holes in my container candles?

[Sallykate]

Hi guys,

I KNOW this question has been asked recently but I searched and could not find what I needed pertaining to container candles...

I use J223 and have never had any problems with it. It has always been a one pour for me. I do hit my finished candles with a heat gun every now and then when I see a dip but other than that, I have had no problems with it until now.

I am getting holes in the tops of the candles while they are cooling and when I hit it with a HG, it tunnels a little ways. I have not had one tunnel all the way down but as I use the HG on it the hole opens up into a little cavern.

Am I pouring too fast? I try to pour between 150 and 175. Any help on my new dilemma would be much appreciated.

Thanx!

[Connie]

I pour mine about 160 and no tunneling. Only when I pour to hot. I would only get them in my pint jars. Dropping the temp seemed to do the trick.

[jillgunter]

Sounds like you are getting air bubbles maybe. I always tap my jars really well. I have had some small jars get little dips like that, and take the heat gun to it. I think on my small jars they might cool to fast. Try sticking a box over them to cool.

[Breanna]

I use J223 too and sometimes I get this,,,1. sometimes I am pouring to fast, 2. I am pouring a wee bit to hot so I am now pouring @ 160. and then last,,,when I take and put my wax in my pour pot and add color and FO,,if I stir to fast then pour I get the bubbles and tunnels....HTH:D

[Sallykate]

I use J223 too and sometimes I get this,,,1. sometimes I am pouring to fast, 2. I am pouring a wee bit to hot so I am now pouring @ 160. and then last,,,when I take and put my wax in my pour pot and add color and FO,,if I stir to fast then pour I get the bubbles and tunnels....HTH:D

Great tips, I will re-examine my technique and see if I can change some of those things.

I am pouring a large quantity of candles and I think maybe I am gettin a little too hasty with the stirring and pouring.

Thanx!

[Guest ShellyRobyn]

I've had the same thing happen with this wax too. Not all the time, just occasionally. I've found that if I pour too hot and/or have the jars too close together, this is more likely to happen. I pour at 160 and space them out.

[MommaD]

Mine did it a lot if the room was too cool, and they cooled too fast.

[Sallykate]

I've had the same thing happen with this wax too. Not all the time, just occasionally. I've found that if I pour too hot and/or have the jars too close together, this is more likely to happen. I pour at 160 and space them out.

Well isn't that interesting! Since I am pouring a large quantity, I thought it might be better to "snuggle" the jars together for warmth to slow the cooling. Maybe that is not such a good idea. I would have never thought it a bad thing to do. hmmm... I will experiment with that too!

Thanx!

[Cetacea]

There was a debate about a bad batch of J223 a couple of months ago. I didn't notice anything unusual until I opened my last case from Candlewic. The first half was awful--I had holes the size of the grand canyon in my jars, the second half is fine.

I'd say you got part of the bad batch. It burns fine and dandy, just doesn't set up the same way.

I ended up remelting most of my jars in the oven then poking the air holes out with a skewer, while they cooled. Pain I know, but that is the only thing I found to work.

Even letting them cool at an amazingly slow rate didn't do much. Try zapping them with a heat gun then go digging for air in the holes that you see.

HTH, good luck

[Guest ShellyRobyn]

Well isn't that interesting! Since I am pouring a large quantity, I thought it might be better to "snuggle" the jars together for warmth to slow the cooling. Maybe that is not such a good idea. I would have never thought it a bad thing to do. hmmm... I will experiment with that too!

Thanx!

I thought the same thing too and it may be unrelated but I found that when I had two (or more) jars close together, they tunneled with the holes being closest to egde where the other jar sat. I know it doesn't make sense!! It will be interesting to see what you come up with.

Good Luck!!!!

[Sallykate]

There was a debate about a bad batch of J223 a couple of months ago. I didn't notice anything unusual until I opened my last case from Candlewic. The first half was awful--I had holes the size of the grand canyon in my jars, the second half is fine.

I'd say you got part of the bad batch. It burns fine and dandy, just doesn't set up the same way.

I ended up remelting most of my jars in the oven then poking the air holes out with a skewer, while they cooled. Pain I know, but that is the only thing I found to work.

Even letting them cool at an amazingly slow rate didn't do much. Try zapping them with a heat gun then go digging for air in the holes that you see.

HTH, good luck

Thanx for the FYI Cetacea. I had not heard about that. I sure hope that that is all that is going on because I thought I had perfected my technique.

I have been using the heat gun and a skewer to poke around with. All of my craters don't go any deeper than an inch or less from the surface. Thank goodness! So far the heat gun is working but what a PITA!

I was relieved to read

It burns fine and dandy, just doesn't set up the same way.

I was a little worried about that. I have tested some and so far no problem. So I am glad to hear confirmation from someone else about this.

Thanx a bunch!

[mking]

I use J 223 and pour at 145 to 150 and never have the hole thing. When I pour at a higher temp. the holes do appear.

[Deb]

I believe that there WAS a bad batch out there. I've used this wax since I started and never had a problem. Then I started to get the tunneling from two cases in a row, both bought from the same supplier. The next case that I bought was fine.

My technique, pouring conditions, jar conditions, etc. didn't change, and I am now, and will always be convinced, that there was a bad batch out there and that I got some of it!