Grossness in Glass Glow candle

[Stella1952]

The photos below are of the remnants of a Glass Glow (IGI R2322A) palm wax container candle, scented with Wild Mountain Honey, colored light amber and poured in an 8 oz. Metro Jar. It crystallized nicely. The throw was great, the wick was a little hotter than I like (note the "clean" glass), but within reason. I set it aside in a box of glassware that needed to be melted out and cleaned and left the box under my work table for a few months. I rediscovered it when tidying up in early November and my eyeballs nearly popped out of my head when I saw what had happened to it!:shocked2:

When I placed it into the box, it looked like a normal, melted-down palm wax candle. When I took it out of the box, the wax had grown a strange crystal pattern that reminded me of the cauliflower thing that container soy wax does sometimes. So I took some photos to share the horror! EEEEOOOOOO!!! GROSS!!! *faint* :undecided

This is the most extreme example of this we have seen. We've seen it to a lesser extent several times when testing Glass Glow candles. It is not unusual for us to test many candles at the same time or to put some aside to finish testing later. Sometimes, when I pull one out to finish testing (maybe it has been burned once or twice) a few weeks or a month later, I will find the wax has become whitish and powdery on the inner surface. It never occurs during a continuous or fresh burn - only when the candle has been burned previously and has not been burned again for several weeks or months.

Has anyone else had anything resembling this happen with GLASS GLOW? Anyone have any ideas what causes it? If you have photos of Glass Glow doing strange things, please post 'em here.

[hellen]

Hi,

What is Glass Glow????

Cheers,

Hells

[Stella1952]

As mentioned in my post...

Glass Glow (IGI R2322A) palm wax container candle

More information on Glass Glow can be found by using the site search tool in the blue stripe above between New Posts and Quick Links. HTH

[Karen B]

I've seen the left over wax be all white powdery is that what you are talking about? One time when pouring a palm tester the glass wasn't preheated so I took my trusty heat gun to the glass real quick. (after the wax was poured) I wasn't paying to much attention to my heat gun and it ended up it was on high and I had left it in one spot too long. The one spot ended up white powdery looking instead of nicely crystalized.

So my theory in why you see that is the hot wicks. I only see it at the very, very end of the container when the glass is really starting to get hot. Usually it's only when the candle is finished, and not half way threw the burn at all even when they sit.

I use GG with CSN 11 or 12 in 8 oz metro's. (if that helps at all)

Karen B

[Meridith]

Ewwww.... It looks like dried curdled milk. I've not used this wax so I can't comment on it but I've had similar happen to just plain ole' soy. Have you tried any additives to see if you can stablize the wax? Does the glass glow expand as well with extreme weather changes like regular soy does? I enjoy the challenges of soy. I must be a glutten for punishment. You must be too. I'm glad you posted a picture. You know the saying about what a picture is worth.

BTW _ I still plan on doing that test for single wicking in a 4 inch diameter container after the 1st of the year. I'll be sure to post pictures. I think it will be great if I can get a consistently clean burn on a single wick. I still need to order some of those CDNs for my testing. I've never used them - just the regular CDs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will work.

It looks like Stella does still post here. You must have reconsidered. It is a good thing that delete buttons exist.

[jakalex]

I have never seen this when burning my GlassGlow. I order mine from Candlescience. Sorry I am not much help either.

[Judy, USMC]

I just checked the remnants of 36 testers I poured when the first batch of Glass Glow I got from Candle Science - some lit off once and some with 1/2" remaining (which is what I have on my safety warning labels.) No sign of the white stuff. Also checked another 24 poured in October and burned to varying degrees - zip on the white stuff there too.

I think there are several variables - I've never poured one with that FO but have poured from about 8 diffferent suppliers - since I'm on the east coast Peak's isn't one of them. I use the CSN wicks and liquid dyes (both from Candle Science). Don't know which wicks you are using. And CS doesn't have an amber so you are probably using a different dye supplier if you used a liquid dye. Also, my hex jar testers have been stored with the lid on and inside the house set at 72 degrees during winter heating and 78 during summer cooling.

Can't tell exactly how much is left in your jar. Karen B makes a good point! It just may be that the wax gets powdery if/when it gets super heated. It doesn't appear that you burn til it snuffs itself out. But if you did, AND if you are using the 3.8mm rise on the wick tab, increasing to a 6mm rise may decrease the occurance at the bottom of the jar. However, you've noted this mid-container, so this explanation would only make sense if the wick were too hot. My testing has indicated that I can use a CSN 7, 9, 11 or 12 (depending on the FO) with the hex.

I think most consumers would have pitched the jar by now and would never notice. I'm glad this isn't a continuous problem for you!

[Judy, USMC]

Stella,

Just gleaned some information from your post to Kimmeroo. Wanted to let you know that I add nothing to the Glass Glow - no UV protectant; the color holds very well (with my dyes) without it.

Also noted you're not using the CSN wicks. The range of CSN-7 to 12 that I use is fairly wide over a variety of 60 FOs. It's looking more & more probable that over-heating is the problem you had with this one wax/FO/dye combo. Good observation Karen B!

HTH

[Jane42]

Hmmm, that looks like something I found on the bottom of the glasses left in my son's room when he left for college.......YUCK!!!!

[jakalex]

Another thought....are you adding any soy wax?

[Carol M]

It's not just Glass Glo; it's palm in general. I've had that several times with Palm I from CW. Just the very bottom part left in the jar when the candle is finished, though; never had it happen otherwise.

[Stella1952]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Jakalex - no soy - just the Glass Glow and minimum dose of UV stabilizer, small amount of dye and 1 oz. PP of Peak's Wild Mountain Honey.

Jane42 - exactly my reaction! Could even have been something from the back of the refrigerator...

Judy, I use UV stabilizer in all my candles - I don't take a chance on fading after the first batches of both palm wax and soy wax faded when I attended an outdoor show.

I think some of you may have inferred a wrong impression about the "overheating." When I say "the wick was a little hotter than I like (note the "clean" glass), but within reason" I am not talking about a container that was too hot to touch - only a little hotter than I prefer. I try to err on the side of a cooler burn, leaving a little shell, rather than a little hotter and a "clean" glass. It was not what most folks would have termed "overwicked" - in fact, to most standards, the burn was perfect.

The wicks are CDNs which I use with great success with all my other palm waxes and soy waxes. The dyes are the eco-friendly liquid dyes from JBN that I also use with all my other palm and soy waxes. The color was light amber - notable because the color you see in the photo is NOT that color. I mix dyes to achieve the exact colors I want - a drop of dis, two drops of dat, etc. The important point about the dye was that very little colorant was used (so that is not a logical factor in the problem) and the undesirable crystal pattern changed the color considerably, kinda like we see with soy frosting and other undesirable soy crystal patterns.

The lid was on the jar while it was stored. Our inside temps during the autumn range from 60°-72° and the humidity varies wildly, especially when the AC/heater are not in use. The temps are well within normal storage temps for candles. Since the container was sealed, I doubt humidity was the problem UNLESS it was sealed on a humid day (very possible). Humidity is one of my suspicions as a possible contributing factor.

The candle was burned until it self-extinguished at about 1/2" of wax remaining, as are all of my testers. The crystal formed around and over the wick - you can only see a little carbon peeking out.

Ordering "Glass Glow" from CandleScience or another supplier is not a factor - if it is called "Glass Glow", it is all from the same manufacturer and equivalent to IGI R2322A.

Good eye, Meridith - that's exactly what I thought, too! It looks like the cauliflower grunge crystal pattern sometimes seen on soy wax. I did not use any additives except the UV, as per instructions with this particular wax. Normally when making palm wax candles, I add palm stearic, but supposedly that's a "no-no" with Glass Glow.

Glass Glow does not even look like "normal" palm wax in its pre-melted state - it has some powdery crap in it (like if the stuff you see above was powdered...). I am assuming that's some additive used to make it adhere to the glass. I am thinking that whatever that additive is - THAT'S what is encouraging the growth of this crystal pattern. The crystal pattern is like the cauliflower one in soy in that it DOES expand and cover the wick, makes "brainy" looking raised formation, etc. I have NEVER seen anything resembling this in "normal" palm wax, so I think that this ugly crystal growth is a product of the additive in Glass Glow which encourages it under certain circumstances - perhaps heat and humidity?

I think heat is a factor, as KarenB noted. It changed the crystal structure of the Glass Glow. I know that the temperature was not dangerously high or the candle would have been extinguished immediately. If a container becomes too hot during a test burn, I have never seen any reason to persist - it ain't gonna get any better, yaknowhutImean? I extinguish the candle and wick down. The wick tab did its job and extinguished the wick just as it was designed to do. So no excessively high temps were reached...

If the ONLY time I had seen this white, powdery thing going on was at the absolute bottom, I wouldn't worry about it because most folks DO dispose or clean out old, spent candle containers. But because I have observed it in smaller amounts on some half-burned candles, it becomes more troubling. I don't want my candles to look like caca halfway down!

I dunno - Glass Glow certainly makes a pretty candle, but I am not "sold" on it as a container wax... One of the things I truly enjoy about working with palm wax is that it is not as mysteriously sensitive to all kinds of factors as is soy wax. It is disturbing to me when a good thing has been changed by use of additives that end up making it a lesser product. I would like to know more about what additives are going into it. Would be interesting to discover if similar additives are used in container soy formulas...

[Stella1952]

Carol M, I don't know about Palm 1 from CW - but none of the other pillar palm waxes I have used have exhibited this crystal pattern. I recently ordered some W6063 Crystallizing Votive/Pillar Wax - Palm-2 from CW, so I hope it doesn't do what you described with Palm 1... crossing fingers!!

[grama]

I don't know if this is close to what Stella is talking about but I have noticed after palm candle burned all way to bottom that on the bottom the wax has that powdery looking - sorta like grated chalk to it. That is why I have wondered about people that make tarts out of palm, especially it they turn the tart burner/warmer off and let it sit/harden then turn it back on again. kwim:smiley2: