A soy experiment that somehow went right

[Nodtveidt]

I've read in many places how you should never use vybar 103 with pure soy wax, you should only ever use soy additive. Well, after our unsuccessful attempt at a soy pillar using vegetable stearic and mold releasant (it got stuck in the mold and looked terrible anyways), my wife suggested to try some vybar 103. "What do you have to lose? A teaspoon of vybar", she said. So I figured "what the heck", and added a teaspoon of vybar 103 to the batch I had made that was intent on being pillar wax. After the batch had melted down and cooled off a bit, I added some Orange Sherbert FO to the batch and let it finish cooling to pouring temperature. I had a glass bowl-like container prepped with a 62-52-18C wick in the center. Then came the pour...I was expecting the worst. Instead, what I ended up with was a VERY nicely textured soy container candle with absolutely NO frosting nor rippling. It turned out to be the best looking soy candle I've ever made! The burn test comes later, but at least I know that so far, this experiment was a success.

[tlc]

Can you post a picture? We would love to see it!

[Nodtveidt]

There are some minor imperfections on the surface but I think the heat gun will correct that...unfortunately, I left it at my other house...:embarasse

[Sharon in KY]

Looks good to me and the heat gun might bring out some whiteish hue. It's a soy thing...

[mystical_angel1219]

Very cool experiment, thanks for sharing. :highfive:

That is a smooth top for soy without the use of a heatgun!

I wonder if the vybar will compromise the scent throw in a soy candle? Keep us posted, please.

[tlc]

Looks pretty good. I like the color and container! Good job.

[Nodtveidt]

Thanks everyone. I'll let y'all know how the burn test goes, I'll likely do the burn on Tuesday to give more than enough curing time. The container is absolutely beautiful though, this photograph really doesn't do it any justice.

[geekrunner]

That is quite a unique idea! It looks like a candy dish. Did you pour slushy or at a particular temperature? It looks like a textured but smooth top. I tend to agree that heat gunning may cause a little frosting on top. Yes, the conventional wisdom is that vybar will inhibit hot throw, but vybar used in the correct quantity in paraffin tends to hold more FO and increase hot throw, but too much will bind the FO and kill it. A teaspoon is not that much vybar, though. Definitely want to find out how it burns and smells!

Good work! geek

[GKC]

May I ask what brand of soy wax you used?

[willow candle]

Where do you get your wicks from? Are those cotton wicks? And do you like them? Very new here Thanks

Willow

[idacandlelady]

That is very nice for a soy candle. I also am interested in hearing your results. I wonder if it will frost later, or show a frost ring after burning. Keep us informed, please.

[Nodtveidt]

geekrunner: I think it is a candy dish. Anyways, I poured it slushy. I tried pouring hot (around 150F) with another candle today in a smaller container using a 60-44-18C wick just to see what would happen...there was some minor sinking at the wick, and a slight wrinkle at the edges (obviously not optimal). However, again, no frosting on the surface or wet spots on the glass. Perhaps I could pour right before it turns slushy, might get the smooth top without the imperfections that I got with the first candle (you can tell where it was poured).

GKC: It's Bluegrass Soy (WXBS).

Willow: I get my tabbed wicks from Bluegrass Candle Supply. This wick was indeed a cotton one. No complaints so far, so I guess I could say I like them. I've traditionally gotten my pillar wicks from Pourette, although as I've said on this forum before, they tend to be unreliable (they bailed on my last wick order).

Anyways, the vybar seems to be the key here...it has thus far completely eliminated the frosting that has irritated me since my very first soy pour a few months ago. Tomorrow morning I'm going to do the burn test. I'll post the results then.

[SpaceGirl]

You know that actually doesn't suprise me too much. I use GB 415 and IGI 4630 together (I know 4630 already has some additives in it -- I've always assumed it has some vybar although I've never seen specs on the exact numbers -- maybe proprietary?) and I get excellent results in terms of little to no frosting and excellent adhesion. I also get really good scent throw at 7% within 1 week.

Maybe you've just found your own perfect blend

[Nodtveidt]

Okay...I lit up the second candle, the smaller dish with the 60-44-18C wick. It was about 30 hours since pour. Since the candle wasn't heavily scented to begin with, I didn't expect a lot of hot throw but actually, I was a little surprised that I could smell it from quite a distance. Furthermore, absolutely NO frost ring whatsoever, that surprised me as well. The remains of the pool are just as slick as the rest. The only problem is that the wick was actually a little weak, I probably should have used the larger wick for it...

But anyways, it looks like, for now, this is my "perfect blend" as SpaceGirl suggested. I'll definately do some heavy scent testing later on...got plenty of french vanilla kicking around.

[Nodtveidt]

Okay, here it is...the 7 day test. There is some slight frosting in a ring pattern about 3/4 of an inch around the original melt pool. The extreme changes in the environment here in PR is likely the cause. The color has retained as normal, no changes. Cold throw is still powerful. No sooting whatsoever. Hot throw doesn't appear to have changed at all. A few cat hairs on top of the wax. Possible cause: cats. Solution: fricasé de gato.

*MEOW!!*

Final analysis: successful experiment, all results are within acceptable ranges. This is a good candle blend. Needs extensive testing with a good range of FOs and dyes though, that will come next.