jmspgh Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Hi there. I tried adding EO (lavender) to coconut wax / beeswax candles and I was not thrilled with the results of my first trial. I am looking forward to trying again (and again) and getting this right. It was recommended to melt the coconut wax to 170-180 and pour around 160 but I thought that you aren't supposed to add the EO at a temp above the flash point? When I added the EO and poured around 150 I had issues with jar adhesion. Also, I added the EO at 6% and the hot throw was very minimal. Any thoughts or advise would be greatly appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Flashpoint has nothing to do with pouring the candles. Pour at the normal wax temperature required to get it to perform properly. If you don’t get any throw it’s either your essential oil, your wick or a combination of the above. Wicking too hot often destroys delicate fragrances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmspgh Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 9 hours ago, TallTayl said: Flashpoint has nothing to do with pouring the candles. Pour at the normal wax temperature required to get it to perform properly. If you don’t get any throw it’s either your essential oil, your wick or a combination of the above. Wicking too hot often destroys delicate fragrances. Thanks so much! I was confusing myself with all the different temperatures I think. I tried 5 different wicks (ECO 2, ECO 4, ECO 6, CD 7 and CD 9). Mixed 32oz coconut wax (calwax ccn1) and 3oz white beeswax and my container has an inner diameter of just under 3 inches. None of the candles are burning particularly well. So far the CD 9 seems to look the best. I will attach a picture...it is from about 30 minutes into the 2nd burn (1st burn was just over 3 hours). Any suggestions on wicks to try for my next trial? I am just starting out and all the different wick options still make my mind numb. I have a variety pack of ECO and CD but am more than open to buying/testing different types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsull918 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 If you go to candlescience.com and search for their wick guide chart, it'll let you put in what time of wax you use and the diameter or the jar and they''ll recommend a wick, and then the runner up. For instance, I use 464 soy, and the diameter of my container is between 2.2" - 2.69" and they recommended the CD8... and it worked! https://www.candlescience.com/learning/wick-guide 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmspgh Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 Thanks! They dont have the wax I am using as an option but I think it will give me a good starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightLight Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 You need to burn your candle for three hours before determining next wick size. Beeswax can be a real pain to to wick as batches can vary. Burn that candle three hours and see where you get with it. Then decide to go to higher or lower wick. CDs burn hot, so do htp wicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 That first pic looks like a nice early burn. Keep going. If the wick begins to snuff itself out, try another size up. If the flame grows tall and gets dancy, wick down. Coconut wax can get pretty warm and melty by the midpoint. Keep an eye on things especially the glass temp as it can climb quickly toward the end. coconut and beeswax do well for me with CD usually, or CSN. I have no idea what is in the ccn1 aside from coconut oil. It could be anything, and that will define limitations of the wicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmspgh Posted June 12, 2020 Author Share Posted June 12, 2020 Thanks everyone! I have burnt that candle 4 times now for 3-5 hours each time. I'll attach a pic but it's staying pretty steady all the way down. Flame has looked alright and the outside of the jar has been cool enough that I can comfortably move it while burning. I poured a few new testers yesterday with slightly larger wicks. I did change the wax ratio some as when I put one of the candles from that batch in a box in my car (about 80 degrees outside) it got very very soft after a few hours. Not melted but I could easily push my finger through it. Worried me about shipping things in the future. I increased the beeswax to 20% to see if that helps. When I ordered some FO to try I threw in a sample pack of premier and htp wicks to have around. I didn't see csn at flaming candle but will look elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandleRush Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 I would just add all candles wax including parasoy and straight paraffin would greatly benefit from curing. People will say you can light a paraffin candle once it’s solid and get a nice hot throw and that’s true with some f.o. But in my experience curing makes a difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmspgh Posted June 13, 2020 Author Share Posted June 13, 2020 3 hours ago, CandleRush said: I would just add all candles wax including parasoy and straight paraffin would greatly benefit from curing. People will say you can light a paraffin candle once it’s solid and get a nice hot throw and that’s true with some f.o. But in my experience curing makes a difference. I let the first batch (which included the one in the picture) cure for a week. Planning on doing that for the second batch as well. Would you recommend longer than that for a coconut wax/beeswax blend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Longer is better with all vege waxes. I would try cutting back the beeswax to 2% of total coco wax and see if adhesion is better. It's not important if just wet spots but I wouldn't want the entire candle to be loose in the container. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmspgh Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 9 hours ago, kandlekrazy said: I would try cutting back the beeswax to 2% of total coco wax and see if adhesion is better. It's not important if just wet spots but I wouldn't want the entire candle to be loose in the container. I did about 9% beeswax to start but i felt I needed to harden the candle up as it got really soft in a box in my car on a mildly hot day. Which worried me about shipping in the future. The adhesion for those wasn't perfect but it was still solid in the jar. I'm not sure about wet spots as the jar is matte. So far the adhesion for the 20% beeswax batch seems a little better around the top of the candle (maybe because I poured them hotter and cooled on a rack??). I am really trying to take my time with this and learn everything that I can to make a good product that I am proud of. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I'm also trying to keep that in check. This forum has been soo helpful. I appreciate every bit of advise, suggestion and word of encouragement.😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyBee Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 1 hour ago, jmspgh said: I did about 9% beeswax to start but i felt I needed to harden the candle up as it got really soft in a box in my car on a mildly hot day. Which worried me about shipping in the future. The adhesion for those wasn't perfect but it was still solid in the jar. I'm not sure about wet spots as the jar is matte. So far the adhesion for the 20% beeswax batch seems a little better around the top of the candle (maybe because I poured them hotter and cooled on a rack??). I am really trying to take my time with this and learn everything that I can to make a good product that I am proud of. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I'm also trying to keep that in check. This forum has been soo helpful. I appreciate every bit of advise, suggestion and word of encouragement.😊 You might want to keep in mind that my regions can get really hot during summer time. Southwest regions like Palm Springs CA, Las Vegas NV, Phoenix AZ, New Mexico and maybe some Texas can get really hot during summer. When outside temperature is around 108F, cargo area of UPS truck will be about 147F. I stopped UPS truck and tried to measure temperature of the back area, but driver already had kept thermometer in the back. Not that many candle would survive in back of UPS trucks during summer in our region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaisome358 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 In my opinion, you just used weak oils. As for me, I often use the calamus essential oil and it works just fine. I like the smell and the Calamus oil is recommended by saints and yogis, as it improves the brain functions and increases intellectual capacities. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 My first thought was your beeswax is way too high. I never added more than 5% to any soft container wax. More than 5% always caused me problems. I would try cutting back and starting out with a very low % of beeswax then adjusting from there. Remember less is more in candlemaking. YOu tend to want the least amount of an additive in your wax to function well. Good luck with using EOs. They are not made for candlemaking and tend not to scent very well or can be very light. While a few can work well many simply do not. You are much better off using FO's specifically made for candlemaking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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