Wet spots that won't go away....

[aimgrace]

So I have gone through the archives and tried just about everything. I warm up my containers. I hot soak while melting. I cool down my soy to 100 degrees. I use my hair dryer ( actually does work wonders and saves me money for a heat gun) to fix my tops and remelt the sides. This is the only thing that gets rid of my wet spots, but it takes a LONG,LONG,LONG time and my hand will fall asleep when I am trying to do the bottom, and I have to use a heat pad so I won't burn my fingers. THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY!!!! I know with soy I should not have to warm my container, but that didn't work either. I have also tried several soys, and sometimes peaks advanced soy container works best, floridasoysolutions sometimes works, but cajun candles soy container is awful. I only tried one container, but it came out crumbly and uneven on the top and sides, and there were all kinds of gas (air) pockets throughout. I use a box lined with towels, or a cooler lined with towels and let it cool in a draft free quiet spot and my palm pillars come out perfectly, but my soy containers come out awful. They smell great cold throw, but I can't smell anything hot throw, but that could be that I am not using enough fo. I have all kinds of requests for my soy, but I just am about to give up. Help..... Please.....

[Jami]

You will never eliminate wet spots. A simple temperature change can bring them out when you think you have none.

An example, I had a box of candles that had not one wet spot. It was sitting by an air vent in my dining room for 3 weeks. When I took those candles out of the box, there were all kinds of wet spots.

If you are out and look at some of the "name brand" candles such as yankme in a store, you will find they have wet spots as well.

It just happens. Don't sweat over it any more

[cindym]

As we all have said a million times before, embrace the wet spots. If you want to feel better about it go to the store and look at all the candles including Y########'s they have wet spots too. I so struggled with it when I first started, my candles sell wet spots and all.

[britishgirl]

not only do Y***** candles have wet spots but one of our famous up market shops have a problem with them

http://www.harrods.com/Cultures/en-GB/Products/ProductDetail.htm/CS_ProductID/DIP04%28HarrodsComCatalog%29/CS_Category/Home_Dyptique%28HarrodsComCatalog%29/CS_Catalog/HarrodsComCatalogGB

and if harrods can have them so can i:yay:

[aimgrace]

Thank you all so much for helping me feel better. You are right of course. I have seen those candles that start with a Y, and even some at bath and body with them. As long as they burn even and smell great that is all that matters right? Now....just to see a G....C...... with some, than all my woes will be vanquished I just burned one that I made for my mom and it has burned past the wet spots but when it cools, it looks great, so least it does that. I must have been having a bad candle day. I can't wait till my latest shipment comes in. More to make yay. And maybe the soy I got from cajun candles will treat me better the second time around.

Thanks again.

-Aimee:grin2:

[Jami]

:highfive: Welcome to the candle addiction world Aimee!!

[aimgrace]

I have been sucked into this candle addiction for a while now. I love it. I just got my box of palm wax. I am fixin' to to make a couple of layered ocean, vanilla scented pillars with it. I want to do some swirls but I don't have any liquid dye, so I am making layered. I can't wait. Thanks again for making me feel better about those evil wet spots.

I also got some container decorations, so I will go and hide those beautiful wet spots with it.

[Ilona]

you could always turn to using tin containers!

no wet spots there!

[debscent]

I recall when I first started, wet spots irritated me, and for some reason I just really don't see them anymore. And, save the $$ for the heat gun, you will love it. If it's a toss up between a heat gun and buying FOs that you "just have to try"--spend it on the heat gun. Good luck!

[Stella1952]

Aimgrace, I carefully wash my containers with very hot water and Parson's Sudsy Ammonia. I rinse them thoroughly in HOT water then allow them to air dry upside down in a warm oven. Newly manufactured glass still has "stuff" on it from the manufacturing process. Ammonia is arguably the best glass cleaner in the universe. Parson's Sudsy ammonia is a "trade secret" of many stained glass artisans and was used "back in the day" for washing windows and auto glass. Still the cheapest - still the best, IMHO.

When I do not wash the glass as above, I ALWAYS find wet spots; when I wash them as above, I have no wet spots. Temperature does seem to increase the amount and size of wet spots on our containers, but if you don't have good adhesion to begin with, you can forgeddaboudit! If the adhesion is good, the candle and jar weather temp changes better. HTH

[tangerine]

And, save the $$ for the heat gun, you will love it. If it's a toss up between a heat gun and buying FOs that you "just have to try"--spend it on the heat gun. Good luck!

Yup, I agree. A hair dryer doesn't compare to a heat gun. You can also get an embossing gun at a craft store -- I got mine for $12 with the 40% off coupon.

[kandlekrazy]

1850 hairdryers work great...IF you like wax spattered all over the place! Don't ask me how I know this:embarasse ....Ace Hardware also carries an inexpensive heat gun that is really pretty nice....think it was 21.99.

[kandlekrazy]

Aimgrace, I carefully wash my containers with very hot water and Parson's Sudsy Ammonia. I rinse them thoroughly in HOT water then allow them to air dry upside down in a warm oven. Newly manufactured glass still has "stuff" on it from the manufacturing process. Ammonia is arguably the best glass cleaner in the universe. Parson's Sudsy ammonia is a "trade secret" of many stained glass artisans and was used "back in the day" for washing windows and auto glass. Still the cheapest - still the best, IMHO.

When I do not wash the glass as above, I ALWAYS find wet spots; when I wash them as above, I have no wet spots. Temperature does seem to increase the amount and size of wet spots on our containers, but if you don't have good adhesion to begin with, you can forgeddaboudit! If the adhesion is good, the candle and jar weather temp changes better. HTH

Stella,

Thanks for another very helpful hint. I made 3 candles yesterday using ammonia instead of dish soap and all 3 have perfect adhesion. You are just the BEST!

[Stella1952]

Nah, I am an old glasser. If ammonia'll take paste flux offa stained glass, it'll do ANYTHING! My mom taught me to use ammonia and newspaper to clean & polish windows and it works GREAT (also on stained glass panels) although I surely would not wipe out a container I was intending to pour wax into with newsprint! I prefer not to even TOUCH the inside once it has been washed. I do that thing with the straw and hot glue when wicking, so I never have to touch the inside of the container after it has air-dried.

[Fern-Marie]

Aimgrace, I carefully wash my containers with very hot water and Parson's Sudsy Ammonia. I rinse them thoroughly in HOT water then allow them to air dry upside down in a warm oven. Newly manufactured glass still has "stuff" on it from the manufacturing process. Ammonia is arguably the best glass cleaner in the universe. Parson's Sudsy ammonia is a "trade secret" of many stained glass artisans and was used "back in the day" for washing windows and auto glass. Still the cheapest - still the best, IMHO.

When I do not wash the glass as above, I ALWAYS find wet spots; when I wash them as above, I have no wet spots. Temperature does seem to increase the amount and size of wet spots on our containers, but if you don't have good adhesion to begin with, you can forgeddaboudit! If the adhesion is good, the candle and jar weather temp changes better. HTH

This was the first thing that popped to mind.

It is imperative that you wash all glassware to remove the

coating the manufacturer's put on to prevent dust and fingerprints from settling.

You'll be just fine, don't lose hope.

[Munch]

Wow was this thread helpful! I had poured test candles last week, put them in my dark spare bedroom and kept checking them during the week and not one wet spot. Yesterday, when I went to take out to have some of my friends evaluate fragrance, wet spots on all of them! I thought I was doing so good I will learn to embrace wet spots AND get some Parson's ammonia. Where can I find it. I had no idea Manufacturers put stuff in their candles. I've just been pouring right in:embarasse

[Stella1952]

Parson's Sudsy Ammonia can be found with cleaning supplies in nearly any grocery store or WalMart. Because it's an "old-fashioned" product, it will probably be near the bottom of the shelf. Sometimes it has lemon added as a scent, etc., but just straight sudsing ammonia of ANY brand will do just fine. It smells to high heaven (duh - it's AMMONIA), so use in a well-ventilated area. The fumes won't kill ya, but they sure will make your nose run and are generally offensive to most noses. Use the hottest water your hands can stand both to wash and to rinse. Use a CLEAN washing cloth to wipe every interior surface, then rinse. It takes a lot longer to write about it than it does to wash a couple of dozen pieces of glassware.

I use about a half-cup in a sinkful of hot water. That's a moderately strong solution.

I was remiss in my earlier posts in not mentioning safety cautions and ammonia... three whacks with a wet safety belt for me!

WARNING: If your skin is at all sensitive, WEAR GLOVES. This stuff has a very high pH (very alkaline) and will cause chemical burns at high concentrations. Ammonia is a great household product for cutting wax build-up off floors and grease off nearly anything. Do NOT mix it with other household products (except detergents with no other additives, like Spic 'n' Span), especially bleach.

Ammonia + sodium hypoclorite (bleach) = DEADLY chlorine gas. Even a couple of whiffs of chlorine gas will send one to the hospital with chemical pneumonia.

I had no idea Manufacturers put stuff in their candles. I've just been pouring right in

I am not sure what you mean... if you mean the glassware, ALL glassware, plasticware, should be washed before using! It isn't sterile when one buys it! Of course manufacturing residue will be present, as will dust, etc. from shipping, even if the product is sealed (it only takes one house fire to respect how fumes can damage the contents of sealed containers. Don't ask me how I know... it was a nightmare).

If you are referring to additives to wax, nearly ALL wax has additives in it from the manufacturer - emulsifiers, etc. that will make their product more manageable. Some wax works pretty well straight out of the bag, but other waxes need a little of dis or dat to tame them to your appliaction and expectations. It takes some experimentation on a chandler's part to learn what works for them. Keep good records of your pours and experiments and soon, you will discover what works best for you!

[Munch]

Stella you are amazing! Yes, I was referring to getting the Manuf. jars and what you had mentioned about coating it with anything. Fingers didn't type what brain was thinking. No safety belt whack for you You need a safety award for passing on that information. Lucky to have you and all your knowledge. Thank you so much.

[2rottndogs]

I don't use ammonia because of my asthma, but I've used Dawn's dishing washing detergent with super hot water... wash really good, dry really good, take the guts out of the box they came in, lay a clean dish towel down, put back the guts of the box and then repack the glassware upside down in the box they came in. If all goes well, I never have to touch the inside of that jar again.

Kimberly

[Stella1952]

You are so right, dawgs. The Dawn has a grease cutting agent that does the trick also without all the fumes. A little more costly, but some folks just can't handle the ammonia! I like your idea of storing them upside down in the boxes they shipped in also! So whether one is using them today or next week, they should be good to go!

I am so lazy I don't do mine until the last minute...:embarasse

[lindsaycb]

So could these just be run through a dishwasher too, with the ammonia maybe?

Not that I have a dishwasher...but I dream.

[Stella1952]

I guess you could, but unless you have a buttload of jars, it'll be a waste of water. By the time you run them through a dishwasher cycle, you could have washed out several dozen by hand! The handwashing goes real quickly, honest! Takes longer to write about it and describe the task than it does to do it!

[Fern-Marie]

So could these just be run through a dishwasher too, with the ammonia maybe?

Not that I have a dishwasher...but I dream.

Whoa! Warning: harsh chemicals such as bleach or ammonia will cause the gaskets in your dishwasher to deteriorate. DH fixes appliances and I got chewed out when he caught me putting a 'bit of bleach' in the dishwasher.

Most dishwasher detergents have a bit of safe bleach in them. If you want to run them through the dishwasher, go ahead, but do not add any additional chemicals.

[Stella1952]

THANKS, Fern-Marie! I have never tried ammonia, but have been tempted to add bleach to clean plastic items that have become discolored. Glad you posted that before I blew the gaskets off my aging dishwasher - have lived without one for years at a time but I don't want to ever again. Doing dishes by hand is NOT my favorite task!

[kandlekrazy]

I don't use ammonia because of my asthma, but I've used Dawn's dishing washing detergent with super hot water... wash really good, dry really good, take the guts out of the box they came in, lay a clean dish towel down, put back the guts of the box and then repack the glassware upside down in the box they came in. If all goes well, I never have to touch the inside of that jar again.

Kimberly

Thanks for the great tip Kimberly...I cleaned a whole case of glass, put down the towel and left them alone...all week I've been using my clean glass and it has really saved time in the long run!