Curing candles...what evaporates? What happens?

[Testing123]

Hello I have a question regarding candle curing. I used to make soap and let it cure because the water had to evaporate. But with candles what evaporates? And is it best to leave candles uncovered to aid in this process? Thanks

[ncraiders]

I could be wrong as i am new to candles but from what i understand.  Curing is mainly to allow the handle to harden and for you to allow the scent to  be as strong as possible.  Different wax and scent combinations can take different amounts of time to cure properly for best scent.  Some take a few days other s can take months for best scent.  There is not evaporatioon that i know of in candles.  just cooling and hadening.  I leave mine uncovered till i have enough of the wax hardened on top to allow the wick to stay straight then i trim the wick just enough to get the lid on till it fully cures.  this helps me keep dust out of them.

[kandlekrazy]

I'm no scientist for sure but what I've read is the "cure" or "aging" time has to do with the molecular structure of wax, that we cannot see with our eyes.  Soy seems to be the pickiest as far as cure time.  Add the fo component and it changes.

[Paintguru]

Not that I deny something happens, but from a pure physics standpoint, I have a hard time figuring out what could possibly happen during curing.  Once the wax solidifies, there shouldn't be any additional molecular motion.  I could see something happening to the FO before I can see something happening to the wax itself.  

 

I did find some papers and the referenced dissertation on the crystallization of waxes, but again, this should all change during the primary cooling process, not the "aging" process.  

 

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=6139&context=etd

Edited May 11, 2018 by Paintguru

[Faerywren]

I'm not sure what happens, but something does.I have some fragrances that just do not want to throw without a cure time, and I use parasoy. Someone told me once that there is moisture present in the wax that evaporates over time. 

[lenarenee]

Just an FYI , curing soapint only about water evaporation.  Soap isn't really a solid, there are crystals and liquid that are constantly moving around and restructuring.  This goes on for months, perhaps forever,  but I don't know for sure.

[Jcandleattic]

On 5/10/2018 at 11:38 PM, Testing123 said:

Hello I have a question regarding candle curing. I used to make soap and let it cure because the water had to evaporate. But with candles what evaporates? And is it best to leave candles uncovered to aid in this process? Thanks

Nothing "evaporates" when curing a candle. And I'm not sure exactly if it's a chemical reaction going on or what kind of reaction is happening, but there is something. 

Same with soapmaking - curing is MUCH MUCH more than just the evaporation of liquid. It's a whole chemical reaction happening during that initial 4-6 week cure time.