KoalaGirl

Hi Everyone, Ive searched the forum but cant find an answer {i'm sure there's one there but I must not be putting in the right seach words}. After testing several combinations, I settled on: Metro jar {straight sided, 2 1/2 inches wide} CB 135 FO: Dragons Blood @ 6% No dye HTP 93 wick The only additive I used was UV. Cured for 6 days. This combo burnt perfectly after I did the bottom half jar test. I did the full jar test and it burnt great....all the way down. So, I made several {and sold some!} using the exact same combo, pour temp, FO add temp....everything, even the ambiant temp in the house was the same. After about 2 weeks, my daughter took one from the batch and it didnt burn very well so I took another one and burnt.....terrible! The melt pool only came to withing 1/2 inch of the sides and subsequent burns didnt improve the size of the MP. The flame is tiny and looks like it will go out. The only thing that I did different, was trim the wick to 1/4 inch initially. Im *fairly sure* that I didnt trim my tester candle that short ( probably about 3/8th inch. Thinking the short wick may have been the problem, I tipped out the melt pool and scooped all the wax from the sides and smoothed it down. I now had a decent sized wick. It worked better {gave me a full melt pool} but on subsequent burns {even without trimming the wick} it began to fizzle. It is now about 1/3 way down the jar and the wick is only just hanging in there! I expect it to die any minute. The 'dud' candles probably cured for about 2 or 3 weeks whereby my tester candle had only cured 6 days. There has been NO major variations in ambiant temp. I dont know the people who bought my candles so I dont know if I will get feedback but it freaks me out thinking that their candles with burn badly {or even not at all}. Any idea why this would happen? Is it typical? I could understand it if the candle had cured for months, in extreme temperature variations but that wasnt the case. The way it is performing now, I will have to wick up but what if the next candle decided to perform like my beautiful tester? Then it will be overwicked! Any insights greatly appreciated Sorry for the long saga but I want to get as much info across as possible.

AutumnMeadow, I will look forward to your progress reports {pics are an added bonus!}.

Hi Linda, your hard work in testing is much appreciated. My supplier will carry both CB135, which I currently use, and the new Excel so shipping cost wont be a factor in deciding if I want to change to Excel. {I havent looked at the price but assume its more expensive than 135}. Just a couple of questions before I take the plunge. You say the tops are like Advanced {now thats a good thing!} but how does it set up after each burn? As you know, 135 can get lumpy and wrinkly. Have you noticed much difference in the way you have to wick it? or do both waxes, with the same combo of container, scent/dye/no dye etc wick much the same? Wet spots? any improvement on 135? Thanks again.

Thanks for your help Top. Ive been testing several t-lights in the salt rock today and am finding that anything 'vanilla' seems to burn hotter. I will wick down on those to a cdn 3. I have read on here that vanilla's often need wicking up! I will also drop the FO percentage but if I cant get a decent throw in the t-light {lower FO % works great in tarts} I'll have to ditch those ones. I think the taller t-light cups exaserbate any problems. At least I'm happy to report that my jar candles are coming along beautifully:yay:

Thank you both. Top, Ive always thought my t-lights burned fine. Maybe my 'fine' isnt right after all. Tonight I did some testing and pic taking and would value your {or anyone else's} opinion. I took temp measurements along the way using an infrared thermometer. I tested two {creme brulee/vanilla and coconut & lime} in an open ceramic bowl holder. I tested two more of the same combo only I had them in a salt rock. I wanted to see if there was any difference in burn/temp when the t-light was more 'confined'. The t-lights fit fairly snug in the salt rock cavity, the base of which is 2 inches deep. At no time was the tip of the flame more than half an inch above the tip of the wick {maybe a tiny fraction bigger sometimes as its hard to measure} The first pic shows the size of flame when first lit in the bowl. Pic 2 shows the flame at the half way mark. The temp of the wax at that stage was: Creme/vanilla 150 deg F Coconut lime 145 deg F Pic 3 is the flame as it was close to the end of the t-light The temp was: Creme/vanilla 210 deg F Coconut lime 170 deg F Pic 4 & 5 shows the t-light in the rock close to the end of t-light The temp of the wax in rock t-light was: Creme/vanilla at half way mark : 180 deg and near end 215 deg Coconut lime at half way mark: 160 deg and near end 175 deg The wax is Ecosoya pillar blend and the FO % in all of them {dont have a heart attack!} 12% The wicks are CDN 4 Your opinions on my methods would be much appreciated. I first and foremost want to be sure my t-lights are safe! I have been thinking about the fire in the pot and am wondering about the following scenario and would love to hear if you think its feasable: ASSUMING that the fumes/vapours from FO have the same ability to 'flash' as the FO itself, could the fumes/vapours have accumulated under the lid {the top pointy part of the lid is about an inch high, its hollow with no holes in the top for the vapour to escape} and heated to beyond their flash point of 200 deg, flashed and caused the wax to ignite. I'm quite sure the heat inside that container would have reached {and most likely exceeded 200 deg.} Could this happen or am I barking up the wrong tree? Thanks for your insight. The t-lights are the larger 8 hour ones. 1inch tall x 1 1/2 inch wide. P.S. The coconut/lime burnt for longer than the creme/vanilla.

Hi everyone. A while ago, I had a t-light catch fire while it was burning in a wine/sherry glass. That freaked me out so you can imagine my horror when yesterday a girl told me that one of my scented t-lights that she was burning, caught on fire! My first question was 'what sort of holder where was it in?'' She described it as a 't-light holder with a lid and holes around the sides. I ask her to bring it in to show me. She said that the place where she bought it had a t-light displayed in it {not burning}. Now, Im no expert on t-light holders but in my novice opinion, this vessel should not be used for t-lights? It stands 3 inches tall {to the base of lid} and is 3 1/2 inches either side. The holes are tiny. The t-light she was burning in it when it caught fire, was a 9 hour scented t-light which is 1 inch tall by 1 1/2 inches wide. Would you expect that this vessel is safe to burn t-lights in because if it is an acceptable holder, then I will have to stop selling t-lights because Im obviously doing something wrong. To me it looks as if its a pot-pourrie holder. The lid was on while being used, hence the black from the fire. It is made from unglazed {inside and outside} ceramic/terra cotta. The t-light was soy wax.

Does anyone actually know of someone thats had their butt sued off because of a candle that they made that caused damage to someone or their property? I read lots of stories about candlemakers burning their OWN house down e.g. presto pots catching fire, but havn't read any examples of people getting sued. P.S. What caused your house fire?

Hi Soy, Im following the thread with interest as Im sure a lot of others are. Your pics are wonderful. What size diameter is your status jar? I use metro's which are 2 1/2 inches. Im interested to know if your results can be applied to my jar. Keep 'em coming!

There's nothing quite like the thrill of having a delivery arrive, and pushing all the 'already know what they smell like' bottles aside to get to the NEW FRAGRANCE. My daughter thinks Im barmy, "Mum why do you keep buying new ones when there's so many in the cubboard that you havnt even tried yet?" She just doesnt get it...

Hi Sandy, I am in Australia and have spare CND 10's I could send you. If your interested I can check the postage costs when I get home from work today.

Hi Nadiap Interesting that the different wax didnt discolor. Maybe it was the lower oil content. I use cb135 and 6% Dragons Blood gives a beautiful throw {I *love* that scent} I use both CDN's and HTP's. I find that if one size CDN is too big and the next size CDN down is too small, I can usually find a HTP that fits in the middle. I am also finding that HTP's dont seem to mushroom as much as the CDN's. P.S Love the pics you post. As the saying goes, a pic is worth a thousand words!

Hi Richard So it sounds as if ACS wicks are like all others. Work in some combo's and not others...lol I'll pm you....dont want to hijack the thread!

Hi Richard How do you find the ACS wicks in containers? Ive only used the HTP and CDN's. I could seriously have a garage sale, only selling wicks!! AND, I only use one jar!! Have you ever used 226 gr metro's from ACS? I use them from NCS but there out of stock and a 5 week wait! I would get them from ACS if I thought they were exactly the same size etc. Dont want to have to start testing again because the container is not exact. How are your sales going at your two new retailers?

Hi Nadiap, there are some fragrances that will do that to the wax, Baby Powder is another one. Its a reaction between the fragrance oil and the wax. Unfortunately, there is nothing that I know of to prevent it. You can colour the wax to a shade that will make the 'dirty grey melt pool' less noticable against the rest of the candle wax. If your Chanel is from the same supplier as mine {NCS} then 9% is WAY TOO MUCH. I havent made it into a candle but when I make it into tarts, 4% or 5% is plenty. Its a very strong fragrance. Less oil should also mean less discolouration of the melt pool, but probably wont eliminate it entirely. I wanted to do Baby powder in pink but have to do it in blue so the dirty wax isnt as noticeable. HINT: {if you get supplies from NCS} I have found that the wicks they recommend for their containers, are way above what works for me. I dont know about the container in your pic as I havn't used them. What is it about HTP that you dont like?

Update: I let the sock candle cure for 6 days. There was not a single wet spot to be found. Perfect adhesion. The candle sat uncovered on my sideboard while cureing. The weather hasn't been cold. I lit it today, since it was initially made for testing a wick and I need to get those results. I will pour a couple more using the sock, and put them away for a while to see how they behave in various temperatures over longer periods. I'll also test to see how coloured candles behave. Has anyone else got results to share?

Hi Willowboo, I just found your thread. It looks like great minds think alike! Are you still using the socks and has it made much of a difference? to frosting? wet spots? Is it more successful to warm the jars first? Im still awaiting results, and wont do the happy dance until at least a week has passed and still no wet spots {its only been a couple of days}. My reasoning for trying this, is that the warmth of the sock would be a barrier between the hot wax and cool outside air. Less of a 'shock' to the wax you could say. Anyways, Im interested to hear how it works with other waxes, particularly palm. Stella, I bought myself one of them pyrolytic {or something} ovens that clean themselves. If anyone has ever wondered if they actually work....yes they do!! No more cleaning an oven for this little black duck. More time for candle making!!

[ATTACH]18940[/ATTACH] Ok its been 29 hours now {I took the sock off after about 12 hours} and no sign of even the smallest wet spot {or pull-away} but we all know that wet spots have a tendency to lull us into a false sense of security and then raise their ugly heads several days later. I shall keep monitoring it. In the interests of accuracy, I did put a box over it when cooling. I cooled another couple of candles at the same time, {the peachy one in the pic} just using the box cover, without the sock. They came out just as good! I poured both at 60 degrees celsius. We are in the middle of summer here so Im thinking the sock method might be benefitial in colder weather? Oh and Stella, the 'cake' rack works a treat to eliminate frosting on the bottom of the jars. Ive found an old oven rack that I kept when I threw out my old oven {for some unknown reason....probably the same reason I hate throwing anything out...''It might come in handy one day!". Its big enough to hold probably 15 or more candles!

[attach]18896[/attach] Ok here he is. He's been in his sock for about 8 hours now. I'll let you know tomorrow how he turns out. The scent is Dragons Blood and their is no dye. If nothing else, he sure looks cosey:laugh2:

Hi everyone, the reason for cutting the sock top off {as opposed to pulling the whole sock down over the top} would leave the top open and also allow me to put the sock on before I pour the candle. Ive cooled them in all ways, i.e in a turned off oven, under a box etc. I dont have major problems with wet spots but would be happy if they didnt happen. Since the socks I will use have just about come to the end of their life as socks, I will in affect, be re-cycling them and making use of the good part thats left. If it works, I will be able to use them over and over again. Kind of a nice way for a sock to spend its twilight years....wrapped snug around a warm candle instead of a smelly foot? Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Pitty wet spots didnt give me the same warm fuzzy feeling! As soon as Im finished my coffee, I will go sock hunting and report back in a couple of days.

Or does anyone else think this is worth a try? Im just sitting here mulling over candle 'issues' {like you do} and looking evil daggers at the residue? that is sometimes left on the glass after the wax has pulled away in places. Im using CB135 which *should* stick to the glass but doesnt always. Now since my understanding is that a slower cool encourages glass adhesion, Ive come up with a cunning plan. My origional cunning plan involved a stubby holder, but wouldnt you know it, there's not a stubby holder in sight when you want one! Cunning plan number 2 involves a sock....a nice thick woolen one. Now if I cut the top 6 inches or so off the sock and slide it around my jar before I pour, that should make a cosy little buffer between the hot wax and the outside world that is hell bent on causing me grief.....shouldnt it? Anyways, Im going to try it tomorrow since there is an endless supply of socks with big holes in the feet but perfect tops, in my hubby's sock drawer. Just thinking out aloud here because I know you guys understand what it's like to chase the perfect candle and my family just think Im obsessed!! Hey wait till they see all the candle jars all snug in their wooly socks......they'll KNOW I'm obsessed!!

Jen, I know what you mean about the smudgy bit showing on the label where you tried to peel the label from the sheet. Even the tiniest bit of contact with fingers will leave a mark that bugs me. Here's what I do now: Slightly bend {not crease} the edge of the label you want to remove and use your thumbnail to 'flick' the edge of the label up and away from the sheet slightly. You can do this without your finger skin coming into contact with sticky bit. I then use a pair of long, pointed tweezers {came from my first aid box I *think*} to grab the lifted bit of label and peel away. The label is easy to hold with the tweezers while you position it over where you want it to go. Any tweezers would work but the pointy ended ones, have less contact with the labels and therefore less chance of leaving a mark.

Hi Starlit, the only advise I have for you is to think very carefully before going into business with your friends. If they are good friends, you want them to stay that way! Its one thing to share a hobby with friends, but a business partnership is different altogether. If you dont want to risk losing those friendships, go it alone.

Hi Erica, welcome to the forum. Im not going to be much help Im afraid, but if you find out why the t-lights throw great, I'd sure like to know! I have a heap of CBAdvanced I want to get rid of. Im done with mollycoddling the rotten stuff! Did you use the same FO in both the t-lights and the jar? Was the wax from the same batch? Was the cure time the same for both? How about FO added and pour temps? Ive never made that wax into t-lights. I figured that with its poor hot throw in containers, what chance has a t-light got!

I have a free website from Webs.com. Well not totally free, since I choose to pay $15 a year to keep it advert free! People were forever asking me for brochures of my products and since they are very expensive to have made, I just give them a business card with the web addy on it. It was easy and fun to do and I can change anything, anytime {unlike brochures}. People who become site members, receive notification of upcoming markets etc. It does have a shopping cart facility but I havent activated that since I dont want to check it one morning to find that someone has ordered and paid for, a heap of stuff that I dont have on hand! They email me their order directly from the site and once I confirm order details etc, they pay by direct deposit into my bank account. It works great for me and costs almost nothing to run! Im not sure how it works as far as being noticed by search engines.

Just curious, but how would the organizers know how much you sold?? 20% of revenue seems an awful lot!