First Candles - need some help - pics inside

[Ollivander]

My wife and I made our first candles last night, using 70/30 blend heating to 195 adding color then fo and pouring at 170. We did not heat the jars. Both candles seem to have really bad wet spots (I think). Is that what this is? I don't know if these are good enough pictures but if you look close enough the top half of the jar is darker then the bottom half. The tops seemed to have come out good. Thanks for your help

[Demenshia]

I would try heating the jars up before pouring, that might help with the wet spots. HTH

[Candle Man]

The one on the left also has frosting. The tops have a dip in them, you can either top off with more wax or use a heat gun to smooth them out.

[Ollivander]

The one on the left also has frosting. The tops have a dip in them, you can either top off with more wax or use a heat gun to smooth them out.

Yeah I was wondering what that was. What is frosting caused by? I haven't bought a heat gun, but I will give that a shot.

Thank you very much for your input

[Candlewitch]

The left wick is off center, the right one is perfect. When you one wick, it has to be centered. Post after you burn it 1/2 way, 3/4 and finished also.

[mystical_angel1219]

Yeah I was wondering what that was. What is frosting caused by? I haven't bought a heat gun, but I will give that a shot.

Thank you very much for your input

Frosting can be caused by a variety of things. Usually blue and purple are notorious for this. But it can happen to any candle with coloring.

I would suggest also making sure your wicks are centered, and investing in a heatgun. A heatgun can be your best friend. Especially with any wax containing soy. You can get one at any Walmart for about 20.00.

Wet spots are caused from the wax not adhering to the jar. If you heat your containers a bit, and then cool them slowly- it will eliminate some of them. Also, make sure your container is squeaky clean. Any residue in a container from shipping, dust particles etc. can bring on the presence of wet spots. They can also occur over time. Especially in more humid conditions.

I think you both did a good job in your first attempt.

This can be very addicting and fun. Enjoy it.

[Ollivander]

I think we are addicted already. We were only going to make 2 candles with the melon mist but after we finshed them we wanted to make more so we did the pumpkin pie. We have 20 lbs of wax and 10 scents to fool around with.

Thanks again everyone. I am going to try again tonight with warming and cleaning the containers. When I do the burn I will supply pictures as it goes along.

[Candlewitch]

That one wick will leave 1/4 in of wax around that container you picked. With that scent, maybe less.

[Ollivander]

That one wick will leave 1/4 in of wax around that container you picked. With that scent, maybe less.

So your thinking these might need to be double wicked?

[cindym]

You will have to play with the wicking, but it does look like a big jar for one wick. They look great for you firsts, nice jars. Also, it is pretty difficult to make a candle that at some point doesn't develope some wet spots. Heating and cooling slowly does help but wet spots are a fact of candle life. Go look at the big brand name candles in the stores, you want to see some wet spots LOL it will make you feel much better.

[Ollivander]

You will have to play with the wicking, but it does look like a big jar for one wick. They look great for you firsts, nice jars. Also, it is pretty difficult to make a candle that at some point doesn't develope some wet spots. Heating and cooling slowly does help but wet spots are a fact of candle life. Go look at the big brand name candles in the stores, you want to see some wet spots LOL it will make you feel much better.

Thanks - It has a 3 1/2" diameter in the biggest area. I just burned one for a little over 4 hours and it had a full side to side melt pool at about 3 hours. I didn't check the depth until the 4th hour, which I should have checked it at 3. It was a little over 1 inch. I will have to burn again tomorrow and check it when I just get the full side to side. The jar did not get hot at all, I didn't test the melt pool temp.

This is my first time testing a candle so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks again

[greenleaf]

Hi - I answered some of your questions on our board but someone did catch the "frosting" here that I thought was just a reflection of light - good catch Candle Man How much FO pp of wax did you use with the 70/30? What kind of dye - liquid or solid?

These look really good for your first candles. I know you will really enjoy this art. I would test burn these first to see how you are doing on wick size before making another test round. Test down well past the wide point of the jar so you have a chance to see if the candle "catches up" once you get to the narrower part. Sometimes the flame itself will heat the jar enough to help clean up in these shape jars. As you make other test candles, you can work on the wet spots. Usually it is just a matter of how slowly/quickly the wax cooled, warm jars vs. cool jars, and possible film residue as mystical pointed out.

I'll certainly be watching for you on either board to see how your actual test burns go. We'll help you get the candle perfected and looking the way you want. Don't be afraid to ask us for help - we are here for you. Good luck and let us know how we can help.

Thanks

[Ollivander]

Hi - I answered some of your questions on our board but someone did catch the "frosting" here that I thought was just a reflection of light - good catch Candle Man How much FO pp of wax did you use with the 70/30? What kind of dye - liquid or solid?

Thanks

Thanks again for your help

These candles hold 9oz so for 2 candles I used 17oz of wax and 1 oz of fo with the reddi-glo dyes chips -(used 2 chips).

[greenleaf]

Well the FO load should be fine so that shouldn't be causing the frosting. I've never tested 70/30 with dye chips so I don't know how it works with it. Maybe someone on this board has and can let us know if they get frosting or not. Also, next round - try only heating to 190 and see if this helps. Sometimes just getting too hot can cause frosting - especially when it hits cool jars. I don't see this too often with the 70/30 so I am just taking some guesses" here based on making soy candles for a long time.

Thanks

[boggled]

Definately try heating the jars before you pour. I noticed a lot less wet spots once I started doing this. Also it helps if the room you let them cool in is warm. Candles don't like the cold or cooler air.

Anyway, great job on your first shot, looking back, mine weren't nearly that good. Keep up the good work.

[tangerine]

Thanks - It has a 3 1/2" diameter in the biggest area. I just burned one for a little over 4 hours and it had a full side to side melt pool at about 3 hours. I didn't check the depth until the 4th hour, which I should have checked it at 3. It was a little over 1 inch. I will have to burn again tomorrow and check it when I just get the full side to side. The jar did not get hot at all, I didn't test the melt pool temp.

This is my first time testing a candle so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks again

If the depth of your melt pool at 4 hours was over an inch, the wick is too big. It is advisable to strive for a melt pool 1/4 to 1/2" deep. I try to keep my mp's around 1/4 to 3/8" so that it doesn't get significantly deeper even with power burns. Like Brenda said, the wax will tend to catch up with subsequent burns, as you get to the narrower part of your jar.

I'm not sure how much you've explored this message board, so I'm throwing in another tip. It'd be easier if you don't wick your jars when you pour them. Once they've set up, you can poke a hole in the center using a skewer, stick a wick in, then use the heat gun to hold it in place. That way, if it doesn't look like the right wick, you can easily yank it out and replace it. Don't be too quick to pull out a wick though. I like doing multiple burns before I make a decision on a certain wick.

[LadyBugCandles]

Well the FO load should be fine so that shouldn't be causing the frosting. I've never tested 70/30 with dye chips so I don't know how it works with it. Maybe someone on this board has and can let us know if they get frosting or not. Also, next round - try only heating to 190 and see if this helps. Sometimes just getting too hot can cause frosting - especially when it hits cool jars. I don't see this too often with the 70/30 so I am just taking some guesses" here based on making soy candles for a long time.

Thanks

I use both liquid and the reddi-glo chips with my 70/30 and I've never had any frosting. I've used about 25-30 different FO's (both GL and others) in this wax and at least that many color chips.

I was getting pretty big wet spots, but now I am heating to 190 and pouring around 170-175 and just before pouring I hit the jars with my heat gun. When I'm finished I make it "cozy" with foil and a towel to let it cool much slower and no more wet spots!

HTH

-Jessica

[von691]

congrats! they look good for a first time. Like some of the others said make sure your wicks are centered.

[peppermint]

I just did my first pour with 70/30 and Joy Wax. I don't have a heat gun yet so I placed the jars in the oven. They were pretty hot when I poured the wax but I could handle them with my hands. The 70/30 turned out beautiful! Not wet spots beautiful tops and everything. The Joy wax was one big wet spot! The whole candle was awful. Then I realized I wicked the 70/30 wrong I used Zinc wicks instead of Eco. The 70/30 still had a wonderful scent throw with the Zinc wick but didn't get a full melt pool. I also tried the cb-30 but could never get it wicked right or get a hot throw! At-least I have mastered tarts!

Suzanne H

[Ollivander]

I'm not sure how much you've explored this message board, so I'm throwing in another tip. It'd be easier if you don't wick your jars when you pour them. Once they've set up, you can poke a hole in the center using a skewer, stick a wick in, then use the heat gun to hold it in place. That way, if it doesn't look like the right wick, you can easily yank it out and replace it. Don't be too quick to pull out a wick though. I like doing multiple burns before I make a decision on a certain wick.

You know I did read this but I totaly forgot about it when we made them. I only bought eco 8's and eco 10's. I am burning the candle again now, but from what I can tell that the mp should never go much deeper then 1/2" so these are probably wrong. I will have to order some more. I will let you know how this one goes anyway.

Thanks again

[Ollivander]

Ok - here are the pictures after one hour. I do think this wick is to much. The melt pool was a little over 1/2" deep and you can see the width in the pictures. I am going to try the eco 4's and eco 6's next.

[Candlewitch]

Give it 4 hours.

[Kaybee23]

If it doesn't make it to the sides in about 4 hours and is about 1/4" to 1/2" deep, your wick is too small.

[tonyalkay]

The 70/30 blend will tend to burn down then out so don't judge the melt pool just yet. It will always be deeper by the wick than the outside too.

[Ollivander]

The 70/30 blend will tend to burn down then out so don't judge the melt pool just yet. It will always be deeper by the wick than the outside too.

I am going to let it burn for 4 hours and I will give you the results. Thanks again