rjdaines

What Karen said.

I'd like a votives (paraffin) to have a flame height of about 3/4 inch. I use LX-10s and sometimes they get a little larger than that but haven't found anything better yet.

First consideration is always safety after that, it becomes preference. Like you said, nice CT and HT, no sooting and a flame that is pleasing (not too weak and not big. I've burned some Yankee Candles and were good and others not so but it is good to compared to an industry standard. It gives perspective and can boost your confidence. Perfect candle? Not really. Perfection is a moving target, seasonal changes, climate, storage, suppliers changing your raw materials, all this keeps perfection at bay. I'm happy with "it's a darn good candle".

Everyone's experience is unique to their own systems so whatever I says my not apply to your particular problem. I've never found that putting two wicks together has caused this problem. I place the tabs almost touching. When I do see this, the cause has been the wicks getting clogged. The FO Cinnamon Buns does this to me, I can't use this FO. At 9% FO is could be your problem depending on what the FO is. A simple test would be to make a candle without any FO and see how it burns. If the problem is still there, then you'll have to explore a different avenue of thought. For a 4" diameter using soy alone I use 2 CD-5s and maybe a CD-6 with a thicker FO. For parasoy I use 2 ECO-1s or 2 ECO-2s. If the wicks are clogging, then going to a size or two up won't fix it in my experience.

Look at my avatar picture to see what an Element Jar and lid looks like.

Regarding curing of the GB 400 soy wax series: I have never noticed a difference in HT in these waxes even after 6 months of curing. I would wait a week and then burn, if there was no HT then I never got one. Only thing I did get was more frosting.

I usually make my initial tester in two Elemental Jars (2.5") and test them in two locations. If these testers produce an adequate HT then I test them in my larger containers. So far, if it works in the smaller jars then the FOs work in the larger jars. So long as you have your other containers worked out in terms of wicking and melt pool size, I don't see why it would fail moving to a different jar. The HT might be slightly different (always better in my double wicked apothecary jars) but the FO shouldn't be a complete dud. It all has to do on how well you have the containers worked out.

Now that is something I never considered. I have plenty of 415 around but no C3 so I might just have to order some and try this. Is 415 the dominant wax with some C3 added to it or is it the other way around?

I've used 464, 444, and 415. Not FOs gave me good HT but many did. While I could get smooth tops after pouring what I didn't like was frosting and post-burn visuals. Tops that look crumbly and generally ugly turned me off. Adding more ingredients to solve issues just raises the price of the product but I guess people just charge more or take less profit. In any case, 464 is not a bad as your experiences and to make it work you'll have make some changes to your process. I pour at 165 but as you can see, others don't. Two FOs that work well for me in 464 are Peaks Orange Blossom and Bird of Paradise. Try samples of those. Add at 185 and stir down to your pour temp. Frosting, I can't help you with other than to say don't add color.

How about 3 CD-10s?

I've never seen anything like that in 464 before. I don't think you can blame the wax at this point. If it was all frosted over the white would mask the pink but I don't think that is what happened.

Have to agree, so nice not to have to fight with a wax. Liking my parasoy mix.

So what are the alternatives to 464? There must be a few out there that people like and have minimal problems. C3? EZSoy? Xcel? This board would be an excellent place to come to some consensus as to which is the better soy wax and develop a workable recipe that we all could use as a starting point.

I wick a 4" apothecary jar (464 wax) with 2 CD-5s. Yes, the sides get hot but that is what stops the hang-up and give the better HT. My container pinches at the top so it is more of an issue than for a straight-sided container. Keep the wicks as close together as you can and, of course, centered. I was never able to single wick the container.

There have been a few threads recently about 464, you may want to look at those. Most who have tried 464 like it and find that it has decent HT and CT but not will all FO. It has good adhesion but can still develop wet spots over time and produces nice, smooth tops. It doesn't have to be pour at the slushy stage, I find 165F adequate. Sink hole can be a problem if cooling is too fast or uneven. The biggest issue with 464 is frosting. This bothers some people (like me) and other are ok with it. Post burn cosmetics can be poor but, again, just a general soy wax issue. I don't think you will find much difference between 444 and 464 to be honest. I've used 415, 444, and 464.

Another vote for the Libbey Status Jars and I use either HTP or CD wicks with 4630.

I have tried both and with the FOs that I tested, I did not find a big difference between 415 and 464. 464 is easier to work with in terms of pour temp and looks a little better after a burn has cooled. Maybe others are using additives to get post-pour smooth tops.

If you are new to making soy candles then I would not waste more time with CB-A and starting thinking about another wax. If you want to stick with a veggie wax then there are some choices to make. All waxes have a learning curve whether it's paraffin, parasoy, or soy (veggie). Some good choices were mentioned here but none of the ones I have tried are perfect right out of the bag. Some will need additives, C3 does, and some will need careful heating, cooling, and pouring procedure like 415. The decision sometimes comes down to what the closest supplier has as shipping costs are a big factor these days.

^^^ Yep, what Jackbenimble said.

I think this has been discussed before here and if I recall, the consensus was that using an open flame around melted wax was too much of a safety risk.

I can make my own as well, at least for testing. I did find a site that sells them tabbed but a 1000 minimum per order. I'm glad that I tried the zincs to see how they burn, I can now better appreciate the self trimming wicks.

The flame on the ECO-1 is getting too long, try if you like but I don't think it's a winner. Looks like it's the LX-8 test tomorrow.

Tried an HTP-31 a few days ago, flame still too big IMO. Testing an ECO-1 right now and it's not half bad, I predict that it too will be too big of a flame but it was worth a shot.

Hi ksranch, I'm finding the LX-10 wicks to be a little to 'aggressive" in having a larger flame than I'd like. Glad to hear that the LX-8 wicks work, do you buy them pre-tabbed or make your own? If you buy them, who is your source (if I may ask)?

Yes, a typo on my part but I am still not happy with the way they elongate. I have to constantly trim them. Then again, I have yet to find a votive wick that I am happy with. I may make some out of LX-8 that I have laying around.