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soy wax turning blue when burned


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I normally use a parasoy blend for my scented candles but recently tried making a candle out of all soy and have experienced a peculiar issue that I normally don't run into. The wax is turning a blueish-green color when I burn it! I'll tell you exactly how I made this candle:

 

I melted 1 lb of GW 464 in an aluminum pour pot on a hot plate - the temperature of the hot plate was between 180 - 200 degrees F.

I used ECO wicks one was ECO 8 and the other ECO 10 (both changed colors).

I heated the wax to 180 and added 1 oz of clean cotton from candle science (flashpoint 212 +)

I let the wax cool to 150 and then added 0.5 oz nag champa from candle science (flashpoint ~ 150). The reason I did this is because I read that you can increase throw with soy if you add below the flashpoint, idk if this is true or not but I tried it bc I have issues with soy and throw. Total FO % = 9%

I let the wax cool to around 100 degrees before i poured to help with sinkholes, just until the wax was becoming cloudy (this helped me btw).

I let the candles cure for 2 weeks.

 

I've uploaded a picture so you can see what I'm talking about. The comparison candle (with white wax) is also GW 464, oakmoss and amber from candle science at 6%, added at 180 degrees F, using the same aluminum pour pot, and also using an ECO wick.

 

From what i've read elsewhere online (http://lolablueliving.com/11oz-Nag-Champa-Soy-Candle &  http://www.soycandleforum.com/content/my-wax-changing-color) it may be that the nag champa FO is to blame...

 

Have any of you had this problem with your nag champa soy candles??

 

post-15019-0-71447300-1439420573_thumb.j

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Guest OldGlory

Sorry, but I've never put Nag Champa in wax. How long after your burned it did you take the picture? How far from the bottom of the jar is it? And in the same jar at the same depth you do not get a blue-ish/green-ish hue?

Does the color bother you?

Excellent idea to post pics when you have questions, btw.

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 I read that you can increase throw with soy if you add below the flashpoint, idk if this is true or not 

 

 

I have no idea why your wax is blueish that is a weird phenomenon  - but I doubt the throw or the blue has anything to do with the flashpoint. 

Flashpoint is solely the temperature at which a fragrance will ignite when exposed to a spark or flame. 

 

I personally have not used Nag Champa in anything (can't stand the scent, so don't use it) so I have no idea if it could be that or not. It certainly could be though... 

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Sorry, but I've never put Nag Champa in wax. How long after your burned it did you take the picture? How far from the bottom of the jar is it? And in the same jar at the same depth you do not get a blue-ish/green-ish hue?

Does the color bother you?

Excellent idea to post pics when you have questions, btw.

I took this pic probably 20 hrs after i blew out the candle (the next day), but the color change was noticeable as soon as the wax started to harden again. The wax is still at the top of the jar. I've only burned it once for an hour or two. I thought that the blue glass jar might be playing tricks on me too however, there are two reasons why I don't think this is the case: 1) my comparison candle is burnt further down in this same glass and it still looks white, and 2) remember when I said I made two of these candles? well the other one was actually in an amber jar and it still has turned blue. So i don't think that it's the jar. It doesn't bother me but I am curious

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Flashpoint is solely the temperature at which a fragrance will ignite when exposed to a spark or flame. 

 

I figured as much. Natures garden has an article on their site suggesting to add below the flashpoint. Other suppliers say not to add below 180. Still some people say not to add fragrance above its flashpoint. Still other say that it doesn't matter. I don't really care at this point about flashpoint.

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Never seen soy change colors like that, I've had it turn a darker yellowish from the darker fragrance oils. What type of jar is that, it looks like a blue jar? Is it glass or something else?

  yes it is a cobalt blue glass jar (http://www.specialtybottle.com/cobaltblueglassjar9ozwstdblacklid.aspx). They are gorgeous but I just can't get the throw that I want from a jar this size. I wish they made them bigger.

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Have you tested a candle with only Nag Champa from your supplier?

The OP reads as if it was a blend. If you did blend then any number of chemical reactions with the other FO could occur.

Not all Nag Champa from every supplier is the same. I make a couple dozen NC soy candles a week and do not have that color change phenomenon.

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I've had it happen before and if I'm remembering correctly my supplier told me it was a reaction to the fo/wax combo I was using.  Mine turned a blue-green.  Unfortunately I've lost all my

notes from way back so can't check to see which fo it was.  I don't believe I used Nag Champa back then so chances are it's something in that blend.  I use C3 now but I did try all the GW waxes at one time,

I'm not sure which wax it happened with.  Not much help, sorry.

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  • 1 year later...
On 8/13/2015 at 9:32 AM, TallTayl said:

Have you tested a candle with only Nag Champa from your supplier?

The OP reads as if it was a blend. If you did blend then any number of chemical reactions with the other FO could occur.

Not all Nag Champa from every supplier is the same. I make a couple dozen NC soy candles a week and do not have that color change phenomenon.

I know this is an old thread, but I've tried 3 different Nag Champa FOs in a para-soy blend and they've all turned my wax blueish-green (only once the candle has been lit and cooled. Each time the candle is burned, the blue-green color intensifies). What brand of NC are you using that doesn't turn the wax blue-green? Thanks.

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15 minutes ago, AaronT said:

I know this is an old thread, but I've tried 3 different Nag Champa FOs in a para-soy blend and they've all turned my wax blueish-green (only once the candle has been lit and cooled. Each time the candle is burned, the blue-green color intensifies). What brand of NC are you using that doesn't turn the wax blue-green? Thanks.

In the past I used candlescience and never noticed a color change. Now I get it custom blended by a lab. 

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1 minute ago, TallTayl said:

In the past I used candlescience and never noticed a color change. Now I get it custom blended by a lab. 

Strange! CS is the first brand I tried, and it turned blue in the para-soy blend. Also tried Flaming Candle and Wellington, same result. Just to be sure, you've done a burn test with your nag candle and didn't have color shift after burning? Mine look perfectly white when first poured/cured.

 

Thanks for the info.

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Hi @AaronT, the Nag Champa from The Flaming Candle turns blue green in 6006 for me. Coincidently I was looking into buying NC from Candle Science today, as I have only tried Flaming's. I noticed lots of reviews on the CS website about their version of NC turning blue in wax as well, so I got discouraged, lol.

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