Not sure what I'm doing wrong and what to try next...

[mamacat]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on here and trying to make candles for about a year now, and am yet to make a successful candle. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. At first I started off with EcoSoya Advanced in votive jars thinking it would be a cost effective way to get the feel of things. I wasn't able to correctly wick plain wax using HTPs, ECOs, or CDs and I tried a few scents with no throw at all so I junked the Advanced and votive containers figuring they're too small to get a good throw anyway and the wax just isn't the best choice. So then I moved on to EcoSoya CB 135 and Libbey Status Jars with the wicks I had left. Once again I cannot figure out a good wick or get a decent scent throw. Here is my latest try:

EcoSoya CB135 with Brandied Pear from CS at 1oz/lb in a 3" diameter status jar, no dye, cured for 7 days, wick trimmed to 1/4" every 3 hr burn:

HTP62: MP didn't completely reach sides after three burns and it mushroomed every time. Very light scent above candle only, but without a full MP I wasn't worried about it. It was the largest HTP I had at the time so I had to end it there.

ECO6: There was a curl that burned a little off center. Each of the three burns gave a MP 1/8" deep on one side but left about 1/8" of wax on the other side of the glass. No mushroom. Scent was weak near candle.

ECO8: First burn: The flame was balling and mushrooming after an hour. The MP after 3 hours was about 3/8" deep but left wax on sides, and the scent was more fuelish or just non-existant. Second burn: Same balling flame, it took the wax off the sides but the MP only made it to 1/8" deep that time with no scent again. Big mushroom. Third burn only lasted an hour since the flame was just nuts and a huge mushroom was forming.

Took out the ECO8 and put in an ECO6 to see if there was something wrong with that jar. The ECO6 flame was fine, but the MP didn't make it to the sides of the jar, scent was there but very light above candle, no real throw though. I decided to just make a new one with more FO at that point and needed to order different wicks. I used the wax in my melter and it smelled strong and true, so now I'm thinking the fragrance load was fine but I already made the next candle.

EcoSoya CB 135 Brandied Pear with 10% FO load in 3" diameter status jar, no dye, cured 7 days, 3 hr burns:

LX16: MP only grew to 1/4" away from sides and started to tunnel after 3 burns. No scent throw at all. Small mushroom.

LX18: MP just reached about 1/8" away from the sides of jar but it mushroomed big time after 2 hours and the flame started balling. The scent throw was light just near candle but had more of a fuelish smell than true scent. I was thinking it was over-scented? The second burn had a large mushroom and needed trimmed after an hour and the flame was balling so I ended that burn. Maybe the LXs burn too hot?

HTP73: MP made it to 1/8" away from sides with a light throw near candle but smelled more perfumish than the last batch. After 3 burns it was obvious it wouldn't clear the sides. Small mushroom.

HTP83: The flame was balling and flickering while growing a mushroom quickly, had more of a fuelish scent just like the LX18. MP would just reach sides at the end of 3 hours. After 2 burns I gave up on it.

So now I'm not sure what to do next. Why are the wicks mushrooming and the flames balling but not creating a full melt pool? Do I continue to wick up? Wick down? Order new wick types? Is the problem too much FO? Should I try less than 1oz/lb even though that load barely gave a throw? Does the fact that it smelled good in a melter but no throw in the candle mean it's definitely a wick problem and not an issue with temps when I make them? In both sets I heated the wax to 180F, added FO at 150F and poured at 125F. Should I change any of those factors? Any advice is appreciated!

[moonshine]

10% FO is way to much for that wax and will cause wicking issues and mushrooming

I learned that the hard way thinking more is always better! Lol

I am not familiar with the status jar but the jar I use has a diameter of 3 also- I would wick up IMO those are to small for soy wax

With the LX try a 20 and a 22 with no more than 8.5% FO

With the HTP I would retry the 93 with lower FO and a 104

If your looking to try a new series Eco people have good luck with or CD- I like CD and would try starting at a 10

If you try 1.5 ounces FO per pound of wax that gives you roughly 8.5% fragrance load which can make a huge difference in wicking from 10% FO

I would add your FO higher as well- around 165-170- as far as pouring if your getting smooth tops I wouldn't change what your doing

And so you know brandied pear is a light scent in soy in my experience so you will probably not get a killer throw- you should be able to smell it but it likely will not fill your house

Edited February 8, 2014 by moonshine

[EmJean]

I use Ecosoya CB135 and add my FO at 180-185 to get a good hot throw. When I first started I was adding around 150 and could only smell the candle from right on top of it. I've been testing with ~6.7% FO (.50 oz FO / 7 oz wax) and have been getting better results than when I used 10% FO and added at 150.

[rjdaines]

When I was using this wax, CD wicks worked the best for me. For a unscented votive, a CD5 would work.

[mamacat]

Thank you SO MUCH for your help!!! I'll just melt these ones down to tarts and will let you know how the new ones go. I'm finally excited to try again, I was really losing hope there, thank you! :smiley2:

I'd like to try CDs again but shipping kills me from the suppliers I've found. I ordered the last ones from Wholesale Plus when they had candle stuff since they had a free shipping offer, now I've just been ordering from Peaks and CandleScience. (I'm in western PA if there's a nearby supplier I don't know about .)

[mamacat]

I want to thank you all again for your advice. I think my frustration was sending me down the path of things spiraling out of control (jumping from 6% to 10% FO load, etc.) and I may have ended up throwing in the towel since NGI's recommendations just weren't working for me at all! I started adding the scent at 180F and while I didn't see much improvement with the Brandied Pear and the HTP and LX wicks, I am sitting here smelling Oakmoss and Amber at 7% with a CD8 filling the room! The first time I've had a good scent throw! I found my old sample bag of CDs but they only went up to an 8, so I popped one in just to see how it burns. Unfortunately the supplier these came from doesn't offer them anymore so my next set may act differently, but I'm leaning toward CDs now and ordered a few sizes from Candlewic. My next tester will be the same scent with 6% load since I'm still getting some waving and mushrooms, but at least it's holding off until the middle of the jar to act up. One thing I would like to fix is the wick placement due to the curling of the CD, it's really putting my melt pool off center by about 1/4", leaving a good amount of hang up on one side but depth on the other. If I move the wick over it looks bad to me, like the candle wasn't made correctly. Still lots to figure out. But again, THANK YOU for getting me back on track, I really appreciate it!

[Barbara AL]

I like the cotton core wicks from Rustic Escentuals they burn straight up and don't lean to the side. I bet the 51-32-18 C would work in that 3 inch jar

http://rusticescentuals.com/Candle-Wicks/

Edited March 9, 2014 by Barbara AL

[SliverOfWax]

Regarding wicks, pick a wick supplier and stick with that supplier. All wicks are not created equal, even though they are the same type and size.

This supplier has a huge array of wicks from which to choose and they are in PA:

http://www.candlewic.com/candle-wicks/default.asp?title=Candle%20Wicks

[moonshine]

Regarding wicks, pick a wick supplier and stick with that supplier. All wicks are not created equal, even though they are the same type and size.

This supplier has a huge array of wicks from which to choose and they are in PA:

http://www.candlewic.com/candle-wicks/default.asp?title=Candle%20Wicks

Isn't that the truth....I learned the hard way- never assume one certain type is the same from a different supplier