Lids on or off

[ruralers]

When you "cure" your candles, do you prefer to have your jar lids on or off?  Has anyone experimented with this?  Thanks!

[Laura C]

1 hour ago, ruralers said:

When you "cure" your candles, do you prefer to have your jar lids on or off?  Has anyone experimented with this?  Thanks!

 

Hi @rurales. I have not done specific experiments for this but I just generally put the lids on after they have hardened and are cool to the touch. My candles usually turn out great and have great c&h scent throw. I wonder if putting lids on while they are still liquid and warm would prevent sink holes and avoid a 2nd pour. I've been meaning to try that. It will be interesting to see the responses you get.

[Candybee]

Same here. Put the lids on usually the same day after the wax has cooled enough I can handle the jar and the wax is solid.

[Kerven]

Depends on whether or not I'm using lids. If I am, then, yes. I allow it to set, trim the wick, pop the lid on. Then, I either slap on a label and box it or put it in a box (the same box the glassware came in) to cure and label afterward. Can't say that I've noticed a difference in cure with or without lids. Most of the changes that I see with the candle after pouring occur during the initial hardening. For me, having lids on during the cure is purely convenience. One less step later on.

[ruralers]

Thanks for your replies!  I was wondering if curing candles had anything to do with evaporation.  A lidded candle would obviously decrease evaporation and I am wondering if that is a good or bad thing.  I am probably over thinking it, but wow there is so much to think about when making candles.  

[barbaranj]

I don’t  trim my wicks until the wax hardens...cannot put the lid on it right after pouring.

But when I zap the candle with a heat gun to fill in sink holes, I immediately put the lid on...it seems to help get a smooth result.  

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by barbaranj

[Laura C]

3 hours ago, ruralers said:

...but wow there is so much to think about when making candles.  

 

You got that right, LOL. As just a regular candle consumer, I had no idea what all went into making a great candle until I started making candles myself. I have a lot of respect for people that have been doing this successfully and for a long time. 

[Jcandleattic]

21 hours ago, ruralers said:

Thanks for your replies!  I was wondering if curing candles had anything to do with evaporation.  A lidded candle would obviously decrease evaporation and I am wondering if that is a good or bad thing.  I am probably over thinking it, but wow there is so much to think about when making candles.  

Since candles are made with wax and fragrance, there is nothing to evaporate, so no, it has nothing to do with evaporation. I think you are thinking of a scent fading. And the cold throw may fade a very tiny bit without a lid on it for the very short time it's curing, however, not enough to probably even detect. And the hot throw shouldn't be affected at all with or without a lid during cure. 

[TallTayl]

I lid as soon as the candles are complete, meaning wicks trimmed, tops leveled if needed, etc.  this is more for space limitations and to keep the tops clean than anything else. But yes, some evaporation takes place that I wish to trap to enhance customer experience when shopping for my candles. 

 

Scented candles  DO emit volatile compounds (evaporate). Fragrance “oils” travel through pockets between wax molecules, especially at first as the wax is forming the main crystal structures. Think about how potent, often overwhelming, the scent is when you open the lid of a candle. When left uncovered much of that surface evaporation of volatile compounds will dissipate into the air as cold throw.  Covering a candle even after a long period of open time will trap migrating scent molecules and carriers throughout the life of the candle under the cover to again smell strongly when first opened. 

 

If you're unsure what evaporates, think about how a paper towel doused with fragrance “oil” dries out quickly. Fragrances are volatile compounds - if they didn’t evaporate we would not experience cold throw.  

 

Soy wax (and others)  dry out as they are stored (thank goodness! Since fresh soy wax is pretty damp) The molecular structure of the wax is pretty open, allowing air, humidity, etc. to flow readily. Soy is polymorphic, meaning those wax crystals are not of regular, static shape which is what gives the grainy look and dry candle feel which burns more efficiently over time. It changes pretty much forever, albeit at a very slow rate once “cured”.

[Candybee]

1 hour ago, TallTayl said:

If you're unsure what evaporates, think about how a paper towel doused with fragrance “oil” dries out quickly. Fragrances are volatile compounds - if they didn’t evaporate we would not experience cold throw.

 

I never thought of it that way before or of evaporation even happening. 

[ruralers]

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my simple, yet not so simple question.  TallTayl, your knowledge of candles is absolutely amazing!  Lids on!