Mei-Mei

Guess I would speculate the honeycomb is some kind of natural effect when certain materials cool and the polymer additives accentuate it. Very pronounced it becomes brain.

I guess the bottom line is, yes, it's characteristic of certain wax formulations. It might vary with conditions and procedures and the batch of wax you get. It even happens with pillar blends, but doesn't matter because it's the bottom of the candle. It doesn't happen with molded surfaces.

You could try varying the pouring temp, but if you have a lot of problems there are plenty of waxes good for votives that don't do that.

Thanks for all your help! I think you're right. It must be a characteristic of this particular wax because even varying the pouring temperature I sometimes get the brain honeycomb on the votives. Oddly enough, the two pillars I poured with this wax came out smooth as silk on the bottom. Fortunately this was just a test wax to see if I liked it. I guess I don't.

I've got a little wax left, so I'm going to pour some more pillars just to see if I can get the same beautiful finish. It's odd that it does it on the votives and not the pillars. Hmmmm......

Thank you so much Top!:smiley2:

So you think it's the wax itself that is causing the 'brain honeycomb?' I wonder if it has to do with the brand or that particular shipment? I know that at its worse it's extremely ugly and hard to get rid of even with a heat gun.

Thanks for the picture retouch too; makes it so much easier to see! I guess I would call that the honeycomb effect in my pic, but some of the other candles from the same batch came out with a 'brain' (deep, puckered ripples). So maybe they are related in some way?????

It's really, really hard to see in the picture, but if you look to the left of the shadow of the wick you can barely see a dark circle which is the center of one of the honeycomb cells. Unfortunately since the wax is colored so light I can't get a decent picture.

Usually too much vybar, but sometimes I see it when things cool too fast. Did you add something to the wax?

Thanks for the answers. I didn't add anything to the wax (using JS 50/50 pillar and votive). I guess it's more of the honeycomb effect Top spoke of than the brain effect. It's really odd. I guess I can use a heat gun to get rid of it, but I don't know why it's happening.

I looked it up because I had never heard of Nars before. A very fancy cosmetics company with only three candle scents. Their website says that each candle is composed of paraffin free wax enhanced with essential oils. Hmmmm....

Does the candle smell really good? It's awfully expensive; I for one would hate to burn it.

Edited to add--every time I got comfort blend on my hands I was tempted to rub it in like lotion. It's so gooey that it's easy to forget it's wax!

What causes that 'brainy' effect on the candle top that one sometimes sees with container waxes?

I'm sure it's a simple answer. Thanks in advance.:smiley2:

Candlescience is fabulous and one of my favorite suppliers. The shipping is fast and the customer service is excellent. I can't rave enough about them; I spend a ridiculous amount of money there. Matter of fact I just placed another order today.

Oh, and the MacIntosh Apple is to die for.

My fiance is a welder and is always promising to make some molds for me (though he never seems to get around to it...grrr). If you PM me your specifications I'll ask him if he can do it.

The throw could be affected by the wick type but also the size. Maybe you could try bigger or smaller. For instance, too big and your FO gets sucked up by the flame too fast. Hopefully you got a sample pack of TL to play with.

Thanks for the tip! I did get a sample pack of the TL and I'll try a different one. I hate to go back to the zinc core.

The FOs vary so much in their performance. If you change wick and FO at the same time you'll have a hard time figuring out which one might be the issue.

I've used this FO before in Harmony with zinc wicks. Only the wick has changed. The disappointing thing is I changed wicks because I was sure it would enhance the performance of the candle, and instead it has done the opposite. As I said, the zinc core was better in terms of hot throw, but even it wasn't fantastic. I could scent a small room, but never a two story house with one tealight.

Well, I was doing very well with zinc core wicks and hot throw, but I don't like the mushrooming and all, so I switched over to TL 13 and I'm not sure they are performing as well. Oh, and on this recent batch I used 6% Peak's Cantaloupe FO and Harmony Blend. As I said before I'm getting lovely cold throw and poor hot throw.

I actually think that the wick is my problem, not the wax. Sigh, more testing.:rolleyes2

I get tons of hot throw from my tealights. I live in a 2 story house and can light one tealight upstairs and can smell it all through the house. Also, I've never had a customer have a problem w/ the hot throw.

If you please, what wax are you using? I've tried Comfort and Harmony Blend and neither are giving the throw I'd like.

Does anyone get much hot throw from tealights or one oz tins? Or are they more useful as cold throw samples? I ask because now that I've started making candles my family frequently asks for samples (trying to be supportive:smiley2: ). I'd like to send out these little one oz tins I have; they're so cute. And they smell wonderful when cold. But when lit they don't throw too well. I guess it's to be expected; they are very small. But it's a little disappointing.

You know it's bad when you start having trouble finding things that are laying out in plain sight.

You mean like yesterday when I couldn't find the FO that was in my hand???

Wouldn't KNOWING where all of your utensils and such are really take a lot of the fun and excitement and adventure out of candlemaking...

Mei-Mei don't you think you are making this whole "pouring candles" thing a little too easy.

Well I just found one of my thermometers in the kitchen cabinet and my votive molds in my bedroom, so I'm not quite too 'organized' yet!!!

Just teasing. I'm pretty organized but it's seriously slipping as stuff accumulates.

I can see where in a very short time these shelves just won't be enough. I've already found some things that won't fit. Sigh. Why couldn't I found a compact hobby?

That's all ya got?

Well, I did just start candlemaking. I'm sorry if I can't compete with y'all experienced candlemakers.

I spent today organizing my candle supplies and I'm so proud of myself that I had to show off a bit. I got these organizers from QVC and though they are a little poorly made they do the trick.

When burning a pillar the MP should extend within how far from the edge? Is there a standard?

I hope that question makes sense.:smiley2:

Darn it Brenda, cut it out! Now I have to order more soaps...grumble, grumble.

Your soaps are beautiful as usual. I know they smell as good as they look; I was using the last of the Ylang Ylang Shea yesterday!

I actually like it a lot. I know you didn't want the wax to cover the embeds, but I kind of like that look.

Hi, I need some help.

I'm trying to re-create a store bought candle that I very much like the look of. It's a rustic pillar, with yellow and orange layers that are blended. I know how to do layers, and how to do rustic, but I'm not sure how to do rustic, with blended layers. Can someone guide me? Thanks in advance!

Ooooh, I can't wait to get mine. Glad to hear the results were so luscious.

Are there any FO's that you dislike OOB or in candles that your friends/customers absolutely adore? I don't have customers (yet :smiley2: ) but I poured a Lemon Sugar container and my friend loved it so much I gave it to her. I didn't care for it at all.