Candles Take Approximately One Hour To Release The HT

[LauraOC]

My candles take a full hour to start smelling the fragrance in the air. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could help me figure out why this is happening and how to fix the issue!

 

Kevin from Armatage Candle Company said in a Youtube comment "Some are within minutes, others take a good hour to go after the very first light. Depends on the design, but I don't count a candle out if it doesn't destroy me right away. I normally expect something within 90-120 minutes though otherwise I get suspicious." However I don't feel comfortable selling to customers if the scent doesn't appear pretty quickly.

 

Expert level: New - been making candles since February but only getting the hang of it now

Wax type: RCX (Rapeseed and Coconut), from CandleShack EU

Recipe: Heating to 70C, FO addition at 59C, stir for 2 minutes, pour at 38C.

Wick: Tried various but the one that works best is generally C12 - burns evenly and safely, with almost a full melt pool at 3 hours with just a small amount at the edge for most fragrance combinations.

Hot throw after the 1 hour / 1:30 mark: Good but not overwhelming

FO: Multiple different fragrance oils, all from NICandleSupplies, in many different categories (floral, masculine etc)

% FO: 8%

Size candle: 3 inch diameter candle tins, 10 inches across the width and 2 inches in height.

Additives: No additives

 

Thank you so much!

[TallTayl]

Welcome!

 

I don’t have access to your wax to try it out, but will think of it like soy/coconut blends. 
 

typically, hot throw is achieved by hitting the sweet spot of fuel consumption, fuel combustion and air flow. 
 

this comes down to wick and container. I don’t worry about melt pool diameter on the early burns. If rape seed wax is like soy (dense, viscous, heavy) it needs a wick that can draw fuel well, and produce a hot enough flame to launch that scent into the air.

wicks that do well in the US may not be available, so please Uk members chime in. CD, CDN, RRD, Eco, Premier all seem to perform well in most soy type blends. 
 

the container size, proportions and shape all contribute to the throw.  Containers with a slight neck will typically throw earlier than similar sizes with no neck because of the air circulation the neck enhances. The neck, later in the burn, can get thins a bit too hot, especially for those who wick for hot early burn.

 

soy wax needs a decent length of time to “cure”.  Rape seed may also.  Typically Ht is about where it will be at the 2 week mark for soy. Have you tried curing?

 

fragrance is also noteworthy.  The quality oils from a candle supplier with good reviews in your wax is a good place to start. Not all fragrances throw well in all waxes. % used can change HT.  Too much can impede throw if it is a clogger like resinous patchouli or any containing eugenol. 

[LauraOC]

9 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Welcome!

 

I don’t have access to your wax to try it out, but will think of it like soy/coconut blends. 
 

typically, hot throw is achieved by hitting the sweet spot of fuel consumption, fuel combustion and air flow. 
 

this comes down to wick and container. I don’t worry about melt pool diameter on the early burns. If rape seed wax is like soy (dense, viscous, heavy) it needs a wick that can draw fuel well, and produce a hot enough flame to launch that scent into the air.

wicks that do well in the US may not be available, so please Uk members chime in. CD, CDN, RRD, Eco, Premier all seem to perform well in most soy type blends. 
 

the container size, proportions and shape all contribute to the throw.  Containers with a slight neck will typically throw earlier than similar sizes with no neck because of the air circulation the neck enhances. The neck, later in the burn, can get thins a bit too hot, especially for those who wick for hot early burn.

 

soy wax needs a decent length of time to “cure”.  Rape seed may also.  Typically Ht is about where it will be at the 2 week mark for soy. Have you tried curing?

 

fragrance is also noteworthy.  The quality oils from a candle supplier with good reviews in your wax is a good place to start. Not all fragrances throw well in all waxes. % used can change HT.  Too much can impede throw if it is a clogger like resinous patchouli or any containing eugenol. 

Thank you for your reply! The recommended cure time for the RCX wax is 48 hours and I always give it that time. The fragrance oils I use are high quality and I am getting a decent hot throw, it's just the delay in it arriving that is bugging me! The CL12s work pretty much perfectly in terms of how the candle burns downward but maybe I need to go looking for a new wick that can give me the scent faster!

[TallTayl]

Most waxes, including both paraffin blends and natural wax blend, may technically “cure” for lighting or shipping in a short time, but not perform well for a couple of weeks. I think of it like poured concrete.  You may be able to walk on it after a couple of days, but it’s not at its peak strength for many weeks. 
 

one great example of recent waxes is the popular apricot / ceda cerica. It is possible to light it within a very short time, but you won’t experience the full potential for about 2 weeks. I feel confident testing for wick size after 2-3 days, but definitely not for throw in that short of a time. 
 

If it were me, i would give your candles a bit more time to see how they will perform after  a good solid cure.

 

you have access to “V” series wicks from th candle shack.  I’ve liked those in a few blends in the US when a friend sent them to me. Sometimes the newer wicks work. Sometimes they don’t.  When looking for peak HT, all other things being equal, sometimes a change of wick series is the ticket.