DerekB

I'm currently testing RRD (40 & 47) and HTP (83 & 104) wicks in an 8oz tin that is 3" in diameter. I'm using CB135 with 8.25% FO and 1/2 teaspoon pp of UV Inhibitor. Right now, I'm conducting my 5th burn. During this burn and the last one, the flames are about 1" tall. As the burn cycle continues, the flame goes down. With these particular candles, FMP was not achived until 2nd and 3rd burn. Is this flame too large?

Thank you all for your advice last week. I'm still trying to wick CB 135 and poured a few candles this week at 115 degrees (I know not as low as you pour, Judy ). Unfortunately, the tops ended up being really rough. When I originally poured it at 135 degrees, the tops were smooth. Of course, to make things more complicated, I increased the FO % from 6.25 to 8.25 because I wasn't getting any hot throw. Could this have contributed to the roughness? Also, is there anything I can do to help the wax not look rough after a burn? I've noticed that depending on the wick I'm testing, the wax varies in roughness. Should I consider adding USA or coconut oil? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Debra, What type of wax are you using and FO%? I've been testing with CS Gardenia in Ecosoya 135 both at 6.25% and 8.25%. At 6.25% and 8.25% the cold throw has been minimal (in my opinion). The 6.25% haven't had much HT and I just lit the 8.25% for the first time. I'm still trying to find the best wick; however, I have yet to have a good HT from any of them.

Question...does it matter where you buy your wax? The current batch of CB135 I've been using was from Peaks. I've just ordered 10lbs from CS to see if there is a difference (and because I order my FO from them). I'm trying to save on shipping costs. I've seen on other posts the mention of lot numbers, but I don't see any lot numbers on the bag. Thanks!

Thank you all for your responses. After reading through this thread again, I thought I'd make sure I was clear in what I was describing. As topofmurrayhill noted, the ECO wicks definitely are the worse looking candles after a burn. I'm definitely not too keen on that. With that said, the cracking I was referring to was cracking in the candle wax around the wick as it was burning. Based on the previous input, should I assume this is occurring because of the way the wax initially setup as well as it not being properly wicked? My LX-22 and LX-24 are still cracking when I start burning and I think the LX-22 is the right size for the candle combination. Again, could this also be related to the initial setup and pouring too hot? Thanks!

What about changing FO brands? Right now, I'm using Gardenia from CandleScience.

Judy, Thanks for the advice. If I'm not getting a good HT with 1oz per pound, would you increase FO percent or change brands? Also, with tins when should I expect to have the hangup on the sides melt in terms of number of burn sessions. When I test, I burn for 3 hours at a time. With my ECO 10, I did the 3rd burn test today and the handup has completly melted away. Is that too soon? I guess it just depends on how hot the container gets at the last burn....

Thanks...I'll let you know how the next round of tests go.

Thanks Judy... I would prefer throw over visual appearance. In fact, after the first hour, the cracks disappeared. The only reason I poured at 130 (and then covered with a cardboard box) is that my basement temperature is in the low 60s. I though hotter would improve overall results. Since I was pouring in tins I figured they would cool fast. To avoid cracking I though the hotter temperature would help avoid this. I guess I was wrong?

I'm already on that one. I just ordered some HTPs and RRDs to test...I love testing!!! So far, I've liked all 3 (ECO, CDN, and LX) for different reasons. Overall, the melt pools have been between 5/16" to 1/2" deep. Just to clarify...is that for first burn test? Thanks for the input.

The container is an 8oz tin (3" in diameter). I'm using the following wicks and sizes. ECO 10, 12, 14 LX 22, 24, 26 CDN 14, 16, 18 I already realize that the CDN 18 and ECO 14 are too big. I'm not sure how the wicks are coated.

I'm using an 8oz tin with the following wicks and sizes... LX 22, 24, 26 ECO 10, 12, 14 CDN 14, 16, 18 I know the ECO 14 and CDN 18 are too hot. I've stopped those. I believe the ECO 10, CDN 14, and LX 22 are good; however, I might try ECO 8 and CDN 12. With all of these combinations I'm not getting any "good" HT. I added the fragrance at 185 degrees and the candles cured for 48 hours. This is the only FO and brand I've tried. I know I'm doing a lot to make things confusing....

Okay..I've been using CS Gardenia in Ecosoya CB135 at 6.25% with ECO, LX, and CDN wicks. Unforunately, I can't get much hot throw from them (at least in my opinion). The cold throw was pretty good. So, my question is...do I increase the percent of FO or do I try a different FO brand? I know many believe that anything over 1oz be pound is a waste and personally, I want to save cost wherever I can. In the end, I want the cold and hot throw to knock a person over. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Stella, Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a camera at this time. The wax I'm referring to is the actual candle; not the wick. About 20 minutes after I began buring the candles for the 3rd time, I noticed the wax cracking around the wick and sporadically, bubbles coming from the cracks. When I initially poured the candles they seemed to cool nicely. They were smooth and even at the top. I let them cure for 48 hours before buring them for the first time. Again, I'm sorry I can't share a picture right now.

I'm back to testing Ecosoya CB135. I poured several 8oz tins and used 6.25% Gardenia FO. I'm using CDN, ECO, and LX wicks. I heated to 185 degrees, added FO and UV inhibitor, and then poured at 130. After two burns, I've noticed that the ECOs cool differently than the other wicks. The ECOs are really rough and cracked after cooling were the others are relatively smooth. Now, I'm performing the 3rd burn test and I'm noticing for all the candles near the wick a lot of cracking and caving in of the wax is occuring. I'm noticing bubbles coming from the cracks. Is this normal? What would cause this to happen? Could they be air pockets? Could it be buring too hot? How could I avoid this? I'm so perplexed...

Well, I'm a little confused. I just poured several 8 oz tins using 464, 6.25% CandleScience Gardenia fo, and 1/2 teaspoon UV inhibitor - just like I did before. This time I poured at 115 degrees opposed to 135 degrees. I found during my last pour that when I poured my left over wax into a cup to throw away at a lower temp it seemed to cure smoother (but of course I don't know what the temp was at the time). Any ways, this time instead of having slightly rough tops (textured looking) I've got the surface of the moon!! The top is rough, cratered, and has sunk. I did everything the same as before except for the pour temp. I thought given cool environments you should pour cooler. The temp in the area I was working was the same as before - low 60's. Any suggestions? Also, I'm assuming the way the wax cured will effect my burn tests, correct? Sorry for sounding frustrated...I know this is only the beginning...I was just expecting better results.

The total container height is 1 7/8". The container depth (to where I filled to) is 1 5/8". At this time, the wax is down approximately 1" from the container top (so, if I'm calculating correctly, 3/4" of the container has been consumed - leaving 1 1/8" of wax still to burn). Oops...Unfortunately, I have not been weighing to check rate of consumption. I will do that for the next round of new test candles.

Alright...so I've completed my testing this evening. Attached are the photos of the candles when they were burning and when the burn test was completed. During the test I would turn the candles and straightened the wicks. http://www.flickr.com/photos/36593977@N02/ Overall, I think the CDN10 is not working. It looked like it was going to drown the whole time. The CDN 12 and 14 were burning okay. I'm thinking there is so much hang up from the previous burns, that the candle will never catch up. The CDN 16 achieved almost a full melt pool. The container was slightly warm, but not too warm. I'm thinking when I pour my next round of candles to test other wicks, I'll include CDN 12 and 14 in the mix. Any thoughts, observations, suggestions? Thanks!

Thanks for the info!! I'll let you all of you know later tonight how the testing goes.

Thanks!!!! Any suggestions on a size wick to start with for 8oz glass container (3" diameter)? Suppose the CDN 12 or 14 work out for the 8 oz tin, do I start with that size or do I go up? I'm just not sure if I go up one or two sizes to start if I need to wick up. I plan on testing a few sizes for the glass, but don't want to start to high or too low. Thanks again!!

Sorry for the duplicate post...for some reason the site is not showing my first response. Stella, Thanks for the advice. I will try to correct the melt pool tonight when I test. Should I assume that the twisting of the wick before I pour the wax will help keep the wick straight? Do I need to do this for other wick types as well? As for the roughness...I've just started using 464 so I'm not sure if the roughness is typical. I will say that the wax was rough/textured after it cured (nowhere near as bad as after I've burned the candle ). When I made the candles I poured at 135 degrees. I'm working in the basement where is it unfortunately 60 degrees. I did place the containers on a cooling rack and covered them with a cardboard box so they would cool evenly and slowly. After I poured the four containers, I still had excess in the pour pitcher. Since I had no other containers ready to go I let the wax cool further and then poured into a plastic cup. Unfortunately, I did not note the temperature of the wax at time, but it cooled a lot smoother. I plan on my future pours to pour cooler (probably around 115-120 degrees. When the candle finally cools after burning, the wax is a little rough. Any other thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!!

Stella, Thanks for the advice. I will try to correct the melt pool tonight when I test. Should I assume that the twisting of the wick before I pour the wax will help keep the wick straight? Do I need to do this for other wick types as well? As for the roughness...I've just started using 464 so I'm not sure if the roughness is typical. I will say that the wax was rough/textured after it cured (nowhere near as bad as after I've burned the candle ). When I made the candles I poured at 135 degrees. I'm working in the basement where is it unfortunately 60 degrees. I did place the containers on a cooling rack and covered them with a cardboard box so they would cool evenly and slowly. After I poured the four containers, I still had excess in the pour pitcher. Since I had no other containers ready to go I let the wax cool further and then poured into a plastic cup. Unfortunately, I did not note the temperature of the wax at time, but it cooled a lot smoother. I plan on my future pours to pour cooler (probably around 115-120 degrees. Any other thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!!

Stella, For CDN 10, 12, and 14, I have burned them 4x for 3 hours each time. The CDN 16 has been burned 3x at 3 hours each time. I just took some pictures of the tins after they have cooled a little bit. Hopefully this helps. http://www.flickr.com/photos/36593977@N02/?saved=1

Okay, I'm back...I've been doing a lot more research and testing. Here's were I'm at...I've changed everything :rolleyes2. 464 Wax 8 oz tin (3" diameter) 6.25% fo (CandleScience Gardenia) 1/2 teaspoon UV Inhibitor CDN 10, 12, 14, 16 As it stands, the CDN 16 is burning the best. I'm still performing my burn test, but after 4 rounds so far, the CDN 16 is the only one getting close to a full melt pool. So, with that said, I have three questions... 1. Should I try a bigger CDN wick size for the 8 oz tin? 2. I plan on testing 8 oz glass madison jars (3" diameter), what size wick should I start with? I know usually you have to wick up for glass. 3. I also want to test LX and ECO wicks. Any suggestions on wick size? As always, thank you for the help.

I'm asking because 'I don't know what I don't know'. The sizes are the same, but the quality seems to be a little less compared to the tins from Peak that I've been working with (just my opinion...they might be exactly the same). In the end I don't think the difference will impact my test results, but I would hate to test in one tin and then find out when I order the other tins that my testing was all for not. Hence, why I wanted to get some input. I'll plan on testing with these tins (with restocking fees and shipping back to PaperMart, I might as well hold on to them instead of returning) and at the same time order the other tins I plan to sell. Thanks!