My container candle has a disease! :)

[nadiap]

Time to get some sleep for me - it's after 4am here now! but thought I'd throw this out there to see if anyone has seen a problem like this or have any clue as to *why* this has happened. I've included pics to explain the problem

This is a small lantern

opening at top: 2.48in

wide at widest middle section: 3.54in

height: 2.6in

I used CB135

No colour

No additivies

Fragrance: Chanel No. 5 at around 9%

Wick: HTP 126

I've added notes to the pics, but essentially, I burned the candle for about 4.5 hours and achieved full MP. The HT wasn't too bad at this point (this has been curing for about 2 weeks now).

The colour at the top gradually changed to a grey/blue colour with the bottom remaining the natural soy wax colour.

I stopped the burn, let it harden up again and the top became all squiggly (as seen in the pic - can't think of a better word and the blue colour remained.

Trimmed wick to 1/4in, relit the candle for about 15 minutes to see what the MP looked like and it was as if there was a residue inside it, not nice and clean as it should have been.

I then poked around to bring up the bottom of the candle which you can see if the pics.

What could have caused this ?? I freaked out when I saw it, never happened to me before - I've made other candles using Chanel and no such problems.

The container was filled right to the top, just under the top ridge if that makes a difference?

Not happy with the HTP wicks at the moment have switched to CDNs but the supplier recommened the HTP126 wick and that's what I thought I'd start with for testing - I do believe the wick was too big - mushrooms at top of wick - about 3 of them!

I'm thinking that there is too much fragrance (to cause the shrooming) and the wick just isn't right - but I'm stumped about the colouring.

Sorry this is so long - but it was the only way to explain the problem... any advice / help appreciated.

Also, from you more experienced - what wick would you have used as a first test for this container going by the measurements supplied above ??

Now I'm off to bed ! I need it after just pouring 300 tealights and I'm feeling pretty high from the Jasmine fragrance !!

Again,thanks for any offers of advice ! I love this lantern and would like to get it right for a girlfriend who loves Chanel (though it's too strong for me !).

[KoalaGirl]

Hi Nadiap, there are some fragrances that will do that to the wax, Baby Powder is another one. Its a reaction between the fragrance oil and the wax. Unfortunately, there is nothing that I know of to prevent it. You can colour the wax to a shade that will make the 'dirty grey melt pool' less noticable against the rest of the candle wax.

If your Chanel is from the same supplier as mine {NCS} then 9% is WAY TOO MUCH. I havent made it into a candle but when I make it into tarts, 4% or 5% is plenty. Its a very strong fragrance. Less oil should also mean less discolouration of the melt pool, but probably wont eliminate it entirely.

I wanted to do Baby powder in pink but have to do it in blue so the dirty wax isnt as noticeable.

HINT: {if you get supplies from NCS} I have found that the wicks they recommend for their containers, are way above what works for me. I dont know about the container in your pic as I havn't used them.

What is it about HTP that you dont like?

[RichardLOZ]

As Kerrie suggested some oils just get that discolouration when the melt pool sets up again. baby powder is definitely one of them, however I can comment on the Channel as we dont do any purfume dupes at all.

Depending on your scent I would probably start with a CDN 12 or CDN 14 and then adjust from there. What makes it hard is the widening in the centre of the lantern. I have used an ACS 6.0 in similar lanterns with success in soy, but unless you already order from Perth that might be a pain for you. If you like I could probably send you a few ACS sample wicks for you to try.

We use mainly CDN's however in pillars and some jars I still use the ACS wicks so as a result I have so many wicks of so many different sizes which one day I will get around to using I guess

HTH

[Tribalvixen]

Hiya

I found the same thing with there wick size suggestion I drop the size 1 down from what they suggest and that is my starting point. I also had that grey thing happen with Satin Sheets (6%) from NCS in 135. It was pink now its grey and pink yuck. I also use htp. Maybe colour it blue..

Edited February 27, 2010 by Tribalvixen

[KoalaGirl]

Hi Richard

How do you find the ACS wicks in containers? Ive only used the HTP and CDN's. I could seriously have a garage sale, only selling wicks!! AND, I only use one jar!!

Have you ever used 226 gr metro's from ACS? I use them from NCS but there out of stock and a 5 week wait! I would get them from ACS if I thought they were exactly the same size etc. Dont want to have to start testing again because the container is not exact.

How are your sales going at your two new retailers?

[RichardLOZ]

Hey Kerrie

I like the ACS wicks in some products but not in others. They also work well in some oils but not others, so maybe we could have a garage sale together to get rid of surplus wicks

Tracy reckons I am a jar whore.....LOL. At last count I have 4 sizes of apothecary jars, Libby Lucida jars in the 14 oz, dodecagon, hex, medico and cookie jars, 226g metro jars as well as sm, med and lge jam jars, so just a few

You should be able to get the dimensions of both the NCS and the ACS jars from the sites, but I think if not exact they are going to be so close as to not matter anyway. You can also try Gala Glass in Adelaide, the only issue is a minimun $400 order if I recall.

NCS are hopeless when it come to jars as they always seem to be out of stock. I have been waiting for the 10 oz apothecary jars for weeks now. Luckily I still have a couple 100 of the Lucida jars to run out before I need to order again, but it is very frustrating.

The jar I would like to get is the US mason jar, which are so damn cheap over there, yet here cost around $4.00 / jar, its totally insane.

One of them has now placed 3 orders, albeit smaller than the first one, but given its Feb and still very hot, I am not expecting it to pick up till mid March. The other was expecting to be quiet through Feb, so I will follow up with that one this weekend or next week.

How are your sale and markets going up there? We were looking to do Maitland and perhaps Wyong, although its a fair drive to get to both of those, so just dont know if it would be worth it. I know that Soy Magic does Maitland and does ok I think, and they travel there from Katoomba.

[KoalaGirl]

Hi Richard

So it sounds as if ACS wicks are like all others. Work in some combo's and not others...lol

I'll pm you....dont want to hijack the thread!

[nadiap]

Hi all,

thanks for all the comments! I didn't realise that such a discolouration could happen with the wax at least. I've also used Dolce Gabbana where the actual fragrance is blue, so that wax has to be tinted blue :-)

Yep get my gear from NCS as well. I've also purchased from ACS whenever NCS is out of stock - for me it's the delivery time with ACS that's a bit of a problem, unless I order well in advance - and you know what it's like when you suddenly run out of something you need it like yesterday! :-)

I was talking to Julian from NCS yesterday and a lot of their jars are prob. 5-6 weeks away from getting into stock (I use the honey pots - which they've run out of, except for the frosted one and it looks like they may be discontinued anyway!) I actually suggested they should look at other jars like the ones with the silver, gold, black lids, but he couldn't comment on that :-)

As for wicks !!!! ha ha ha, I'll join you in the garage sale, I have every single size that's available. I also agree that they are out by one size generally with their recommendations.

I like the picture you posted KoalaGirl of your jars (where you tried the sock treatment :-) are those the Apothecary jars?

Oh and please don't worry about polluting this thread - I work alone here and love to listen to all your gossip and news when it comes to candlemaking :-)

Richard, thanks for the offer of wicks.. I have enough trouble testing either htps or cdns - though I've found the cdns work better in the honeypots - so I don't need any more headaches right now! Actually have a beauty of a real headache from all the jasmine tealights I poured last night :-(

I'm pouring a few honeypots tonight, so I'll test another chanel and see how I go.

PS: I know Richard uses Palm wax, but Koalagirl and Trivalvixen, do both of you use the 135?? I've tried the ACS 464 but didn't like it as much as the 135 as the tops didn't set up nice for me.

Do you both sit around the 6% mark for the fragrance for containers? I think I'm over fragrancing most of my jars in that case and can probably wick down.

Oh and Julian says that they are also testing the 135XL which should be in stock soon as well.

Enough from me - need to go and melt some wax - container time ! :-)

Thanks again, nice to hear from some locals

[Tribalvixen]

Hiya Nadiap

At the moment I am still testing both 135 and 464 atm. I think the 464 has a slightly better ht but I cant justify shipping all the way from Perth to NSW when NCS is just there in Sydney. I agree the 135 does look much nicer after burning. I like the htp wicks they dont dance as much as the cdns do for me(no matter how much I wick down). Yes I am using 6% FO . Jasmine ugh I get a headache from that too. I like the ACS wicks in Lava Palm.

[nadiap]

Just an update:

I poured another tester in that gold swish lantern using chanel No 5 but had to use the 464 as I'd run out of the 135 - and guess what - no blue/grey colouring !!

I have no idea what the problem may have been, surely it couldn't be the change in wax ?? I suspect t probably too much FO. The top of this candle came out beautifully smooth, not one bump or lump ! I poured around 110*

I also poured another tester, different jar using 464 and FO: Dragon's Blood - this one poured at 115* but the top was all wrinkley - go figure !

I cut back to 6% FO as well on both containers - no additives.

Anyways, both are only days old, but the HT is terrific, burning so much better than when I'd used 9% FO , it's also making wick testing easier as well.

So I've now learned that more FO is not necessarily better :-)

[KoalaGirl]

Hi Nadiap

Interesting that the different wax didnt discolor. Maybe it was the lower oil content. I use cb135 and 6% Dragons Blood gives a beautiful throw {I *love* that scent} I use both CDN's and HTP's. I find that if one size CDN is too big and the next size CDN down is too small, I can usually find a HTP that fits in the middle. I am also finding that HTP's dont seem to mushroom as much as the CDN's.

P.S Love the pics you post. As the saying goes, a pic is worth a thousand words!