MorpheusPA

Prob'ly some--it being winter, there's not much going on over there. No decent soil tests to read and wrangle. No real organic discussions. Well, winter's half over, at least! Gotcha. No, that makes perfect sense as I noticed the opacity of the wax compared to what I'm used to!

Thanks much! I'm up to page fifty or so on the forum, so I have a ways to go yet. :-)

I'm not yet sure what to expect from soy candles as this is the first time I've ever tried making them. Or any candle, but the soy seemed more inviting, and something that would be easier to do on the stove than some other waxes with higher melt points. Besides, I prefer container candles! Test burning...the first one, which just passed 72 hours of cure time (I can't wait any longer, durn it!) is currently burning on my office desk. Elapsed time: about 30 minutes so far. Looks good. :-) The evergreen scent is wonderful when there's snow due tomorrow! I used Soy-125 (http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c18,p677&title=Soy-Wax-%28Soy-125%29-for-Container-Candles---Lower-Price), which is what came in the kit. I'm sure it's not optimal. The wick is http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c40,p1117&title=Standard-Container-Wick-Assembly which is also what came in the kit. The container is a 10 ounce apothecary jar that's 2.5 inches across. I'm less concerned about precise burning (these being a hobby and perhaps, eventually, gifts) than safety. I'd rather not have a wax fire or burn the house down otherwise...

Clarification: I don't mean the tunneling from an air bubble or bad wicking, but instead from cases where even a full burn doesn't move the melt pool to the edge of the container. Sorry 'bout that!

First, I'm a newbie to soy candlemaking--I ordered a container kit from Candelwic, and so far I'm having fun exactly following the instructions. I'm definitely not yet thinking about making my own candle shapes or anything. The question I had was about tunneling in container candles--is it really that bad? I realize it's a waste of wax, but are there any other consequences if the tunnel is wide enough to admit sufficient air for burning? The reason I ask is...I kind of like a tunneling effect. The light through the wax is warm-looking and cheerfully colored. I don't mind if they don't tunnel, but I do like it when they do, and several of the Yankee candles I've bought have done so.