help.......should HT in container candle be similar to HT in tart warmer???

[dantem]

Hello all.  I'm totally hooked I'm fairly new to candle making (3 months) and have learned so much from this forum within the past month, you guys have no idea how much you help people just starting out.  I had made a soy candle;

 

(c3 naturewax, only wax I use)

8 oz. jelly jar

 wicked it with ECO 6, cd 12 and 44-24-18 to test. 

1 oz. FO pp wax

added FO at 180 degrees and poured in to jj at 150 degrees.

I didn't add any dye and waited for it to cure about 2 weeks. 

 

The candle looked wonderful, no cracks, wick was centered, I got some wet spots on the container but from what see, that's to be expected.  The ct was wonderful (lemongrass) but I was somewhat upset at the ht....... On a hunch, I scooped out the soy wax (very soft) and melted it in my tart warmer.  Inside of 30 minutes, my home smelled like a lemon orchard. (lol). 

 

I realize that HT varies according to diameter size of container, so comparing my jj (2.5 inches in diameter) to a tart warmer, (3 inches) isn't a good comparison, but the HT should be somewhat similar.

 

My questions; Should I expect a candle to give off the same ht as a tart warmer and what other wicks should I be testing to achieve the best HT?

Thanks everyone!!!!

[Trappeur]

Hello Dantem,

 

For that wax in a jelly jar I use either an htp 93 or 104.

 

In CD's I use a cd 10.

 

Now I cure all my candles for 2 weeks.  How long did you let yours cure for?

 

You did great with everything you did!

 

Trappeur

[dantem]

Hi Trappeur,

 

 I let them cure for about 10 days.  I thought that would give it enough time.  I have seen on other posts that soy can take up to a month to be ready for optimum HT.  But if that was the case, wouldn't the HT be not as powerful in the tart warmer also?

 

Also, thanks for the wick tips, I'm ordering a sample pack and can't wait to test them out.  (im like a kid on xmas eve, can't wait for the mail to get new wicks.)

[Guest OldGlory]

Just my thoughts:

You didn't mention how long you gave the burning candle to produce a HT. In my experience, candles take a bit longer to fill a room with fragrance than melts. You did mention that it only took 30 minutes to get a great HT which is AWESOME!

Most of my candle customers are NOT melt customers, and vice versa. Candle buyers want the experience of a flickering flame, the romance, the whole visual experience and the fragrance. Melt buyers was a quick HT. I think it's ok for a candle to take a while longer. Give your candle a few 3 hour test burns and see if you don't get a similar HT.

[dantem]

Hi OldGlory,

 

Thank you very much for the feedback.  I have to go back and look at my notes. (another good thing I got from this forum, notetaking)  I want to say that I did burn it for 3 hours in a medium sized room (a 3 on 0 to 5 scale with 5 being best).  I tried a small bathroom and the HT was good.  (4 on 0 to 5 scale).  I'm sure it was due to the size of the small bathroom. the mp was a little more than I would have like with the cd 12 and will try to wick down to cd 10.

 

I also love the experience of the flame, than you very much for the advice.  I will re-test with 3 hour test burns and ask for a relative/friend to test for their feedback.  

[TallTayl]

The smell will be different on each. I find the melts to give a more true scent of the fragrance or essential oil. In a candle the combustion changes the scent. If using essential oil in a candle often the scent will distort somewhat since they are not designed to be burned as candle fragrance oils are.

[dantem]

Thanks for the lesson Tall Tayl.  Very much appreciated.

[Candybee]

I always get a stronger scent and in just a minute or two using an electric tart warmer. Candles always take longer and generally don't smell as strong as the tarts using the same fragrance and type wax.

 

Remember that a melt or tart will melt fairly quickly in the warmer creating a full melt pool in the warming bowl. This is how it releases its scent. With a candle, you have to wait for the melt pool to grow to release the scent plus the melted wax is not being heated other than its proximity to the flame.

[TallTayl]

If it was all just a out the melt pool any old wick would work the same, no? The burning of the actual wax fuel plus the scent need the right temp and characteristics of the wick to release fragrance efficiently.

Plus, i have had amazing throw from very little to no MP with various waxes. Palm container wax, for instance, weeps into the general area of the wick, combusts and releases lots of scent with very little wick compared to soy. And a few tea lights with the right wick, wax and scent fragranced half of my house with less than 1/4" melt pool depth.

I think it is more than just what first meets the eye

[chuck_35550]

Well maybe I'm doing this all wrong but my melts have a much higher fragrance oil percentage than my candles (6-7% for candles and 8-10% for melts) with the trade-off being that melts don't last as long as candles but deliver the stronger fragrance in a shorter period of time. No? I get 8 to 16 melts per pound of wax instead of 2 8 oz candles per pound, which my math gives me a slight profit edge from melts. I just don't sell as many melts.

 

Steve