lisamrtr

Or should I consider this better in this case since the second half of the candles life still remains a safe burn ? What are thoughts on this I’m very curious !

3 minutes ago, lisamrtr said:

I’m noticing that on my candles (using freedom wax with an opening diameter of 3” and using premier cotton wicks), the very first lights are amazing. Melt pools all the way to the ends clean in 3-4 hours. But then all consecutive lights even at 5 hours, they aren’t burning to the ends. What could be the reason for this?? I’ve tried keeping the wick at different lengths but it doesn’t seem to matter. Not until the candle is halfway down and the edges of the jar get hotter with the lights does the hang up start to melt off. It really drives me beyond crazy I can’t understand why/how it changes so drastically from the first light. 
 

any insight is a huge help thank you! 

I’m noticing that on my candles (using freedom wax with an opening diameter of 3” and using premier cotton wicks), the very first lights are amazing. Melt pools all the way to the ends clean in 3-4 hours. But then all consecutive lights even at 5 hours, they aren’t burning to the ends. What could be the reason for this?? I’ve tried keeping the wick at different lengths but it doesn’t seem to matter. Not until the candle is halfway down and the edges of the jar get hotter with the lights does the hang up start to melt off. It really drives me beyond crazy I can’t understand why/how it changes so drastically from the first light. 
 

any insight is a huge help thank you! 

Revisiting this here - does different flicker have different meaning? If it’s more of like a pulse rather than “dancing” does that point to something different? I’m noticing some candles do this on some burns while other burns are ok. I have a 16oz freedom soy wax candle with 8.5% fragrance load and the first 2 burns were ok , flickering between 2-3 hours and now on the 3rd burn is flickering in under 1 with way less moments of a steady flame. 
Would a lower fragrance load maybe help for a more steady flame? I’ve made some that are curing because figured it wouldn’t hurt but there is no soot or mushrooming really even at the 3 hour mark so really don’t know if it’s something I’m being too particular on. 
 

Yeah very true. I get caught up in the 5 scents I have now working the same way and then wondering why other scents don’t. But trying a few scents now with HTP series to see. 
 

happy new year !! 

I have a lavender scent that I love and it has a great hot and cold throw in my freedom wax. The melt pool on this scent in particular always gets bigger and deeper quicker than my other scents. It does stop at about 1/2” deep but gets there in under 2 hours in an 8oz straight sided jar with diameter of 2 3/8”. 
It doesn’t smoke, mushroom , or get any black soot around the top of the jar from the flame - would you consider this ok to sell?

Is it usual that some pools are significantly deeper by fragrance? 
 

thanks in advance! 

On 12/15/2020 at 8:16 PM, TallTayl said:

Multiple wicks tend to coax out more hot throw in my candles.  Less fo is great in my book.

I will definitely try this ! What size diameter do you generally start double wicking? My 16oz is 3” wide but sometimes wax gets hung up and my wicks mushroom - some scents more than others on both of those. 

10 hours ago, bfroberts said:

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I use 6% for everything, including soy.  I may round up to the nearest tenth for easy math but that’s always my max.  If an oil doesn’t throw to my satisfaction at that % I won’t use it.

That’s helpful to hear. My biggest problem is being so discouraged when one fragrance at the same % doesn’t work and thinking “why did it work so great for others and not this one”. Should probably save time and just move on. I have it in my head that some fragrances work for everyone but I just can’t figure them out! Especially to read reviews on oils where people say they are so strong and meanwhile everywhere from 6-10% doesn’t work for me as I’d like 

9 hours ago, TallTayl said:

In soy I lean toward 8% of most retail FO in any size jar single wicked.  In multi wick jars I drop down a % or 2 usually.

 

I like to limit variables on new FO, So one jar size/type I am very familiar with until I think the FO is worthy of more. The easiest jar I have is a common dollar store status jar - 3” wide and 4” tall.  When my focus was the annual ren Faire, everything went into a tin as that was the style for that brand. That has to be the hardest container to test with, lol. 

Why do you drop down for multi wick jars? I’m thinking about testing my 16oz with multi wicks instead of single so curious if FO makes a difference with amount of wicks?

I’m curious how the veteran chandlers test new scents! 
 

I recently launched my candle company and have a basic recipe for the scents I’m currently selling. I’m testing new scents and feel like since the ones I already have work great, (amazing hot and cold throw, melt pools, etc) I figured that the fragrance load amount in these scents would be a good place to start for tests ! 
 

How do you experienced candle makers test new scents?? How many would you make and in what difference in fragrance load per test? 

Working with freedom soy, premier cotton wicks in 2 sizes- so also need them to be optimal in both jars (2 3/8” and 3” diameters). Finding also that some scents are ok in one jar and not in the other. Any advice would be a huge help!

Just now, TallTayl said:

The only thing about heat gunning is the priming wax from the wick often melts and mixes with the surface wax and can create weird swirly patterns or even sometimes cracks. Soy wax is the bane of my chandling existence

Hahaha mine too but I’m committed! I know the swirls you mean but would rather those than this crazy tunnel. It’s a constant work in progress. 
 

Im finding that soy candles are all about picking your battles honestly. 

18 minutes ago, NightLight said:

Agree with Tall Tayl, could be cavities. How long have you been pouring candles? This is a common thing that can happen with soy waxes until you find the perfect pour temp.

What are your pour temps with that wax?

I’ve been pouring for about a year. I spoke with the ladies where I get my supplies from and they also said likely a cavity. Apparently freedom wax is known for this but I’ve never had it happen! I have seen craters open up near the wick if I heat gun the tops so this does make sense. Another solution was to keep moving the wicks as the wax is settling to get any air bubbles around it broken up. 
Freedoms instructions are to add the fragrance at 160 and pour so my pour temps are always around 150. Will be heat gunning everything until I figure this out!

So weird that it happened to all 3 I lit yesterday but others my friends have same size were okay. How would I avoid this in the future? Do you think it would be worth it to heat gun the tops just to make sure there are no cavities at the top? 

I lit one of them again today and it’s not happening. It was just on the first light. I’m curious now if the left over on the ledge will burn down since the pool is already wider and more spread out on this light 

2 were Lavender 1 was a blend of honey and vanilla. But I have made these same candles before same, fragrance, wick, and wax and this hasn’t happened. This is so strange to me 

The strangest thing happened - I’ve been using freedom wax with medium premier cotton wicks for my large 16oz jars with NO problems getting a melt pool across the top within 3 hours. I was just testing 2 new scents to try (one of them I have made candles with before) and the instantly burned down so low right at the wick that the melt pool after hours couldn’t reach the edges since they were too steep from the start. Also- one that I had previously poured (and unfortunately sold a sold) did the same thing once I lit it as well! 
 

Obviously 3 of these candles doing this in the same day has really shaken me and I’ve lost quite a bit of confidence in my candles which is a shame because I’ve just started selling them. I have 5 scents in my line and this has only happened with this 1, but didn’t happen with the test batch I had. I can’t understand this for the life of me...?! How did this happen at random and with 3 scents? The other ones are 2 days shy of curing for 2 weeks so I really can’t understand this. 

39 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

Despite what many candle makers claim, most people light a candle and walk away.  Only chandlers sit and watch every little detail about the candle. Customers trust we know what we are doing to not have it catch fire or set their home on fire, so they don’t set timers or watch the wick length like hawks.

This is my thoughts exactly!!! Nobody will sit and watch the flames and document their every move and not burning houses down is probably a more top priority to customers than the flame of a candle just acting like....the flame of a candle!

Thanks for your input! There are threads on here that make it sound like it’s completely unacceptable but with the air currents so different within a container candle, I don’t see how it’s possible for candles to burn all the way down without dancing flames. 
 

But yes I agree, as long as there’s no excessive black smoke I would consider this okay. 
 

I just started selling my candles yesterday and completely sold out! So I guess we’ll see what the public has to say - if they even notice or care as much as a crazy candle maker (me) hahah

I can’t even remember what it was like to just be a regular candle consumer and not maker and obviously watch my candles obsessing over the smallest things like some mushrooming, exact measures of melt pool and the flame!! Some of my flames bounce around for periods of time but without any soot. I use freedom wax with 8.5% fragrance in container jars. 
 

Do you find customers even care about something like this?? I really want to start selling my candles but I feel like if I wait for the ultimate perfect one that day will never come! 
 

How acceptable is flickering/dancing flames in container jars? 

Not necessarily very sharp but also the same pair of scissors I’m using al the way down for good burns.  Very strange! But will definitely invest in something sharper !

Hi everyone ! Wondering if anyone has experienced this as well before....I've been testing my candles- pouring some to FINALLY start selling actually and there's 1 fragrance in particular that I remember from the first few times lighting(also from my notes) that there was a LOT of mushrooming . So much so that the flame got tiny ...but I kept lighting it just to see how it burned all the way down and the more burns I did, I didn't have this problem at all anymore. The scent throw is out of this world so I don't want to change the amount of fragrance being used. I'm wondering if this could have been a curing - related thing? I didn't light it for probably 1-2 months after the initial burns. Those initial burns were about 2-3 weeks after the candle was made. OR could it be based on the level of the wax in the jar and once it got lower, didn't mushroom?? I've poured some of these candles out anyways as I'm planning to sell for Christmas but now second guessing how they'll perform. Wick size is good for sure as I said there is no excess mushrooming anymore and the candle is nearly finished at this point.

Does this situation make sense?? Hahahha Thanks!

Th is might be a silly question- but you can test burn an in scented candle pretty much as soon as it’s settled and not wait the 2 weeks, right? 
Just looking for confirmation so I don’t trip up about the wicks or anything. 
Thanks!

23 hours ago, NightLight said:

Try the smaller wicks and let burn for two hours you might change your mind. Also mushrooms can happen when you don’t use sharp tools to cut wick. If you see a mushroom first burn, try trimming see if it helps. I do think lower your fragrance load to 6-7 per cent and try smaller wick. What you might think is a good wick at beginning of candle burn can change when you get to middle.

Will do! I’m finding it’s mostly the heavier scents acting up with the mushrooming as the same % in lighter scents is perfect with the same wicks and same jars. 
ohhhh the testing never ends!!!

But wouldn’t the melt pool also be really big if it was over wicked? What’s leading me to believe it might only be fragrance-oil related is that the melt pool is not looking too deep at all

HTP93 is too small a wick for all of my scents in that Size container. Maybe it’s the amount of fragrance I’m using - I’m having issues with mushrooming as well so I’m retesting at a lower % 

thanks for all the suggestions!