Help!! I am freaking out!

[I love candles]

I am making a large batch of candles to fill orders and to take to a large show this weekend. I just got 4 new boxes of C3 yesterday and loaded one of them into my melter. When I poured it into the pitcher, it looks like it has soap in it. I poured that out and got a different pitcher, figuring that I must not have rinsed the pitcher enough. But it did it again!!! Has anyone seen this before or is this a bad batch? I am going to pull my hair out and just cry if it is bad

[I love candles]

I forgot to add that this is the first wax I have bought since July. I also think it is the first time Ihave noticed the new company name on the label. I thought I remember seeing something on here about a small formulation change but I just can't find it in my frantic state Thanks for any help!!

[Stella1952]

Are you saying it was foamy, or what? Did you actually pour any candles with it? What temperature was it when melted and what temp was it in the pitcher?

[I love candles]

I did pour a few candles with it and let them set up. I test burned one and it looks and burned the same as always. I guess you could call it foamy - the bubbles seemed to go away after adding the fragrance and dye. The wax was at 165-170 when it came out and I added the fragrance and dye right then - nothing different than I always do.

If the test burn was ok, do you think that means there is nothing wrong with the wax? Tonight is going to be a long night!

[Stella1952]

nothing different than I always do

When you add FO at 165°F, (especially in cooler weather) this will drop the temp at least 15° in the pouring pot. I had noticed this when I started pouring in a small room with an a/c blasting. Try heating the wax to a higher temp - around 180°F - then adding prewarmed FO/dye and pouring into warmed containers and covering. I add FO & dye to the pour pot and set on an electric skillet to prewarm both the FO/dye and the pour pot itself. That way, there is no thermal shock that can start the wrong crystal phase formation.

As you noted, the burn will not be affected - only the appearance of the candle. If left in this state, the candle will have a lot more frosting.

I noticed that the last batch of NatureWax C3 I bought last summer (still the same old label but after the company change) seemed to behave a little differently than before. I usually premelt the wax to 180°, let it reharden overnight, then remelt and pour the next day at about the same temps as you described. After the premelt, instead of hardening with a smooth, satiny top, the wax in the Presto was spongey when it cooled - not at all like the C3 to which I was accustomed!! The wax had obviously lost its tempering. I realized that something had changed and that it was not crystallizing in the same way at the same temps, so I paid more attention to monitoring the temperature (including the pour pot), made sure everything was warm and poured at a higher temperature (155-165°F). I also paid more attention to stirring constantly while the temp was coming down during the tempering phase and after adding FO & dye. The only time I stop stirring is when I am actually pouring (and I stir between pouring each container). HTH

[I love candles]

Stella, you are amazing! Thank you so much for your help - I didn't even think about the FO and dye changing the temp in the pot but it makes sense. I am also in a different house than I was last fall/winter so maybe the way the place heats is different enough to make a difference. I am definitely going to try this tonight and hopefully get a lot poured AND get to bed at a decent time

[Alajane]

Wow, Stella--this is interesting info! I melt my wax in a Presto, put it into my pour pot, then add FO and dye and place it over heat while I stir for several minutes. But your statement about thermal shock and crystal formation makes sense--tonight I'm going to try doing it your way and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Jane