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hi all, i'm new to candle making and have started using C3 wax. i'm having difficulties with the texture of my candles. i have been getting rough, uneven tops and cracking. i have tried almost every pouring temp between 120-165*F.  i have also tried not adding fragrance oil to see if it was causing the texture but they came out the same. at this point, i have no idea what is causing the texture. i would love to achieve smooth tops with C3 as it is the only wax my local supplier carries. please let me know if you have any advice.

also, has anyone been successful with HTP wicks and C3 wax? i am using 4oz and 8oz straight glass jars but all i get is tunneling. i also get poor glass adhesion even after pouring slowly. what could be the problem?

i've read many success stories with C3 but so far it has been a complete nightmare :((((((

 

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Welcome jfc.  I use C-3 although I'm currently taking a break from making candles for awhile.  I heat to 180 and pour between 175-180 and prefer premier wicks.  There are others on this board that use C-3 and have success with CD-CDN wicks and others that have success with different pouring temperatures.  There's a post on here where many were complaining that the C-3 wasn't performing as usual and that maybe the formula had changed.  Just keep on trying and don't give up. 

 

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2 hours ago, earthfriendly said:

Welcome jfc.  I use C-3 although I'm currently taking a break from making candles for awhile.  I heat to 180 and pour between 175-180 and prefer premier wicks.  There are others on this board that use C-3 and have success with CD-CDN wicks and others that have success with different pouring temperatures.  There's a post on here where many were complaining that the C-3 wasn't performing as usual and that maybe the formula had changed.  Just keep on trying and don't give up. 

 

hi, thank you for your response. i will definitely keep trying. do you get smooth tops pouring at 175-180? i get sinkholes when I pour too high.

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C3 is horrible about cavities ifnpoured too hot or cooled too fast. Absolutely the WORST (well, 444 is right up there too).

 

heres a thread that offers a few suggestions for cooling.

 

aside from that, rapid cooling in the pour pot, and pouring as cool as possible eliminates most of the common hazards. 

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13 hours ago, earthfriendly said:

Welcome jfc.  I use C-3 although I'm currently taking a break from making candles for awhile.  I heat to 180 and pour between 175-180 and prefer premier wicks.  There are others on this board that use C-3 and have success with CD-CDN wicks and others that have success with different pouring temperatures.  There's a post on here where many were complaining that the C-3 wasn't performing as usual and that maybe the formula had changed.  Just keep on trying and don't give up. 

 

I use this same formula (though heat to 185). Pour hot and use premier wicks. Smooth tops most of the time!

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As you can see you are going to get different responses, this is why we all have to do our own tests.   6% fo is about the max you can use in C3.  Your ambient temperature and humidity plays a huge factor in soy wax for sure.  I use C3, I heat to 200 due to adding USA to my wax.  I turn down my melter and put into pots at 185 with the fo in the pot, it drops at least 5 degrees just in pouring.  I have to let mine cool to cloudy which is somewhere between 110-120 degrees before I pour.  Usually it's smooth but if not I heat gun the tops.  Cracking occurs typically because it's not cooling evenly so try putting something over the candles while they cool.

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i have tried pouring at a lower temp 110F but got cracking and terrible glass adhesion even after pouring slowly and warming the jars.

any tips for even cooling in jars? do you use a cooling rack or a warm surface?

i’m going to try pouring at 175F today and see what happens. my environment varies between 68-72F so it is colder than room temp.

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1 hour ago, StanfordP said:

I use this same formula (though heat to 185). Pour hot and use premier wicks. Smooth tops most of the time!

hi stanfordp, do you ever get sinkholes pouring this high? what is your cooling process like?

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2 hours ago, jfc said:

hi stanfordp, do you ever get sinkholes pouring this high? what is your cooling process like?

I pour hot, and wait until the last minute to put wick holders in place. I also do t use metal wick holders. The metal cools the top faster (resulting in sink holes). You’re ambient room temp should also be above 68. And, I place my jars about an inch apart. That way the heat stays trapped between the units, and they cool together. Sink holes are inevitable. But, it’s all about the thermodynamics if the wax. Reduce the heat fluctuations and you’ll reduce your sinkholes. Good luck!

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hi everyone, pouring at 170-175 F solved my texture problem. my room temp is 67F so pouring hotter helped! 

 

now i have to figure out how to cool evenly! i am using a cooling rack at the moment. i notice the center takes the longest to cool which is why i'm getting cracks but when i cover the candles, i get sinkholes. any tips?

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On 12/15/2018 at 6:56 PM, jfc said:

hi everyone, pouring at 170-175 F solved my texture problem. my room temp is 67F so pouring hotter helped! 

 

now i have to figure out how to cool evenly! i am using a cooling rack at the moment. i notice the center takes the longest to cool which is why i'm getting cracks but when i cover the candles, i get sinkholes. any tips?

I don't find using a cooling rack helps much. One thing I've started doing more recently is (especially in larger containers) pouring a small amount of wax to fill about an inch at the bottom. Once I notice it starting to cool and turn white, then I fill the container. That first "pour" sets the foundation for the rest of the wax to cool evenly. Ideally, you want the bottom to start cooling before the top. In my 14+ ounce containers, I don't run into issues using that technique. All in all, adds about a minute to the pouring process--not a bad tradeoff for even cooling!

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13 hours ago, StanfordP said:

I don't find using a cooling rack helps much. One thing I've started doing more recently is (especially in larger containers) pouring a small amount of wax to fill about an inch at the bottom. Once I notice it starting to cool and turn white, then I fill the container. That first "pour" sets the foundation for the rest of the wax to cool evenly. Ideally, you want the bottom to start cooling before the top. In my 14+ ounce containers, I don't run into issues using that technique. All in all, adds about a minute to the pouring process--not a bad tradeoff for even cooling!

That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing. 

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16 hours ago, StanfordP said:

I don't find using a cooling rack helps much. One thing I've started doing more recently is (especially in larger containers) pouring a small amount of wax to fill about an inch at the bottom. Once I notice it starting to cool and turn white, then I fill the container. That first "pour" sets the foundation for the rest of the wax to cool evenly. Ideally, you want the bottom to start cooling before the top. In my 14+ ounce containers, I don't run into issues using that technique. All in all, adds about a minute to the pouring process--not a bad tradeoff for even cooling!

I wonder if this would work for smaller containers without leaving a line in the wax.  Say, fill jars half way, cool, then finish filling.

GoldieMN

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It's worth a try as I've been have huge sink holes all fall. I've tried pouring at every temperature from 170 down to 105, with no difference. I get better adhesion when i pour around 150 though. Didn't really matter if I heated jars or not.

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On 12/17/2018 at 1:22 PM, GoldieMN said:

I wonder if this would work for smaller containers without leaving a line in the wax.  Say, fill jars half way, cool, then finish filling.

GoldieMN

 

I don't let the wax cool completely, so there shouldn't be a line. But, any time you do a double pour, the odds of sinkholes reduces significantly.

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On 12/16/2018 at 7:53 PM, StanfordP said:

 Ideally, you want the bottom to start cooling before the top. 

If this is the case, why does cooling jars on a cold surface cause so many problems for people?  I'm not arguing with you; just trying to get some things straight in my head.  

GoldieMN

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3 hours ago, GoldieMN said:

If this is the case, why does cooling jars on a cold surface cause so many problems for people?  I'm not arguing with you; just trying to get some things straight in my head.  

GoldieMN

Because the cold surface sucks the heat out of the bottom of the container making the wax shrink abnormally quickly which causes holes.

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On 12/16/2018 at 5:53 PM, StanfordP said:

I don't find using a cooling rack helps much. One thing I've started doing more recently is (especially in larger containers) pouring a small amount of wax to fill about an inch at the bottom. Once I notice it starting to cool and turn white, then I fill the container. That first "pour" sets the foundation for the rest of the wax to cool evenly. Ideally, you want the bottom to start cooling before the top. In my 14+ ounce containers, I don't run into issues using that technique. All in all, adds about a minute to the pouring process--not a bad tradeoff for even cooling!

 

tried this and still got sinkholes and cracking. maybe i'm pouring too hot for the second pour.  what is your pouring temp on the first "pour" and the second "pour"?

 

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On 12/18/2018 at 7:47 PM, StanfordP said:

 

I don't let the wax cool completely, so there shouldn't be a line. But, any time you do a double pour, the odds of sinkholes reduces significantly.

 

Good news, I didn’t get any lines.

@stanfordp: what is your pouring temp for the second “pour”?

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On 12/20/2018 at 3:00 PM, jfc said:

 

Good news, I didn’t get any lines.

@stanfordp: what is your pouring temp for the second “pour”?

Hmm... Probably around 145ish? Honestly, I don't go off the temp of the un-poured wax. I judge what the poured wax looks like in the container.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Try controlling the temp in your pouring enviroment. I work in a heated 79 degree room ( huge radiator) and it makes pouring C3 easy.

its a constant temp. Try and warm up your area before pouring. Try heating your glass as well. Take notes. I had the hardest time with the wax but now I love it. It’s practice pouring it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sometimes cracking and sinkholes comes from the diameter of the glass container. Wide container are easier to pour the skinnier narrow ones can be problematic. Write notes. Try four tester and pour five degrees apart for each one. Five degrees can be the difference between great candle and a bad one. Just make sure while testing all variables are the same. Ambient room temp, cooling temp.

Is your room temp the same when the candles cool? If you have a jump in temp especially from warm to cool you will get cracks.

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Htp wicks work with c3

You should wait at least 45 to an hour to see if wick burns wax across.

If you get tunneling then you need to go up one two or three wicks. It’s a pain in the neck to test but test you must do.

 

pour two candles without wicks, then use a skewer after they are solid and make wick hole. Put test wick in. Burn 45 minutes plus.

use a label on candle so you don’t forget what wick you’re trying. If a wick doesn’t work out. I cross off the name, write new wick on label and then do another test burn.

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  • 1 year later...

I know this an old post but I am after some help with wicking C3 wax. I am using 20cl glass containers, and fragrance at 6% I have tried CD and ECO wicks but they are all flickering too much for my liking. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

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