8 oz. tins from CS

[Ravens]

Oh, I forgot to mention the wax is barely a quarter down the tin. Does that mean it's burning too slowly? Used the zinc wick.

[radellaf]

Here's the start of the test. HTP 73 in back, 62 left, LX-20 right.

FWIW, I poured a tin of 1343 wax in the same color, but with only 3% FO, LX-20, and it's burning pretty well first couple of hours. I love the "rough" look of it. No adhesion problems - I poured at about 145, which might have helped. I had a commercial tin that had wax with a very similar look to it. The 4630 is very ... boring looking. Hoping the almost 3x FO capacity will make a scent difference, though.

Also just for fun I made a tin with 4oz of Gulf Wax also with 3% FO and an LX-20. Pillars I've made with that have tended to drip, so I thought I'd see how it worked in a tin. What really surprises me is that it and the 1343 didn't pull loose from the sides. They both come out of aluminum molds fine. But, then, I pour at about 180 for those.

[Ravens]

That's how mine started, then the mushroom sprouted, but I was expecting that with the zinc wicks. Fine pool of melted wax, but where o where is the scent?

[Ravens]

And one more thing.... I made tarts with the leftover waxes. The CBL 129 tarts smell marvelous, can smell one all over the house, yet in my candle tin it's a dud. This makes me suspicious about the wick; maybe a cotton wick? Read somewhere cotton wicks burn hot, so maybe that's what my tins need, a stick of dynamite you know where to get the fragrance going!

Something tells me I just ventured into something that is going to be quite challenging - but I will not give up. Will go now to do some more reading here and at the Candlewic site where I bought the CBL129:read:

[radellaf]

Two and a half hours in, the LX-20 grew some mushrooms, and the HTPs are burning lower than I'd prefer. Wish I had an LX-18 in there to see if the mushrooms were from too much fuel flow, or just that 8% FO is going to leave some deposits on any wick. The HTPs are avoiding it I think by trimming themselves, but perhaps a bit too much. Twice during the burn I removed the shrooms from the LX. For some reason the LX is not curling over much or at all on its own, as they usually do.

HTP-73 closeup:

IGI1343:

Edited January 14, 2010 by radellaf

[Ravens]

Radellaf, there seems to be quite a bit of wax around the edges; could that mean the wick isn't big enough?

My tin with the 415 and zinc wick is showing more wax around the edges than the one containing the CBL129, so I'm thinking that maybe I need a bigger (or different type) wick for the 415

[Ravens]

Radellaf, I just got off a live chat @ Peak's. The tech support person recommended the IGI 4630 for best throw and a cotton wick (specifically a C70) for the 8oz. tins. So that's what I'm going to try next!

Mentioned I'm using their Apple Cranberry Marmalade; she said it's a strong thrower (I agree, it throws like crazy in my tarts ). SO now off to make sure I have the right cotton wicks for the 4630.

[Ravens]

Well, yesterday - or was it the day before? - I made 2 more candles after calling JBN. Was advised to let them cure for at least 2-4 days.

I just went to sniff. They have the best CT of all the other ones. If they burn the way they should and smell good, I will be a JBN customer for life! I was encouraged to call if I wasn't happy with the results. The person I spoke with told me I was doing a few things incorrectly, such as stirring too long. He then said, "If you're not happy, if they don't throw well, call me back and we'll do more troubleshooting".

A big thank to all of you, especially for your patience with beginners like me. It must get soooo tiring to hear the same whining, plus all my silly questions, and for that I do apologize. Hope you all have a wonderful week-end!:smiley2:

[moon01945]

Well, yesterday - or was it the day before? - I made 2 more candles after calling JBN. week-end!:smiley2:

What is JBN?

[Ravens]

Just by Nature, a supplier for candle and soap crafters. They're located in Mesquite, TX.

[radellaf]

HTP-62, HTP-73, LX-18, LX-20

End of 2nd 2.5 hour burn

[Ravens]

Radellaf, the LX 18 and LX 20 look like they have the "healthiest" looking flame. Is there much wax around the edges? How's the throw?

[topofmurrayhill]

Aren't you making it hard on yourself burning them for only 2 1/2 hours? Three hours is the minimum normal test session for just about any candle I can think of.

I also wonder if you've gotten to the bottom of any of your testers. Metal tins catch up a lot at the end. They can also get too hot and smokey down there, so with most waxes you don't want a full melt pool anywhere near the top of the candle. The best decision point for whether a wick is working out tends to be near the bottom.

[radellaf]

They seem to melt about as far as they're going to in two hours, and it's been a convenient interval. But, yeah, it'll take longer.

My favorite at this point is the LX-18, which does match CS's 2nd best recommendation. The 20 smokes a bit at the beginning and isn't curling to trim itself. Both the HTPs burn well enough at the beginning but then the flame gets small. True for the others to some extent, though not so much the LX-20.

The main problem with all four is mushrooming, normally a sign of too large a wick.

I'm happy enough with the smallest melt pool, on the HTP-62. 1/4-1/2" of hang, this early, I wouldn't consider a problem. I'm betting it'll burn most of that as it gets further down.

Not a fan of the small flames, though. Have the same issue with soy waxes. My small hex palm containers with CSN-7 wicks have the nicest flames so far.

Throw? Hard to tell, but I think it's pretty weak.

So far the only truly impressive scent throw I've had was an 8oz oval hex jar (ECO-10) with 8% CS's Amber scent in GB464, very lightly dyed yellow. IGI1343 2" pillars, at 2-3%, with holly berry do decently as well, but are a distant second.

So far, Yankee outdoes my soy or paraffin containers on throw. They have plenty of mushrooming and a lot of hang, though. Partylite's stuff (pillars/votives/tealights) burns the best of what I've seen, but not much scent. Never did try one of their containers.

[radellaf]

HTP-62, HTP-73, LX-18, LX-20

End of about a 2:30 burn, total of about 18hrs.

HTPs still mushrooming badly and have a weak flame (though enough to melt the wax).

LXs need trimming and are prone to smoke and some mushrooming.

I'm now thinking an LX-14 or 16 might be best.

Throw is definitely lousy. Pretty disappointing for 8% FO in paraffin.

Edited January 25, 2010 by radellaf