New to forums ... and seeking advice

[nycleo]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the forums for a couple of months and just joined. I want to thank everyone for the tons of great posts that I've read up on already! Y'all are a wealth of information!

I started with tealights and votives. I put votives on the backburner because finding a tight fitting holder for straight votives to test with started my path down crazy lane with this addiction called candlemaking. I have about 10 different holders that just didn't fit right. I've poured hundreds of tealights that I light every night for my two "kids" (dog and bird passed years ago).

Now, here's the problem that is driving me (more) insane since I've started candlemaking several months ago. For tealights:

* CS and Peak's plastic TL cups

* Heat 4630 wax to 200

* Add 1oz of FO to 1lb of wax

* Add 4-10 drops of CS liquid dye (depending on color I want)

* Pour at 170

When the tealights have cooled there is usually a swirl on the top. Looks a bit like an oil spill. I thought it may have been too much FO, but there's no FO (droplets) seeping out of the top. I've tried less % of FO and less dye. I've tried heating to 190 and pouring at 5 degree intervals from 180 to 150, and I STILL get those darn swirls. Not only swirls but sometimes there are darkish lines radiating from the wick, sometimes looks like a crack or two.

I figured I'd try 4oz square travel tins. I'm getting both swirls and lines on top. Happens with every FO I've tried: From CS - Love Spell, Lavender Vanilla, White Tea & Berries, Sex on the Beach, Mimosa and Mandarin and many others. I even tried not using any dye tonight. I tried taking some pics but couldn't get the right lighting to see the problems I'm experiencing. I'll try taking pics again when there's some daylight.

I'm sure it's something I'm not doing right. Could it be they're cooling too quickly? Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[pcbrook]

I do not use that wax but maybe it needs to be stirred longer. How long do you stir the FO into the wax? I usually stir at least 2 minutes to make sure it is blended in good.

[nycleo]

I do not use that wax but maybe it needs to be stirred longer. How long do you stir the FO into the wax? I usually stir at least 2 minutes to make sure it is blended in good.

I stir slowly at least 2 minutes with a big wooden spoon. Sometimes I have to put the pour pot in the presto to keep the temperature up a bit while I'm stirring. I'll try to post some pics later.

[nmhoneybear]

On Peak's website it says that the working temperatures for 4630 are 160-180. I have used this wax for containers and heated to 180, stirred in my dye for 2 minutes, then stirred in my FO...1 oz per 1 lb batch. I have not noticed the swirl you describe. HTH

[nycleo]

Here are a couple of pics. Now that I see them this way, it seems there is some mottling so I would think it's a matter of cooling too quickly? I'm still not sure what's causing the swirls though.