SonShine Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Hi everyone, I've followed everyone's suggestions for my 8oz tumblers with my 444 wax. I melted at a higher temp, and added FO as well as poured at a higher temp.Yesterday I wanted to test one to see how the wicking process was going. The picture below is after one 4 hour burn yesterday, and then another 3 hour burn today. Doesn't it look a bit yucky as it cooled afterwards? Can someone tell me what could the problem be and how I can fix this 'after burn' appearance? I keep comparing mine to the gal that makes the wonderful soy candles that I burn, and her's look so smooth after burning and then cooling. Any suggestions? I used 444 wax, 10 FO and an ECO wick. Oh, one more thing....how do I place the ECO's so that they burn in the exact center instead of off to the side? Do the red marks go one way or the other?Any suggestions would be so much appreciated! Thanks a bunch!SuzyPS....I hope I attached this the right way! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pocha Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Well...I use GB 464 and this looks about right to me...Soy candles just seem to set up ugly after burning. I was horrified too but got over it. None of my customers seem to mind. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgirljen Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I did a test burn yesterday on my first candle. After the first test burn the candle looked fine, but after the second test burn, it looked similar to what you have here!! I'm burning it again today, so I'll see how it looks and let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonShine Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 Thanks for the response from both of you! I guess I wasn't prepared for this look....lol. Now if I can just get a scent throw, then I'll be really happy!Islandgirl....have you tested yet for scent throw? Mine smells good when it's cold and I walk by it....it's like it sends off a whiff of good stuff. But then when lit, I'm just not getting anywhere yet.Maybe we could help each other out?Thanks, Suzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pocha Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Regarding scent throw...bes sure you "cure" your candles a MINIMUM of 1 week...and I mean 7 days!! ;-) More, if you can. I was a parrafin person and was sceptical about this whole "curing" thing at first (I thought it must be an urban myth or something!). But, sure enough...the longer you let it sit, the stronger it smells!! Some scents will just never work in particular waxes, though, no matter how long you cure. And some waxes are more "particular" than others. You just have to do alot of testing. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonShine Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 lol....I am skeptical about the whole curing process too! I wanted to test these puppies to see how the wicks I chose would work....and of course I told myself that I didn't 'need' to smell it. But wouldn't cha know...I soooo wanted to smell it. lolI'll trust ya on this one....and let 'em cure. But it's soooo hard!!!!! Suzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katie Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Thats how my Gb444 looked after burning. I switched to C3 wax because I found it from a local supplier and it burns smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violetsexoticcandles Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 C-3 wax is great! Some scents won't absorb so well with it, but I have smooth tops... especially with a heat gun, and even after the initial burn, it sets up nice and smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Curing is an essential aspect of lots of things involving fragrance and taste! Dunno why it's hard for folks to understand that it takes a bit of time for the scent molecules to fully disburse themselves throughout the wax as it crystallizes and hardens over a week's time! Some fragrances we have used were "barely there" after pouring, but when we took them out to test after a week, we were pleasantly surprised that they had not only ripened, they had a great hot throw! We never make any kind of judgement on a fragrance oil until the candle has cured for at least a week and been burned with proper wicking. We have been disappointed in some that seemed like they wold be great as soon as they cooled and amazed at some that we couldn't even smell at first, but developed a good scent and hot throw after curing.When allowed to air-cool after burning but before recapping, most of the tops are not excessively lumpy or "spitty." When we put the lids on to extinguish the candle, the candle surface can look pretty rough when we see them next...We use C-3 and have had very good results. Sure, some scents/dyes cause frosting and bubbling more than others, but we never have problems with tops. We do not do second pours and don't need a heat gun unless we accidentally mess up the top our own clumsy selves! Overall, the cold and hot throw is very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonShine Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 Thanks so much for the encouragement to 'cure' everyone! I'm sure it's just like fine wine or even food for that matter....some things just need to 'marinate' a bit. I've never been known for my pateince...lol. And now I'm wondering about that C3 wax!! Should I compare....should't I? Here I go again!! Thanks, Suzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgirljen Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Suzy,In regard to scent throw...I'm guessing I made the classic newbie mistake and burned my candle after only a day and a half. LOL! The scent is strong when it was cold, but once I lit my candle, it was very weak. Every once in a while I would get a whiff of the scent, otherwise not really. I burned my candle again yesterday and once it cooled the top was pretty smooth. I'm using Ecosoya CB Advanced Soy.I poured my second candle on Monday night, and I am definitely following the advice of waiting at least a week to burn it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violetsexoticcandles Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I've heard of curing soy candles and was skeptical. I had a few tarts laying around that I decided to sniff (they've been sitting since Dec. b/c they are Christmas scents) and they were stronger! Wow!That being said, however, I don't think that all candles need to cure. I think it depends on the scent. I have a very strong blackberry sage scent that I use all the time and love, and it comes out very strong even when I burn it the next day. I think using your judgment is what is needed. But hey, if you can wait a week or so, great!My customers order and I make their candles. Should I tell them to wait a week to burn their candles? By the time they get them, it's probably almost been a week, though. So maybe I shouldn't... What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I totally agree, Violet. Some scents seem to need time to ripen or cure, while others - heck it wouldn't matter if you let 'em cure 'til the cows came home, they just don't have it! Some of the fragrances we use have a strong throw from the time they are poured until the last crumb is thrown away! We have also found that this can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, just to make things more confusing! We poured a mulberry from one supplier and fell in INSTANT love with the cold throw and the hot throw. But mulberry we ordered from another supplier smelled like Hawiian Punch for the first week. It did eventually smell a little more mulberry-like, but not enough for us to order it again! A third supplier had a decent cold throw mulberry, but it smelled like hot koolaid when burned. That's the biggest reason we order samples from many different suppliers - even the ones we absolutely LOVE, we STILL order samples from new sources in hopes of finding one we like even better!The best reason I can think of to wait several days to a week before testing (besides allowing the candles to cure) is the annoying problem of candle nose! Neither my partner nor I can truly smell a scent we have poured only a day or so before... our noses are pretty deadened to it after pouring and even after 24-48 hours, our home still reeks of a fresh batch of *whatever*!As for selling freshly poured candles to a customer, again, use your own judgment. If you are making a fragrance that you know needs some time to ripen and develop, then hold the candles a couple of extra days or explain to the customers that they should wait a few days before burning their candle to enjoy its maximum scent qualities. We generally do not turn around special orders that quickly, so we have never addressed the issue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilona Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 would you be willing to add some beeswax? I use some and don't have that chunky stuff at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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