AutumnMeadow

This is the exact heat gun we use. http://www.amazon.com/Uchida-Embossing-Heat-Tool-Stand-120V/dp/B000QTFH58

Hi, I know this is an older post but is there any chance you could share this spreadsheet with me? I do all the math myself and then save it all to a web based POS that I use that then shows the profit and margin. An excel spreadsheet would be a great help. - Autumn Meadow

The XceL has adhered to the glass with no pull away at all. The containers were washed with hot soapy water left to dry and then poured at room temp. We have had no problems with cracking or wet spots. The only problem is with the tops but heat gun makes them as smooth as glass. At what temp are you heating the wax upto? At what temp are you pouring? How much dye and scent are you adding? At what temp are you adding your dye and scent? How long are you allowing your dye and scent to bind? When we make candles we do not rush the process. We slowly drop the temp down to 110 before we pour. When I say slowly I mean we allow 20 to 30 mins to drop from 180 to 110. Some may call us crazy but we do this to assure everything binds. We want to produce quality candles and we are willing to put the time and work into it. Because of this we never rush the process. I am a perfectionist, I am blunt and I am honest. I cant help it, it is just the way I am wired. I drive my partner crazy but I will have it no other way. Sometime I dont know why my partner puts up with me but I know deep down she really understands. That is why she puts up with me but there are days I get looks that could kill.

Here are some new test results of a fresh batch of XceL. This time we poured into 7 different types of containers using 3.5 pds of wax. After 24 hours we have no signs of frosting except for the 1st container we poured. This first container was trouble from the start. The container is a 4.25 Interlude. We noticed the bubbles form immediately towards the bottom as it was being poured. We tryed to tap the bubbles out of the container but the bubbles just would not budge. Minor frosting has appeared in this candle but it is very minor and only in a small spot. Lets see if over time it gets any worse. All other candles are just fine. The tops on all 7 are less than to be desired but it is nothing a heat gun will not take care of. This batch was again heated to 180 and poured at 110.

I dont think the scent gets in the way at all but we also use 1.5oz of scent per pd of wax. Only time I have notice the smell of the wicks is upon the first light of the candle.

Ok, the 1st test burn went very well. The candles were burned for 4 hours and had a decent HT. No sign of frosting at all. I am going to start the 2nd burn. Here are the pics after the 4 hours burn right before I blew them out. Large wick on the left and medium wick on the right.

After 20 minutes with medium wood wick.

After 20 minutes. HT is quite good.

Just lit her up and took a pic. We are now going to pour some more tests with a fresh batch of wax. We are going with Blue dye and Storm Watch scent. I will keep everyone updated on our progress. Is anyone else still testing this wax? Come on lets get some feedback! BTW - We are using a large size wood wick in this test burn.

Haha, well im in NJ and it is about 80 inside my home and 90 upstairs where we do our testing. It is cooler outside so I just opened up some windows to stop the candles and myself from sweating. - Autumn Meadow

One thing I have noticed is alot of sweating in about 90 degree temp. Here are a couple pics.

Straight from EcoSoya website. "Yes, remelting and reusing EcoSoya® has no ill effects as long as normal melting directions are followed." http://www.ngiwax.com/resources/qa.html?group=5 Can you elaborate on just how you are testing the EcoSoya XceL? I am sure those of us who are also testing can provide feedback to you if we had a little more information to go by. - Autumn Meadow

Yes of course. Right now, in the testing stages, we are mostly concerned with achieving no frost after the 24 and 48 hour period so we can start test burns. At this point the candles have cured a full 48 hours with no signs of frosting. This was a 3 pound batch w/ 4.5oz of Creme Brulee scent and 12 drops of Yellow Liquid Dye (looks like vanilla pudding).

So after re-pouring, our tests have found that at 115 to 105 we are getting ZERO frosting with the new Excel wax in the 9oz cubes. My partner and I were very surprized to see absolutely no frosting with this soy wax. As for wood wicks we love them. They burn great and give off a slight subtle crackle. You can find these wicks at http://www.unitywoodenwicks.com/ and I recommend buying the large 1st as that is what we use in most containers tho sometimes we use the mediums. Like all wicks it just comes down to testing. Great thing about wood wicks it you can just push them right in once the candle begins to cure, no tabs needed! Now that we have gotten the 9oz where we want them we can begin test burns and move on to a different container to test. I will get pics up of the 9oz later today before we light them. :smiley2: - Autumn Meadow

Hello again, Here is the latest update. We woke up this morning only to find alot of frosting on our cubes. My partner is currently in the process of melting the wax down to re-pour at lower temps to see if this will eliminate the frosting issue. Is anyone else seeing issues with frosting? I am hoping that pouring at lower temp will fix the frosting problem. Once we get the correct formula I will take pics and start our test burns. As for now we will start our re-pour at 130 and lower each cube by 5 degrees until we get down to 105. Keep your fingers crossed. - Autumn Meadow

Hello! First post here, been lurking. Excellent job on all the testing and updates! We have just started our testing on the EcoSoya CB Excel. As we speak (or type) my partner is in the middle of our first pour. We heated the wax up to 180 and then added add our dye drops. We then stirred for 2 minutes and bought temp down to 175. At 175 we added our FO and stirred for another 2 mins. We then drop temp down to 160 and poured our first candle. We then poured our next candle 5 degree's lower and continued till we had 6 candles all poured 5 degree's apart from 160 to 135. 9 oz of wax was poured into Libbey cube containers without any wicks. The reason for no wicks is we want to test frosting and wet spots before we do our test burns. We only use wood wick and will most likely start with the the large size once we get frosting down to a minimum. I will keep you updated on our progress and also have my partner chime in this thread (she has her own account on the forum). We can take pictures if you like once the candles cure. - AutumnMeadow