jwn6w Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 can someone please help me and tell my why the candles I made today look spongy? If you look at the jar from the side the only way I can describe it is spongy. I used 1 lb of soy GB464, 1 oz pumpkin souffle fo and a little bit of an orange dye chip. Heated to 190 and poured at 129. They were cooled on a cookie rack under a box. This is not the first time I noticed it. I would appreciate some help from all you expert candle makers here. Thanks and have a Happy Easter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 spongey - do you mean like warped on top? Or is it like perhaps kind of bubbly looking?If it is bubbly looking it could be one of two things or both.Too much FO (or did not incorporate properly)cooled in an area where the heat was not allowed to escape. So the condensation builds up on the surface of the wax and dries like that. (I had that happened once when I tried to pour and put the lid on right away just to see what would happen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Soy is VERY temperature sensitive when melting, pouring, cooling and storing.How large was the box under which the candles cooled? Too small and it will trap the heat instead of slowing the cooling and keeping it even; I don't use your particular wax, but I have found that if soy-based wax isn't heated, poured and cooled at the "right" temp (which varies from brand to brand), the "spongies" can occur. With the wax I use, I either pour much hotter or cooler than the temp you cited. I also temper my wax (search the veggie wax forum for more information on this).If you wish to fix your candles, put them in the oven (no more than 200°F) and allow them to remelt, then turn the oven off and let them cool in there. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in KY Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I can not cool slow, the box thing will make my candles look lumpy. Pour cooler and just let them set up at room temp. is my advice. And the oven remelting always makes crappy candles look wonderful. So give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwn6w Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 thank you for you responses i will have to try that. What I don't understand is that it just started happening the last 2 times and never did before and I am doing the same things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in KY Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 thank you for you responses i will have to try that. What I don't understand is that it just started happening the last 2 times and never did before and I am doing the same thingsTELL ME ABOUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caramel Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I never had the "spongy" look, but I did get this weird "waving" pattern on the tops, but I think that was due to the FO. I always heat to 185-190 and pour at 160, so I cannot relate to a cooler pour temp (they were awful, for me, when I tried to pour cooler... I had issues *L*).Hope it corrects itself, for you... maybe an off day. *crosses fingers* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavenScentU Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I know if you stir too fast that can create too much air in the soy and will cause tiny air bubbles as it sets up. But it is hard to determine the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in KY Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 thank you for you responses i will have to try that. What I don't understand is that it just started happening the last 2 times and never did before and I am doing the same thingsYou know what? I use 435 so maybe the cooler pouring will not work for. I only know what happens using 435. Call Golden Foods they may be able to help you...I have had that spongy look with 435, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 What I don't understand is that it just started happening the last 2 times and never did before and I am doing the same thingsIs the weather changing in your area? It sure is in mine! It's LOTS warmer now and the drafts are not so cold in my old house. I don't have to protect my candles from cooling too quickly to the extent that I do in the wintertime. During cold weather, we have to cover with boxes. During the warm weather, we cover with paper towels. BIG difference!! When the seasons change, folks tend to have a LOT of issues they never had before... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwn6w Posted April 13, 2009 Author Share Posted April 13, 2009 I know if you stir too fast that can create too much air in the soy and will cause tiny air bubbles as it sets up. But it is hard to determine the problem.You know come to think of it looking back I do stir kind of fast, I will have remember that. Thanks:smiley2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blahblahblah Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I agree with the stirring too quickly check that and also one thing I have noticed is some batches just have more air in the wax. If you watch it as it melts you will see a huge difference between batches. Try tapping them lightly as they are cooling a little to try and push out and pop some of those air bubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 How long are these "bubbly" batches staying in the melting pot? Whenever I have seen bubbles in the wax as it's melting, after the wax is held for a little while, the bubbles always vanished... What people do when they melt their wax (temperature, stirring, holding time, tempering, etc.) has a HUGE effect on the end product with soy-based waxes. Soy is just not a "melt & pour" product in most cases. It isn't like paraffin... it's more like chocolate. Because of its sensitivity to temperature, how it's handled from melting to pouring to cooling has everything to do with later difficulties or success. For those who have developed a routine that works for them, they have trouble understanding all these problems folks have who are new to soy waxes or only pour occasionally.I honestly think that the issue presented by the OP is not connected to air bubbles, but to improper crystal formation on the top due to keeping the top covered too tightly as it cools, as previously mentioned. Tempering helps prevent this as does not keeping the wax covered TOO closely (which concentrates the heat at the surface of the wax, making it cool waaaaay too slowly and unevenly from the rest of the wax). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwn6w Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 I don't know if you were directing the question to me about how long my wax stays in the melting pot or not. I only do 1lb at a time and as soon as it is melted and I add the FO and dye I pour from my presto pot into a pouring pot until the temp is right to pour. The spongy look I am seeing is on the sides of the jar not the top, it just looks funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 ...as soon as it is melted and I add the FO and dye I pour from my presto pot into a pouring pot until the temp is right to pour. The spongy look I am seeing is on the sides of the jar not the top, it just looks funny.Note to self: Shoulda asked for pictures right from the start...:rolleyes2Do you have any photos of this "sponginess"? My comments have been directed toward spongy tops. I have never seen sides that look "spongy" to me, but perhaps I am not understanding your description. Is it possible that you are describing frosting? If so, search the veggie wax forum for solutions for frosting... There has been MUCH discussion about it and different methods offered to reduce its incidence. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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