Traveler Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Hi everyone,I am somewhat new to this board. I have been making candles with a parasoy wax and wax tarts with paraffin for 2 years and selling them for one and it has been going well. But I do get mutliple requests for soy candles so I just recently decided to try my hand at learning how to make them.For the past two weeks I have been testing Ecosoya CB135 (Candlescience) in 16oz Apothecary jars with 15oz wax per jar, 9% Lime Cooler FO from Candlescience and three drops Key Lime Liquid dye from Candlescience....I waited 24-48 hours before lighting each candle and I tested them on separate days in a room that was between 72 and 75 degrees....and this is what is happened:2 LX 14 wicks2 HTP 52 wicks2 ECO 4 wicks2 CD 5 wicks 2 RRD 34 wicksIn each case I had a FMP in 45 minutes to 1 hour!! Talk about being surprised! This is much, much too fast! And by 4 hours all of the flames were torches. The HTPs and LXs actually left a lot of soot on the rim of the jars as well as black soot floating on top of the wax. 1 ECO 14 wick1 HTP 1312 wick1 LX 28 wick1 Hemp Extra Large wick1 CD 20 wickTORCHES!! Each candle had flames that actually flickered and danced and almost came up above the rim of the jars. They all ALMOST achieved a FMP...just a slight ridge of hangup on one side in each jar. mP about 1/2 inch on every jar. Because the flames were so large I had a lot of sooting going on with each candle by the 4th hour with the exception of the candle wicked with the Extra Large Hemp which burned the slowest of the bunch. I will say that the scent throw with the double wicked jars was AWESOME! So I would love to try to find a way to double wick this if possible.The single wicking gave me barely any HT at all. (But I could have started a lovely little house fire with just one of those puppies!)So. Here I sit. Baffled. I thought soy wax was going to be harder to wick because it had a reputation for being more viscous than paraffin. But now I am laughing because I have used all of the smallest wicks I own and have no clue where to start next.Do any of you who are experts with using this wax/jar combination have a suggestion as to which brand of wicks I might try next? Obviously I need to go shopping, but I don't know if I should try to find smaller HTPs or ECOs....etc. Of course, there are not that many sizes I can go down to in those wick styles....and based on the 1/2 inch to 1 inch melt pools I was getting in just 1 hour I am not so sure the next size down in either brand is going to slow the melt pool process by that much....or am I wrong in that assumption?I thought I would be struggling to get ANY kind of melt pool and instead, find myself struggling to slow it down so this candle can burn 4-5 hours properly.Any suggestions for a new starting point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimdles Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I am by no means an expert, but I have been testing CBA in 16oz apoth with 2 x HTP93 and it's going well thus far. I had tested with 2 x HTP73 and was barely enough to get through the bottom 1/2.Maybe the dye/FO combo....or too much FO?? I am sure someone with more knowledge will weigh in here soon.Goodluck!Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Thanks for the input Kimdles!I will take your advice and try pouring some testers with 6% FO load only and see if that slows the burn time any. Fingers crossed...BTW, in case you use mason jars, I poured a tester in an 8oz sq mason jar, 6.4 oz cb 135, ECO 10 wick, and 9% Lime Cooler FO with 2 drops liquid dye and it burned very nicely. FMP at 3 hours (a little too quick for the 1st burn, right?), no sooting, steady flame that did not get too big....but absolutely NO scent throw. None. Zippo. I had it in my tiny half bathroom....no ac on or any air flow to bother it....and even standing right on top of it I could not smell a thing. So I have put it away to "cure" for a few days. In hindsight, I think I should wick down to an ECO 8 and maybe even an ECO 6 and do some retesting with this second type of FO/wax/jar combination because I have a lot of customers who admit to being power burners so I am always looking to wick down for safety reasons and a FMP in 3 hours would not be so great for someone who leaves it burning for 5 -6 hours. Anyway...the testing continues....I really do appreciate your thoughts on the process!Traveler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 If the 20 was a "torch," try a CDN or CD 18 in the 16 oz. apothecary with Ecosoya CB135. I hope you trimmed the wicks to 1/4" before burning... Would love to see photos if you have 'em... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoycialGirl Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Hello,Most of the candles I make I use CB 135 and the 16oz apoth's using CD wicks. I've not had a problem so far. I double wick using 2 cd 12's for most scents, but I do wick up on the vanilla's and heavier scents to two 14's. I also take the fo load down a bit with vanilla & some cinnamons. That being said, my candles are dye free, so this might not work for you :undecidedPaige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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