test candles

[feffanoose]

Hi everyone~ Thank you all so much for your help so far, this is a great place to learn!!!

I am planning on using 8 oz jj's, mason jars, etc. for my candles. Right now, I'm still in the FO testing faze, boy, it takes so long. Because I plan on using the jj's (to start with, and move up from there) I figured it would be no big deal to test the FOs in the 4 oz jj's (I've poured about 30 different FOs like this), seeing as tho they are the same width as the 8oz. Mainly because I didnt want to waste supplies.

It's not going so well... The candle burns about half way and then goes out, because the wick tips over. The wicks aren't secured because I've pulled them out to change to a different size. What can I do, if anything, about this? Turns out I'm wasting supplies anyways doing it this way. Thanks so much.

[Candlebuddy]

What wax & wicks (type & size) are you using?

[feffanoose]

I am using ez soy and switching between htp105, 126, cd 12,14,and 16.

[Candlebuddy]

I don't use ezsoy, I use a 50/50 soy blend ... but I do use CD wicks. When I test, I basically test in the jar I'm going to use. I know from experience which wick to start testing with.

For example, in an 8oz jelly jar ... I would start with 6% fo and a CD8. I anchor my wick, but if the wick is too small/large, I just pull out the wick with needle-nosed plyers (the wick tab is still on the bottom of the jar). Then I take a smaller/larger size wick, cut off the wick tab and place when the I removed the first wick, and resume testing.

If I decide that I don't like the scent throw (which I can tell pretty much in the first few hours) ... I just spoon out the wax, put it in a ziplock bag, and use in my tart burner. This works for me.

After testing in a jar, I do use that jar again for testing another fo. I clean out the jar really well and reuse. I only do that for testing. Hope this helps.

[Holly]

In my taller jars (16 oz. Apothecaries) I do not have to adhere the wicks to test for scent throw or for finding a ballpark on which wick seems to be the best. Once I figure which wick is the best I can then repour the candle and test all the way down.

With my squaty 10 oz. apothecaries, I have to adhere the wicks everytime I test for scent throw and for wicking. This is a pain in the butt but it has to be done. They are too shallow, and if I do not adhere the wicks, they will fall over. If I fill the container all the way up I can get at least three burns (and maybe two) before they can fall over. This would be good enough to test for scent throw but not for testing the wicks. I figure that if I am only testing for scent throw, I would rather not fill it all the way up. I prefer to only fill it to the 6 oz. mark. There can be a lot of duds out there so I hate wasting wax. So, I adhere the wicks to all my 10 oz. testers. If the scent throw is good but the wick is not right, I have to remake another one with another wick. This time, I fill it up to the 10 oz. point. I could scoop out what is left in the other one and ad it to an additional amount, but I usually just make a new one and compare the wicks, etc. Usually, even if the wick was good in the first one, I will repour another one filled all the way up to the 10 oz. point to double check the burn from the top to bottom.

How tall are the 4 oz. JJ's? If they are tall enough you should be able to run a test for scent throw without adhering the wicks. When I test in the 8 oz. hurricanes I fill them up to at least the 5-6 oz. mark and it gives me a couple of burns (depending on the wax) to test for throw and to test in finding out which wick will most likely work. If the throw is good and when I find a wick that seems to work, I repour another one with the wick adhered. I usually already know if the oil throws in the wax used in these jars so a lot of times I just adhere the wicks right away to test for wicks. If for some reason it throws like a total dud in these one wick jars I just disregard it all together.

Anyway, I hope this helps a bit. Sorry it ended up being so long. Keep working at it.

~Holly

[feffanoose]

Thank you both for all of your help. I think the 4oz jj's are too short, their only half the size of the 8oz'rs. I still can't get the wick size right no matter what size I use either. I get quite a bit of hang up on the edge.

And, yes, I've also found that there's a lot of duds out their, but I am LOVING Red clover and Pink Sugar from Flickers. Did not have a great trow with Olive Blossom like others have.

Again thanks for the info.