HayleeB Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 H everyone! 👋 I've been making candles for months now trying to get them just right, but no matter what blend or wick I go with I keep having a lot of soot developing in the wax about halfway through the candle. For reference, I'm blending beeswax and coconut oil and using wooden wicks. My fragrance load stays at about 6% to 7% (can go to 10%) so I don't think it's all a fragrance oil problem. I'm attaching photos of my most recent test burns for reference. Two of them got really dirty, and one of them was a little less sooty (didn't add FO). I'm at a loss for what to do, because I get a fairly complete burn and the flame isn't getting out of control so I think they're wicked well. Is it normal to have a certain amount of soot start developing when the candle is about half burned and is this something I'm just going to have to deal with? Any advice would be very much appreciated! Haylee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 Wood wicks are dirty for sure, but those appear over wicked as well. If the problems begin around the half way point that is usually the cause. wick for the bottom half of the candle, not the top half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HayleeB Posted November 2, 2021 Author Share Posted November 2, 2021 3 hours ago, TallTayl said: Wood wicks are dirty for sure, but those appear over wicked as well. If the problems begin around the half way point that is usually the cause. wick for the bottom half of the candle, not the top half. Okay, thanks for the input! I've tried down a wick width before as well but had the same sooting problem and more wax left on the jar when finished burning. Does this look like more soot than normal for a fully burned wood wick candle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 1 hour ago, HayleeB said: Okay, thanks for the input! I've tried down a wick width before as well but had the same sooting problem and more wax left on the jar when finished burning. Does this look like more soot than normal for a fully burned wood wick candle? It’s really hard to say from pics. The camera always makes them look not “true”. you could also try different wood but same sizes. Not sure what they offer these days but I have sets of different colored wood that burns different enough. darker woods leak tannins into the molten wax. Lighter woods do not seem to be as bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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