AntoniasCreations Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Ok this is my first time making soy candles and I am really getting frustrated. I thought soy candles would look creamy but I must be doing something wrong. Ok to start I am using wax soy 125 from candlewick.comI melted it to 175, and then I added the color to it until I got it right. Then I turned the heat off and when it got to around 155 I poured in my scent, then at around 150 I poured into my warm container. I let it cool completely by itself and didn’t burn it until 3 days later. But the top look horrible. I did read somewhere that the top would need to be heated up again to fix it but this is not like what I expected. It looked like the top layer came apart from the rest of the candle, like there where a bunch of air bubbles under it. And then when I picked at them with a tooth pick there seamed to be a little liquid there too. Well I did some more research and found another way to pour the candle. It said the heat wax until 175, then add color and scent, then take off burner and let it sit until it is around 100, when it starts to cloud over, then stir and pour into room temp container. Well I tried that to (I re-melted the wax out of the container used in the above) and it was fine not flakiness on the top but it did sink in just a little bit in the middle (could it be from re-melting the wax), and it was a lot more clean up, harder to clean pouring pot because there was more wax left behind (which seams like a waste to me also). So if anyone can please give me any pointers I would greatly appreciate them. I bought 50 lbs of this wax so I am hoping this starts to turn out a little better. Antonia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 What you are experiencing is pretty normal for soy wax. Generally the plain soy likes to be poured slushy the way you tried it the second time, and yes there is typically more left behind in the pouring pot when you do that.The CW Soy 125 is a little harder to pour than most of them. I really don't think you'll get a decent top unless you pour it at a low temperature. One thing that will make it work better is to add a little bit of soy additive to the wax. Here is a link for it. http://www.soycandle.com/index.php?cPath=448_476The additive will help with getting a smoother top and less frosting. It also helps the wax hold fragrance a little better. It might allow you to pour the Soy 125 a little hotter but I don't guarantee it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I have not used that particular wax-but this is what I do. I add FO @ 175, pour at 105-115. Then I use my trusty heat gun to fix the tops. IMO a heat gun is an absolutley necessary, cannot live without it-soy candle making accessory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Welcome Antonia! :wave:Glad you found your way here. Sorry, I haven't used the wax you are using, but I would suggest that you read, read, read here in the veggie wax forum - there's so much great information about pouring soy based waxes! The search tool is your best friend!! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntoniasCreations Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 Welcome Antonia! :wave:Glad you found your way here. Sorry, I haven't used the wax you are using, but I would suggest that you read, read, read here in the veggie wax forum - there's so much great information about pouring soy based waxes! The search tool is your best friend!! Good luck! Thanks so much, and I am so glad I found this board. Every other board I have come across hardly anyone keeps up on it. And my head is really spinning now from read a billon post from way back when.I have a question for you. Around November you where doing a test burn on a candle with a 4" diam and I looked really hard but for some reason I cant find the post of the finish candle. Did the wick, I think it was a CD 20, work and did you get a clean burn? If you have no clue what I am talking about dont worry about it. Well I need to get to bed.Thanks everyone else for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in KY Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 What you are experiencing is pretty normal for soy wax. Generally the plain soy likes to be poured slushy the way you tried it the second time, and yes there is typically more left behind in the pouring pot when you do that.The CW Soy 125 is a little harder to pour than most of them. I really don't think you'll get a decent top unless you pour it at a low temperature. One thing that will make it work better is to add a little bit of soy additive to the wax. Here is a link for it. http://www.soycandle.com/index.php?cPath=448_476The additive will help with getting a smoother top and less frosting. It also helps the wax hold fragrance a little better. It might allow you to pour the Soy 125 a little hotter but I don't guarantee it.Top, I have not read about this particular additive. Have you tested it? Have and tried several but never heard of this company. Is it better than others? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Yes, Antonia, I did finish testing that one, but I did not take a photo of the bitter end... I suspect the holidays got in the way... :rolleyes2 The end result was that it burned okay and threw great with a CDN 20, but if I make that size again, I will use a CDN 22. The burn was not as clean as I would have liked - no "solid" hangup, but more "scum" than I like, if that makes any sense... Are you thinking of making some big containers like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Top, I have not read about this particular additive. Have you tested it? Have and tried several but never heard of this company. Is it better than others? TIASince they call it Soy-Lite I'm assuming it's Panalite from ADM. Unfortunately there's no way to tell who is selling what. There are a number of different but comparable food additives that can be sold as USA. I haven't made an effort to figure out if anybody is selling one that's better than the others. I've used this one and another that I think I got from JBN but never did a proper side-by-side comparison. I think they're similar, might even be the same.If I used this stuff on a regular basis I'd buy from SoyCandle because for some reason I just like knowing what I'm buying and being able to look up some info beyond what the supplier posts. It's not much but look here if you wanna read: http://www.admworld.com/mktcolpdf/PanaliteMonos.pdfYou know over on the BCN board I once referred to Baker Petrolite when I was saying something about Vybar and they actually edited my message to take out the manufacturer's name. As if someone who needs THAT MUCH Vybar wouldn't know where to go. This need that some people feel to obfuscate what additives they're selling or who makes them is lame.Attention suppliers: you are lame! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntoniasCreations Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 Yes, Antonia, I did finish testing that one, but I did not take a photo of the bitter end... I suspect the holidays got in the way... :rolleyes2 The end result was that it burned okay and threw great with a CDN 20, but if I make that size again, I will use a CDN 22. The burn was not as clean as I would have liked - no "solid" hangup, but more "scum" than I like, if that makes any sense... Are you thinking of making some big containers like that?Yeah I have about 24 jars that are 10 oz with a 4' diam. The wicks I bought are HTP 1212, this is what the website said would be good. So I will see if this works but if not maybe I will try the CDN 22. I really am really new at this how process and really dont know anything about the wicks except what I read on there website. I know I just need to do some testing Just wish I could find some place where I didnt have to buy a bag of 100 wicks, all the same kind, KWIM? And I really dont want to double wick it, the mouth of the jar is smaller than the rest and plus I just dont really like the whole double wicking look on a candle that is really not that big.Well thanks for letting me know how that candle went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Antonia, there are a couple of large wick companies who manufacture and distribute many types of wicks. It is my opinion that the descriptions and recommendations on their sites are much better than others...http://www.wickit.net/index.htmlhttp://www.wicksunlimited.com/candle_wicks.phpUnderstand that soy-based waxes are much more viscous than is paraffin, so it may pay to sample wicks that are manufactured for veggie wax use.Most suppliers have wick sample packages which contain 5 or 10 wicks of each size of the particular type of wick; Check in the General Candlemaking forum and click on the sticky titled "Helpful Links for Newbies"... from there, click on "Abbreviations/Supplier Links" to locate suppliers. There is also a link to "Suppliers By State". Scouring their sites for information will quickly show how some sites have GREAT info, others have nada and some are just plain full of the brown stuff (ie. marketing hype and internet "legends"). If you wish to try CDNs, JBN offers a sample pack that I found quite helpful. Other suppliers closer to you that carry CDNs may also offer good sample deals. Don't hesitate to email a company and ASK about wick samples if none is offered... many suppliers are happy to provide samples upon request. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.