RMullen99 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Hopefully I can explain my question here. A low melt point wax blend seems to always tunnel faster than spreading wider. Yes you can adjust the wick but it still tends to tunnel first. What makes a wax blend have a low melt point but dense enough that it will tend to melt wider instead of tunnel? Hope that made sense. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldGlory Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I am trying to figure out if your real question is simply 'how do I make my melt pool wider'.How deep is your container (how far from the top is the wax when you start)? How long are you letting it burn? How many times have you let it burn that long? Is there a draft near the candle? How long did you let the candle cure? Are you using dye? What type of wick are you using and what size? Which wax are you using? There are so many factors - it could be one factor or many factors combined. Pictures will help a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMullen99 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Hi Old Glory, sorry this was more of an experience over the years than an actual candle. For instance, if you make a candle with Soy121 it's so soft it tends to tunnel and the wax left on the outside circle will eventually melt and catch up. However, a candle like BBW melts quick side to side with very little tunneling at all. Their wax doesn't seem to hard at all but doesn't seem to tunnel either. I was curious if theres an additive that helps keep the melt point low but increases the wideness of the met pool but not the depth? Edited January 19, 2015 by RMullen99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldGlory Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Sorry for not understanding your question. I can't answer about an additive because I don't use them. Maybe someone else will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMullen99 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Sorry for not understanding your question. I can't answer about an additive because I don't use them. Maybe someone else will.no worries! Thanks for answering! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 How deep of a tunnel are you noting? 1/4 inch? 1 inch? There will always be a little depth around the wick of a freshly lit candle as it melts the fuel and sucks it up to the flame. That flame and heat widen the melt point eventually to increase the pool. If blowing out too soon you can train that tunnel to continue.My typical container is C3 soy in 8oz volume 3" wide 2" tall tins wicked with a CD12. They develop a wide MP without being very deep with most fragrances IMO/IME. Burning the usual 3 hours or so doesn't tunnel. There may be some hang up for the first half, but it catches up after the mid point, The MP gets much deeper as the container heats toward the bottom 1/3. The same container with a bigger wick but beeswax tunnels directly down every time. "harder" Waxes like BW and palm, IMO/IME tend to form a slight tunnel first when wicked well, and need a taller proportion to catch up than "softer" waxes. The only time i have seen either wax form a wide MP like container soy or paraffin was when really over wicked. As OG noted above, loads of things change the burn. Any additives can change the tin above. Some FO's cause the MP to fall way short of the full container width. Wood wicks sized right in the same C3/tin burns a very wide pool quickly, but then stall and burn more traditionally after the first hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Tunneling can also be the result of the way you burn the candle. To prevent or discourage tunneling you should always burn your candle for the same amount of hours as the candle's diameter. So if your candle is 3" in diameter, you will want to burn it for at least 3 hours or longer every time you burn it. Also, how long do you wait to burn your candle after its made? You should wait for at least 3 days or longer before you test burn your newly made candle. That is just to let it harden and to finish fully crystallizing. Your questions are hard to answer without more specific information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMullen99 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks everyone, like I said it was more from experience than anything else. A really low mp soy wax tunnels first that the sides start melting to catch up. But BBW seem to melt all the way out first than down. Was just curious if anyone can tell what the difference in wax. Though BBW say it's all Vegetable Blend, it seems harder than soy and they don't tunnel. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm betting its a parasoy blend. But that doesn't tell you much. There are many soy and paraffin waxes including blends of each. I'm not sure why you have it fixed in your head that a low MP wax tunnels. Tunneling can be the cause of so many things that without any info its hard to pinpoint why. Doesn't have to do with the MP of the wax as much as the design of the candle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMullen99 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hi Candybee, LOL it's funny I know what your saying but it's all perception. I have made candles for over 10 years and I've burned all kinds of waxes from IGI and Astor and some homemade blends. If you burn a soy candle, it melts down than out. BBW seems harder...it doesn't create that down effect at all....it just burns out to the edges. Yes that is very non technical but I have been doing this a longtime by myself with no technical advice so this is the best way I can explain it...sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 If you are having problems with your candles tunneling then you can get some advice from this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMullen99 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm not I have no problem with them. They burn fine..... I'm just trying to figure out what BBW wax is. Every soy based wax I tried, burns differently than how their wax melts. Mostly all the soy mixes go down just alittle bit than out to a full melt pool. BBW burns out, not down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 An all vegetable blend doesn't necessarily mean all soy either. There could be some sort of Palm, stearic, who knows what else, in a BBW candle. Also since they are a little harder than a normal 100% soy handmade candle would be, they could be blending pillar wax with container wax. Either way, they are all machine made and proprietary, so chances are we may never know. I've had a couple BBW candles, and with the exception of their votive(ish) size, none have burned well for me. (My dear mother, bless her heart, thinks that because I make candles, I must like candles, so buys them from outside sources to give them to me as gifts - sigh - she does mean well though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMullen99 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 An all vegetable blend doesn't necessarily mean all soy either. There could be some sort of Palm, stearic, who knows what else, in a BBW candle. Also since they are a little harder than a normal 100% soy handmade candle would be, they could be blending pillar wax with container wax. Either way, they are all machine made and proprietary, so chances are we may never know. I've had a couple BBW candles, and with the exception of their votive(ish) size, none have burned well for me. (My dear mother, bless her heart, thinks that because I make candles, I must like candles, so buys them from outside sources to give them to me as gifts - sigh - she does mean well though!)Yep I agree...was just hoping maybe we had a very technical chemist here that may shed some light on what we could add or mix to get close to that type of wax.....unfortunately, not many chemists are here maybe? I know Topof Murray Hill was really educated but haven't seen a post from him or her in a long time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldGlory Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Hi Candybee, LOL it's funny I know what your saying but it's all perception. I have made candles for over 10 years and I've burned all kinds of waxes from IGI and Astor and some homemade blends. If you burn a soy candle, it melts down than out. BBW seems harder...it doesn't create that down effect at all....it just burns out to the edges. Yes that is very non technical but I have been doing this a longtime by myself with no technical advice so this is the best way I can explain it...sorry.I use 464, Premier wicks, 6% FO load, heavy on the dyes, and these candles don't burn down and then out. 464 does have soy additives already blended by the manufacturer. I have no idea what the additives are and I'm sure Golden Brands won't give it up, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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