Hello, this is my first post here, hoping I can learn from some more experienced chandlers!
I bought a candle making kit on a whim a few weeks ago and was instantly hooked. I wanted to try making more candles so went online to suppliesforcandles.co.uk and bought several large bags of Prosoy container wax, 30ml Karen glasses, the appropriate wicks, and a few different fragrance oils.
I have probably made around 30 candles now and they seem to be getting worse in appearance rather than better! I have just begun to test the first few that I made (as I wanted them to cure for two weeks first) and they do seem to burn evenly and have a great scent, albeit with a bit of mushrooming on the wick. However, I'm struggling to get nice smooth tops, and am also finding that I get craters / lumps when they cool down after burning too. I've tried pouring at several different temperatures, pre-warming the jars, covering them while they cool, cooling on a warm tray, cooling on a wire rack. None of these things seem to make a significant difference to the appearance. Fragrance load has always been between 7-9%. I have resorted to melting the tops with a hairdryer on some of them, but you can tell it's not a natural finish. I have tried doing a thin second pour but this also hasn't made a huge difference.
Not sure what else to try now... although doing lots of reading on here tonight has made me wonder if I need to stir the wax & oil more (I had been avoiding stirring too much as I read it can cause air bubbles). I'm also thinking of trying a different wax and have my eye on the Golden Wax 464. I have been looking at different suppliers for fragrance oils too, but it seems like they are all 'much of a muchness' - does the quality of oil vary much between suppliers?
Apologies for the ramble! All thoughts, encouragement and tips would be gratefully recieved!