littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Hi I just made a batch of candles using jelly jar containers. All of them have a sinkhole going down dead center!!!! What happened??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroome2005 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Ummm. Can you explain how you did this? You obviously didn't do something right if they are all coming out that way. But we won't know what you did wrong unless you explain a little more. Did you do a second pour? What wax are you using? Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 The previous candles did not have a good scent throw, so I redid them, adding more scent. I am using a very hard slab wax. I bought it from a local candle shop. He does not usually sell supplies. Anyway, it looks like a paraffin type. But I had some leftover blended wax and I mixed them together to use it up. Can you tell i am new!! Anyway can i also ask you about wicks. I am using LX18 and LX20 How does one know when to increase the wick size for certain scents, if they are heavier. How do u determine that??:undecided Thanks soooo much for your help... Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I had the same problem and have no clue why. It's never happened before. Same wax, same procedure. I used Alabaster's APOP (similar to J223), HTP wicks, heat to 175, pour at 155 into slightly warm jars, cool on the pour table. Temp and humidy is within normal range, not a new box of wax...I just have no idea what is happening. I hit them with the heat gun, but it's frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Doesn't sound like you've gotten your hands on a low-shrink container wax. Hard waxes are often meant for pillars and votives and other "unmoldable" type candles. They have to have relief holes poked into them and repours have to be done. With low-shrink container waxes, as long as they cool slowly I don't have to repour.The way you determine wick size is by test-burning. I shoot for getting a full melt pool in 3 hours with a 3-inch diameter container, for example. If I'm off a tad, no worries. But if in 4 hours I still don't have a full melt pool, I re-think my wicking choice and go up a size. If I get a full melt pool in 2 hours, I go with a smaller size wick. Hope that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Do you mean that you have a huge dip in the center, or are you getting actually holes in the top of the candle with craters and cracks?If you have a dip, that means you will need to top off the candle with a repour...make your repour wax about 5-10 degrees hotter than your first pour. This is common for many container blends...it doesn't mean you did anything wrong.Now if you really have actual sinkholes (like pits/craters/etc.), that may be related to your pouring temperature. Are you heating your jars before pouring? What temp are you pouring at? I would recommend heating your wax to 185, adding your FO at 180, and pouring at around 170-175...pour slowly. Once the wax is poured into your containers, tap the outside of your jars with a butter knife or a spoon to release any air bubbles around your wicks. Let the candle cool completely before fiddling any further with it...Hmm...did I miss anything? Are you using any additives, by chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 What is a heat gun?? Thanks for everyone help, many good suggestions. What about determining how much FO to use, when they are all different weights? Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 A heat gun is used to heat off old paint, so you can scrape it away and get ready for a new coat. It gets extremely hot, so use caution. We chandlers use heat guns to re-melt the tops of our candles, giving as a smooth top, and it's great for clean-up, and fixing mistakes in our candles. As a soy wax user, its a necessity...otherwise all of my candles would have butt-ugly tops...LOL. You can also warm your jars with a heat gun...the uses of this tool are endless!You can pick up a heat gun around $19-30 from Wal-Mart in the paint section, or in many hardware stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 What is a heat gun?? Thanks for everyone help, many good suggestions. What about determining how much FO to use, when they are all different weights? LisaI only ever use 1 oz. of FO per lb. of wax. If the candle doesn't have a good throw at this ratio, I ditch the scent. There are others who do swear by 1.5 oz. of FO per lb., but this is only if your wax is capable of retaining this fragrance load...otherwise, you'll find your candles sweating or leaking FO out the top, which is a fire hazard. 1 oz. per lb. is what most waxes hold, traditionally. Some waxes, such as IGI Comfort Blend (4627) and J50/J223 can retain 1.5 oz. of FO if not a bit more with additives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 Neat! thanks How about paraffin?? Is it the sme as a propane tourch???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 No, it's really not a torch (that would be scary!!! LOL!!!), it's more like a trumped-up blow-dryer. And yes, it works well with paraffin too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 When you measure ounces of FO do you use 2 tblsp per ounce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 I don't heat my jars. Can you explain why people do.. Mayby thats a problem in itself too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 No, I use a digital scale and a dixie cup to measure FO's. Place your dixie cup on the scale, tare it to 0, and then measure your FO...this is the most precise measurement. If I'm pouring 1 oz. sample fragrances (which are measured by weight in the bottles), I'll put my pour pot on the scale, tare my scale to 0, and then measure out a pound of wax. I usually make candles with scents I've already tested in 4 lb. batches. I purchase 4 oz. bottles of FO, measure my wax on the digi scale, melt my wax to the desired temp (usually around 180-185), add my dye, remove my wax from the heat source (I use the presto pot double boiler method), add FO at 175 (I just dump in the whole 4 oz. bottle since I know it's measured by weight...if it's a heavier oil, I add the fragrance at a warmer temp to incorporate it better...and I stir gently as to not get air bubbles, but for several minutes), and pour at around 150...keep in mind my pour temp is for soy, which pours much cooler than paraffin. You will want to heat to 180-185, add your dye, remove from the heat, add your FO, stir stir stir, and pour at around 170-175. Save a bit of wax in the pour pot in case you get a dip, and need to do a re-pour.3 items on your shopping list:Heat Gun (around $19-30)Presto Pot with a temperature control knob...I usually just set mine to "warm", fill it halfway up with water, and set my pour pot inside, creating a double boiler...Prestos are about $25.00 if not less at Wal-Mart.A digital scale...also available at Wal-Mart and Target...find a scale that has the tare feature. (Tip...you can cheat a bit with the digi scale thing...before I had my digi scale, I used a kitchen scale, and only bought 1 oz. sample sizes of fragrance...I'd measure my 1 lb. of wax on the kitchen scale, and while it's less accurate, it worked for me at the time...I have done the same with the 4 lb. batches.)Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I don't heat my jars. Can you explain why people do.. Mayby thats a problem in itself too.Heating jars is very beneficial with paraffin. Wax that is poured into a jar that is too cool, will often pull away from the sides, and you'll have a lot of wet spots on your finished candle, and more shrinkage. Heating your jars will promote better wax adherance to your container. I used to just place my jars in the oven while my wax was melting, on a low setting, like 150 degrees. I just let them warm away, and about 2 minutes before I'm ready to pour, I'll remove the jars from the oven, wick them, and then I'm ready to pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 Wow,,, i used my hair dryer on the sinkholes and they filled in nicely!!! You guys are a great help!!!!! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 You should get a good digital scale and measure fo in grams.You don't need a heat gun. Oldtime chandlers never use them. Waste of money and oxygen.Save enough wax back so you can do repours.And you don't need to heat your jars. Waste of time and energy. Be sure you're using container wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littysmom Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 how do u measure your FO in grams? Hope it's not a stupid question, but i am terrible with math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 You should get a good digital scale and measure fo in grams.You don't need a heat gun. Oldtime chandlers never use them. Waste of money and oxygen.Save enough wax back so you can do repours.And you don't need to heat your jars. Waste of time and energy. Be sure you're using container wax.I will agree that the basics have worked for many, and for quite some time. A blow dryer is a good substitute for a heat gun, it just doesn't crank out as much heat, so the process takes a bit longer...but if it's working, why invest in the heat gun? I do still feel that heating your jars before pouring paraffin wax is the best option. I don't heat my jars with soy, but when I was pouring with paraffin, pre-heating my containers helped tremendously with the end-product. And re-pours are always a good method for the "dip", but only if you have good wax adherance to the sides of the jar first...otherwise the repour could spill down the sides of your jar. And with a digi scale, I do stick with oz.Each to his/her own! We should always stick with what works best for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waxwench Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 No need to heat your jars. It's a waste of time.No need to buy a heat gun if you have a hair dryer.May beneficial for you to purchase a kit from a reputable supplierto see if candlemaking is your nitch. It's a spendy business, nosense throwing a load of money away with unknown wax etc.Most of all, have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Yes, I heat my jars, but many do not. If the area in your home is cooler (like 60-65 degrees), I would recommend warming your jars. If the room is warmer, then you may not have to worry about it. It's just a preference thing for me, and I personally have had better results with paraffin when I've done so. Really, wet spots happen, whether you warm your jars or not...I just find that warming them can help a bit with that end of it. I do agree that you should check into buying a starter kit from a good supplier...Peaks offers a wonderful starter kit...it could help you save some money! Just follow the container instructions on this site, and you'll be good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 The first time you blow hot wax all over the place with your hair dryer, you'll wish you had a heat gun. They get hotter without as much air output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 The first time you blow hot wax all over the place with your hair dryer, you'll wish you had a heat gun. They get hotter without as much air output.Yeah, I actually could envision this happening. It probably depends on how powerful your hair dryer is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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