Wax dilemma!

[stacien]

I have been using MC's 125 for a while now. I like it, the problem is I can't get it to pour perfectly because my house is huge. So it is drafty no matter where I go which causes problems with the wax setting. My candle making room is in the basement which is completely finished so it is insulated but still chilly. My husband owns a HVAC company you think I could have this problem situated. I poured two testers lastnigt to play around. I did regular soy which I poured at 100/slushy stage. I can't go any hotter in my house or it pits. Then I decided to try beeswax. I did just 1oz per pound. I heated the jar. I tried it at the slushy stage. Again because I was afraid of sink holes. I even covered it by puttin a small storage container over it to prevent cold air from hitting it. I woke up to a pitted 100% soy and a BW soy blend with hills and valleys in it and cracks. I am getting frustrated. I will eventually be doing 100% with EO's only for vegans which I have down pat. But wish to venture out to Vegetable blends for FO's but I am getting discouraged. The only waxes I have in reach are Ecosoya and Cargill 3. But what is the point of trying them if I am going to have to zap them with a heat gun. I am trying to avoid it. I know Soy is unstable but this time its not the soys fault.

[geekrunner]

At 1 oz/lb that is 6% load of BW, which could be too much, since you said it had cracked. I would try 1/2 oz/lb for a 3% load, pour when it is cloudy but not quite slushy (ab 100), and cover with a box or something to hold in a little heat and cool slowly. HTH!

geek

[stacien]

Thanks Geek,

I was measuring lastnight and kept thinking maybe if I try a little less. Just for instinct, but instead I thought no, let me try one more time. I guess they say go with the first instinct. Plus my scale measures in fractions which makes it a little harder to do percentages. I will try cloudy the next time and not slushy. For me it was cloudy at 110. I did cover it with a two gallon sterilite container, the kind you get at Menards or Target.

[AngelaVA]

I'm testing some soy blends now and I find that the surface I cool the candles on can impact how they cool. I now put mine in a cardboard box (with dividers - same box the jars came in) and put that on top of a thick kitchen towel. Once I finshe pouring, I cover the box as best I can to help insulate. They seem to be doing better this way. But regardless of that, the CB Advanced looks great no matter what temp I pour at.

[daniedb]

Def. back down on the b/w, like geek said. I find that in lower humidity climates, I can even get away with 2%, and any more than that will cause cracking. Even a .5 change will make a difference between 2-3%. I also have found that pouring at a hotter temp with 100% soy is helpful for me, at the cloudy, rather than slushy stage, when it's cooler outside. I also recommend experimenting with warming your jars a smidge...just enough to bring them to around 100*. And then, as someone else suggested, insulating them as they cool. So many steps!

[crafter]

I use 1 tablespoon per pound in Mc's wax. That seems to work for me. I have no clue how to do the % thing. Christi