Question About Power Burns

[AudraT]

So, if I power burn a soy and/or para-soy candle what exactly am I expecting after 10 hours? Are we expecting the candle to burn perfectly with a 1/4" deep melt pool and a 140 degree F or less glass surface temp? I suppose that's ideal but how realistic is it?

Also, I have found some of my glass jars measure 140 degrees F after test burning some para-soy candles. It has taken almost the full 4 hours before the glass has reached this temperature and it is only along the side of the jar where the wick is slightly closer to the glass or at the very top of the glass where the wick is slightly closer to the glass. These are the candles that have already burned halfway down the jar. How should I consider this test result? Does this mean I need to wick down?

Edited May 8, 2023 by AudraT

[TallTayl]

so happy you’re giving so much thought to candle safety.  Makes my heart happy! You’re first and foremost looking for any potential for the candle to cause harm to the person burning it.  I have forgotten that candles were burning in my home, as have every other member in the household.  My stomach turns at the thought of causing someone harm from one of my own candles. 
 

lean into the ASTM standards as you observe your candles. there are many posts and videos about ASTM standards on the forum.  I’ve been meaning to collect them into one page to compare. soy waxes are a troublesome bunch. The way they melt makes perfection in candles a moving target. 

Does the flame grow the longer the candle burns. 

does the flame flare periodically during a burn?

 

does the flame flicker and sputter excessively with no drafts?

 

does the candle produce excess soot?

does the wick begin to lean over toward the container walls as the wax softens? Many flat, coreless wicks cannot support themselves in softened wax, and lean over which can cause glass failures. As melt pools deepen, look also at the wax below the clear pool.  Soy and soy blend waxes turn to thick sludge before fully melting, meaning a pool can go from “perfect” to complete clear liquid seemingly almost in a second. 

 

forum masterminds, please weigh in on your own observations as you test candles intended for others to burn.