Vee

Yes I am... twice thru the cooling process

I use high quality aluminium molds with paraffin wax blend... Recently more than a couple of times my candles have come out warped from the mold, in a rectangular mold the centres have got depressed causing a dip on all four sides and in the cylinder it has bent on one side and the other side is straight.I am foxed ! I make candles in the same mold everyday and sometimes this happens...could it be the cooling but if I have set 2 candles in a similar mold one will warp and the other will not. Could it be that the wick got pulled too tight in the one! These kind of challenges crop up everyday and mostly it's so difficult to find answers as they seem like issues that only I am having ....there are so many different and opposing views on temperatures to mix the fragrance and to pour. Guys can someone throw some light on the warping and also point me in the direction to look for answers as sometimes it gets quite frustrating to remake candles and lose all that very expensive fragrance thank you so very much in advance...

its meco gel wax that I get here in India. actually its the top surface layer that was on fire..it did not even get to the embeds. and yes they are hard shells. The embeds are way at the bottom. I relit the candle today and it was fine.In fact i lit it for a long time like 3/4 hours and kept a close eye on it. There was not even a full melt pool at the end of 4 hours as gel burns so slow. I am wondering if some dust particles or some other thing on the surface caused this to happen...

Thanks! the embeds were shells and a small artificial plant. No spices and no fragrance...I lit the same candle today again to check and it has lit perfectly and has been going for the last 3 hours with no issues.It seems it was a surface thing tho there was nothing on the surface and it happened as soon as it was lit so no melt pool had formed either.

This happened to one of my gel candles...I am completely foxed... how can the surface of a candle catch fire. It was quite scary. Any ideas on why this could happen so that I don’t make the same mistake again. It is gel wax with no fragrance...I used a zinc core wick and there are a few sand and other embeds in it. Can the surface of a candle catch fire at all? I tried to light some wax to just check but it did not burn. Anyone with similar experience out there? Thanks guys for all your responses in advance

Yes some FO’s are a pale yellow... but how do I fix the problem? There are companies that make white candles with FO... do they use something to cut the yellowness of wax?i read somewhere that one can use titanium dioxide... not sure of that and what quantity to use. It may affect the burn of the candle too...

Guys Whenever I make white candles (Paraffin wax) and i add any fragrance oil to it I have noticed they turn yellowish after some time. In fact sometimes as soon as they dry.Even tho i add white color and UV inhibitor they still turn yellowish And if I make them without FO they don't turn yellow tho they don't stay pure white either Any ideas on how to make white candles with FO that will stay white...am sure there is some trick/product out there as i have seen white paraffin candles with FO Thanks in advance to all the guys who make the effort to help newbies like myself

Thank you so much for th detailed response...will definitely keep all this in mind. I use metal moulds mostly and silicone for specific shapes

Hey Scented sorry I did not understand ... running something around the edges and base? Like apply something or run the heat gun ? I am making pillars...so do I apply on the mold? Please pardon my ignorance... thanks

what proportion do you blend soy with beeswax? I have to make my own blends here as in India we don't get blended waxes...I do a paraffin micro and stearin blend when making black candles.I am told that if I add a bit of beeswax like 2% i will get a good shine.I tried that too but it did not make much of a difference>

Thanks guys.I am trying to get liquid black dyes.Any recommendations...is the candlescience one good?

Hey Guys I don't know if anyone else has difficulty in making black candles...the challenge I seem to face is that firstly I use powder dye. It needs a lot of color and a lot of stirring ...even then I don't feel it has mixed very well.In fact if I am aiming for grey and use less color after a while I get little black dots all over the candle Then I get spots on the top of the candle which seem like spots of water so I am assuming that the fragrance has not mixed very well. I am using paraffin wax, vanilla fragrance FO load at about 6% pouring at a temp of around 180C and I mix in the fragrance for 2 minutes. What am I missing here? What is the secret to getting smooth shiny spotless candles! And there always seem tiny tiny bubbles/ spots whenever I make plain one color candles, and in black it appears even more prominent ! I have tried lowering the pouring temp...pouring slowly.It does not seem to help I also have another BIG CHALLENGE...whenever I add any FO to a white candle it turns yellow in some time...some FO will turn them creamish and some will turn them properly yellowish...I have tried using UV protector,it does not change things too much... There is a wealth of information out there I am sure, please please help you guys. Is there a course or a website that one can refer to ? Thank you so much, to every one in this forum who takes the time and effort to read and reply ,Thank you

What temp do you add the FO ? as i have been struggling with vanilla and coffee too.If I add at 90 C it smokes, if I add at a lower temp it does not mix well and causes a huge leaching of oil at the bottom of the mould. In fact I thought maybe I should change the FO supplier and that its my FO is not binding well with the wax...recently i made a batch of black color candles with paraffin wax and poured vanilla at 85 C ...two candles turned out fine and the third one had a whole lot of liquid at the bottom when i demolded the candle....Which I am guessing was unblended vanilla FO. Days like this make my confidence take such a beating that I feel that I cannot do it this etc etc...

Thanks so much you guys... I totally agree Talltayl always has the most sound advice and always makes the effort to reply.. Thanks Talltayl

Hey guys can anyone please guide me... I am confused. Some people say just stir in the fragrance a bit as it will evaporate if you over mix ! Some guys swear by the two minute mixing rule as they say the FO will not bind to the wax if not mixed well... People over the Internet have such opposing views and I have yet to find a very academic and informative web site with reliable and tested info ...even after I have done an expensive course in candle making I feel challenged everyday and keep second guessing myself! Fragrances really test you ! Thank you guys in advance...

Thank you... you guys are great . When you say over dip it in a glaze I am sorry I did not get that... do you mean dip in wax again...

Thanks guys...I dont think it is a container..and as a pillar the flame goes inward and creates like a shell and the flowers look beautiful through the flame. I do make ones with lime and orange etc.and they turn out nice...picture below I have tried it as a hurricane shell too but what I struggle with is that... in the pillar mould the flowers move inwards the moment I pour the wax and if I use the heat gun to try and expose the flowers the shape of the candle gets warped and it does not have a smooth and shiny image. Are these real dried flowers or paper flowers ?

Can anyone please tell me how to make botanical candles... what kind of flowers...I made some and the moment I pour the wax over the flowers they move away from the front and thereby look like they are in the background.. no sharpness at all... is there something I can add to make the wax a little transparent so that the flowers are more visible... love the look of those candles but unable to achieve it myself 😔 Attaching a picture of what kind I mean... Thanks guys in advance .

My son is an amateur photographer.. he has taken the pics

Pillar candles

Hey guys how does one seal the fragrance inside the candle... once it is ready. Is it necessary to wrap it in shrink plastic or in cling wrap. I have been struggling to find info on this online. Cling film looks tacky at the folds...cello phane paper is so labor intensive... please do share what you guys do and suggestions are more than welcome... thanks

That’s a great idea... how do I heat the candle tho... dip in hot water?

I am planning to come to the States this summer ...could do some workshops there....any recommendations of good youtube channels or blogs...