GW 444 & smoking/FO load

[Jbruza]

So I definitely did not know how much went into making a good candle and now I am really trying not to quit on myself!

 

Do you think lowering the FO would also help with smoking issues I'm having? I'm going to bring it down to 8% I think in the 444 wax ( currently at 10%)

 

 I know my husband is getting annoyed with how much I'm spending on candle making items already while I continue to test and retest everything. I've been getting awesome HT with the wood wicks from wooden wick Co. and the melt pools are perfect with the wick matching I have done so far. But at the top of the candle, the flame tends to get too high for my comfort and flickers with smoke. Then i notice at times when it gets to the bottom, the flame changes and occasionally will drown out. I know this can be also attributed to drafts and what not or improper burning but I'm hoping the changing the FO level will help with the smoking and I won't have to switch blends. 

 

I have contemplated switching to parasoy blend but I know that every variable changes things and don't know if it's worth starting all the way over unless changing would make my life easier in the long run.

 

What are ya'lls thoughts on FO load with this wax and its effect on the burn. 

[moonshine]

Have you only used wood wicks with this wax?

what container are you using?

 

my suggestion is to stick with it until you know the wax inside and out - jumping around before you successfully make a candle is just going to give you more frustration and cost a ton more money 

 

I have used 415 for years which is similar to 444 difference being 444 has additives to increase melt point 

with the soy issues this year I have been testing other blends and 444 is one of them - this appears to be a nice wax, I made 1 candle with it and had great success but you have to remember I have been doing this for many years with a very similar wax

 

have you tested this wax straight with no FO or dye?  If not I think you should do a testing this way with a few different series of wicks to learn how it behaves and burns without anything in it....this is a very important step in the process IMO to educate yourself better on what your working with

when you get a great burn your happy with take that and repeat with fragrance- you may need to go up or down in size of wick but this is a start to see how the fragrance affects the burn 

10% FO is on the higher side - try 1.25 ounces per pound of wax which is roughly 8% or 1.5 ounces per pound which is roughly 8.5%

[birdcharm]

I've read some posts regarding wooden wicks and it seemed as though they may be difficult to perfect. 

 

Personally, I do not feel that your wax is the problem.  I'd try Moonshine's advice regarding your fragrance and I think I'd get my feet wet with regular wicks and work with the wooden ones later. 

[TallTayl]

I am guilty of wax hopping early on. I learned the hard and expensive way that jumping waxes without fully learning one wax cost a lot of time and money. Every single wax has faults. Some we just learn to live with.

 

It seems like a waste to some here, but making a set of unscented candles in ONE container with different wick series and sizes in the same jar saves so much time and money. Figure out which wick series work with your wax. when something mushrooms, soots, drowns out, etc somewhere in the candle you can eliminate those and have not wasted $ on fragrance. You can just melt that unscented wax down and reuse if additional tests are needed and end up with zero waste during the testing process. All that can take as little as 2-3weeks time. That's nothing. And it's very inexpensive as you use what, 2# of wax? 

 

When you find a wick that does not soot, mushroom, flare, drown, etc. then add a variable. I would chose a simple scent and test that. Again, you can figure out in as little as 2-3 weeks time if that wick will perform in that container with that one variable. Boom, done. 

[GailC]

I have been using 444 for over 8 years, and I don't have a smoking issue at all.  I use about 8%, sometimes a little more or less, just depending on the FO.  I would think it might be the wood wick.  I tried a wood wick once and had trouble keeping it lit.  But didn't do much testing at all with wood wicks. Wood wicks are nice, but I just didn't want to fool with them.  I just ordered a pack of ribbon wicks, but I just wanted to try them for myself and family.  Doubt I'll ever try to perfect them for selling purposes.

 

I started with ECO and later switched to CD wicks.  I am very satisfied with my 444 and my wicks. 

 

[Jbruza]

Thanks you guys. I have tested without FO AND they burn great with no soot or anything. I've almost burned them all the way down. I don't think it's the wick. I think it was the FO load so I made 2 more today. One 8% And one 6%. I'm going to let them cure for a week and see what happens. Fingers crossed.  I was too ambitious to start with and was testing way too many fragrances at once. It took me a solid 2 months to learn that the FO changes the way each candle burns which was such a dumb mistake by me. Thanks for the encouragement though ! The wicks I use have been great. They discolor the wax a bit but that's expected honestly and with the labeling you won't really even be able to tell. I'll keep you all posted ! 

[Jbruza]

12 hours ago, moonshine said:

Have you only used wood wicks with this wax?

what container are you using?

 

my suggestion is to stick with it until you know the wax inside and out - jumping around before you successfully make a candle is just going to give you more frustration and cost a ton more money 

 

I have used 415 for years which is similar to 444 difference being 444 has additives to increase melt point 

with the soy issues this year I have been testing other blends and 444 is one of them - this appears to be a nice wax, I made 1 candle with it and had great success but you have to remember I have been doing this for many years with a very similar wax

 

have you tested this wax straight with no FO or dye?  If not I think you should do a testing this way with a few different series of wicks to learn how it behaves and burns without anything in it....this is a very important step in the process IMO to educate yourself better on what your working with

when you get a great burn your happy with take that and repeat with fragrance- you may need to go up or down in size of wick but this is a start to see how the fragrance affects the burn 

10% FO is on the higher side - try 1.25 ounces per pound of wax which is roughly 8% or 1.5 ounces per pound which is roughly 8.5%

Ive usex mainly wooden wicks and have gotten good burns most times. I finally found the wick but have always been using 10% So I'm praying lowering the load helps. It burns nice and clean without fragrance though. I use 12 oz libbey jars from the jar store. I even poke relief holes in them to be safe and run them over with a heat gun after .

[Jbruza]

1 hour ago, GailC said:

I have been using 444 for over 8 years, and I don't have a smoking issue at all.  I use about 8%, sometimes a little more or less, just depending on the FO.  I would think it might be the wood wick.  I tried a wood wick once and had trouble keeping it lit.  But didn't do much testing at all with wood wicks. Wood wicks are nice, but I just didn't want to fool with them.  I just ordered a pack of ribbon wicks, but I just wanted to try them for myself and family.  Doubt I'll ever try to perfect them for selling purposes.

 

I started with ECO and later switched to CD wicks.  I am very satisfied with my 444 and my wicks. 

 

Honestly only 2 have drowned out ! So that's been nice at least. Th3 most recent ones smoked on the first burn but did well after that

[Jbruza]

1 hour ago, TallTayl said:

I am guilty of wax hopping early on. I learned the hard and expensive way that jumping waxes without fully learning one wax cost a lot of time and money. Every single wax has faults. Some we just learn to live with.

 

It seems like a waste to some here, but making a set of unscented candles in ONE container with different wick series and sizes in the same jar saves so much time and money. Figure out which wick series work with your wax. when something mushrooms, soots, drowns out, etc somewhere in the candle you can eliminate those and have not wasted $ on fragrance. You can just melt that unscented wax down and reuse if additional tests are needed and end up with zero waste during the testing process. All that can take as little as 2-3weeks time. That's nothing. And it's very inexpensive as you use what, 2# of wax? 

 

When you find a wick that does not soot, mushroom, flare, drown, etc. then add a variable. I would chose a simple scent and test that. Again, you can figure out in as little as 2-3 weeks time if that wick will perform in that container with that one variable. Boom, done. 

I like the way you test them ! I need to stop over extending myself and breathe and take my time or it's going to come back to bite me in the but lol