Candlefriends Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Hi everyone, Quick question... When I do my second pour to fill relief holes, I'm noticing that sometimes they are not filled completely and reappear during my candle burn. How do I prevent this? Thanks! 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 What wax? example, for beeswax make the cavity kind of funnel shaped to get filler into the bottom easily. It may take more than one pour if the wax is too hot. Make several holes so that you can fill one hole and have the molten wax pop up the others to ensure they are all filled. 444. good luck. Sometimes I have to fill those 4-5 times. Wotta pain. c1, etc. Wide hole at the top, cloudy wax to minimize shrinkage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlefriends Posted May 5, 2020 Author Share Posted May 5, 2020 So I'm blending the Coconut 83 w/ GW 464 soy, 60/40 ratio. I let the candles rest 1 day, and pour 2.5 oz. on top the second day. I poke 4-5 holes around the wick using a skewer. I jab it pretty good to the bottom. Sometimes it seems that the air is still trapped while pouring (I see a little bubble). While burning, the holes appear, disappear, and then reappear in different burn cycles. Is this weird??? They seem to be fine other than aesthetics. No sinking or cracking. When I do the second pour the wax is pretty hot. Thanks! 😊 😁! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 If air is trapped, wiggle the skewer around to enlarge the hole, much like a dentist filling a tooth. Bigger relief at the top helps those sticky bubbles escape. If you’re able, tapping the container can help raise the air through the thick wax. sometimes the inner cavities are small enough to weep melt pool wax inside with no issues. Sometimes, if large, they can drain the melt pool and flare the wick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlefriends Posted May 5, 2020 Author Share Posted May 5, 2020 Thanks for the tip Talltayl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsull918 Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 On 5/4/2020 at 3:36 PM, Candlefriends said: Hi everyone, Quick question... When I do my second pour to fill relief holes, I'm noticing that sometimes they are not filled completely and reappear during my candle burn. How do I prevent this? Thanks! 😊 I am new here and new to soy candle making. So, I'm going through threads and reading. What are relief holes? I use GB 464. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlefriends Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) Hi Hometown Handmades! I'm not an expert yet here either and new to this method. While soy wax is great, it has a tendency to create serious imperfections and burn quality issues in candles. (Most famously, sink-holes, uneven surfaces, wet-spots and cracking). This usually has to do with the wax cooling too quickly and pouring temp. problems. These flaws are very common in soy wax and are considered part of the craft. Relief holes are holes intentionally punched deep and around the wick after complete cooling. They are then filled back in by a second pour or using a heat gun. Basically, they are methods to "repair a candle". In basic understanding, the relief hole method helps release air trapped within wax, fix cracks and fill-in any large air pockets i.e. sink-holes. (Sink-holes can ruin an entire candle within minutes as you often can not see them and they cause the wick to sink and drown out). Many candle makers use this method just to make sure there is nothing wrong with the candle. It has worked well for me and many others. There are lots of videos on this method and besides here CandleScience has helped me tons in technical questions. Hope this helps. Edited May 15, 2020 by Candlefriends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyBee Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 On 5/4/2020 at 6:22 PM, Candlefriends said: So I'm blending the Coconut 83 w/ GW 464 soy, 60/40 ratio. I let the candles rest 1 day, and pour 2.5 oz. on top the second day. I poke 4-5 holes around the wick using a skewer. I jab it pretty good to the bottom. Sometimes it seems that the air is still trapped while pouring (I see a little bubble). While burning, the holes appear, disappear, and then reappear in different burn cycles. Is this weird??? They seem to be fine other than aesthetics. No sinking or cracking. When I do the second pour the wax is pretty hot. Thanks! 😊 😁! GW 464 used to produce bigger & a lot more air bubble while it is burning until 2018. Somehow, wax got a lot better in 2018, and it's only producing little tiny bubbles & burns a lot better than before. I think those little bubbles are kind of normal thing for soy wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyBee Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 I found the old(2016) picture of GW 464. Lots of bubbles while it is burning, and it was heavy in viscosity. Top was bumpy and ugly after burn back then. This is current GW 464, which is a lot better. Lean & clean but still some little air bubbles. Top looks great after burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlefriends Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 (edited) Thank you for examples BusyBee! The little bubbles I'm not too worried about, and really I only see maybe 1-2 little bubbles in my candles. Most of them don't have any which I'm happy about. The bubble issue I was referring to are within my relief holes while I refill them. I think I have a solution to release them to the surface - I need to try it.:). Thanks again. Edited May 16, 2020 by Candlefriends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyBee Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 I think it's the cooling environment that is the cause of sink holes. Cooled too fast or too slow will cause some kind of problem. Eventually you will figure it out. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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