing for a week I lit it up and within 5 minutes the flame went out.  seemed to be a very small WP and very weak flame. 

 

I melted the wax down and repoured into another jar with the next size up wick (eco 14)  I let it harden and ~5 hours later am burning it with a weak flame still but it has been burning for ~1 hour so far.  WP is ~3/4" on one side of the wick and ~1 on the side the wick curls towards.  Jar is 3" across, so after a 3 hour burn I will put flame out and burn it again tomorrow.

 

Since I remelted and repoured should I have cured the candle again for another week or has the curing already taken place from the 1st pour?

[Guest OldGlory]

Here's my 2 cents worth -

I have found that with 464 soy wax, you have to give it a few days to retest. The wax doesn't burn the same way the first day that it will on day 3 or 4. Almost as if allowing it the few days hardens the wax a bit more. Now, nobody suggested that to me - one of the other members found this out while she was testing. The first day the wax was softer, after a few days the wax was harder and a slower burn.

I am not including testing for fragrance throw, just the burn testing.

[chappy6107]

Thanks OG,  I was afraid that would be the answer.  On a good note after wicking up to the eco 14 the candle burned for the full 3 hour burn with a decent WP.  The flame grew to normal size after about 30 minutes.  

 

I will let it sit for a few days before I continue the test

[chappy6107]

As far as remelting/repouring the wax like I did to get a bigger wick installed, is that something I can do without damaging the natural burn & frangrance throw of the candle?  Or is this practice frowned upon as it changes attributes of the original candle?

 

after letting it sit for a few days I have burned it for the 3rd time.  1st & 2nd burns = weak HT, and decent but not full WP.  3rd burn had better HT but not strong & full MP ~1/2" deep.  Is that MP ~1/2" ok or is it too deep?

[Jcandleattic]

It could affect the throw some, because you are melting the wax some scent will give off. But it should not affect the burn once it hardens up and is ready to retest. 

[chappy6107]

here are some pics.  wick is mushrooming & putting off lots of smoke/soot when blown out.

[Trappeur]

Hi Chappy,

As Old Glory said the longer it sits, it cures and you will get (in my experience) different ways the candle burns. I've always for years let my candles cure for a week or 5 days....and as frustrated as I get in times by getting antsy, I now let my candles cure for 2 weeks...(you will find different suggestions by others, but that is the way I do mine.) Now since you know that wick you have used is not a good choice, for future testings I would not adhere the wick to the bottom of the jar as you have to remelt it to get the wick out. Let the candle harden without a wick and then get a skewer and make a hole down the center and insert the wick of your choice and when you do your testings if that wick doesn't work, all you have to do is pull the wick out of the wax and put your new choice in.

.

For that canning jar you are using with the c3 my choice of wicks I always used was a htp 126 or htp 105 or cd 12 or cd 10. I don't have much experience with eco's. Also instead of blowing out your candles, push the lit wick into the wax to put the flame out, then trim it. You will then have the wick primed for the next time you light it....Like others have said, let the newly poured candle harden, then put the lid on and let it cure. That is how I do mine too.

What scent are you using and from where?

Great note keeper you are! Good job...keep up the good work.

Trappeur

[chuck_35550]

Your Melt Pool is too deep for my taste and the flame is too large as well. You're going to get one red hot candle toward the end of that burn IMHO. That flame could be burning off some of your fo as well. I pour up my test candle with no wick, make a hole with the probe end of a thermometer and stick a wick in it. If the wick doesn't work, I put it out and let it cool, stick the next size up. Once the wicking seems right, I pour a wicked candle and test the whole burn in 1 to 2 hour burns. The candle should have about 1/4 inch depth on the Melt Pool and the jar should not be hot as the core of the sun. Sooting is going to depend on the amount of vanillin (villain) or other difficult combustibles in the fragrance oil. Distributors are notorious about changing formulas without a heads up, so test often.

Steve

[Candybee]

The mushroom cap is a sign of the wick not burning properly. So its either the wrong size or the wrong wick for your wax. I like to read up on wicks at Wicks Unlimited to give me a starting point on selecting a wick. Here is a link from their website showing the various wrong things that can happen to the wrong wick:

http://wicksunlimited.com/quality/

[chappy6107]

Thanks Trappeur, Chuck, & Candybee! 

 

The fo is very sexy for her from lonestar. 

I was thinking the melt pool may be to deep.  the last 2 burns since then have been ~1/2 the depth of the pics.  Thanks for the advice on the skewer/thermometer needle to make a hole in the candle.  I would not have thought to pluck the wicks out of their tabs and done this. 

 

So far the candle has 31 hours burn time. All sessions being either 3, 4, & a 5 hour session.

 

Thanks to everyone that has given advice.  I appreciate every bit of it and am trying to soak it all in.