TxSioux

Funny how we all have different preferences. I think the wick centering tools look like a pita ... go figure. The skewers may be going in random directions, but all the wicks look centered to me. Hey, aren't these the 7.5oz cubes that gives everyone wicking fits!?! Susan.

I just did a search & can't find anyone saying not to use LouAnn co, so maybe it's buried in a thread somewhere. I used a LOT of this co in soy candles & never had an issue. I don't make soap, but see where it's suggested in other threads. I would use what you bought. Susan.

I just noticed they pierced the wick! That's pretty cool, actually. I originally thought they were wrapping the wick around the skewer & thought that would sure be a pita, cause the skewers are really thin & lightweight. I think I'm going to have to dig those little boogers out again! Susan.

It is a small cooking/grilling skewer. I have a pack of them w/ my candle stuff, but don't remember what great idea I had when I got them! LOL I *think* I found them at Dollar Tree, but it was a long time ago. Susan.

Absolutely don't buy the body coconut oil! Like Dana said - go to the bakery aisle. Here, it's always on the very top shelf at the end of the aisle -- I glanced at it the other day & WM has either changed brands, or LouAnn has changed their label. It's in a tall container w/ a screw top. Susan.

I find the dissected candles very interesting! Do you think the voids are at the bottom cause that's where the heat is held longest & the outer/upper wax that has cooled/hardened is pushing the trapped air to that area? I hope that made sense. I'm still just trying to get the dynamics of this wax worked out in my mind. Are you going to do any poking around, or are you thinking the proper wicking can handle these voids? Susan.

According to The National Candle Association: http://www.candles.org/about_faq.html A well-made candle will create virtually no smoke when burning properly. However, if the wick becomes too long, or an air current disturbs the flame's teardrop shape, small amounts of unburned carbon particles (soot) will escape from the flame as a visible wisp of smoke. Any candle will soot if the flame is disturbed. To avoid this, always trim the wick to ¼ inch before every use and be sure to place candles away from drafts, vents or air currents. If a candle continually flickers or smokes, it is not burning properly and should be extinguished. Allow the candle to cool, trim the wick, make sure the area is draft free, then re-light. The oils found in certain fragrances may slightly increase the small amount of soot produced by a candle, but wick length and flame disturbance are the primary factors that impact sooting in a properly-formulated candle. They address the topic again in the wick section (under elements of a candle): The purpose of a wick is to deliver fuel (wax) to the flame. Acting like a fuel pump, the wick draws the liquefied wax up into the flame to burn. Different wick sizes allow for different amounts of fuel to be drawn into the flame. Too much fuel and the flame will flare and soot; too little fuel and the flame will sputter out. If you go solely on this information, it sounds like you may need to keep testing different wicks & sizes. I don't know the answer, but maybe you can find something more helpful if you dig around their site. HTH - Susan.

I wanted to do 4 hr burns, but lost track of time - so it's a 4 hr + a 5 hr burn. I will have a total time for the whole candle & then I'll test a power burn - once I get that container wicked right. I'll try to post you some pics tonight & this time I'll make them thumbnails, so you can click them & see better. Susan.

You two are going to scare the kids! I know we all read our own perceived tone into any given post, but I really am LOL right now!! I hope neither of you gets so agitated w/ the other that you shut down, cause I really respect both opinions & actually find a wealth of information in the process of arguing semantics. I'd like to think that no one here is hanging their hat on anything suggested in any post. There are too many variables & everything should be viewed as a guideline for your own testing. But hey, how about that palm wax!?! FWIW - I've hit 9 hrs of burn & the wicks seem to be calming down. The cube is starting to work its way out to the corners, but I'm going to be shocked if I nailed this one right out of the box. I was never able to single wick this container in soy, but I'd feel like a rock-star if this wick catches up. The container does narrow a bit at the base, so it's fun to anticipate. BTW, I did take a little snip off the wicks. I probably should have let it go, cause most people don't follow our instruction & trim. Susan. (I'll skip the group hug & take a drink)

I love the mottled appearance, but have never been impressed w/ a burning Yankee Candle. I've never seen one of their candles that burned correctly & wasn't coated in deep black soot. Who knows, maybe I just run across a bunch of nimrods that really know how to screw up a candle! LOL Just goes to show what the general public is willing to accept if marketed well. Susan.

That's what you're getting when you buy a para soy blend. The 1st one I used was 70 soy - 30 paraffin. By the time I finished I was at 30 soy - 70 paraffin. That's when I knew I had really gotten tired of working w/ soy. LOL Susan.

Top - what you're saying about cooling is following my thoughts & supports the results I had. The votives cooled faster than the cube & crystallized, but the cube held heat too long & washed out on the pattern. I didn't warm my containers & the only reason I went for the oven -- I was too lazy to dig out a rack & got nervous about setting them on a surface that *might* pull heat. I'm certainly willing to take any theory & give it a go!! With soy, I found a LOT of things people said did not work for me & I often offered opinions that went against the 'rules'! Thanks for the input, I like coloring outside the lines, but appreciate hearing what works for others to use as a guide. What about these CSN's ... should I let them be, or give them a little snip? All 3 have a curved top, but are right at 1/2" long. The flames were higher than I'm used to, but I've been leaving everything alone. Candybee - I didn't even think about the thick glass bottom on the cube. I poured at 190, but maybe the thick bottom is what held the heat too long & prevented the pattern on the bottom of that one. I'm going to set it out next time to see how it changes things. I certainly don't have to battle the temp being too cool here! LOL Soy - I used a 16. Do you think that's a decent start? I read where everyone thought the CS chart was usually a size too big, but I wanted to see if I could get the corners. Thoughts? I can see a logic to palm setting a bit harder w/ time, but I question if the extra time affects a burn test. I always let soy cure for scent, but didn't see where time changed the burn properties of the wax. Stella & I share a lot of the same weather/temp/humidity, so I respect her opinion on quality conditions. I always found the Tx weather to have a strong bearing on my results w/ soy. Thanks to all -- I REALLY appreciate the opinions! Susan.

When I said palm is less forgiving than soy, I meant the pouring process. In all fairness, I'm sure I feel that way cause I did soy for 7 yrs & have that down pat. I don't need to use a thermometer w/ soy & can let it sit on a low temp & wander off, whereas palm ... I had to dust off the thermometer & no play around time w/ these high temps. I hate not having the groove! I understand the even cooling temp, but expected all 3 candles to either flop or succeed together. Both votives cooled evenly, but not the cube, which was on the rack between them. The oven had been pre-heated on lowest setting - 150 - & oven light left on. Could the results be the difference in sizes? If so, I would expect the votives (being smaller) to cool more quickly & throw off the crystallization. And the larger cube would hold heat & crystallize evenly. Obviously I'm wrong! LOL Dang, I hate that I should have waited to burn. Does this totally screw up my test burns? I mean, can I let the candles set up a couple more days & pick back up ... or has the 1st burn destroyed an accurate assessment? I just ended a 5 hr burn. The flowerpot had a really pretty shell, showing off the pattern. The cube was very close to showing a pattern on the flat sides of the container, but still heavy hangup on the corners. The loose votive blew out the top & filled the container. Burning fine, but no longer pretty through the glass. I totally dig the palm, it's just so showy & the ct/ht is way better than soy. It's like scent in soy is kinda buried, but in palm it seems real prominent. Kinda like the difference between having poor eyesight & then putting on glasses ... only with scent!! ROFL It just seems really clean, like palm really works w/ the fo to carry it better. Susan.

Here's a photo of the trio I poured last night: Sorry I'm not a better photographer - it's hell trying to get a shot w/o a reflection off the glass. Other than that ... here's what I learned: Palm is less forgiving than soy. Since the temps are so much higher than soy, you don't have a lot of time to screw around, so you better be ready to roll. It's a small window between heating wax, adding fo, & pouring. Also, I now understand what Stella meant when she said palm is either liquid or solid, there's no soft stage in between. This wax creates a fast, hard film as soon as it leaves the pot. This also taught me that I didn't clean my containers very well! I could see the problem as soon as I was pouring & it's very evident in the cube. The flowerpot container came closest to a good pattern. The Libbey cube is a red hot mess, but I'm not entirely sure what went wrong. The crystal pattern started forming from the top & then just stopped. Shouldn't it form from the bottom up? That's what the flowerpot did. The loose votive was done in a Dixie Cup. It's ok, but (again, like Stella said) it probably didn't work too well being in a paper 'mold' -- it has a definite pattern, but not a true, showy GG pattern. I'm going to give silicone a try next. All of the tops have a jump line & I knew they would. I poked & stirred the cooling wax twice, to release any air pockets. I was more interested in pouring the small amount of remaining wax than I was about topping off properly. So, I really learned a LOT & have a great base for my next battle! LOL Can anyone tell me where I went wrong w/ the cube? It's the 10-11oz size. All 3 were cooled side-by-side on a metal rack in the oven. BTW, I started burning all 3 tonight & am fairly certain I have all 3 overwicked ... but I'm going to keep going to see what happens. I'm using CSN's, which are very new for me - I've always used zinc's. Aren't these self-trimming? I have 2 that are very long & showing no sign of curling. Should I trim them or let them be? Thanks for any help -- Susan. (who is feeling like a newbie!!)

Hmmm ... you probably don't want to know where they get their supplies from!! LOL Wonder if they're making them, or re-selling? I've seen 2oz votives at a salvage sale (freight company) for .25, so they might have a source like that. It sucks when people undersell the market, but you usually get what you pay for. Susan.

Those look really good! The pattern is nice & even - how did you cool them & are you getting any voids/air pockets? Also, how would you compare the ht compared to soy? We have a crappy, rainy day forcasted for Fri, so it's a perfect day to pour! Susan.

You're going to scare the girl, Top. Give her your thoughts on palm wax. Susan.

Hate to be a downer, but the production of soy wax does almost nothing to help the American farmer ... the majority of our soy wax actually contributes the destruction of the Rain Forest ... but in all fairness, so does palm wax. Sorry, but I poured soy for 7 yrs & really can't stand all the rah-rah marketing bs & inflated claims that goes with it. I just opened my box of palm wax & hope to start testing tomorrow, so I can't offer a comparison, but I've been researching palm for a year & am really excited to give it a go. I just got tired of battling soy & never got the ht I wanted. I'll keep you posted w/ a 'newbies' opinion. Susan.

Wow -- every fo is food/bakery! Susan.

I wouldn't, but tealights come in plastic containers. Susan.

I've always used Outdoor Mod Podge to seal bucket seams & terra cotta containers. I've never had a leak & even w/ a huge wick the glue doesn't come loose or pose any risk of fire. There are lots of posts here that you may want to search. HTH - Susan.

ROFL -- thank you for pointing that out! I really couldn't believe anyone would be burning a candle that close to the ceiling, but I know someone who caught a bookcase on fire, so I'm an idiot for not reading correctly! And now I can't stop giggling from the weird visual of a random candle next to the ceiling ... Susan.

I didn't pour a single candle last yr & was very happy to take the break ... but it has a way of working back into your interests. I'm currently testing new wax/wicks/fo's & happy to be back. Enjoy your new endeavour, we'll save your seat. Susan.

Have you tried burning the same candle in another location? I totally respect Tops opinion & skill, but 2-3" from the ceiling is a rather unique location. You're creating a condition that encloses the candle as it burns down & limits the air flow to properly provide a balanced source of fuel. I'd guess that this is a normal result, given the contained environment. Is there an air vent close to the candle? If so, you might be creating a reverse situation where the vent is providing too much air in the enclosed area & causing the flame to burn high. These are just my initial thoughts ... Susan.

There are several others, but almost none that allow free speech. Most others are supplier sponsored sites & you can only post about their products. In 7 yrs I've never seen another forum that allows you to discuss any product & also has such active membership. Enjoy ... you're at the end of the rainbow! Susan.