My First Soy Candle

[Carrylh]

Ok I heated the wax to 165 and poured at 130 ,Placed jar on cabinet to cool. Ok some Cajun Engineering, I didnt have any wick centering gadgets,they are coming in, So I made do with two straws and clothes Pins, LOL.

Once it was cooled I had a hole on the side of the wick , took the heat gun and got rid of that . So far the wax looks amazing no wet spots yet, will see in the morning .Room Temp was 70 when I poured.

Going to test burn in the morning will post Pics.Used a CDN 8

Ok another Question I have extra wax in my Presto and it is solid will it hurt the wax when I reheat it for my next test candle.

Thanks

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[Stella1952]

That was quite a sinkhole that formed by the wick! Be sure to poke around in it to be SURE the heat gun filled it completely. Wait at least 48 hours before you test burn to allow the wax crystals to completely harden.

The reason you got that sinkhole is because the candle cooled too quickly on top. Next time, try setting the container on a cookie rack (so air can circulate underneath it and the countertop cannot rob heat from the bottom or insulate it, either one) and covering the candle with a box or pot at least 4" bigger all the way around than the candle.

I have extra wax in my Presto and it is solid will it hurt the wax when I reheat it for my next test candle

Technically, no, but you don't want to keep heating, reheating the wax too much.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict some wet spots on the sides and some frosting around the top edges within 48 hours.

I love your wick holding rig! Very inventive! It's important that the wick is not only centered but also held taut so that, as the candle cools, the wick isn't pulled off-center in the middle by the contracting of the wax.

Didja have fun? :yay:

[Carrylh]

Stella.

Yes I did poke holes and then hit with a heat gun. After all of the reading I forgot to put it on a rack to cool, also didnt heat the jar. I will try heating the jar next time and will put on a rack to cool.

Yes it was pretty exciting pouring candles again, but this is all together different than paraffin. Was kinda like a chicken with my head cut off for a few minutes even though I had everything right there, Just have to get back in teh swing of things , but will not rush this process.

Thanks for letting me know to wait 48 hrs , that is the hard part, but I value your opinion.

Yea the wick holder was ok but I had to adjsut the wick after I used the heat gun . It was centered as the wax was cooling but I see what you mean , the wick shifted one the sink hole was formed.

I only heated the wax to 160 because I was adding the FO but maybe I poured to low of temp will Pour a little hotter next time.Will waiy until I get UV to pour more test candles not sure if this makes a difference in burn .

So I should only put the amount of wax in the presto that I will use for that test Jar . I was afraid that reheating the wax may damage it.

Thanks again Stella.

Making Shrimp Gumbo toamrrow want some LOL this Darn cold weather,gotta have soem warm Gumbo.

[Stella1952]

Making Shrimp Gumbo toamrrow want some LOL this Darn cold weather,gotta have soem warm Gumbo.

Comin' by YO' HOUSE to eat, yeah!!

So I should only put the amount of wax in the presto that I will use for that test Jar

Well, yeah, BUT... ya COULD wait until all your cool stuff arrives and make several testers, each testing different stuff...

Like maybe different FOs;

or with additives, w/o additives;

pour one at 120°, one at 130°, one at 140°, one at 150° and one at 160° just to see how the different pouring temps affect how the candle looks...

Maybe even try a CDN 8 & 10 for grins to see what happens...

Next time, try setting the container on a cookie rack (so air can circulate underneath it and the countertop cannot rob heat from the bottom or insulate it, either one) and covering the candle with a box or pot at least 4" bigger all the way around than the candle.

To clarify, the box should completely cover the candle AND the rack... You can also warm your oven slightly (150° - then turn off) and set the candles in there to cool down slowly. In the summer when it's a lot warmer, you may be able to get away with just covering the tops of the candles with a few paper towels.

Dang, the wind is HOWLIN' out there!!

Don't wait on me for the shrimp gumbo, I ain't goin' out in this!! I'm takin' some chicken & andouille gumbo out of the freezer and puttin' on another pair of sox!!! And getting under another blanket!!!

[Carrylh]

Stella. I dont blame you I wouldn't get out in this either. We have spray foam insulation in our house, it acts like a big Ice Chest. It stays about 69 or 70 without any heat or air, but me I'm freezing at 72 LOL. My family is always laughing at me, but I cant stand to be cold!!!!!!!!!!!! BRrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Ok I just looked at the candle so far the wet spots are very minima.l But I did cover it with a towel last night so I uncovered it to see what it will do in this temp.

I will test a few at a time. The one I poured yesterday was poured at 130 with CDN 8 .

Just had to get the feel of it again, get my cajun feet wet so to speak LOL.

Seriously thanks so much for your advice.

My USA will be coming in Monday gonna play big time with all the goodies......

Your gumbo sounds great by the way, Bundle up good hun because hubby and my Son just came in and siad it is blowing like crazy out there, Well this little Cajun dont need to go out for nothin that bad Haha

May God Bless You and your Family

[topofmurrayhill]

My USA will be coming in Monday gonna play big time with all the goodies......

Play, but play methodically. Each time you pour a new tester, make sure only one thing is different from the previous tester. Each test candle should answer a question and teach you something, but the only way to ask a clear question is to do just one thing differently and see the results. More than that and you can get lost.

The additives are enticing, but I would suggest you become familiar with the way the wax pours and burns on its own first. Otherwise there's no way to to know what the additives are doing exactly and it will be harder to figure out how to fix problems you may encounter.

One other basic thing you might want to concentrate on before anything else is the pouring temperature. C3 already contains additives that, among other things, make it possible to pour the wax hot. A lot of people pour it at the upper end of the range, like 160-165. You could try anything from there on down.

Like all soy waxes, C3 can also be poured cool and slushy, which is always worth a try. That can be a good technique to control frosting and possibly other problems like your sink hole. It can give you a little more control, because the cooling of the wax isn't so reliant on the environment and the size and shape of the container.

Good luck.

[Carrylh]

Top, That is great advice and that is exactly what i am doing , I started with CDN 8 wick in 8 0z jelly with plain C3 ,no Fo just did my first test burn, will post results in a bit.

I poured a sceond candle yesterday with Peaks FO CDN 8 wick I will not pour anymore until I get the full results of the test burns,Because to me this is a waste of time and money to proceed before the end result I am in no hurry.

If the CDN 8 works well with Full melt pool ,good flame, Good scent throw until the end of the burn ,I will rate in on 1 to 10 in all areas.

Then I will pour the same FO with a CD 14 per Cajun Candles and record results.

Then Sticking with same FO I may add some coconut oil and same wick combos and see if this improves the candle and then next round add USA same FO .That is just me I dont like jumping around scent to scent until I'm satisfied.

Then once I decide on wick and FO I will do power burns.

I used to make Paraffin Candles but this is really different wax But I like a challange

Thanks for the help and advice