jennie12

I use C-3, so keep in mind that this might not apply depending on the manufacturer's directions for 415, but the main factor I pinpointed when I was struggling with weak hot throw was not adding the FO at a high enough temp. Adding it consistently at 180* made a big difference for me. HTH.

With the wax that I use (c3) and two different container sizes, the wicks that Candle Science's guide recommended were two sizes bigger than what eventually ended up working. Although, I use the term "working" loosely, since wick testing has been an absolutely never ending process for me...

P.S. I had to chuckle when I noticed that there are several other similar threads listed at the bottom that all have the word "frustrated" and numerous exclamation points. Just goes to show that we've all been there, I guess!

Thank you for the reply. I have identified a few other factors so I think you're right that is not weather/heat-related.

I am using C3 and htp 105's were performing great for me in my standard container, with most FO's, until the past two months. I am now seeing things like mushrooming, bigger melt pool/faster burn rate and some soot on the rims.

I live in PA where we experience all four seasons, so my house is kept at about 68-70 in winter and 72-74 in summer with central AC, although it always feels warmer than that with the humidity.

Here are my questions:

1. Do you notice this significant change in performance from cold weather to hot?

2. If so, how do you make a determination about the best wick size? (i.e., settle for a candle that appears to be slightly under wicked in winter so it doesn't go too crazy in summer?)

Thanks in advance for any input.

I had trouble with sink holes when pouring at warmer temps with c3 as well. I now pour at 130 and cool in a covered box and rarely run into this problem anymore.

I weigh the wax be for I melt the wax.

Same here. A while ago I read on BCS' website:

1 pound of Soy wax by weight will equal approx. 18 oz of liquid when melted.

http://www.bittercreeksouth.com/waxes.htm

I have found this to be accurate. I add 1 oz. FO to this amount of wax for most fragrances.

I have this problem with C-3. What are some other ways to get the air pockets out???

Tam - I am a novice, but I'm really thinking that relief holes are the way to go. Other things I have read are things like pouring at a cooler temp, pouring slowly, cooling on a rack and/or covering the tops while they're cooling, and thumping containers on the table during cooling. In order to get good glass adhesion with c-3 I have to pour hot. I've had mixed results with cooling in a covered box.

For now, at least for me, relief holes seem to be the most viable solution. It would be more of a pain if it truly required a second pour, but from what others are saying and my own limited experience, the heat gun works fine to melt wax on top to fill them in.

What it will do is when your wick hits one it will burn down very quickly into the pocket and tunnel, making it look like a very underwicked candle.

this is usually what I see as the effects of the air pocket. Sometimes the wick will even get drowned out completely.

Thanks Chris and Sharon for the replies.

air pockets that you can't see from the top of the candle, can develop near the wick and other places sometimes, in the container. Poking relief holes, busts these air pockets up

This is also my understanding. I'm experimenting with doing relief holes in an attempt to prevent the air pockets.

At what point do you poke them?

How many do you make and how big do you make them?

How do you fill them in? Does it always require a 2nd pour or can the top just be heated after the candle cools and then the melted wax will fill them in?

TIA!

Update: I was doing a test burn of the tumbler with the LX 24 this morning, and after 45 minutes half of the jar was black around the top. I didn't notice smoke wisps from this one like I did with the Eco, but apparently this issue isn't specific to that wick. I've used this FO & wax combo before...why the heck am I getting all this soot all of a sudden?

Wisps of smoke also mean soot deposits...

Stella, what does this mean and is there anything I can do about it?

Thanks again.

Thank you both for the replies. I do have some CDN's - 10, 12 & 14 I think, so I'll give the CDN 14 a try.

I'm using C-3 with no additives and 6% FO in a Madison Jar from Fillmore which has a 3" diameter. Eco 8 wicks perform really well in these with the exception of some occasional smoke wisps. I'm wondering how concerned I should be with this. The flame size is good, I am getting barely any mushrooming, and reaching FMP around the 2nd or 3rd burn, all of which seems great to me. I've also tried an LX 24 which has pretty decent performance, and does NOT produce smoke in this same wax/jar/FO combination, however, it does mushroom a lot.

Maybe I need to reduce the FO load? Would appreciate any feedback about this. Thanks.

Any good FO's you recommend from there. Also do you use their C-3 wax?

These are the FO's I've tested and can vouch for:

Honeysuckle

Caribbean Dreams

Mayan Gold

Oriental Musk

English Lavender

Cedar and Saffron

Ginger Lime

I have several others which I love in the bottle, but haven't had time to test yet. I can tell you that they test FO's very thoroughly before adding them to their line.

I'm still testing with both C-3 and 464, but trying my best to problem solve with C-3 so I can stick with it for the obvious reason of having a supplier just down the road. I did mention some of the issues I was having with it to Kim once when I went in to pick up an order and she was able to give me some helpful suggestions on how to work with it.

Good luck and have a safe trip to Lancaster.

-Jennie

The best shipping rates I've seen are CandleScience's. According to the site, they offer "Over 30% off the standard Hundredweight rate". It's also much easier to calculate shipping costs by just throwing things in your cart and entering your zip code. A lot of other sites make you go through most of the checkout process before you can see what the shipping cost is. HTH

Those who can pick-up wax at a supplier don't know how fortunate they are.

So true. Imagine my delight when I first started out and discovered that Fillmore is only 5 miles from my house!

This is a new container for me and hoped my tested "wick/jar" combination would work.

sisters - what wick are you using in this jar?

prepare my wicks by placing a small square of 3m mounting adhesive on each one

is this adhesive strong enough for candles that would be sold or only for testers?

Wicks will melt when exposed to the heat and not perform properly. IMHO

it's good to hear that someone else feels this way. there was a massive difference in wicks that had been in the warm oven.

I think you are warming your jars to too high a temperature. Are you using an oven thermometer to check the temp?

I think you're right. I'm using my toaster oven, and it really doesn't heat up at all if I set it lower than the "warm" setting, which is around 150. So, I'll have to find a way to knock that back to 100-110.

If an adhesive won't handle oven warming, I doubt it will keep its bond well enough to keep the wick tab sealed 100% of the time when the candle is liquid at the end of a candle.

The adhesives I've used (wick stick 'ems and hot glue) actually handle the warmer oven temp just fine, it's just that the wicks were performing differently - basically wilting toward the beginning of the burn. But, I'm going to switch to permatex anyway, just to be on the safe side.

It's too time consuming and stressful to wick after heating and just before pouring; I think it throws off your timing and temperatures.

Agreed.

Thanks for all the great information!

I'm new to this, but I usually warm jars in the oven, remove them, wick and pour. With the permatex and having to wick 12 hours in advance of pouring, is it still okay to warm jars in the oven? A while ago I tried wicking ahead of time in an effort to streamline my process, but I found that by putting the wicked jars in the oven, wick performance changed drastically and I speculated it was due to the wick coating melting off while I was warming the jars. Any thoughts?

What did I get myself into? LOL

Brilliant idea to start making candles

my thoughts exactly...

thanks for all the replies about this. much appreciated.

I just received a sample of Nag Champa from CandleScience last week and it smells EXACTLY like traditional incense.

http://www.candlescience.com/fragran...fragrance-oil/

HTH

oops, replied to the wrong post, sorry

Hi. I'm using this 9 oz. straight-sided jar from Fillmore: http://www.fillmorecontainer.com/Candles/9-oz-Straight-Sided-Jar-CT.htm

Once it burns down to about the halfway point, I get a very jumpy flame on every wick I've tried, including a few different sizes of Eco, LX, HTP and CDN. I've also burned them in several different locations to make sure it wasn't just a draft in a particular area. I like the size and look of this jar, but I'm wondering if there's just something about its shape that affects air movement and cause this unsteadiness. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

While it is normal and actually desirable for a soy candle to not make FMP during the first burn, usually by the second burn one sees a FMP.

Have you tried bumping up your wick size one step to see if that helps the burn without heating up the container too much during the last half of the candle?

Stella, what you said about not getting a FMP on the first burn really intrigues me. It seems like most of the information out there stresses achieving a FMP at all costs. Some of the results I've been happiest with in my test batches involve what most of these sources would probably consider under wicking. I've been on a quest for the perfect wick that would give me FMP while leaving the jar clean, but I think I'm going to revisit some of the smaller wicks and do some more testing in that range.

A plain unadulterated Presto Pot can be found at WalMart for $28. I make a lot of smaller batches so I just use mine to melt and store the base wax. Modifications are done in the pour pot.

what do you transfer the wax to? a metal pour pot or glass measuring cup? if so, do you warm that container before transferring the wax? I tried my Presto Pot for the first time recently, but had some issues because of the wax cooling significantly as soon as it hit the new container.