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How to handle drop in temperature when adding FO, stirring, and pouring


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Howdy all,

 

I'm relatively new to candle making and had some questions.  I'm using the apricot/coconut blend from Wooden Wick Co., as well as some of their fragrances. The quality seems outstanding. However, I'm running into an issue that I'm not necessarily sure how to handle.  As advised, I'm currently heating my wax to between 180-190 degrees (actually aiming for about 187) before adding my FO.  However, once my FO is added, I've noticed a considerable drop in temperature -- especially in larger batches.  For example, let's say I'm melting 35oz of wax, and adding in 4.2oz of FO (which is about 12% load, which the wax states it can handle), it is not uncommon for the temperature to drop from the mid 180s to around the 155/160 range.  I understand this is just due to the displacement of the liquids, but how should I handle this?  It's advised to stir in FO for about 2-3 minutes, but how do I handle this when the wax has dropped so much? Won't it not bind?  Should I be getting it warm again while stirring, while staying in the 180-190 range, to avoid burning off the FO? The optimal pour temp is also in the same range.. so it has me slightly confused on the best way to approach this.

Any advice would be fantastic!

Edited by TheNovice
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Hi and welcome!

 

I do use this wax.

It might be a good idea to start small when first learning candle making. This way you’ll learn how your wax behaves. So start slow.

I heat to 185 ish.

Add in my FO and stir for 2 minutes and yes the temp will lower. Since I pour between 125-130 this is ideal for me.

Ive never used 12% FO even if it can handle that amount. Try 6-8 percent to start, you can add more in your next candle. The FO from Wooden Wicks is expensive!

Have some wicks ready to test, some will work others not so much. Candle sites will recommend sizes but you have to test your self for the safest end product that’s if you sell.

Prepare to cure your candle! If you light it the next day there may not be a scent at all. I cure mine 10-14 days.

read read and read some more! There are fantastic posts here on everything you can think of.

Have fun!🌸

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20 minutes ago, CandleRush said:

Hi and welcome!

 

I do use this wax.

It might be a good idea to start small when first learning candle making. This way you’ll learn how your wax behaves. So start slow.

I heat to 185 ish.

Add in my FO and stir for 2 minutes and yes the temp will lower. Since I pour between 125-130 this is ideal for me.

Ive never used 12% FO even if it can handle that amount. Try 6-8 percent to start, you can add more in your next candle. The FO from Wooden Wicks is expensive!

Have some wicks ready to test, some will work others not so much. Candle sites will recommend sizes but you have to test your self for the safest end product that’s if you sell.

Prepare to cure your candle! If you light it the next day there may not be a scent at all. I cure mine 10-14 days.

read read and read some more! There are fantastic posts here on everything you can think of.

Have fun!🌸


Howdy! Thanks for the info.  6-8%, really?  I feel like that throw would be so.. small! I really like STRONG candles.  Is 12% really too much?  What about 10%? And hmm, you really pour your wax between 125-130? By that time, the wax must be pretty thick and will cool very fast I'm assuming?  When we poured around 150, there was a thick layer of 'something' on the bottom of our vessels very soon after pouring.. and the candle got its "white" color pretty fast.  Is this your experience as well?

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A higher FO won’t necessarily give you a stronger scent and may be challenging to wick. The right wick will give you a good hot throw but the FO you use matters as well. Not all FOs work well which is why you will test. At 125-130 the wax is still liquid, not quite cloudy when I pour. I’ve poured at 150 with no issues. The lower temp helps to reduce wet spots. I cool my candles slowly, covered. I have not noticed a thick layer on the bottom as you mentioned. You’ll no doubt get more advice here from others. Everyone’s methods are slightly different.🌸

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On 8/26/2019 at 9:45 PM, CandleRush said:

A higher FO won’t necessarily give you a stronger scent and may be challenging to wick. The right wick will give you a good hot throw but the FO you use matters as well. Not all FOs work well which is why you will test. At 125-130 the wax is still liquid, not quite cloudy when I pour. I’ve poured at 150 with no issues. The lower temp helps to reduce wet spots. I cool my candles slowly, covered. I have not noticed a thick layer on the bottom as you mentioned. You’ll no doubt get more advice here from others. Everyone’s methods are slightly different.🌸

I would add that if you pour at a low temp and stir before pouring it helps keep a homogeneous mixture, which is good for your HT.

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On 8/26/2019 at 8:28 PM, TheNovice said:

Any advice would be fantastic!

You only have two options that I can see, either you heat your wax to a higher temp, or you warm your FO. I used to warm the beaker I weighed my FO and that helped a little. Backing off the % of FO would help also. I would suggest you make a few test candles at lower percentages and see how they work. I used to use the max recommended percentage, but I'm using 7% now and it seems to work well for me.

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I have one of those tabletop hotplates that I set on a lower temp to stop it dropping dramatically if I need to,  I think the whole 'burn off' thing is a bit overblown though unless you're heating past the 200's. I've not had issues with fragrances not binding as it cools apart from 1 time, was a vanilla, had to keep that up to like 190 the whole time. If you're using cotton wicks then backing off the FO percentage like Forrest suggested would help with the temp, and would be better burning. The scents I use are typically quite weak so I have to go balls to the wall on fragrance load and because I use wood wicks it doesn't change the burn characteristics much. I'm testing 2 of those lab co waxes at the moment and they are very nice, but I'll probably stick with 4627 just because of the beast hot throw and ease of use.

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