Candlelovr Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 K, Im sorry guys, I have so many questions tonight. Im doing so much more testing today than I normally do. Here is my thing:I poured a 1274 today, was going for mottle but didnt work. Anyway, I just wanted it for the tester anyway. I started with an LX22, but it left a huge shell around the melt pool after a 3 hr burn. So I wicked up to an LX 24 and Im getting big time buldging. It is leaving a thin shell, maybe 3/4" thick. I understand that this is not supposed to happen, correct? Ive never had the buldge thing happen before, so Im thinking i should go back to the 22. What do you think? Is the mp supposed to get that close to the edge? I remember things about "hugging" your candle. Is that what you were referring to? Thanks alot for any advice you can gimme! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aswan01 Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 'Hugging' is when you gently push the outer edges of wax slightly inward (while still warm) so they will melt evenly with the rest of the candle. This is especially important in a large pillar like a 6" 3 wick. All sides will never melt down at the same rate or as much as the middle of the candle, so hugging the edges is necessary to have a more even candle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Oh, the dreaded bulge..... Do a search for bulging and you will see that many of us have tried to find a perfect formula to eliminate that problem. Unfortunately 1274 and 1343 are somewhat prone to bulging. Some have claimed to have solved the problem, and others have just quit using that wax and moved onto something else. At risk of sounding like a broken record, I have found that 4045H is the best wax for mottles.You can try adding some translucent crystals, or other types of hardeners, but I can tell you from my experience, and 100's of dollars later, I did not get it to burn adequately, and not bulge.I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences, then you can decide for yourself what type of burn you find acceptable, or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlelovr Posted June 5, 2006 Author Share Posted June 5, 2006 Would it happen to be the wick Im using? If a 22 is too small and a 24 is too big, there is nothing in between for the LX series. Maybe I could try a different type of wick that wont burn so hot? I dont know, just throwing ideas out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I'm having a BIG buldge on one of my pillar, but in my opinion is the wick that is too big. Not too big to make the candle drip, but enough to make it buldge.. what do you think about this supposition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaritamama Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Would it happen to be the wick Im using? If a 22 is too small and a 24 is too big, there is nothing in between for the LX series. Maybe I could try a different type of wick that wont burn so hot? I dont know, just throwing ideas out there.I've tried all types of wicks, all types of sizes, and variations on additives, and I did not succeed in eliminating the bulge in the 1274 and 1343. The only thing I found that did help somewhat, was to not burn the candle for very long. Sometimes I only got a 2 1/2 hour burn out of a 3" candle. That did cause the candle to tunnel and leave somewhat of a shell. You can try and use a smaller wick, but you're likely to get some tunnelling. I think it comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils - tunnelling or bulging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Hate to rain on your parade, but Mama is 100% correct. 1343 is a pliable wax and prone to bulging. Mottles are the worst. Translucent crystals canhelp, but they will change the appearance of the mottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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