Ian H

I've read somewhere that when using braided wicks there is a right and wrong way of inserting them. As there is no 'This way up' indication on mine how do you work out the right way. I hope my question makes sense to you..........I'm not sure now I've written it, it does to me. Ian

Quite right. The question didn't sink in even if her containers did. Never mind the info will be sound if Carmen moves on to pillars. Ian

Rest assured I'll be playin' around with the options. Here is the info from the UK supplier I use. Vybar "can be added to paraffin wax up to 3% in rubber moulds - acts as a hardening agent and toughens a candle - can help scent throw. Can be used in rubber moulds in place of stearin. Beaded format - MP 59-61 °C" Just to add to my confusion they offer what they call Microwax "Beaded format - Hard microcrystalline wax - add no more than 2-3% - MP 68-72 °C. Helps strengthen candle, increase burn time and reduce dripping. Melt carefully on direct heat then add to double boiler with paraffin wax " Ian

I've only just started this hobby also Carmen. I was surprised how much the wax shrank. I used paraffin wax and I assume you are also. The answers I came up with were to add extra wax at a higher temperature. So in my case the initial pour was at 180f the top-up was at 190f. This fuses the new wax to the old. Avoid going higher on the edge of the mould than the first pour, try to aim for a slightly bulged centre. I have found it best to let the candle cool completely first or you will have to add another top-up later. Prior to topping up I put 4 skewer holes within 1cm of the wick as I've read that this stops voids in the candle,I do this just before it has fully set. My latest refinement is to slightly trim the wick so that it finishes below the top up level this gives a smoother finish to the base. Amazing what you can learn in under a week. Ian

Thanks for the encouragement scented. I've only been playing for a few days so a long way to go. I have made progress. Shape and consistancy are good, matching wicks is my biggest problem. But I'll play around and if I don't sort it. I know where to ask advice..............From you lovely,helpful people. On the stearin side I think my next step is to reduce the amount from 10% to 5% and test the differences. Ian

Thanks for that. Yes I think testing is the way to go. I'll put an order in for vybar when I need more supplies. Interesting that you can use both at the same time. If you use both can you still put 10% stearin AND up to 3% vybar in the same melt? There's a lot of trial and error type testing in this hobby isn't there? Test waxes,wicks,fragrance etc.etc. Will I ever get it right? Ian

Thanks both for your replies. Bare in mind that in the UK we don't have the range of candle making options that you lucky people do in the States. As far as I can see there are no options on the type of vybar available here. It's just sold as vybar. On of the suppliers I use quoted a MP of 59-61c (140f), so I assume it's 103 type on offer. This grade does look to be the most useful anyway. Initially I feel that there is no point in changing to vybar. It is marginally cheaper due to the lower usage, but that's the only key difference that I can perceive currently. Ian

New to candle making I have to date only used paraffin wax and stearic at 10%. I understand that both help dye retention and make the candle opaque. I am also aware of the restriction on rubber moulds. I have seen a mention on vybar that states that it helps to enhance the scent. Would scent throw (see I'm learning the jargon )be improved if I switched to vybar or is there no difference in this respect. Ian

I agree the dosage does suggest a very high strength product, certainly compared with some of the dosage rates that I have seen posted. But as I am a complete novice I have no guidlines to follow. In the bottle it certainly isn't overpoweringly strong. Smell is very subjective. Personally I like a strong scent from candles. The next order I place will be with a different supplier so that I can get a comparison. Ian

Thanks for that Jill, the temp. was 180 but I only stirred it for about half a minute.:undecided. I did it off the heat so I didn't want the wax to cool to any degree. As I was incorporating the FO into about 1/2 pound of wax it would have been impossible to weigh it without scientific scales.............less than 1 tenth a teaspoon according to the label. Bare in mind I'm from the UK and the scene here is not as precise as it appears Stateside, not as many numbers for everything. I purchased it from candlemakers.co.uk and the bottle is labelled scent for candles. Ian

I've now lit the can and it is a deep purple shade. It's burning OK. I know it's a bit early but I need to get a feel of the wicks I'm using. Don't fully understand this maturing concept to be truthful........Must ask for guidance if I can't hit it on a search. I had another candling session today and finished the remainder of the 2kg that I ordered. Made some progress and the latest batch are more arty rather than plain dyed. Ian

I have to confess Scented I didn't measure the amount of fragrance that I used, just a small dribble of it. As I stated in the first post this FO uses 15ml (3 teaspoons ) for 5 kilos of wax (over 11 pounds weight). I used a metal tin for the container. The plastic cup was just a trial and to use the last of that sessions wax. I added the FO at 180 f just prior to pouring. Janette, I did leave the lid on overnight, but it's hard to think where all the moisture came from, there was a good teaspoon full. The tin BTW is 2" deep and 1.5" square. As a matter of interest these 2 items where the only ones in the sesion that I didn't water cool. Thanks for your replies, I'm most grateful. Ian

Thanks for the quick reply blazerina. The fragrance addition was all I could think of but I did give it a good stir, also the volume of run off greatly exceeded the amount of fragrance I added. The one I am using says that 15ml will cover 5 kilos of wax............So I added a small amount with an eye dropper. Ian

Hi all, this is my first post here. Please help if you can. I received my goods from the suppliers Yesterday and immediately set into making my first candles. I decided to keep it simple and just use the supplied moulds to make some variously coloured pillar versions. Apart from more shrinkage than I anticipated I was quite pleased with my first efforts. This done I decided that I would try a container type candle. I found a suitable tin and did it. This morning I looked at it and there was a bead of liquid on the top, I left the lid on overnight. Upon tipping it up there was a significant volume of this liquid pouring out. There was also some liquid in the base of the plastic drinking cup mould I tried. The pillars were dry with no sign of moisture. I used paraffin wax beads with 10% stearin added plus solid dye and fragrance. Where have I got it wrong or is this usual. Regards all. BTW great site. Ian