kahluabomb Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I am new to the forum and made my first few soy candles last night. I've been a candle nut for a long time but only recently realized I could make them myself. My first order of materials came from Candle Science yesterday and it was like Christmas! I had a lot of fun making these and I think they came out fairly well for my first try. I will get nicer jars if/when I make these for gifts but for my first candles and for my own use I don't mind the mason jars!I made some mason jar cans, tin candles, and a few tarts since I had some extra wax. The adhesion isn't totally perfect on all of them, but I know how to fix that now, and overall the tops are fairly smooth. The wax I used isn't meant for tarts so I am keeping them in the fridge til I burn them.For the technical part I used Golden Blends 464 wax and ECO 14 wicks as suggested on the Candle Science site. I added the FO at about 170 degrees and can't remember what I poured at, but it was probably too hot. I left the candles on my screened in porch to cool overnight so the cat/dogs wouldn't knock them over. It was probably a little too cool out there. I only added the FO and dye chips.I used the Wildberry Mousse and Fruit Slices scents - OMG they are amazing!! Everyone in my family has tried to bum the fruit slices one off but but I had to tell them next time! I need to test these first.I also used the red hot cinnamon and blackberry marmalade and they are really nice too.Now my problem is that after I burn the candle and the wax hardens again, I get these weird pits. I've burned one of the mason jar candles for a few hours, and one of the tin ones twice for about 3 hours each time. Any idea what's causing this? They look nice and smooth and are burning really well so the pits have me stumped. Please forgive me if this is a common problem, but I've been browsing this forum and haven't come across this problem. I am hoping it's just some simple mistake I made :rolleyes2 I have seen most images in threads as attachments but is it okay to post images from photobucket? I am too tired to resize everything tonight! But if I am doing something wrong by posting them this way I will fix it tomorrow!The two tin candles - one before burning and the other after 2 burns. The pits are UGLY!3 of the mason jar candles. Have burned just one so far and it has the same pits as the tin candle I burned.I am officially hooked on making candles now and will be ordering more supplies this weekend! I already have Christmas and birthday presents planned for family members... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Congratulations on your first candles!Those pits are typical and it's actually not that bad in your photos. Soy wax often sets up rough after burning. White blotchiness, known as frosting, is another very typical thing to encounter. I see it in your photos, but again not too bad.Basically, there are a handful of problems that can arise when the candle is made, when it's burned, or when it sits around for a while or is exposed to certain environmental conditions. Most of these issues are aesthetic, although functional problems can occasionally crop up too.The simple reason is that you're working with vegetable fat. Problems related to unpredictable or non-uniform crystallization, or instability over time, are common to all fat-based products from chocolate to margarine. Since soy candles are made from flaked vegetable shortening, they're squarely in this category despite not being edible.A lot of things can affect which particular issues you encounter and to what extent, including wax selection and additives. On the whole though, it's best to accept the nature of the material if you want to work with it. If the unsightly tendencies of soy wax really bother you, the container waxes made from a blend of vegetable fat and paraffin might work better for you.Now go ahead and test! Hopefully you bought sample packs of wicks so you can try different sizes. Supplier recommendations are at best a good starting point for your testing. Also remember you have to burn to the bottom before you know which wick is best, so don't give any candles away until you're done. For instance, wicks that seem perfect at the top of a tin can turn out to be way too hot once you get near the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahluabomb Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 Thank you! As long as I know it's normal and not something I did wrong I am okay with imperfection in the candles. I always bought soy tarts off ebay, and never noticed any frostiness or unevenness (is that a word??). Maybe they were not 100% soy then...I will be ordering some sample packs of wicks this weekend - my first order was just the very basics, basically to convince my husband I'd be better off making my own candles than buying them LOL He is impressed with how they came out (I think he was skeptical) so now I can play!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanncat18 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Welcome to the addiction! one box always leads to another, when it comes to ordering supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWickedWick Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Congratulations! You might as well keep your credit card sitting by the computer .. . there's always something I find I just have to have.Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanncat18 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 lol, mine is sitting next to my computer right now. Just ordered $80 worth of stuff from Aztec. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassyQ Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I love your colors!!! Yep, you are addicted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Sounds like you are having great fun!! Some soy waxes have rough tops after burning. Be sure not to put tops on until the candles have completely cooled. NatureWax C3 is one soy-based wax that has smooth tops after burning. I see a few spots of "frost" in your tarts, etc. Again, this is normal for the wax you are using. Some waxes are better about frosting issues, but most have this problem to some extent.Keep up the good work! PS Good photos! I wish everyone having questions/problems would post like you did - makes it a LOT easier when we can SEE what someone is writing about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Phelps Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 They took my credit cards away. Hey the candles are fine. If you want to see some bad looking candles. Just walk the stores and places that burn candles. You will see discolored, uneven, whole jar black, smokey smelling candles. None of them burn smooth and beautiful. I THINK:confused: ......Just keep pouring. Think about what you would care about if you ordered candles. SCENT...... They open them, and get a wiff, and they are hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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