JAYRU620 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I am totally new to candlemaking and after reading your threads I realized that I had never tested any of the materials that I was so anxiously using to make container candles. I have made a 5 oz candle in an apothecary jar and when I tried to light it I am getting a lot of black smoke from the flame. I am using 44-32-18 zinc core pre tabbed wicks. what could be causing the black smoke? Please help:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyl55 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 It would help if you would give a little more info. What wax did you use?How much FO per lb of wax did you use?Did you get your FO from a reputable company or is it from a craft store?Did you use any additives and if so how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Without knowing details my first question would be did you start off with a wick that was trimmed WAY down? Your wick should be no taller than 1/4 inch when you light your candle. Sometimes a long wick will smoke like a choo choo train no matter what kind it is. If that's not the case then we definitely need more details in order to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYRU620 Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 I am new to candlemaking. Unfortunately, I didn't think to measure my stuff until after joining this website. I used single pour container wax IGT 4630A from peakecandle.com with no additives (they said it needed none) (I also got my wicks there) and Fresh cut roses FO from candlewic.com. I just kind of poured the FO in until it smelled nice. That is all that is in it. The flames are big and the smoke stopped after 30 minutes. Any ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYRU620 Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 Without knowing details my first question would be did you start off with a wick that was trimmed WAY down? Your wick should be no taller than 1/4 inch when you light your candle. Sometimes a long wick will smoke like a choo choo train no matter what kind it is. If that's not the case then we definitely need more details in order to help.That might be it! the flames are huge and it stopped smoking after 30 minutes. It has what appears to be a nice pool. But I think my wick is too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Keep those wicks trimmed! Blow it out and trim it and light it up again if it smokes. Every time you light it trim it first.. and make sure the candle is sitting where there is no draft, no ceiling fan over it, no window open etc. etc. when you are burning it. Your flame should always stay nice and quiet, very still. Also.. after you trim it make absolutely sure that you get the trimmed bits of wick out of the candle before you light it. Good Luck in your testing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I use IGI 4630 also, so if you need any tips etc. feel free to PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I just kind of poured the FO in until it smelled nice.There's no way to tell how much fragrance you need by smelling it when you're making the candle. The fragrance will affect the way the candle burns and you won't get consistent results unless you know how much is in there. I guess you've probably realized that by now from reading the board. Try making one with 1 oz fragrance per pound of wax and and see how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYRU620 Posted October 12, 2007 Author Share Posted October 12, 2007 Thanks for all of your suggestions. The wick was smoking because it was too long. I cut it and it burned clean. I have great melt pools, so my wicks seem good. Looks like I am going to need a scale to measure this stuff. After burning my candles, although they smell nice unlit, you bearly smell anything when they are lit. Live and learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Thanks for all of your suggestions. The wick was smoking because it was too long. I cut it and it burned clean. I have great melt pools, so my wicks seem good. Looks like I am going to need a scale to measure this stuff. After burning my candles, although they smell nice unlit, you bearly smell anything when they are lit. Live and learnand READ and LEARN!! There are hundreds of threads on this board that will give you good starting points for your particular wax and wicks. It sounds like you may have that part figured out though.. but there are other threads that discuss percentages of fragrances per pound of wax and what works best with certain waxes and wax wick combos. Fragrance is pretty easy to start with though.. you can try 1 oz per pound of wax and probably get a decent hot and cold throw, but if you like your candles super strong you can check to see what the fragrance capacity for your wax is and if it will hold more you can try more. Some scents are strong enough that you don't need a full oz. But read.. there are answers to questions here that you never even thought of asking!! I promise! Have fun, and welcome to the board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxSioux Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Keep in mind zinc's will mushroom, so keep those wicks trimmed ... & good God, man, get a scale!! <grin> Rose generally has a big-time throw (maybe I say that just cause I hate it so much), so you probably didn't overload it w/ fo. Did you notice any liquid beads on top of the candle? Without having measured the fo, you could hit a pocket of fo that catches fire. Did you stir really well -- remember the 3 min rule of thumb. Sounds like you're on track ... did I mention getting a scale!?!Susan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleHippie Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I use zinc and I don't have a problem with mushrooming unless I am doing a marathon burn. I also do not blow out my flame. I dip the wick back into the wax to extinguish and pull it back up to re-light next time. I find that blowing the flame out contributes to smoke and/or black soot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 I just noticed that you are using a 42-32-18 in this 5oz. jar.What is the diameter of this container?I make a 4oz. Candle and normally don't use anything bigger than a 44-24. It may be your wick is too big.Are you getting a FMP on the first burn? How long before you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYRU620 Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 I just noticed that you are using a 42-32-18 in this 5oz. jar.What is the diameter of this container?I make a 4oz. Candle and normally don't use anything bigger than a 44-24. It may be your wick is too big.Are you getting a FMP on the first burn? How long before you do?Thanks Michi, I do believe that my wicks are too big. I just ordered a sample wick pack from peake to conduct tests. What is a FMP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scent Cellar Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 FMP = full melt pool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 After burning my candles, although they smell nice unlit, you bearly smell anything when they are lit.Jay, proper wicking has a LOT to do with hot scent throw. Underwicking may not get the melt pool hot enough to fully release the FO scent; overwicking can burn it off too quickly (which may be your problem). HTH PS Didjoo get a scale yet? Read, read, read! At the top of the General candlemaking board, there are a couple of "stickys" for new folks "Helpful Links for Newbies" has a list of abbreviations (both for terminology and suppliers) although FMP has been inadvertantly left off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k0mptec Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 I second the scale advise, FO is too precious (and expensive) to waste! There is a wealth of knowledge already posted here and in the archives and lots of folks who will help you out if you can't find the info when you search!Sounds like you are off to a good start, my first tester was a big eye opener for me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.