MissGamble Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hi guys! I have some general questions for you guys as a newbie. Sorry if there are posts on these already (I'm sure there are) but I couldn't find anything during my initial search for answer. I just started making soy candles a few weeks ago. I'm making them to sell as part of the merchandising branch of a family business and need them to be professional (not smell totally synthetic or like like crap lol). Currently I am shopping exclusively at Candle Science and using their FO and their GB464 wax, pouring into the little tin containers. I am using the recommended wick size per container, per the type of soy wax I'm using (so I think I have that down okay) I'm using the following formula for basically each candle... 12% FO (max fo), a little bit of the dye chips for color, mixing FO @ 185 per recommendations from reviews on the website, and pouring around 150-160 per recommendations from reviews on the website. I have tried using glass thermometers but nothing other than digital has been able to work so far. Only the digital will record the heat fast enough so I know when it REACHES 185, not reads 185 but is really like 240!!! I should also note that I'm trying to create some custom scents by blending some EO in with the FO (i.e. Nag Champa with a little Tea Tree EO). So far I have had literally one candle that had a good hot and cold throw. That was with the CS Very Vanilla. I'm not sure if the EO is throwing it off or what, but I also poured a Driftwood CS FO candle that had no mixed in EO (100% driftwood FO) and that one had great cold throw but meh hot throw. I now know that it is not JUST the mixing of EO+FO that is where I'm going wrong.... On top of most candles not having a good HT (even though CT on most is great), I have some bizarre looking candle mid-burn. Once cooled, there is very little frosting (yay) and no sinkholes yet (more yay), but after I would burn a candle for a while to test HT and then blow it out, once cooled it looked very strange. The surface was kind of chunky (almost druzy like) and there were little cavities (sinkholes?) and almost like little creases pointing outwards from the wick. (I attached a picture to help!) Thanks for all the help!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 My only suggestion would be try lowering your scent load. 12% is a lot of scent and in a quality candle, that much should not be needed, not to mention that it could be the very reason you are not having a good throw. Sometimes too much scent will overload, clog or any number of reasons not to throw. In soy, (which I don't use so this is just a guess until the soy users come around) I would start with either 6-8% fragrance load and work from there. Also, let your candle cure after pouring for at least a week before test burning. This will help with the throw as well. The look of your candle after burning for a while is indicitive of soy. Every soy candle I've burned (gotten from other soy makers) have had that bumpy weird look after blowing the candle out. It's just aesthetic and nothing wrong with the candle itself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGamble Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thank you so much for the tips! Yeah I figured I would max out at the scent load because it would be stronger (seemed to make sense) but when I saw people talking about 4% and such I wondered if I was way over-doing it. The info about the 1 week cure time is helpful too. Thanks a ton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldGlory Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Yep, that's what the top of a burned soy wax candle looks like- and there are some other variations depending on the type of soy you are using. Embrace it.I agree that you may be using too much FO, and not waiting long enough to burn them. So many reasons you may not be able to smell them actually, but that's a good place to start.Remember, your goal is to make a SAFE, good smelling and clean burning candle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 With a few weeks under your belt, you're on to a good start. My biggest suggestion is to cut that fragrance load. 6-8% should be more than enough when you have the rest tweaked. You will find that not one single wick brand or size works for all combinations of fragrance. First get the candle burning well and properly with no additives. Tins are a little challenging because of how they conduct heat, plus the short height does not get to create current til the very end. By the end those containers can get scorching hot. Then try a fragrance and dial that in. Then start playing with color. Every little change can have a very big effect. Then let those candles cure for a week, sometimes two, before lighting. 464 needs a fair amount of cure time to throw to its best. I started many moons ago with CS recommendations. Took months to test and realized i just did not care for that soy, container or wick combo. The final piece of advice is to give yourself plenty of time. A candle that appears ok today changes over the coming weeks or months, especially soy wax. Don't skimp on the testing. Chandlery is not a week long craft to master. Good luck to you! Once you "get it" candle making is totally fun and rewarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) Lots of good suggestions in this thread. Curing with soy is important. You will find with experience that some FOs take just a few days while others may take 2,3, or even 4 weeks to cure before you get a good HT. Then again, some FOs may just not throw at all in your wax and candle configuration. So the only way to find out is through testing. EOs can be mastered in candles but takes a lot of experience. A lot of folks wanting 'all natural candles' try using EOs to scent them and eventually give up. EOs do not work particularly well in soy or any candle. I have only known a few chandlers that have been able to master working with EOs in their candles but only after they first mastered working with FOs in their candles. If you can't get a FO to throw putting EOs in your candles is not the way to go. IMO wicking is your first priority, then your scent throw comes next. Not all FOs will take the same wick but knowing which wicks work in your wax will help you later on when you start working with different FOs. Like others have mentioned the bumpy surface is typical of soy. You can either embrace that or try different additives. Edited May 14, 2015 by Candybee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) One thing I've found that helps tremendously with that issue is to temper (for lack of a better word) your wax. So you heat your wax with any additive (not fo or dye) and you let it cool completely to hardand then remelt it and make your candles. I usually just fill my presto pots as soon as I'm done pouring for the day and let it melt while I'm cooling my scented wax to pour. By the time I'm done, the wax isall melted and I can turn off the prestos for my next day of pouring. I also use a little Universal Soy Additive to every batch of wax. Edited May 14, 2015 by kandlekrazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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