jmepayne Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Hi everyone... I'm completely new to candle making. I have always been interested in learning how to make candles, and have recently decided to attempt to make candles for my wedding next year. so with that said... i'm really hoping someone can help me. I am currently attempting to make votive candles. and having some issues during my test burn. The melting pool seems to be off center (even though i use a wick pin in my votive mold) and it causes a "hole" in one side of the votive. I took a photo of the top of the votive:http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b342/jmepayne/DSC04712-1.jpg?t=1269743193if it matters... the wax i'm using is parafin "IGI 4761 Low Shrink Votive Wax" and my wicks are 44-24-18 Zinc CoreI'm wondering (and hoping) if this might be caused by an un-level surface? i'm pretty sure there's not a single place in this entire condo that's perfectly level. Could that be it?thanks so much for any help or advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psfponies Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 You might try wicking down a size and keeping your wick trimmed to 1/4". Kay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky_CO Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I am going to make an assumption here by looking at your picture. You are treating a votive like a stand alone candle it is not, it is a container candle and should be burning in a tight fitting votive container. In a votive holder it will spill out and pretty much fill the container and you may have some hang up but it will catch up in later burners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmepayne Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 I am going to make an assumption here by looking at your picture. You are treating a votive like a stand alone candle it is not, it is a container candle and should be burning in a tight fitting votive container. In a votive holder it will spill out and pretty much fill the container and you may have some hang up but it will catch up in later burners.Thanks for your reply. i actually read that as i was looking through the pages of posts. i was actually hoping to use square glass votive holders. If the votive is a round 2" do you think it would work ok with a square 2" holder? or should it be more fitted (closer to a container candle)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky_CO Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 We always say tight fitting container because that is the ideal container for votives. Truthfully a little play room is fine. There are supposed votive containers on the market that are really not suitable for votives as they really are to big. I wick mine for a tight fitting container and I tell my customers to burn them in tight fitting container. Which let them know the bigger glassware is not going to give the best burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Maybe you would like this mold:http://www.candlescience.com/molds/square-votive-mold/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen M Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Just pour em in the square glass holders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenancy Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 (edited) I think that if the round votives fit in the square holder, they will burn fine. Be careful with the square votive mold if you decide to go that route. I've found that alot of the square votive holders are too small for those. The holder might be the same diameter, but since the candle is not tapered, and the glass is, they don't fit. Do you already have your holders? It would be beneficial to test in the holder you're going to use. It will significantly affect the burn qualities and you don't want to wick too big. Especially if the candles are going to be burning for a few hoursI had a similar issue last year with wedding candles. A couple wanted white, unscented votives in flower pot holders. I tested quite a few votives and since they were not tight fitting, I got a lot of wicks that weren't centered. It was obvious that no one was going to be making sure the wicks were centered at the wedding, and I was haunted by images of glass shattering at the tables, LOL, so I ended up doing container candles instead. They burned perfectly and I slept alot better that night.PS - congrats!edited to add - take all this with a grain of salt because I use soy. Edited March 28, 2010 by nursenancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky_CO Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 The thing about votives no matter what you test them in the customer is going to burn them in what they want too, not what you recommend and not necessarily what you test for. Even if you send the glassware with the votive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane42 Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 We tell our customers the same thing, but they don't listen!! I had one customer (friend of mine for years) tell me our votives only last an hour or two!!! I was totally confused and started asking questions...did she mean the scent only lasted that long, or what?? She said that it stopped burning after a couple hours...then I asked her what she burned it in and she said "a plate".....Oh, good grief....why do I bother....lolBut I have to remember that when I was buying cheap votives, they would stand alone and not consume themselves - just burn down the middle.Sorry for hijacking the thread......:tiptoe: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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