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Candle melters question


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I know that as candles age the scent increases. I also know that if you take a well-aged candle and melt the wax the scent reverts back to the strength it was when the candle was made. So, does that mean I don’t need to age candles if I want to use them on a melter?

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No. Not exactly right. Candles still need to cure and curing times can vary due to many factors such as the wax itself, fragrance and its components, wax additives, etc. If I melt an old candle down then yes the wax could smell just like the molten wax did the day I first poured it.

 

But we are also talking about burning a candle that's cured as opposed to an uncured one and that's not the same as putting the whole candle on a hot plate or wax melter. I haven't tried putting an uncured candle on a warmer plate so I can't say for sure it won't have the same hot throw as an uncured candle but I would be inclined to curing it just to be certain.

Edited by Candybee
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13 hours ago, Candybee said:

No. Not exactly right. Candles still need to cure and curing times can vary due to many factors such as the wax itself, fragrance and its components, wax additives, etc. If I melt an old candle down then yes the wax could smell just like the molten wax did the day I first poured it.

 

But we are also talking about burning a candle that's cured as opposed to an uncured one and that's not the same as putting the whole candle on a hot plate or wax melter. I haven't tried putting an uncured candle on a warmer plate so I can't say for sure it won't have the same hot throw as an uncured candle but I would be inclined to curing it just to be certain.

I feel a test coming on. The question came from an idea I had to combine quantities of wax and FO and age it to make candles later. TT said it wouldn’t work so I took a candle that was a year old and melted all of the wax and let it cool. As always TT was right. If I have got this right ageing changes the structure of the wax, but melting changes it back. Of course nothing is absolute in candle making, so there are probably things going on that I don’t understand. When I make candles I like to pour some wax in the bottom of a flat bottom tin to use on the melter as my den needs some extra fragrance due to the air currents. So I think I shall go melt some wax to test the effects of time and FO load on these melts.

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Not sure I understand the question... 

 

you want to take a candle and melt it on a hotplate? Or chunk out a bit of candle wax on a wax melter? Not light with a wick? 

 

If not lighting it, melting a bit of wax like a Scentsy melt has been similar in performance for me whether fresh or aged a bit. 

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6 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Not sure I understand the question... 

 

you want to take a candle and melt it on a hotplate? Or chunk out a bit of candle wax on a wax melter? Not light with a wick? 

 

If not lighting it, melting a bit of wax like a Scentsy melt has been similar in performance for me whether fresh or aged a bit. 

Well you have done now, I've been sitting home with nothing to do, out of wicks with no paycheck to buy more and just when I come up with a test that doesn't require wicks you go and burst my bubble, I'm only forgiving you because that is the answer I had hoped for🤣

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On 1/18/2019 at 5:33 PM, TallTayl said:

Yay (I think?)

 

the wick varible is the WORST variable. Setting a tin on a coffee mug warmer should act like a big giant wax melt. 

I agree, but after my Wax & Wick test I poured 16 8oz tins with different FOs. Those have been tested and I adjusted the wicks in six of those and started testing them today. Once I get the wicking right I plan to pour a year’s supply and cure them for 6-12 months. Of course candles that are cured that long need a larger wick, but I’m hoping that my house being well below normal temperature will counteract that. Of course all of this will have to wait until after government reopens and I can start spending money again.

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