THicks

I am still working with the Harmony wax but continue to have issues. I was testing 2.5" jelly jar with 6% Baby Powder FO from Flaming Candle using an HTP 52 wick and getting good HT in the master bedroom and master bath. Half way down the jar the wick started burning with a small flame and lost the HT. I went up to an HTP 62 but didn't get the good strong HT back. I have had several that will have HT and then at some point in the burn it will lose it and a wick change doesn't bring it back. Any ideas

I am using Harmony 4630 in a 2.5 inch wide jar with 6% FO. I am testing Fruit Loops FO that has a density of .90 - .91. I have been told that the heavier the FO it will need a bigger wick. If I understand the density correctly the Fruit Loops I have would be considered a light FO. In choosing a wick for this wax/jar combination would I need to look at cooler burning wick like zinc or does a light FO use a smaller wick in the same series as a heavier FO? Also is there a break down in the density range numbers that put the FO's into groups of light, medium and heavy making wick choices maybe a little easier?

It wasn't really strong when I poured the candle and the candle was burned off an on over a few weeks. I'm not using 6006, this is Harmony 4630. This is the only FO/wick combination that has given me HT in the 3.5 years I've been doing this with a variety of different waxes. I've only purchased one bottle of the Lilac FO so I don't have any previous bottles to compare to but on the Flaming Candle Website the comments from people dating around the time I purchased mine were giving it great reviews for how strong the HT was. I have maybe 2 oz left of an 8 oz bottle - not a lot of testing left for this FO.

The eco .5 had no HT, it was as if it had no FO in the candle. My next sizes are the 1 and 2. I have burned the 3" jar and need to repour another one for testing and was wondering if less FO would make the Lilac open up to a more true Lilac instead of just a floral scent. In the past I have always upped the FO but have never tried decreasing and was looking for input from those that had decreased their FO to see if decreasing would help or if I need to change the wick to maybe paper core. The real question is would decreasing the FO make the FO open up more or do I need a hotter wick? The floral scent was strong it just didn't smell like Lilac - just a general flower smell.

The smallest I have is the .5 but it didn't work

I am testing in a Status 3" jar with Harmony 4630 and Zinc wicks. I have some HT with 6% Garden Lilac from Flaming Candle and a 44-24-18 Zinc. Tested the 44-20 and 44-28 and there was no HT. The candle had a floral smell but we couldn't detect Lilac specifically. I have read posts about using less FO. Before pouring any more test candles wanted to get input on what I need to try to get this FO to fully open up. If using less FO how much less to start with? I did up the FO to 1.05oz to 1lb of wax and poured that into 2.5" wide jars but it acted like it locked up the FO. I tried several different wicks (CD, HTP, LX and the Zinc that I have) but didn't get any HT. I don't have the 36-24-24 Zinc to try in the 2.5" jar at this time but wanted to see if I can get better results in the 3" jars before ordering anything else.

I believe that will do the trick. If it works for you then that’s good for me. I like things that are simple and straight forward so how did I end up in candles Lol

I have a couple of questions. Is there a formula (math) for finding out how much wax is needed when working with a new jar? In the past I have used the same size jars for all my testing and the 1lb wax + 6% FO filled the three jars perfectly and I didn't have to do any figuring but I now want to work with a larger jar and needing to figure my total wax needed per jar. The other question is for anyone that tempts their melt pool. At what temp does the melt pool need to be to release the FO for a nice hot throw? Not necessarily need to be but at what temp have the melt pools been when you have had the best hot throw? I have been testing mine about an inch from the wick. Just wondering if anyone else does this and do you use it to determine the need for a wick change and possibility when to increase FO %.

It has been a while and I thought I would give an update. I took a break from serious testing mostly because I was frustrated with getting the same results. I started back making a few small batches and made a discovery during that time. I have read back over the posts and noticed one thing that was never mentioned and that was my scales. My husband reminded me that I have questioned these scales several times. I tested their accuracy by measuring my FO with a Tablespoon. I know that FO's are suppose to be measured by weight. I put my pour pitcher on the scales and tared it to zero then put the FO in the wax by measuring 1 Tsp at a time (total of 2 Tsps). I used the same FO's and made different batches of candles and the scale gave me two different readings. The first was around .96 and the other was about .76. That is quite a bit of difference especially since the capacity of the Tbs is going to be the same every time. I've had the same inconsistency with two different FO's so far. I have been testing the Harmony using the Tbs and scales together with a FO this week. We have seen an improvement in HT but I have had another problem happen. When I made this test batch it was heated to 175 and I put the FO in at 160 and the wax started clouding so I put it back on the heat till it turned clear stirring all the time. I didn't want to leave the wax on the heat longer than was needed. I was getting some hot throw from a few test wicks but the weird thing was how the wicks burned. A few wicks would burn with small flames (the top of the flame would barely be burning above the wick) and then the next size up would burn tall and give off smoke tails. I thought maybe I had clipped the small flame wicks too close but when I retested them they performed the same way. When I get a chance I'm going to make some more with the same FO and heat hotter and see how the wicks perform. I'm thinking the temp may have been too low or having to reheat messed up something with the wick testing but right now I'm happy to see an improvement with the HT. Just thought I would let you know what I have found out about the scales and hopefully they were a big part of my problems.

It has been a while but I was going to get back with the testing. I tested the Peach Nectar in the square mason jar several different times allowing a couple of weeks to cure and still didn't get a hot throw from it. I have been testing a sample FO from Flaming Candle in the 4630 and we are smelling it much better. I've been testing with LX and Premier wicks but I'm going to have to order more 4630 if I continue with this.

I spoke with a candle supplier yesterday at length and she told me to heat the wax (even soy) up to 185 and put the FO in at that point and I would definitely see a difference. I have burned purchased candles in the same place in the same room and can smell them. My husband comes inside after working outside for hours and he can't smell my candles but he can smell the purchased ones. I kept my wick notes from 14 years ago but didn't take temp notes and I do good to remember things from last week let alone 14 years ago. I'm going to do the 185 temp and the only other thing I can suggest is someone who has the peach nectar to try doing a small candle at the temps I did and see if they get the same results I did - melted to 175, put FO in at 165 per candy thermometer, 158 per infrared and then pour. I was comparing the temp ranges between the candy and the infrared so that is why there are two different temp gauges used. The worse that can happen is I am that one person that just can't make candles.

It is a 35 watt simmering pot. I put some of the wax in the pot and when it melted the wax there was no HT. It didn't get hot enough to "simmer" just melt. It only melted the wax.

I tried the simmering pot and got the same results.

I have a potpourri crock simmering pot. I will try it later tonight. Are the heating and FO temps appropriate for this wax?

I made two testers with the peach nectar. I put an lx 16 in the straight sided jelly jar and an htp 72 in a 3" mason jar. I burned them and unless I was standing right next to them there was no HT. No one in the house could smell them either. I am wondering if it is a technique issue. I heated the wax to 175 and added the FO at 165 using a candy thermometer.