My soy candles won't harden.

[Courtney]

I just started making soy candles. I'm using 100% soy wax. So today I'm making them. I made 5 batches that turned out beautifully. But my last three are completely cooled down but only the center of them hardened. I didn't do anything different I actually put less dye flakes in them than the others. I don't know what went wrong. Any tips you can give me? All 9 candles look like the one below.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Courtney
Misspelled

[TallTayl]

What wax? Where from? What fragrance and what vendor? 

 

Have you contacted the supplier to troubleshoot?

[Courtney]

I used 415 soy from golden brands, I got it from Amazon and I used barrier reef, Caribbean escape and Honolulu sun from eternal essence. I made others with the same things and they turned out great.

[TallTayl]

Not familiar with those fragrances. Could be measurements were off, or temps were not ideal for the batch of wax, or the fo may not be compatible with the wax. Could be a lot of things.

 

to narrow down, make one more of a failed scent. Take good notes of your temps and stir exceptionally well. 

 

How do you heat your wax? D you take temps?

 

 

[Courtney]

I use a double boiler and I definitely keep a check on the temp the entire time. I will try another batch and see what happens. 

[Kerven]

How much of the oil are you using per pound of wax? Maybe too much was used by accident?

Did you open a new bag of wax for the failed batches? I'm wary these days of things from Amazon. Was the wax sold by a reputable vendor?

I can't tell from the picture whether the outer part is soft and gel-like or if there's something on the surface. Is it soft and slushy or gelled?

I don't think it's a moisture problem.

Check the bottoms of your successful candles, if you can, to see if any of the FO has come out of the wax and pooled at the bottom.

 

I took a peek at the Eternal Essence Oils site and noticed a picture on their about page that showed an oil warmer. They also promote the oils' use in cosmetics, laundry, sprays, and such but no mention of use in candles. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that their oils aren't entirely candle compatible and may be cut with something like dipropylene glycol or carrier oils. Their usage page somewhat confirms this by suggesting that the oil be applied to the candle surface near the wick before lighting. The heat from the flame will warm the oil, allowing it to drift away (not the safest use of FO, IMO).

[Courtney]

It was marketed on Amazon for use in candle making and it was my first time buying anything for candle making so I didn't really think to check reviews. But the outside of the candles was completely liquified and not slushy at all. It was also from the same bag of wax as the others. I used a heat gun and reheated it a bit and it hardened up after that. I made the first few batches in the morning when it was cooler and the other around midday and it was like 90 degrees in the house so I'm thinking the temperature also played a part in it as well. But I only used 1 ounce of FO per pound for all batches and I've had none seepe out so far.

[birdcharm]

Have you made one without using any fragrance oil?  I'm thinking the oil might be the problem, but you won't be able to tell unless to try one without it, or make one using another brand of f/o completely.

 

[Kerven]

What size candle is that and is that a glass container?

When you say the outside of the candle, do you mean against the sides of the container or that darker ring of wax? If it's a glass container and it appears wet on the sides, that may be what we call "wet spots". In most cases, that's the wax separating from the glass. Temperature is the common culprit but some waxes do it regardless. Using a heat gun fixes that... usually. Other than wet spots, I'm drawing a blank on what could have caused the outside of the candle to remain liquid but set up after a reheating.

[Courtney]

It's a 8 oz metal tin and the darker ring was completely liquid and set up with a little layer of what looked and felt like granulated wax in some spots. They're all solidified now. So I guess I'll have to keep an extra close eye on my next batch in case it happens again.

[birdcharm]

The texture issue ... a little grainy in appearance seems to be normal (at least for me) when I was using 415 (now Akosoy 5715-00-77) ... even if some of mine were smooth after pouring, they would get a bit pebbled-looking after burning, along with some frosting.  It could be that your candles needed to cure and you only saw this difference in appearance due to the dye.  Since this wax is 100% soy with no additives, it has a different "personality" than some of the other ones and I found that if I added a pinch of stearic acid, it behaved a little nicer. 

 

As for a double-boiler, I'm not sure everyone uses one with this wax, and I do not, just an electric burner on a low setting.  Also, since this is a soy-only wax, you have to let it cool down to about 100dF before pouring (make sure to stir once again at that point.)  Your color is pretty, like a fluorescent red dragonfly I saw the other day.  

[TallTayl]

Graining is from a slow rate of cooling. Sounds like the temp at pouring was on the high side, and the ambient temp was warm, slowing the cool down.