TheClassicModern

On 10/4/2019 at 7:31 PM, CandleRush said:

I’ve used this wax and yes wick down for sure. A longer cure with this wax is helpful with certain f.o. I think 8% is good, Eco burns hotter in this wax.

Your batch sounds suspicious to me though. It is always smooth 100% of the time in my experience so I’m wondering if it’s your batch. I would email Northwoods and at least make them aware.

Recently, they announced they may have to discontinue the coconut wax due to manufacturing issues. It is out of stock often. Also they stated they would help customers transition to another wax. Red flag for me!

 

@CandleRush there was something definitely different about the batch I was having major issues with. I bought a new batch a couple of weeks ago, so I tested out both batches using my same blend. can we say a HUGE DIFFERENCE. The new batch came in solid, the old batch was extremely mushy like stiff mashed potatoes. Upon pouring the new batch cooled as soon as it was poured (which is normal based off of my previous purchases) the problematic batch took a really long time to cool and harden. The new batch had a smooth flawless finish like previous batches, the problematic batch had a not so smooth finish (kind of like soy wax). Now I know that I have to do a burn test for each batch I purchase. So from now on, I'm going to buy larger sizes instead of the 8.5lb size.

@TallTayl 8 oz tins (those are the only containers I've been working with) and those wicks work well for me. 

I did a test with plain wax using ECO 8, 10, 12, and 14.

8 tunneled;

10 burned through but left a little bit of hangup at the bottom of the tin;

12 burned great, I got a full melt pool on the 4th burn and throughout the entirety of the burn. I noticed a tall flame once I got into the 5th & 6th hour.

14 burned similar to the 12 but I got a full melt pool on the 2nd burn. 

When I added fragrance:

ECO 10 would not create a full melt pool and just tunnel out (if I used a fragrance with a flashpoint over 160)

ECO 12 burned just the way it did with the plain wax, but it struggled to create a full melt pool with high vanillin content and fragrances with a flashpoint higher than 200

ECO 14 worked like a 12 using high vanillin content fragrances like "Birthday Cake" from TFC.

I purchase the same wax and I really like it. I found that I have to add soy wax to the coconut wax to tame the flame. I yield the best results with ECO 12 wicks with my blend, the cottonwood wicks worked pretty well, but they slumped over as the wax burned down. ECO 14 work best for me when the fragrance oil has a high vanillin content.

On 10/4/2019 at 7:31 PM, CandleRush said:

I’ve used this wax and yes wick down for sure. A longer cure with this wax is helpful with certain f.o. I think 8% is good, Eco burns hotter in this wax.

Your batch sounds suspicious to me though. It is always smooth 100% of the time in my experience so I’m wondering if it’s your batch. I would email Northwoods and at least make them aware.

Recently, they announced they may have to discontinue the coconut wax due to manufacturing issues. It is out of stock often. Also they stated they would help customers transition to another wax. Red flag for me!

 

I do believe it was the batch because I've been purchasing wax from them since last fall and I've only run into this problem on the most recent batch I purchased.

I hope they don't discontinue this wax I do yield good results with it and changing to paraffin is not an option for me.

I just purchased another batch last week so I'm hoping it's the way it has normally been.

On 10/4/2019 at 2:28 PM, moonshine said:

It’s been awhile since I have read and kept up with what coconut is what....is northwoods coco supposed to be the easy beads coconut that candles and supplies sell?

regardless - my opinion with coconut (I have used 4 kinds) cannot handle an eco that large in a tin - that is way over wicked as TT stated

try going down to a 4 or a 6.....seriously that small and see what happens and go from there 

too large will make it throw like the dickens at first BUT the wax is so soft it melts way too fast causing way too deep of a melt pool and it just can’t consume correctly to balance burn and throw 

now what concerns me is you saying this new batch is nothing like the last one.....your using the same size wick and fragrance with this as well?

I haven’t bought new coco since they were all out of stock way back when, I had several cases stocked up so I’m a little worried I am going to see the same thing 🤦‍♀️

I wicked down to Eco 6 & 8. IMO ECO 6 struggled and eventually it tunneled, ECO 8 made a full melt pool on about the 3rd burn down. I think I had a combination of things going on with this. This particular batch of coconut wax was definitely different than previous batches. I think the biggest factor in my blend using the soy wax. I've been using soy 444 to blend with my coconut wax and I have noticed that 444 is a very inconsistent wax. Because of the results of my coconut and soy blend, I decided to make a batch of straight 444. The results were crazy, the wax was extremely grainy and was really soft to the touch (almost like really thick mashed potatoes). Even after letting it cure for 7 days, the 444 never truly hardened. That was the last straw for me with 444. 

I bought some soy wax from Northwood and I was pleased with how smooth it was once I poured it. I'm going to test it tomorrow and if all goes well I'll stick with Northwood's soy to blend with my coconut wax.

I'm using coconut wax from Northwood.

It cured for 1 week.

I burned it for 4 hours on the first burn.

No other additives (this time around).

This batch was a lot different from the last batch that I bought from them, their wax normally has a nice smooth finish, but this particular batch looked like it had a lot more soy than advertised, the top was not really smooth. The previous batch I also needed to add 15% soy to tame the flames and that worked like a charm. But this time around the using the same blend I couldn't even get a full melt pool on the 4th or 5th burn. So I tried not adding any soy and I'm not getting a hot throw on the second burn.

I don't know if it's me, the fragrance oil, or the wax. I'm using "White Currant" by CandleScience and I have great hot throw on the first burn I mean a powerful hot throw, but for some reason on the second burn, the scent throw drops down that I can barely smell it when I walk in the room. I doubt if I've become nose blind to the scent because me son gives it a 3 on a scale of 10. I'm using a 3" tin container, coconut wax, an 8% fragrance load, and an ECO 10 wick. I think wicking up may just be too large of a wick for coconut wax, and 10% may be too large of a fragrance load for an ECO 10. Should I decrease the fragrance load? Any suggestions?

On 8/12/2017 at 8:36 PM, TallTayl said:

Stearic acid tends to really harden the wax and raise the melt point.  I've been testing palm stearic in soy container candles for a year or so now. Too much tends to inhibit ht in my waxes. 

I agree. I used 1 tsp of stearic acid in 6 oz of coconut wax and I don't have a hot throw at all. I'm trying to find something to tame the tall flames that coconut wax tends to have. I can't rely on 444, because each batch is a hit or miss. I think I'll have to try maybe 1/2 tsp of stearic acid to 6 oz of coconut wax and see if that'll help. I also noticed that I have to wick up 2 sizes just using a teaspoon of stearic in 6 oz.

"Autumn Flannel" by The Flaming Candle is EXCELLENT. I had great hot throw and cold throw with that scent. It's the perfect fall scent that both men and women would enjoy.

A great starting point is woodenwick.com There's a guide to help you choose which wick works best your wax based off of diameter and height of your candle container. You can also purchase a sample pack with free shipping. Northstar3 and The Flaming Candle are 2 others that have wooden wicks. You can find them with several suppliers, but woodenwick in my opinion would be a great starting point.

@Jenni Wix what does SSGJ mean? I've been reading your post on different fragrances using 444 (I use that as well) great info!

Not the greatest pic but you can see how it twists down the length once it's burned.

I love everything about it! The label design is awesome, but what stands out to me the most is your "ABOUT" section, it's real, it's you, and people can relate, that's the best way to build your brand. Photography is great as well. As an Etsy seller myself, I would say change a tag or two to something like "Birthday Gift" or "Eco Friendly" and always reserve a flexible tag that can be changed with every season or holiday.  I wish you nothing but the best!

@Ravens I purchased the ribbon wick from Northwood and I love them. They produce a larger, hotter flame than the ECO that I've used. For me they didn't work great in coconut oil, because it burns too hot, and because coconut wax gets too soft during the burn it starts to sag a bit making the wick off center. Did I mention as the wick burns it actually twist down the length of the wick ( I hope that makes sense). I used it in soy wax using an 8 oz anchor jar that has a 3" diameter and it worked EXCELLENT!

On 4/8/2019 at 8:48 AM, CaptnKush said:

I tried out 10 and 25% of palm container with it and I don't like the look it gave it. Dried weird with little dots of texture in the wax and took the silky look away. I also read that this is different than 6570 and that 6570 was coco/veg and 6046 is coco/paraffin. Don't know if it is correct since I have never used 6570 but I did read that info on 2 different forums.

I tried 25% palm wax with my coconut wax and I got the same look you described and it didn't harden at all, it was actually softer than using the coconut wax alone.

@TallTayl @Jenni Wix @CandleRush do you think adding some palm wax will prevent me from having to wick down with my coconut wax since it's common to wick up with palm wax?

@Jenni Wix my 50/50 coconut/444 blend looked just like that after the first burn. I noticed that I got some discoloration with that blend as well, but I think it was because my wick was too big. I'm going to nix using that much soy and probably go with another ratio. For me, I think 50% of soy is too much and gives it the typical soy look because there is already soy in my coconut wax, so I'm going to try 90/10 coconut/soy and 85/15 coconut/soy.

@TallTayl I made another one using a trimmed down small ribbon wick. I'm ditching the tin and I'm using a 12 oz Libbey status jar, let's see what comes out of it. I didn't want to waste wax so I'm still testing the burn on the tin candle right now. Its the 5th burn and as I'm typing I just saw smoke coming from the flame, I guess that's a fail.

20 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Oh honey.  I feel for you. 

 

The gap sounds like a typical massive sinkhole/cavity/crater.  The one you describe sounds like a cooling issue. I have to pour coconut/soy blends pretty cool to minimize those. This is so common with 444 and 444 blends. You usually need to poke and fill this wax. 

 

Cottonwood and those ribbons are too much for coconut all alone too.  I tried, but they keep picking up steam as they burn. I could not make and sell a candle that needs trimming during a burn so they’re all in a box in the wick graveyard now.

 

 

I feel you, I don't sell candles, but I don't feel comfortable giving them as a gift knowing that the wicking is an issue. Last night I made one using just the coconut wax alone. I used.  an 8 oz tin, small ribbon wick, and a 10% FO load. I think the first burn was successful, I had a complete MP at around 2.5 hours and it was 1/4" deep by the 4th hour. I didn't have a tall dancing flame either. I'm going to do a second test today and will update with the results. ***FINGERS CROSSED***

 

 

 

 

2

20 hours ago, CandleRush said:

Hi!

i started out with Northwoods coconut wax and loved it right off the bat! But it probably wasn’t the best choice for a beginner from what I’ve read here. The issues can be with wicking this wax. I’ve tried the cottonwood wicks and loved them but did not continue testing them because I was drawn to the wooden wicks which in the end I did not care for so started testing eco and premier wicks.I love both so far.

I also blend 464 and coconut wax, 50/50 and love this blend. 

 

You mentioned about a huge gap between the top and bottom of the wax, can you describe this more or send a picture? 

Also, a few here also blend their waxes so I’m sure you’ll get some responses and ideas.🌸

I wish I would have taken a picture of that particular candle I made. The only way I can describe it is that there was just a big air pocket in the center once the wax hardened. 

I also noticed that if I pour lower than 150 using straight coconut wax I have wet spots. 

Recently I switched over from soy 444 to Northwood's Coconut Wax, I just wasn't haven't too much success with soy wax. I do really love using this coconut wax, I don't have to wait for a cool down period before I pour it and the tops are BEAUTIFUL, I'm just having the darndest time wicking this wax.

Right now I'm using their small ribbon wick for an 8 oz mason jar with a diameter of 2.75". The first 2 hrs of the burn are great but once I get into the 3rd hour, the flame gets taller, flickers and sometimes will smoke a little bit. After trimming the wick at the 3rd hour the flame goes back to what it looked like in the first 2 hrs of the burn. I'm using the smallest ribbon wick that they have. I've used their cottonwood wicks for a larger container and had the same issue, at the 3rd hour the flame takes on a life of its own.

I tried doing a 50/50 blend of 444 with the coconut wax thinking that it will solve the issue with the flame, BIG MISTAKE. There was such a huge gap between the top and bottom of the wax, just this big empty space, never seen anything like it. I think I shouldn't give up too easily with blending the 2 waxes, but definitely at a different ratio maybe 80/20 or 90/10 (with the coconut wax being the larger amount. Any suggestions???  FYI, I'm still in the beginning stages of candle making.

11 hours ago, Faerywren said:

Welcome!

Candle making definitely has a learning curve. But as long as you’re  willing to do the work, it can be rewarding. Tons of info here to help you.

Thank you @Faerywren I've been reading from this site since last September. I finally decided to get serious about candle making and become a member.

Hi all! I'm new here and hoping to learn so much. I make candles and wax melt. I'm no pro, still in the baby stage of this craft and expecting to get better over time.