Glass adherance Help

[craftimade]

Hi all, first time poster here. Just got my account activated today so it's great to finally be here.

I have been making candle melts for a few months now and sell them online and at the local markets and they are selling really well. However my jars have some work before I can sell them.

If you notice in the photo attached on the left and right sides the candle wax has come away from the glass.

I used C-Soy Wax with some colour dye and fragrance.

I have tried a number of different ways to do this with the same result.

- Heated the glass up to the temp of the wax then made the candle.

- Non heated glass

- No Fragrance

- No colour

Maybe it's the glass I'm using?

Hope you can help me out with this because I'm stuck and would really love to get these on the market. I have sold some to friends as they don't care about, but if it goes into a shop then I need it better.

Thanks

-Dean

[ksranch]

It's not the glass... it's called "wet spots" and if you do a search you'll find many threads discussing them and the majority will conclude that only us perfectionists care about them, not the public - so long as everything else with the candle is perfect. That said.. question... you've only been making melts/candles for a few months and are already selling?

[craftimade]

I had been selling only clam shell melts at the markets. But I had sold some full candles (like cotton candy - above) to family and friends. I tried about 20 candles to start with and tested wick sizes, colors and fragrances.

Im not a pro candle maker by any means, but things just seem to work and everyone comes back for more. I must be doing something right.

I just wanted to fix this "wet spots".

[rjdaines]

Wet spots are the result of several things; the fact that glass and wax expand and contract in very different amounts and that there are temperature fluctuations. Heating the glass before pouting (a pin I think) is the best method for avoiding wet spots. In theory, heating the glass causes it to expand, you pour in the wax into the expanded jar, and then cool. AS the wax cools it will shrink but the glass is also shrinking, so not wet spots. Well, nice theory but it ultimately depends on how much your wax will shrink and the cooler the temps, the more it will shrink. Air conditioning can be a cause, drafts while cooling. Transporting candles during the winder or a outside display, will all cause more wet spots.

A lot of us don't worry about them any more, most customers don't seem to care.

[chuck_35550]

Warming the jars and then covering in a box with blankets, slows down the cooling process. If the glass is room temperature or even cold then the wax begins to solidify on the outside (like a candy shell) and then as the rest of the wax begins to cool and solidify-it shrinks-pulling the wax away from the glass wall. It's kind of pointless this time of year but you can try several additives to change the molecular composition of the wax. I think your candles look great and love your labels and overall look. You seem to be doing your homework. Some folks swear by coconut oil (wally world) 1tsp to 1tbp pp of wax and others use petrolatum at about the same rate per pound of wax. HTH

Steve