HELP PLEASE!! Customers received candles with buried wicks

[RON N.]

Hello everyone, new to Craftserver.  I’m a chandler in CT and recently I’ve had two different customers say that their candles arrived with no wick.  Of course the candles had wicks trimmed to 1/4in when I shipped them, so wondering what could have occurred during shipping where this could happen.  Anyone have this issue and wondering what I can do to ensure this doesn’t happen again? I use ProBlend 600 parasoy wax if that’s any help.  In one case the candle was shipped overnight, the other case two-day shipping.  

 

Did the wax melt during shipping and the wick fell into the wax?  Did the wax somehow suck the wick into itself?  

Any help or ideas about why this has occurred would be greatly appreciated.  

[TallTayl]

3 hours ago, RON N. said:

Hello everyone, new to Craftserver.  I’m a chandler in CT and recently I’ve had two different customers say that their candles arrived with no wick.  Of course the candles had wicks trimmed to 1/4in when I shipped them, so wondering what could have occurred during shipping where this could happen.  Anyone have this issue and wondering what I can do to ensure this doesn’t happen again? I use ProBlend 600 parasoy wax if that’s any help.  In one case the candle was shipped overnight, the other case two-day shipping.  

 

Did the wax melt during shipping and the wick fell into the wax?  Did the wax somehow suck the wick into itself?  

Any help or ideas about why this has occurred would be greatly appreciated.  

I received two Coconut blend candles similar to that description from Ethics.
 

The wax shrank away from the sides just enough to loosen and bounce around during shipping. That caused the wick to be pulled down inside the candle.

 

I could re-thread it but I think if the wick were folded over the top it would’ve stayed in place better. 

[RON N.]

@TallTayl Do you think there’s some extreme temperature change in shipping that would cause the wax to constrict so severely that it sucks the wick down into itself? Maybe adding more interior fill in the packing might better insulate the candles too? Love to know your thoughts.   I think bending the wick is a good suggestion.  Thank you so much!  

[bfroberts]

IDK what happened to your candles specifically, but that wax is very, very soft, with a low melt point. Not really suited for shipping in warm months unfortunately.

[TallTayl]

43 minutes ago, RON N. said:

@TallTayl Do you think there’s some extreme temperature change in shipping that would cause the wax to constrict so severely that it sucks the wick down into itself? Maybe adding more interior fill in the packing might better insulate the candles too? Love to know your thoughts.   I think bending the wick is a good suggestion.  Thank you so much!  

Most waxes do shrink in winter shipment. Some more than others... Think about how cold the trucks, planes and mail boxes are. There’s a limit to how much packing material can protect against the varied US weather extremes. 
 

The wicks were not “sucked down” so much as mechanically pushed down with the slight jiggling of the candle in the jar. The flat cordless wicks they used were rather floppy versus rigid. The wick material easily worked down and squashed against itself. I had to chill the candle to firm up the wax enough to thread the wick back in. 
 

some container candles, like diptique, use the shrink as a marketing feature.  They pop candles out in their stores to show how strong the candle scent is all the way to the bottom. 

[Candybee]

It may help to insulate the candle from temp changes when you package it. I always wrap my candles in lots of bubble wrap, tape it closed, then pack in lots and lots of peanuts. Having the bubble wrap around the jar helps insulate it from heat changes. Same with the peanuts, extra insulation along with the bubble wrap. Can't promise it will always work but it should in most cases. I always use this method and besides the insulation from temp changes it also keeps the jars from breaking. You could also look into other packing material that helps insulate from temp changes. Styrofoam type packing (like peanuts) come to mind.

[WaxingPoetic]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:43 PM, bfroberts said:

IDK what happened to your candles specifically, but that wax is very, very soft, with a low melt point. Not really suited for shipping in warm months unfortunately.

Yes, agreed. I work with that, along with IGI 6006, & my candles have had very melty tops lately, almost looks like fragrance oil seepage, but I know it isn’t that because I used 6% on most, & literally every single candle I’ve made, even from last winter, started looking like that lately, so I chalked it up to the soft wax. 

[bfroberts]

16 hours ago, WaxingPoetic said:

Yes, agreed. I work with that, along with IGI 6006, & my candles have had very melty tops lately, almost looks like fragrance oil seepage, but I know it isn’t that because I used 6% on most, & literally every single candle I’ve made, even from last winter, started looking like that lately, so I chalked it up to the soft wax. 

With a fairly short stint in a hot truck, my PB600 candles were melty around the edges and the wax pushed itself upwards...oozing really. I switched to mottling wax for all my spring/summer candles.  One less thing to worry about.

[WaxingPoetic]

19 minutes ago, bfroberts said:

With a fairly short stint in a hot truck, my PB600 candles were melty around the edges and the wax pushed itself upwards...oozing really. I switched to mottling wax for all my spring/summer candles.  One less thing to worry about.

That’s a good idea !! I have a batch of coconut apricot wax on the way to me, not sure what I was thinking ? 😂 I’ve been dying to try it, but this is the worst possible time lol