mrblobby1984 Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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 And when i tested it the candle went out after about 1 minute 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annareeb Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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 And when i tested it the candle went out after about 1 minute 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowCow Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblobby1984 Posted August 23, 2005 Author Share Posted August 23, 2005 Ive read the tutorial on how to mae a container candle and it still goes out after a minute or so. there is a picture of it here : http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/mrblobby1984/DVC00024.jpgif that helps in anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtngrl Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblobby1984 Posted August 23, 2005 Author Share Posted August 23, 2005 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annareeb Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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. 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblobby1984 Posted August 23, 2005 Author Share Posted August 23, 2005 Well the container is from ikea its about 7cm high and at the bottom is 4cm diameter and at the top is about 7cm diameter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblobby1984 Posted August 23, 2005 Author Share Posted August 23, 2005 Well i just topped up one of the sunken candles (even though its 12:16am) and i shall see how that goes in burning, it definately was getting flooded with wax the other candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblobby1984 Posted August 23, 2005 Author Share Posted August 23, 2005 Ok, well ive filled all the candles ie made up now and i will post tommorow if everything is working.Just like to thank everyone for the help,well bye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceangazer1 Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 I also think it's a great project for you, as long as you are careful. 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. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amberlei Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Just wanting you wish you success on your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblobby1984 Posted August 24, 2005 Author Share Posted August 24, 2005 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Hope you'll keep coming back. You did a great job researching your project. All you needed was one hint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceangazer1 Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 I would love to see some pics and also hope you will keep coming back! It feels great when your candles come out and burn nicely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in PA Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 I have always read that using crayons to color your candles may result in the wick "clogging", which would make the flame low/ or go out.HTH!(and good luck...read this board!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.