Made Very First Candles Last Night... Results..

[tychels]

OK, I made my fist candles last night.. I had a hard time regulating the temp in my Presto pot. I had to keep adjusting it between 200 and warm to get it to stay at 180. At one point it got up to 210. Is that harmful to the wax for the temp to fluctuate like that?

If you are melting larger (i.e 8lbs) batches of wax but using different FO's and dyes. Do you just measure out how much you need? That's what I did.

My first batch was 2 lbs of IGI 4627 Comfort Blend. (Your not kidding that stuff in a PITA!..lol)

I heated to 180, poured into a heated Pyrex to measure 1 lb (20oz) then poured that into my pouring picture. I stired in my dye (block) and 1 oz monkey farts FO from Aroma Haven. Stired for about 30 sec and poured at 155 in to 1-16oz jj and 1 wickless 8oz ball elite jar..(both heated)

The second lb I did the same thing except with sugar cookie by BC

The 16oz jars are slightly concave in the middle and look a little cracked around the top and are starting to pull away from the jar. It also looks like there is little hair line cracks through out the jar, if you hold it up to the light. The small wickless look great. The cold throw is ok, not super strong.

What do you think I am doing wrong? Is my heating and pouring temp wrong? I took lots of notes..

My second batch was with IGI 6006 I melted 3 lbs. Heated to 180,poured in pouring picture same as above and mixed dye and FO's (Love spell BC,Yuzu Fruit Let it shine, and Green apple BC).. at 170 and poured at 155-160. The first couple 16oz jars and 1 6oz triagle glass, I cooled on top of slightly warm oven and the tops are also concave. The last 2 jars and a square 8oz glass container (from Walmart) I cooled in the oven that was still slightly warm and they are better but still a little concave and has a pin hole in the middle of the 16oz jar..(jars were all warmed) I also poured 2 4oz tins and seem to be fine.

Should I use the heat gun to try and flatten out the tops?

Sorry the post is so long and I'm sorry if I'm rambling. I stayed up until 4am playing.. I wanted to give enough info so that you may be able to help me. I want to make some more tonight but don't want to make the same mistakes. I want to do it right. I also purchaed a sample of IGI 4633 (formally J223) but I have't tried that yet..

Any help would be greatly apprecited!

Thanks!

Sharon

[geekrunner]

Can't really say since I'm a soy guy but congratulations on your first candle pours! It takes a little time to get your technique down but you are off to a good start!

geek

[topofmurrayhill]

Here are some tips...

Wax temp in a Presto pot is very steady, but you have to give it time to stabilize. Once the wax is melted, leave the dial in one place for a while until the temperature stops going up (unless it's going too high), then you'll know what temp that point on the dial corresponds to. It will probably differ from what's printed. If you need to change the setting to find the sweet spot, make small adjustments and wait for a while to see the result. When you find the setting you want you can mark it if you like.

You're pouring Comfort Blend way too cool. To start with, you can heat it up higher in the Presto since the temp will drop a fair amount as you transfer it. Maybe 190 or whatever you hit upon that works well for you.

To minimize mess and heat loss, I'd recommend putting your mixing/pouring pot on a scale and taring it, then transferring the wax directly into that by weight. Then add the FO and mix for a minute or two rather than 30 seconds. Look carefully because certain vanilla-based FOs and others with incompatible components could require a lot more stirring, but most will go in pretty quick.

You'll probably need to have a pot of simmering water or something to adjust the temperature before pouring. Pour 4627 at no less than 175 into warmed glassware. The containers should be just warm, not burning hot to the touch. After pouring, cool the candles as slowly as possible. You can group them and cover with a box or put them in a cooler or whatever. Pretty much the slower the better for a flat top and good glass adhesion.

HTH. Good luck and enjoy.

[jillgunter]

You also need to cure them for a few days to get good throw. The 6006 needs a few days to throw well. I like to cool mine in my oven(cool of course). Try to pour really slow and then tap your container to make your you have no air bubbles.

[Fern]

You can also fix the concave top by hitting it with a heat gun until about an 1/8" melt pool develops and then let it set back up. You mentioned that you had a hole in the top, that pretty much means that you probably have an air pocket underneath the surface, so pierce it with a skewer or something and make the hole wider so that when you heat the surface with the heat gun it will fill in the hole as well. Once it's set up, you'll never even know there were ever any imperfections with your candle to begin with.

[tychels]

Thanks Geek..I'm having fun!

Topofmurrayhill,

Thanks for the tips! It's greatly appreciated! I am going to make some more tonight, with your suggestions...Should I be using only one type/size of container to start and for testing or does it matter? I have a few different sizes on hand. (There's not many choices locally for me) I'm not using anything bigger then 16oz for now. I was wanting some 8oz jj, but nobody's carrying them now. My Walmart doesn't any!

I have a heating tray thingy that I was using once I transfered my wax into the pouring pot top help regulate the temp. It seemed to help.

jillgunter,

Thanks for the tips on the 6006. What temp do you poor 6006 at? Also, do you mix dye and FO at the same temp you pour? I see some people say to add dye and FO at a certain temp and then pour at a different temp. Hope that made sence..lol

Again, thank you for the help!

Sharon

[topofmurrayhill]

Sharon, The heating tray sounds like a good idea, especially if it's capable of raising the temperature when needed.

Each container can take a fair amount of trial and error to wick, so you might find it more rewarding to concentrate on one at a time, maybe starting with the small one. It could still be interesting to repour both and see what difference the pouring and cooling technique makes.

[tychels]

Yes, the warming tray seems to be working good.. I melted 2 more lbs of the comfort blend tonight and poured at 180. I used the same size jars (warmed). I had to use 2 different FO's becuase I only have several of the 1oz samplers to start off with. I am cooling them as we speak slowly in a cooled oven with them close together.

I will see how they turned out in the morning..(keeping my fingers crossed..lol)

I was also try and wick the ones that I poured last night and she how that goes.. How long do you recommend I let these cure before I wick and burn them? I have seem some say, you don't need to wait with this wax and some do..

I have also seen several different preferences on which wicks to use. I bought sampler packs of a few different kinds,,Zinc, HTP,and CD. what should I start with in a 16oz jar?

Thanks!

Sharon

[jillgunter]

jillgunter,

Thanks for the tips on the 6006. What temp do you poor 6006 at? Also, do you mix dye and FO at the same temp you pour? I see some people say to add dye and FO at a certain temp and then pour at a different temp. Hope that made sence..lol

Again, thank you for the help!

Sharon

I add my dye and then my FO at 180. I stirr for a good 2 minutes. I pour at 160. I have only poured tins with this wax(8 oz tins). I always get completely smooth tops. If you add your FO at to low of a temp, it may not mix well with your wax.

[topofmurrayhill]

I was also try and wick the ones that I poured last night and she how that goes.. How long do you recommend I let these cure before I wick and burn them? I have seem some say, you don't need to wait with this wax and some do..

You don't have to wait long, but it doesn't hurt to allow an extra day once the candle is completely solidified and room temperature.

[tychels]

I just checked the jars I poured last night and the 16oz are still sunken in the center but so far don't seem to be pulling away from the jar. The short 8oz are as flat as can be on top..They look and smell nice other then that.

[topofmurrayhill]

I just checked the jars I poured last night and the 16oz are still sunken in the center but so far don't seem to be pulling away from the jar. The short 8oz are as flat as can be on top..They look and smell nice other then that.

One-pour results can vary with the container size, shape and proportions. Here's some more info about it. http://www.igiwax.com/pdfs/General%20Guidelines%20for%20Container%20Candles.pdf

In a tall, narrow container there may be no joy. The one main thing you can do to get the best results off the bat (and avoid having to stand there massaging your candles with a heat gun) is to cool slowly. Unless your oven is full of candles it's usually too large and cools down too quickly to do a good job. You might have to find a better trick for a single candle, like inverting a small box over it and throwing a towel on top. A styrofoam container works super well.

Have fun!

[Juggy]

You might find jj at Winn Dixie. I looked all over town here and couldn't find any and just saw them by chance at the grocery store.