New CBA (Ithink) HUGE PROBLEM-Anyone!

[Gretchen]

Ok, I'm like in tears here! I read it here that there was the *newer* version; my supplier (C&S) said they new nothing about it being changed. Can I tell you I'm being struck by some kind of candle demon here!! there seems to be a deep air pocket around the wick and the candles are putting themselves out in less than 15 minutes! I've done nothing different. Nothing! As a matter of fact I thought I was working with the not-newer version. I litterally do not know what to do.

Anyone?

Gretchen

[Blest2BAmerican]

I don't know what CBA is but call the manufacturer and ask them about any changes.

[Ellie1974]

Hi Gretchen

I am in Pa like you...Candlescience has the "newer" version..It is cheaper ($12.95)and also is the shipping (compared to other companies I have purchased from)..I just got some the other day. As for the sinkholes..I get them everytime..no matter what temp I pour..I started adding Stearic acid in with my wax and seems to have solve the problem. Around 1 teaspoon per pound of wax..adding more may cause you to have to wick up.

I am sorry that you are having problems...I also found some really good FO in this wax..Early American Candle has some strong oils..They are 2.99 an oz..I just did a vanilla bean and Peppermint..The cold throw is awesome..I have not burned them yet...I am going to let them cure until tomorrow.

[Gretchen]

Just read the other posts about this stuff again; so much for life without additives!

I just took the heat gun to one that hadn't been lit; held it directly above the wick. Held it on it for just about a minute until the hole around the wick was 100% visable, and poked at the air bubbles until they were gone. Will this candle have a chance? I think I can tell the difference between the old and the newer looking at my finished candles. The newer stuff seemed to sort of climb up the wick just a bit and maybe looks a little creamier/smoother on top. My cases do say 'new & improved'; I hadn't noticed that until now.

I am so pissed right now. I have an order sitting here ready to go out. now I have to try to figure out which is the old stuff and which is the new. This makes me sick!

Gretchen

[Henryk]

I don't know how you are supposed to work with solving a problem with a wax if you don't know what it is. If you are getting sink holes I'm guessing its the newer version. CandleScience is great - they have both the new and the old and properly MARK them. I have the old AND the new. The old I do not get sinkholes with, the new I do. Pouring much cooler helps this somewhat. You really should add some stearic - that will solve the sinkhole issue. The other trick I've noticed is to see if you have wet spots - the old usually will spot in a day or so, with the new version - mine don't spot for at least 3 weeks - and some of them still haven't after that.

After working with all the paraffin additives adding 2% stearic is nothing to get a great candle - its still an all "natural" one as people like to say ('cept for the color and fo). Sorry you are having such problems.

(Early American's colors and FOs are French Color's and it is good stuff, I'm not to hot on their liquid dye though - strong solvent odor IMHO - but very concentrated and I do keep it on hand.)

[Gretchen]

Ok I'm sure this is a stupid question, but Im not feeling very clear headed at the moment. If I'm going to add the steric, how exactly do I do that? I use the really big roasters to melt, and I just scoop or dump it in. I don't weigh it out as I put it in. Then i ladle the hot wax into my pouring pots, weighing that. Oh, ok, so i would add the steric to the weighed wax in the pouring pot, right? It'll melt pretty quickly in the wax right?.

So what about the ones I've already pourd? Can I just nuke them to melt, pour that wax into a pouring pot, weighing it, and add the steric then?

Gretchen

[Henryk]

Palm stearic has a meltpoint of 150F. I add it right in with my soy because you are going to go higher than that for your FO to bind properly anyway.

Whatever way you weight it, just weigh it - don't go by volume. Stearic is one of those additives that will cause frosting in waxes that tend to frost anyway - like soy. So I wouldn't guess or measure by spoons as different stearics can have different volumes (just like FOs).

As far as nuking - do you find you need to do that? With this wax I just make cuts into the containers of old wax (like sectioning a grapefruit) and it comes right out very easily because its such a soft wax. (You may have a problem with the wick stickers though!).

If it were me, and if it was for customers, I would make them over again from scratch and make sure they burn right before selling them. (Concerns would be their safety and your reputation).

[Gretchen]

I spoke to C&S; the owner new there had been a change. Her suggestion was crisco; I can't go there. I'm trying the steric. I melted one in the microwave, had melted steric ready, measure based on what I knew was in the jar and added it. It's setting up now. Secondly, I did take one of the larger jars and held the heat gun directly above the wck, until the entire crevice was completely exposed, and poked the air bubbles out. I did that sortly after my initial posts. Let it set back up, and it's been burning for about an hour. It's actually burning fine. I do have my notes on how many of theis order I actually had to pour to complete it, so it may be easy to tell which ones they are. Regardless, i called the shop and told her the order would be delay until the begining of the week. Thank God I had poured some testers (testing FO's) while I was completeing this order. I may not have realized there was a problem until this order had left otherwise! Wouldn't it be nice if my new heat gun became my salvation at least until I have the steric, or I should say this wax, figured out!

Does candlemaking ever get to be smooth sailing? This is a huge pain in the you-knoe-what! I liked the original, new CBA! The cold throw wasn't there immediatly, but it certianly inproved with each passing day. And how many of have great sniffers left anyway?!? My sales have always comfirmed the great scents of my candles! I really think some of these wax manufacturers should do a better job of testing before they put the product out there. They should all send there stuff to Henry and pay him to do their testing!

Thanks for all your responses; again! I should have paid closer attention to your previous posts. Actually, had i known I had the new stuff, I'd like to beleive I would have.

I'll keep you posted if I actually learn or figure out something you guys haven't already said.

Gretchen

[itsjustme]

well, I sure agree about our henryk being such a valuable asset. He helped me so much when I was a timid soy beginner. Someone posted a long long time ago - on some board...that a heat gun is your best friend. I snickered a bit at the time - but now leave mine plugged in all the time and ready to use. It's on the bathroom counter and maybe guests think I have gone way overboard with hairdryers. lol I'm still using the last of my 100 # of the old version of CBA - have decided I am sticking with it and will re-order , since I have only 7# left. I know everyone had a problem with the scent throw with this version, but I have been having such good luck with 90% of the Scents For Soy oils that I use and some WYW oils too. Have tested the heck out of the CD wicks now too and will be sticking with those too.

Shipping prices are just horrendous - they make me gulp - so, am going to be ordering much closer to home now. (Maine)

[Jooniper]

I have been testing this wax and the first pour was too hot and I too had big sink holes. I just zapped them with the heat gun. The second pour was at 140 degrees and there are no sink holes. It does sorta "climb up the wick" but no biggie at all. I am quite anxious about the scent throw. I have heard some bad things about both waxes. So far the mimosa and mandarin from candle science is not throwing too great either hot or cold. It smells awesome out of the bottle and in other waxes. The hot baked apple pie is going to be a good one I think. I am giving them a few days to cure and see what I light up!!

[Gretchen]

I have to let this go for tonight; it's been a long day! I have my market tomorrow, so I'm giving this up until sunday. (The candles for market were pulled before I started pouring with this new stuff, just in case the thought popped in your head)

As mentioned in the previous posts, I added steric to one of them and have already begun to test burn it. It's doing quite well. That's one of my 3" tumblers with a CD12 wick. Burning really nice actually. There were a couple of my 4" jars that I hit with the heat gun, poke around in the 'crevices', expelling the air and letting the wax settle in, let them set up solid again, and biurned. They did fine too. here's what i noticed with them that would have tipped me off that it wax the different wax, even if there had been no crevices; they are burning much hotter. Bigger flame, deeper pool- quicker. Not burning so hot that I'd be totally dissatisfied, but I noticed the difference. Not the case with the tumbler that i added the steric to.

Any of you agree or disagree with melting the tops, letting the crevices fill up with the wax? I tested 3 of these and they seemed ok. Not something i'd want to do as a routine, or a method of solving this wax issue, but i do have more than a few dozen of these already poured. Comments? Concerns?

Gretchen

[Henryk]

I noticed the deeper meltpool faster also with the new version. However I wicked down and that wasn't a good idea, so I stayed with the same wicking for both versions.

However that bit of stearic did two things:

1. Made the new burn even more like the old since one of things it does is make the wax a bit firmer. (Probably the same reason the burns looked more like the older version also).

2. Got rid of the tiny bubbles I would sometimes see rising in the meltpool.

As far as the CS FOs. I've just started buying these. Some of them that I really like are a bit light - but I asked people and they said they smelled more like what they were supposed to smell like (i.e. the rose) than my old choices ("more real" was what I always heard). So, I am going to continue to purchase from them. (I never wanted my candles to smell like canned air fresheners).

[Gretchen]

Any comments on how I melted from above with the haet gun to expose the pits and release the air? Comments please!

I'm on the second burn with the one I added the steric to. This almost feels too good to be true! I still have allot of work ahaed of me to fix all these candles!

Gretchen

[topofmurrayhill]

Any comments on how I melted from above with the haet gun to expose the pits and release the air? Comments please!

Finishing them with a heat gun when necessary is pretty much standard procedure - until you start using the stearic trick of course!

[Henryk]

Yes. The only thing I'd be careful of is sometimes you can't see how large that hole is under there - and you might have to melt a good bit to fill it up.

The other thing someone mentioned (not about this wax however) is that she was poking her soy candles and found other holes. I've not come across that with this wax (hidden holes) but if you do poke them, be careful - this wax is really soft, but it can crack a day or so later if you poke it after its set up (I waited to long to make the holes for tester wicks - never again). Here is a pic (sorry, bad quality):