number2of7 Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I've heard that adding too much dye can clog your wick....I made two candles, both in standard 8oz Jelly Jars. One I did dyeless, scented with Night Blooming Jasmine and the other I dyed red with Watermelon (please note that I had to use an entire red dye chip for this small amount of wax to get the bright red I was wanting).I put the same wick in both jars (44-28-18z). The wicked worked beautifully in the Jasmine candle...great MP, etc. The Watermelon candle, however, has major wax hangup and the wick barely stays lit....looks like it's about to drown.I've run three separate 3-hour burn sessions and I'm getting the same results.Is this the definition of a clogged wick, or is this a color/FO combo that just needs a larger wick? I'm just having problems determining how to diagnose my problems.I've tested so many wicks in this one jar...I just want one to work! Please help.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celicagtca Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Sounds like it could be a combination of the f/o or the dye. How much oil was used in that wax? Try lowering your % of oil and try another one with a full chip and see if it happens again. If so, cut back on the dye chip on your 3rd test. Not all f/o's are the same. Once you've mastered your testing, write your findings down in a log book and keep it in a safe place for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizimarezie Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Another test would be to make your Watermelon candle completely without dye and use the same wick size you were using. See how that works out. While in most cases the FO is the culprit, I never underestimate the evil doings of heavy dye or specific dye colors (hence, I will never use Aqua again in a wicked candle). I've had this 'clogged wick' problem you mention happen to me before so I tested and tested until I discovered that it was, in fact, the dye.Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
number2of7 Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 Actually, I only used 6% FO because I was trying out the new, improved Perfect Blend from KY.Maybe a better question then would be: what is the sign of a clogged wick? How do you know the difference between a wick that is getting clogged and a wick that is too small? What are the signs to look for?Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 A clogged wick won't stay lit. Sounds like you need to wick up IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I have a candle that I made with red color crystals and either strawberry jam or strawberry super strong that I had to melt back down because the wick wouldn't stay lit.I repoured them in the container with a super large hemp wick. It started out burning, within 30 minutes fizzled out and won't stay lit.I just wish I didn't get confused when I repoured them so I would know which strawberry FO it was but I know I have a clogged wick because other candles are burning fine with this wick but different FO's and lighter coloring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
number2of7 Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 Thanks Scented!And, Jami, based on your experience it looks like my red dye & FO just don't mesh well together....may try it dyeless like someone else suggested earlier in the post just to see if it's my dye or my FO. I'm also gonna try that same dye load again with a different FO.Like we keep seeing on this board....test, test, test.....well, off I go...:tiptoe: Thanks again everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 So Jami did you only try it with one wick? No idea how much color you put in, but honestly, one dye chip shouldn't clog anything. They don't for me, so my guess is determine if your FO is a heavy one. Sometimes wicking up may mean two or more sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 I melted it down and repoured it with a bigger wick. It did the same thing with the bigger wick. It is my first time using this particular oil and I put extra dye in it for a darker shade of red.My biggest wick fizzled out so I am just scrapping that FO for candles and will do it in tarts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 More dye doesn't necessarily make something darker, well it does/can at a waste. You could enrich reds with a brown or black too. Some oils are finicky, but in reading what happened in your case, sounds to me like you just need to increase the wick again or not and start over. For instance some patchouli's are very hard to wick right. So is Frankincense and Myhrr (? the spelling) but there are other FOs that are just as tough. In addition, look at your coloring and make sure it isn't a pigment, which pigments tend to help clog wicks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 I really think my problem is my FO. I have some other candles that I colored with red that I am having no problems with (I got them out today to test).The candles I made with either the strawberry jam or strawberry super strong from JS will NOT stay lit. I wicked up to my biggest wick with the super large hemp wick that works perfect on jars bigger than the one I repoured in. When I melted the original candles down to repour, I didn't put the labels on the jars like a dingbat. I THINK its the SSS and not the strawberry jam but I had a little strawberry jam left and it is a thicker oil so it could have been that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 See I'm testing a pretty thick oiled Strawberry right now. Will be interesting to see what happens with it. Sounds like your FO is your problem. So what happens if you make tarts with all that wax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyswaxworld77 Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 I really think my problem is my FO. I have some other candles that I colored with red that I am having no problems with (I got them out today to test).The candles I made with either the strawberry jam or strawberry super strong from JS will NOT stay lit. I wicked up to my biggest wick with the super large hemp wick that works perfect on jars bigger than the one I repoured in. When I melted the original candles down to repour, I didn't put the labels on the jars like a dingbat. I THINK its the SSS and not the strawberry jam but I had a little strawberry jam left and it is a thicker oil so it could have been that one This can drive a person waxy, we have seen latley that some of the F/O supplier's are cuttiing the F/O by adding oil solvent to stretch the F/O, it still smells strong but it could be cut 50%, hopefully this isn't the case, but it happened to us a couble of times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorrinaMallory Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 Wicking is so tricky. Who am I kidding the whole science behind candle making is tricky haha. I have been working to perfect a candle but have yet successfully completed one. My favorite wicks are eco 1s but I get a lot of soot and I feel my candle burns too fast. I’m using an 8 oz tin jar. But I’m using a much higher fragrance load then you are in at a 10% and after some research I’m beginning to think I may need to lessen the load. My candle does have a hot throw however after three hours it becomes a fuel like smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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