warmvanilla

Hi! Thank you for your reply.

I never had a problem with sooting. I'm not sure which photo you're referring to? If it's the one I think you are, it's just a waxy dirty jar.

My hands had soy all over and I touched the warm glass. From that photo, I can see where it may look like sooting.

It burned all the wax from the sides, and besides the waxy fingerprints, the jar was pretty clean after final burn.

That wick was too big, you guys were right! I did wick down using the same jar and fo/color ratios and was happier with the results, but had some hang-up because I had to wick twice down. Did not have the right wick on hand.

I've since changed jars and have not run into anymore problems.

You are so right! The flower pot votives are doing great. I've made so many and they are all over the place! Enjoy making them. They are super easy to wick for a beginner! I made some pretty votives for Valentines Day for my grandmother and I'm still working on my grandads candle. I did not want to put his in a flower pot (smile).

I'm going to make him a 10 oz, which I'm finding pretty easy to wick so far...but have not used a citrus fo yet, just the same fragrance over and over again. I'll get to deliver the candles to them in person and will watch how they trim, etc. Then, I will have a piece of mind!

It's funny because I've made recipes. Making the same ones over and over again, and burning. I love votives because you can easily change the wick to test!

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No matter which angle I shoot from, the flame in the jar looks different.

I put the camera on macro for that shot, and it looks like it's reaching the glass, but it wasn't as close as it appears, but WAS getting pretty close when curling.

I was able to get a wonderful shot of the eco in action! Curling! Not exactly sure what else it may be doing, lol. Mushrooming? Clogging? These are things I don't understand yet.

This is a four hour burn exactly. And everything is melted!

Flame was dancing...but there's a ceiling fan on low. And one thing I've noticed is that when the flame got out of hand, it settled itself back down again. Could this be because of the ceiling fan and the draft?

The wax is so hot, and there's still scent throwing from it, just not very strong now.

I think it's time to blow this one out! One thing is for sure...this IS a clean burning wax!

I'll wick down next time. Thanks for all the help everyone. My grandparents won't be getting one of my candles for a very long time, lol.

I was not sure how far to fill the jar up to. I stopped when hex design ended.

I'll try pouring less into the container.

This is exactly two hour burn with what I had left of the candle.

The flame is growing again, as it usually does after this amount of time.

Unless I blow it out and trim it really short, this is what happens!

I'm not going to trim it, just let it do whatever it does.

Right now, it's smoking! It appears to be burning very very hot. No sooting, but the flame almost reaches to the tip of the container. It's throwing scent like crazy, does not smell like smoke but it looks very unstable as I can see smoke in the air. The scent is strongest now and I'm seeing tiny bubbles inside the mp.

I do have a draft where it's burning, and I'm keeping it here to see what happens, since this is where I first lit it.

The melt pool has remained the same it seems since I first lit it two hours ago. Any ideas what's going on? I need to wick down, right?

I wish I could capture the smoking from the flame. I did not trim this time. I left it the size that's normal and what I think my grandmother would be burning it at.

Hi,

If I am interpreting your pictures correctly, and I have no idea how long you burned that one hex candle, it does look like the wick is too large for that size jar/wax/scent combo. I can tell where your melt pool was, and IMO, its pretty deep - and right at the point below is where your post-burn frost line appears. That will be more noticeable in dark-colored candles. Plus, if you do really long burns, or if your wick is too hot for the system, that glass and wax gets really hot - and that causes that frost line to appear heavier. Also, everything I've read, the hex jars hold heat more so that others because of the smaller opening on the neck.

/quote]

Hi, Thank you for your reply. I burned the candle for at least 5 hours, first burn. But, that was after I blew it out and trimmed the wick after about two hours. Re-lit it, and let it burn about 3 hours. So, five all together including the brief re-lighting.

I used the only wicks that came with the kit which were Eco 10. I was thinking I should wick down but the Eco 8's are out of stock.

This is what the candle looks like now after burning it a few more times at about 3 hours max. I guess I have not been taking good notes on burn times and MP, so I'm really glad you pointed this out.

Tonight, I'm going to burn it again and see what the melt pool does in what amount of time. If I have enough of a candle left to test that!:embarasse

I've spent hours and hours each day testing the same jars with the same wick, until I ran out of supplies (fo and jars)

I can remelt the wax and clean out the jars to reuse, but I have no fo!

And it's kinda making me feel anxious. I'm too addicted already and want to pour pour pour all the time!

Thank you for the compliments guys.

I do not plan to sell, Geekrunner, but I have two very special people awaiting candles. My grandad and My grandmother have "placed their orders."

I was so excited about my candle making kit I received for Christmas, and told them about it when they called. My grandmother loves candles as much as I do and she wants me to make something vanilla scented. My grandad wants something citrus, like oranges.

I'm very happy with just making tarts for my own needs, but they are not really familiar with using tart burners. So, I'm trying to make something for them as gifts using the 8 oz jars that came with my kit. Testing and testing because I want it to be safe for them and also pleasing and beautiful.

They're my true motivation for not giving up on container candles (soy).

And it's a challenge, so it's really something fun to do when there's nothing else to do! I'm having a good time.

I'm worried though. From what I've read and from advice I've received from others...that vanilla is a really hard scent to incorporate into soy wax. So, I'm going to try blended it. And the citrus scents, I'm hoping do not smell like fuel.

I was amazed at how well the baby powder threw in 100 soy, without a cure time. I wish I had the patience to let the soy perfect itself while curing, but I only had one jar left and poured the rest into heart molds and it was already smelling so good!

You guys are right though....Soy is going to do what it's going to do, I think. I've burned a WW collection and some of the same things are happening to it after burning!

So, I guess once I'm sure my 8 oz container is safe for my grandparents, I'll send it to them. Hopefully they won't mind waiting until I feel comfortable with it. I'm planning to order different wicks and test them in the same container with one vanilla and one something citrus. The high flame has me really worried. It only happened first burn. The other 4 burns seem pretty good, but I have to trim the wick really small. Smaller than usual.

I tend to ramble too!

Erin- I don't sit and stir the wax anymore, lol. It was kinda funny when I think about it.

I was so proud of this pour. No frosting. No wet spots. 100 percent soy.

And the color is so soft and pretty.

But!

Look what happened after I burned it a few times!

I decided to not give up on c3 and try another FO. This time, baby powder.

The cold throw was so pleasing, I could not stand to wait for a cure time.

So, I burned after it sat for about an hour.

Melt pool great. No soot. Hot throw GREAT!

Only thing is wick issues. I had a really high flame shooting from it after about two hours. Blew it out, trimmed and burned fine again.

I have to keep trimming the wick really small, and it will work.

Otherwise, it mushrooms like crazy after an hour or so. There's no hang up. Just this mushrooming issue and after burning, there are wet spots and a bunch of frosting. :undecided However, the tops remain so smooth and creamy.

Try researching phytoestrogen for more info on soy as well.

It will explain the plant more and why some believe consuming it can cause cancer.

edited to say:

or isoflavones

Wish I could receive them for Valentines Day. They're pretty!

I'm sure they smell really wonderful, too.

Too cute!

First thing I thought about was some guy cooking a candlelit dinner for his girl, LOL. Hey could put an engagement ring on one of the fingers and propose, ha!

There's several threads posted here about the wood wicks.

I first learned about them at Cracker Barrel and purchased the WW collection.

I've burned my candles according to their instructions for best results, which was 3 to 4 hours at a time. I've also burned them non-stop.

Although I have not had a problem with soot or smoking, the candle does tunnel...pretty bad with a non-stop burn with melt pool never reaching the sides.

Scent throw is about average. Not better, not any worse than any scent throw I would expect from one of the bigger companies.

The "crackling" fire sound-is just not all it's CRACKED up to be, in my opinion...but the flame is very neat looking and clean burning. Extremley over-rated in the marketing department...again, just my opinion.

Also, the wood wick will just about drown in the wax if you move the candle ever so gently. And, it's kinda hard to keep your wood wick trimmed without getting burnt wick parts in your wax.

I've been making tarts with the soy and 1343. 1.25 ounce of fragrance oil per pound of wax. The scent throw is not only great hot, but also cold. It's almost too strong and I think I could have put in 1 ounce...was giving me an headache with 3 tart burners going.

I think I have a decent sense of smell. FO's used was Snickerdoodle, and Baby Powder (single, not mixed). Room I'm burning in is a little over 500 sq ft. with 20 ft high ceilings.

I'm really happy with the tarts and feel they throw much better than one of the big guys and pops out easily. In fact, I've been able to re-burn them days later, and still very fragrant.

Not only that, but I allowed no cure time whatsoever. As soon as the tarts were cool, took them out of mold, and burned.

Beats me. But I'm very satisfied.

Amazing! You're so creative. I hope it works out for you! It's a beautiful candle!

I love the Candle Gallery and the Soap Gallery to see all the neat things you guys can do.

You mentioned that your first candles were poured at 160 (I think). Are you still pouring @ 160?

I should post what happened to the tops of those first pictures. Very strange.

Yes, I'm still pouring at 160. My kit's instructions said between 140 and 160, so I try to stay on the high end of it. I double check with two therms. One is a candy and the other is digital.

What I started doing (with the last picture) was stir continuously until I reached 160. In other words, From about 180 to 160, I sat in a chair and stirred with a big wooden spoon. Then poured into the warm jars.

I'm not sure if it makes a big difference, but I figured since I had to wait 20 degrees, may as well keep stirring. And that produced the burgundy candle.

I will post it again in two weeks if you want...I have three candles because the 1 pound of wax makes 3. So, I'll save one.

how big is that jar that you put 1.5 oz of FO in? and for clarification, did you put 1.5 oz FO in a batch and pour in more than one jar, or did the whole batch go into the 1 jar?

Sorry. I put in 1.5 oz to exactly 1.0 pound of soy wax (flakes)

The dye is blocks. It seems I only need to shave off a very little to get a rich color, especially when I put a very little black in with it. Just a few shivers, actually. I'm amazed at how concentrated and easy it is to use.

I was only putting in two tablespoons of fo to a pound of soy when I first started. I read from the instructions that if I did not have a scale, I could use that measurement. Of course, there was not a throw hot or cold at all.

The samples that came with my gift had 1.0 ounce bottles of warm vanilla sugar. It smelled (in the bottle) a lot lighter than the Apple Jack and Peel, so I tried going 1.5. Today, almost one week later they smell wonderful cold. I just cannot wait to test the hot throw. But sadly, my wicks are not that great, so I won't be able to really test it.

The jars are called 6.5 oz classic jars that came with the kit.

It seems the warmer you can have your pouring and cooling in a space, the prettier soy becomes? It's almost velvet smooth.

Thank you for the feedback.

Lol! Thanks.

They're horrible! Very cracked and looks like clay. Almost crumbles.

This is a more close up image of the one that is frosting.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q164/warmvanilla_2007/closerfrosting.jpg

I'm still trying to figure out what "frosting" and "wet spots" are.

From this image, is this frosting? Or wets spot?

If it is, then I think I'm pretty sure I know what caused it.

When I first opened my gift and started using the candle making kit, I had

no experience, whatsoever and had not found this site yet.

I was reading only from the instructions that came with the kit. So, I was pouring at around 160, but bringing the candles into a colder space to cool

so the cats would not jump up on them.

A little over a week, the candles from that pour look like this:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q164/warmvanilla_2007/wetspotsfrosting.jpg

After getting some advice here, I made sure I was adding an ounce of FO (had only been using 2 tablespoons, lol) and I kept my jars inside the kitchen cupboard. Both are scented with Warm Vanilla Sugar. I just like playing with the colors, no matter the scent. I don't have many scents to test anyway.

By the way, these candles cracked really bad up top. Yuck!

Getting better? Second time pouring looks like this today:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q164/warmvanilla_2007/soywarmcupboard.jpg

Throwing cold, but trying to wait another week to test hot throw.

They seem to only have discolorations at the very top of the jar and the very bottom of the jar. The jars were not warmed up.

Still feeling the Christmas spirit, I wanted to try to get a color of a Christmas bow.

But the wick isn't very centered. :undecided

This candle has 1.5 ounces of fo and very heavy on the dye. Mixed in black with burgundy to try and get a rich wine color. Apple Jack and Peel.

Making sure this time that I warmed the jars to 150, had pouring and cooling area at least 79 degrees.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q164/warmvanilla_2007/soywine.jpg

This is 100 percent soy, nothing blended in.

So, it must be really important to have a warm space to pour and let the candles cool down slowly?

Will those of you are experts at candles tell me if the candle is pretty or there's problems with it? I don't see any discoloring compared to the other two images.

No I was just naming off things that came to mind that are used to age or cure. Then I thought about the bread proofer I have, lol.

Simply because it's an air tight seal and controls humidity.

I'm not finding alot of information about the curing stages either...but it is interesting to me and I guess I still don't understand why it's needed.

Not wanting to argue or anything- Just forgot all I have learned about molecules/chemistry.

But if it's only time that's needed, sounds simple enough.

The tarts I made burn/throw so well right after cooling. Really has me confused.

My favorite! Is this available for purchase all the time?

I'm using little dye blocks that came from Lone Star and using it with the soy from the candle making kit.

I've never used anything else, since I've just started learning.

But I love working with the product. Easy to use and produces just about any color you can imagine. For deeper shades, I just put in a little black.

It seems you only have to shave off very little too. I wish I could post a picture. I made a really pretty red tonight and a beautiful shade of blue the other night. I hope you find what you are looking for.

For a hobbyist, that looks like it would cost a pretty penny. It is not necessary for any hobbyist to go that far.

For a hobbyist I was wondering if suction type canisters would work.

Sorry again. Wasn't trying to imply people needed to go that far.

:undecided

Yes, actually. I do have one.

I'm only trying to learn the theory behind curing candles. Wasn't trying to imply that people should go out and buy bread proofer or kegs.

Just wondering if items that are used to cure/bind chemicals would speed up the time or make it better. Kegs are used because of the natural chemicals in the wood and they effect taste, color and smell. Just like with cigars and a humidor or curing meat with salt brine in wooden barrels.

Was only wondering if the same logic would apply to candle making somehow. If there's no parallel, it's fine. I'm just trying to understand.

It's insulated. Controls humidity.

I'm not going to make candles to sell, but for those of you that do...

could storing candles you've poured, (whether container or pillars, etc)

be stored into whiskey kegs to age/cure them a little faster?

What I mean is the day's pour. Like a keg for Monday, Tuesday, etc.

So it wouldn't have to be re-opened.

Jack D. came to my mind when I was thinking of ways to "cure" a candle perfectly but quicker.

And for those of us who are hobbyists, we could use vacuum sealed canisters?

Or a bread proofer? Something that keeps a tight seal. Is that the goal for curing a candle?

Or is it simply time? Like aging wine?

I put the wicks in after the jars have warmed using hot glue gun.

After it's centered I tape the top of the wick to my cupboard crown to hold in place while I pour (instead of using those wick bar things.)

I have a toaster oven under the counter, so I just cover it with aluminum foil and it's perfect height to put the jars on.

debscent,

I'm going to email you!

My tarts are throwing hot and cold!!

I burned one in just one tart burner after it cooled without curing and it filled up the entire room with scent.

I want to share with you what I did. I'm a little confused as to why it worked as well as it is because of a mixture of wax I used and wanted to get your opinion as to whether it's appropriate to post about the experience.

Please look for my email. I'll put in subject line Warm Vanilla.

Thank you!