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Why does the candle look greasy when burning?


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I need a little help, and yes I have done a search but for some reason I keep coming up with nothing. Maybe I'm not using the right key words, but I have tried everything I can think of. Here's my question.....Why do the candles look greasy when burning them?? I am using GW 464. I am using Lonestar scents and dyes, 1 oz of scent for every 1 lb. of wax. I am also using ECO-12 6" wicks in 12oz. Status Libby jars. I have tested them 24 hours after cure time, 2 days after and now 3 days and I'm still getting the greasy look. I found that pouring at a higher temp has made the candles set very nice, nice smooth tops. Is there someting I am missing or doing wrong? Or could you give me an idea of which key words to use to do a search? Thank you for any suggestions and help I can get!!!:confused:

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Hi KLynn!

I too have had this happen a year ago when I first started testing candles in jars- I used 464 straight with the Eco 12 and 14 wicks in a 8 oz. square mason jar. I also could not find the answer as to why and I repoured and repoured and repoured using several different FO's. I got fed up and switched to CB 135 but was not impressed with the HT so I then went back to the 464 ordering a new case and it has never happened since- I know this is not much help at all but it could simply be the batch you got because I have done everything the same this time around and I do not have that grease look at all but now I am having a very ugly frost after the first burn- It looked like I was burning crisco-butter flavored at that and I would get black swirling around in the meltpool from the wick- I do not use dye.

Post a picture if you can- I am real curious as to why this happens!

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When you say greasy , are you talking about the droplets around the edge of the jar? Or does it look greasy in the melt pool?

If it's droplets on top near the edge of the jar (and only when its hot or burning) it maybe the f/o.

You might be able to search the term "sweating" or "beading".

Edited by SouthernGal
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If the ambient air temp in the room is relatively low, the heat from the candle may tend to cause syneresis or "sweating." Does this happen all the way down to the end of the candle or just during the first or second test burns? Are you curing the candles for a period of time before burning them? I have noticed that soy candles have a greater tendency to sweat when burned in a cool room within a ouple of days of pouring. After a week or two, they don't seem to sweat as readily when burned in a cool room. HTH :)

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If you mean around the sides of the candle (as in through the jar) search for "Wet Spots". I don't see anything particularly greasy looking on the picture you showed but wet spots are something that many many people fight with when making candles.

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Thank you Stella, it only did it the first few times I burned them. I just wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong or what. I'm going to do some more searching and see what I can come up with.

Starr, thank you for the help on which key words to use. I'm going to do a search and see what I come up with. Thank you!

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I see the sweating on the unburned top of the candle in the photo you attached, so that's not in question. "Wet spots" are areas where the wax has not adhered to the jar. I see frosting on the sides of the candle in your photo which isn't the issue to which you were referring (I think).

soy327 asked some good questions which, when answered, might help us to give you some further ideas about what has caused the syneresis. I would like to know how long a time had elapsed between when the candle was poured and when you began burning it and the ambient air temp of the room in which it was burned. All of the questions asked may have a bearing on the issue. :)

Edited by Stella1952
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