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Grr Candle making


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Hiya, im 15 years old and for my business studies courseword i must open and run a business selling items and making a profit, so i chose to sell candles along with 3 other people.

Whats annoying me is i bought some parafin wax blobs and melted them down in this lovely tin , i put the wick in and everything but.....

When the wax cooled the wax sort of sunk at the top :cry2:

And when i tested it the candle went out after about 1 minute :shocked2:

Ive spent alot of money buying all the equipment needed and everything keeps going wrong, does anyone have any ideas why this is happening to me ?

Thank you very much

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you need to go to the candle tutorial pages... and read read read...

Hiya, im 15 years old and for my business studies courseword i must open and run a business selling items and making a profit, so i chose to sell candles along with 3 other people.

Whats annoying me is i bought some parafin wax blobs and melted them down in this lovely tin , i put the wick in and everything but.....

When the wax cooled the wax sort of sunk at the top
:cry2:

And when i tested it the candle went out after about 1 minute
:shocked2:

Ive spent alot of money buying all the equipment needed and everything keeps going wrong, does anyone have any ideas why this is happening to me ?

Thank you very much

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yes, what she said. we often spend months if not years (depending on how much time we have to play with wax) to get a "perfect" candle. perfect being different for each person. so, it's no surprise that you are having trouble. we all do! most of us have tested many different types of wax, wicks and fragrances in order to get our perfect candle. and then we might think about selling our candles.

as you are finding out, making candles is not easy or cheap. it is very expensive and time consuming.:)

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Oh dear, choosing candle-making for a semester business was probably not the best pick. It's only when one starts making & testing candles that they come to realize that there's a WHOLE lot more to it than just melting wax, pouring it into a container or mold (& then demolding it), popping in a wick, & then burning it.

So, let's back up the candle-making truck & get a better idea of the supplies you have on hand.

What kind of wax are you using? Where did you buy it? Are you wanting to make container candles, which require a softer wax, or pillars, which require a medium hard wax? Really, when we talk about wax, one of the more important details is knowing its melt point. Container waxes have a melt point around 123*f, pillar waxes have melt points in the 140's. Generally speaking of course. There are some higher melt point waxes, but let's not go there just yet.

Are you using any kind of color? If so what type? Where did you buy it?

Same for fragrance oils (fo's) & wicks.

I quite agree with the other two posts about doing the research by reading every sticky thread. Considering my young'un just turned 15, I can kinda imagine where your head is. ;) Let's see if we can get you smarted up quickly. :cheesy2:

Cute container. What's it's size? What is the diameter at the top? at the bottom? That's very important info for figuring out where to start w/ your wick.

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Well i have a double boiler, Paraffin wax beads that i bought from a craft shop, Im actually using crayons for colour as i was told that was ok as they are oil based , i also bought ready made wick

I want to make a candle inside a sort of small metal tin/plantpot.

I also made another candle in a glass and thats working fine and has been burning for over an hour now.

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Oh dear, choosing candle-making for a semester business was probably not the best pick. It's only when one starts making & testing candles that they come to realize that there's a WHOLE lot more to it than just melting wax, pouring it into a container or mold (& then demolding it), popping in a wick, & then burning it.

So, let's back up the candle-making truck & get a better idea of the supplies you have on hand.

What kind of wax are you using? Where did you buy it? Are you wanting to make container candles, which require a softer wax, or pillars, which require a medium hard wax? Really, when we talk about wax, one of the more important details is knowing its melt point. Container waxes have a melt point around 123*f, pillar waxes have melt points in the 140's. Generally speaking of course. There are some higher melt point waxes, but let's not go there just yet.

Are you using any kind of color? If so what type? Where did you buy it?

Same for fragrance oils (fo's) & wicks.

I quite agree with the other two posts about doing the research by reading every sticky thread. Considering my young'un just turned 15, I can kinda imagine where your head is.
;)
Let's see if we can get you smarted up quickly.
:cheesy2:

Cute container. What's it's size? What is the diameter at the top? at the bottom? That's very important info for figuring out where to start w/ your wick.

well said.. I am 36 years old and it took me a good year to make what I consider retail quality candles..

your sinking in the middle is could either due to the kind of wax you used.. it wasnt a "one pour" kind, and you would need to overpour, or the wax temp was wrong...

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you said that it sunk in the middle - this is normal and needs to be topped-off once it has cooled...fill the sunken part level with more wax. Maybe if you didn't do this when you made the candle, the wick might be flooding out.

If you're using paraffin wax, chances are that it is a pillar wax and doesn't burn that well in containers.

...with that being said, congratulations on the one that IS burning..:)

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Hey dude, welcome. I don't know why people want to complicate things the moment they are talking to a 15 year old. :) I think the candle project is a great idea and not very hard. Just try not to burn anything down.

If your glass container is working fine, then what do you think could be the difference between that and the metal one? Actually Pam W just reminded me of one difference -- the metal one must sink more in the middle because the wax cools faster. So maybe your repour will fix it.

It's OK to use crayons for color in a project like this, but try to be satisfied with a light color because it will clog things up if you put in too much. You're right that they're oil based, but the colors in them aren't dissolved in the oil. It's more like a power that floats in the oil.

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I also think it's a great project for you, as long as you are careful. :wink2: Yes, the repour should be helpful in the burning. The supplies you are using are fine for a project, but as stated, be careful in how much crayon you use for the coloring. Let us know how it goes with your next burn kiddo. :cool2: Edited to say that my son is 15 almost 16 and I teach him how to pour, ect so ask away and I will be around to try and help you also.

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I would just like the thank everyone for their help, i topped up each of the sunken candles throughout the day and they are all nice and flat, i tested one and it works fine and burns for 11 hours approx.

Im hoping to post some pictures in the gallery later on in the day tommorow so keep an eye out :rolleyes2

Everyones been so kind and helpfull and im proud to be a member of this forum and i hope to be posting and viwing thread for ages to come and maybe one day ill be as good as you guys :cheesy2:

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I would say get rid of the crayons, most are pigment based and will clog your wick. I always tell customers the wick is like a filter, it has to suck all the wax thru it to be consumed. Anything other than wax, can get stuck in the wick and clog it. Dark colored candles sometimes need a larger wick because of the extra coloring that clogs the wick or use the same wick and the candle burns longer and has a low flame.

Bruce

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