alipica

Thank you both for the advice! I've been using about 5% fo in my wax. 464 can take a lot more, but I thought it was too strong when maxed. I usually mix it in at 185. It's pretty hot during the day here so I may end up trying to pour at night so the candles can cool faster. I'll try different dimensions and pour temps and see what happens. Thanks again!

Hello, I'm new to this forum, but very glad I found it! I've just started making soy container candles using the Golden Brand 646 wax. I've been having trouble getting the surface of the candles smooth on my tall 2"(w) x 7"(h) candles. The candles sometimes cool normally (smooth with sink holes). I fill the sink holes, but the surface of the candle is not smooth after that. I've read that many people have success with a heat gun for smoothing the candle surface, but for me this only seems to frost the surface and make it bumpy (almost granulated looking). I thought that maybe I wasn't mixing the fragrance oil in well enough, but I've also had trouble with non-scented, non-dyed candles also. I've also noticed that after a few days of sitting the candle has a lay of liquid on top. I originally thought this was oil that wasn't mixed in properly, but after further testing, I think that it might be moisture from the double boiler. I've considered doing a double pour to smooth the tops, but when container wax is layered at 135 degrees into a clear glass, it leaves a visible line. My questions are: Is it normal to need to mix the wax fragrance in for 5-10 minutes? Do heat guns damage the surface more than they fix it? How do you deal with smoothing out the surface? Is it common for moisture to get into the wax from a double boiler? I could really use some advice for how to fix this. I've tried so many variations on using the heat gun on high and low settings, up close 1.5' away etc. I've gotten to the point where I've stop using it because it just makes things worse. Please let me know if I forgot any information. Again, I'm new to all this so please have patience!