JSB 50/50 Container Wax ~ Help!

[cherokeemaiden]

Hi again! I am ready to pull my hair out. I've poured several 16 oz wide mouth ball jars and NOTHING. Nice cold scent. But No hot scent throw on some FO's that knock your socks off just opening the bottle. Have rewicked every imaginable size and I can't get a full melt pool. It seems to melt off to one side and down leaving a crater and not burning down on the other side. (No my cabinets aren't unlevel, believe me I checked) LOL! I've talked to Becky at JS, tried her directions and I'm just lost.

ANybody else use the JSB 50/50 for containers that is having any luck? I ordered samples of this wax on different ocassions, so I don't think its a bad batch of wax. What NEXT?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Connie

[Trish]

Are you single or double wicking? I think that size container needs to be double wicked, ideally.

[cherokeemaiden]

I single wicked! Really, double wick huh. I didn't think the jar would be big enough, 3" wide. Thanks for answering, I'll give it a try. Will that help the scent throw to? I used FO Black Cherry and I couldn't believe I didn't get anything.

Thanks,

Connie

[cherokeemaiden]

OK! Well I double wicked the candle using small wicks. Within 25 minutes I had a full melt pool, 1/4 deep. I just think this wax is to soft. Moving up to a 75/25 blend to see what happens. Lord knows I have enough wax around here to try anything.

Connie

[debscent]

How long did it cure? I use a 50/50 blend and need at least a 2 day cure, and what type of wick?

[cherokeemaiden]

Hi Deb ~ I cured each candle for 4 days, a couple of them for a week.

I used JS's zinc wicks,

Medium - 51-32-18-Z;

Small/Medium - 44-24-18-Z;

Small - 36-24-Z;

All 6 inch wicks. I double wicked it today with the small 36-24-Z. I also tried a couple of the medium and small wicks from NG.

Its so frustrating! I can make beeswax candles with my eyes closed and gell candles. Soy and Parafin, good grief, you need a degree. I'm melting my wax at 175 degrees. Adding color block at 170, FO around 165 and pouring around 160 degrees. Warming my containers to, not hot, just warm. Becky at JS said to lite them within hours, but I haven't tried that. What am I doing wrong???

[debscent]

Doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong...I wonder if your wax blend is TOO hard and not enough additives incorporated into it. I had a problem with a preblended wax before, it never got beyond a 2 inch melt pool, after a 6 hour burn!!! Did you have any problems cutting this wax up, maybe a bit more firm than usual? With my 50/50 I can literally push my finger into it.

[cherokeemaiden]

No, the wax was very soft. The knife went right thru it. I even mentioned to Becky at JS that I pushed on the wax after I had let the candle sit for a few days and it would make an indentation. She laughed and said to stop doing that. It just appears to be so very soft, which makes it melt so quickly.

[debscent]

Hmm...don't know what to tell ya. I don't know why you aren't getting a full melt pool at a 3" diameter. I single wick 16 ounce apoth jars with a CD 18 -CD 20 depending on the FO and have great luck. Sorry, I only took up bandwith. LOL!

[dpowell]

I was trying 16 oz and 8 oz wide mouth canning jars and had issues getting a full melt pool with both. I thought of double wicking, but may just try a different container instead,

[AngelaVA]

I got great results with this wax, but it needs a hotter burning wick, imho. I would try a CD or HTP wick. The zinc just didn't work as well for me.

[cherokeemaiden]

Thanks for all the advice, I so appreciate it. Guess I'll order the CD wicks to try. I've never used anything other than the zinc, so this is going to be another learning adventure, LOL!

While I have this post going, can I ask another question. I found a local wax distributor not far from me. They sell Enchanted Lites wax. I believe that is the correct spelling. I did a search on here for them, but there weren't really many that used it. Has anybody tried that wax with much success? Sure would save lots of money on shipping, but the last thing I need is a new wax to try to learn.

Again, thanks for all the help.

[7 Pawz]

I use J223 wax, and with a 16 oz wide mouth jar i have used 1--62-52-18 zinc wick or 1 htp 105 wick with good results, I don't know if that helps, I'm guessing your wax blend is soft like J223, but it's just another option:D

[cherokeemaiden]

Thanks Pawz ~ I tried that wick with my 32 oz w/m mason jar and I had a 2 inch deep melt pool within an hour. Never tried it with the 16 oz cause I figured it would be to much, but I definitely will give that one a try also.

I'm just not getting this whole wick thing. Guess that's the whole dynamics of it though. Going to get my candles now...hopefully, this one will do the trick.

Thanks!

[7 Pawz]

cherokee:) you know, if the diameter of the 32 oz jar is the same as the 16 oz jar, either of the wicks i mentioned may work, i have used the zinc 62-52-18 in a 32 oz jar with great results, it helps me to have 2 or more choices to use in wicks cause if my supplier is out of one, then i can get the other:)

[cherokeemaiden]

Hi Pawz ~ I rewicked my 16 oz w/m yesterday with the 62-52-18Z and tried again. No go! Melt pool was way to deep in about 30 minutes. I set it aside and rewicked my 32 oz w/m that I had been having problems with, with the same size wick. It burned beautifully! I was so excited, so I relit it again this afternoon and within 2 hours I had black soot around the top of the jar, Sighhhhh! Going to try to wick down one size and try again on both.

Now get this, pitiful! I poured another 32 oz w/m mason jar today. BTW, if you are wondering why I am using such big Mason jars, I grow my own veggies and can every year, so I have tons of jars (the jars are new and have never been used)! Anyway, I used the same formula, did everything exactly like the last one. Looked and smelled great for about 3 hours, then the center cracked and sunk in like a sinking ship!!! I'll be in my grave before I figure all of this out, LOL!

I also live in FL, so do you think the humidity and climate have a lot to do with my problems? So, that's where I am again with these candles. I think I need to try another wax!

[7 Pawz]

cherokee: even when I'm testing the wicks on my candles, I let them cure at least a week:) that is probably too long for most people, but I find that when I do that, I know exactly how the wick/candle will burn. Also, are your mason jars the wide mouth or the ones that kind of slope into a narrow opening? The shape of the jar really does make a difference and I don't blame you one bit for using your jars that were previously used for veggies:) I have used the 32 oz jar, sure makes a nice candle. Now as far as the soot, could be fo, could be size of wick, type wax, a number of things, but you could test each individually, keep good notes on what combination works and what won't:) Also, could be the humidity, I never thought about that:)

Know how you feel though, when I first started making my candles, I used J 50 wax and it took about 3 or 4 candles before I figured out that I needed to pour cooler than what was suggested on a web site I ran across:) then I decided to switch to J223, I liked the J50, it was one pour, but I wanted more of a scent throw, hot or cold, and the J223 worked for me:)

Keep in touch, keep testing:)