birdcharm

"To extinguish a candle, cover it with some kind of lid, but do not blow it out ..." I agree with the last part of this, but to cover with "some kind of lid" is completely inappropriate, imo. Snuffing or dipping the wick is best, but placing a lid over it isn't the best way to put out a candle.

I wonder if you can call it "Pinkish Sugar" ... and for the other example in this thread "Cleanish Cotton" ... sort of joking. 😉

If it is a reaction between the dye and the fragrance, would it be something that may be evident if a little bit of each was placed in a vial together (just wondering). Also curious if there is any vanillin in the fragrance oil and if so, if that could be a culprit ...?

You mean when the leftover pieces of wax fall over? If you burn some close together, it seems if one starts to fall apart and topple onto another, it could be dangerous.

Keeping it light is definitely important ... good idea about the strainer. I was trying to rig something with some foil, to diffuse, but it didn't work, lol.

Actually, I use the piece of fabric as a bit of insulation to keep the surface from getting too cold too fast -- my workspace can be a bit chilly, and although I cleared a shelf in an inner cabinet for pouring in the winter (+ warm the space up with a blow dryer), I also got in the habit of doing this thing with the piece of fabric. I've found that it can also help to lightly use a heat gun prior to doing a very thin top layer. With all of this combined (thin layer, not too hot), warm little area, it's helped my candles. I only pour a few at a time, if that, but I've tried doing single pour and still got a circular crack -- I will try again when I have more time at a lower temp than simply cloudy, but go for slushy as TallTayl has suggested with a rapid cool down. For my last project, I couldn't risk trying for a single pour, so went this method for now.

For your second pour ... I normally retain a little wax in the melting pot. Then I only warm it slightly past being melted, allow it to cool a bit before pouring a very thin layer. I think you're getting cracks due to the top pour being too hot. If I have to use a heat gun for some minor reason, I hold it a bit far away and only point to where it's needed at first, then lightly go over to smooth it out and I lightly cover with a little piece of fabric. Insulating your containers might help with the wet spots.

Those are good ideas ... my temperature probably wasn't hot enough, if you pour pretty hot, there will be fewer bubbles. I've still only poured a few since I posted this thread since I've been using other waxes. Thinning down the high density seems to be working a bit better in my recent attempts, I prefer a lighter density, much easier to work with, imo. I used to make a lot of gel candles, but the price of gel is much higher than what I was paying at the time!

I see that on the California Candle Supply website, they state that there is no paraffin in this wax, but there is a small percentage of "petroleum byproducts" -- they've neglected to change the tab that shows on browsers, however, it still says "all natural".

A couple of examples from my own experiences ... when I first started to learn candle making (as a teenager), it was due to a kit I received as a gift. There was no thermometer with the kit, so the instructions didn't go into temperature too much, although it probably mentioned it, but I don't think my mom was going to give me her candy thermometer. So, I just melted and molded and fooled with the wax. I had to put that hobby down for years until I picked it up again decades later. I became more aware of temperature with making gel candles, if the gel is not hot enough, you'll get too many bubbles. Then, with soy wax and frosting issues. And, finally, after all that time, I realized why my first candles (paraffin) never came out shiny ... the wax was not hot enough. So, there you go. It's not essential if you don't mind pitfalls, otherwise, I guess you could safely say that it is. 😉

I'm going to take a guess at a wick size to try for your jar, others may have another opinion, but it's a CD18 -- however, this is for straight C-3 -- so, with your additive, it may be a CD16. With your softening additive, what % of fragrance oil are you using? I think the recommendation of a CD22 is too big, plus, your wax has your additive, so that's going to change things considerably in terms of going by a wick guide. I happen to like C3 just as it is without any additives, but everyone has their own preference. Depending on the type of container, that diameter seems to do well in the range of 16 or 18, for me anyway. You will need to allow the wax to cure for at least about a week before testing, some will say more than that, but I think that's close to the minimum amount of time.

I've seen so many examples of candles that have an assortment of issues and many of these issues arise because inadequate attention was given to the temperature of the wax ... from melting to pouring. So yes, if you want things to turn out right, with many types of candles, a thermometer is an essential piece of equipment and it's a very good practice to get a reading on the temperature of the wax.

You would need to use a pillar wax for these, so they should hold their shape for a bit until the candle starts to fully burn down. They would need to be placed on a non-flammable dish or tray. Some of these old threads that are revisited are kind of interesting!

Where did you purchase your fragrance oil?

Are you using any type of additive at 8%? I'm under the impression that 6% is the maximum, but 8% is okay along with some sort of additives.

I've never made tarts/wax melts, but I keep reading good things about "Pillar of Bliss" wax, you might wish to research through the threads about the favorite waxes that are being used for those. As for the large tealight cups, I'm not familiar with those either. Good luck in getting back into things!

My feeling is that 210dF is way too hot for your wax ... did you have any discoloration as well? I think you're only supposed to maximum heat that wax to 185dF.

I don't have any experience (yet anyway) with coconut wax ... but you need a wick that will perform with the combination.

I read something I haven't seen mentioned before, so I'm wondering if any one could offer any additional information about it. I've made whipped paraffin wax in the past, but I haven't made it with any other waxes. I've seen it mentioned to add cornstarch to paraffin, but I've never tried that and I'm wondering what that does or if affects the burn -- but what I'm perplexed about is I've read something about beeswax and turpentine ... what is this mixture?

Wouldn't that end up to be a bit messy for wax melts? It doesn't seem that most people would enjoy handling the gel after it's melted along with a soft wax, as it seems as though it would tend to get a bit gooey from the combination -- okay in a candle, but you don't have to touch it at all. Just a thought.

P.S. If you'd like to see the reviews, please send me a pm and I'll send the link.

Okay! It looks as though it's fixed now (kept getting a "corruption" error of some sort and couldn't post). I wanted to say that I very recently read a couple of reviews about the supplier mentioned here, and they weren't exactly good ones. Also, they said that the company appears to be located in the U.S., but the package came from another country and one of the reviewers returned what they purchased, but never heard anything from the company.

Testing ... last night I tried to reply here, but something was wrong with the board.

If it cools down a little, it seems that is fine, I'm mostly speaking of permitting it to really cool down, like somewhere below the 150dF range, as I feel that once it gets too cool, it will not have a chance to incorporate fully into the wax.

I've read many comments where the poster said they didn't add their scent until wax was well into cool down and they're wondering why they don't have any scent throw or why there are pockets of oil adorning the surface of their candle. With that, why spend the time to test the wrong way of doing something? Just do it the way most people who already have experience do it, and be on your way!