Pillar Candles

[Pam W]

FB: flat braid wicks.

they tend to curl thus my recommendation to twist those babies. The curl of the FB can make the candle burn a bit lop-sided so by twisting it, it will turn as it burns down -- ya just have to try it to see what I mean

Ecos and LXs don't have as much of a curl as the FBs. Peaks cotton core wicks stay pretty straight - these I use in square pillars.

[EricofAZ]

rj, two of your waxes are my choice as well for pillars.

Mottling Wax-IGI 1274;

Pillar Blend-IGI 4625

For the 4625 in a 3x6 (one pound) pillar, I found the 44-32-18 cotton core works very well for me, but it tends to smoke a bit when blown out so I'm now testing with flat braid (Eco's were better on the smoking issue but not enough of a difference).

On the 1274, I have to wick down and I'm still testing. The 36-24-24 might be a bit too small so I'm going to test the 44-24-18 cotton.

I have a bunch of flat braid on order. The 15 ply is too much for the 1274 because it deforms and spills on a power burn, but it has very little sooting and hardly smokes at all when blown out. I want to try a 12 ply.

I know a lot of people like LX for pillars, but I found they soot too much.

Edited March 13, 2011 by EricofAZ

[Pam W]

rj,

On the 1274, I have to wick down and I'm still testing. The 36-24-24 might be a bit too small so I'm going to test the 44-24-18 cotton.

I have a bunch of flat braid on order. The 15 ply is too much for the 1274 because it deforms and spills on a power burn, but it has very little sooting and hardly smokes at all when blown out. I want to try a 12 ply.

I know a lot of people like LX for pillars, but I found they soot too much.

What size pillar?

[TammyGCC]

I have only been making candles for about one year, but I have found how tall the 3 inch pillar is makes a big difference in the wick size. I think they should burn wide but not leak.

[Pam W]

I have only been making candles for about one year, but I have found how tall the 3 inch pillar is makes a big difference in the wick size. I think they should burn wide but not leak.

I really don't understand your point. I use the exact same wick in a 3x3" as in a 3x6" and get the exact same burn...except that the 6" lasts twice as long.

[Candybee]

The difference in wax consumption and burn can vary with different waxes and wick series with 3" vs 6" pillars. I've noticed it myself at least in some of the pillars I made.

Edited March 13, 2011 by Candybee

[EricofAZ]

My pillars are 3x6. The 44-32-18 Cotton with the IGI 4625 seems to burn down the center and curl in the sides pretty well. Even a power burn is fine. But they smoke a lot when blown out. Otherwise, its the perfect wick for me. The mottling wax I have to wick down and have not finalized the wick yet.

[Pam W]

My pillars are 3x6. The 44-32-18 Cotton with the IGI 4625 seems to burn down the center and curl in the sides pretty well. Even a power burn is fine. But they smoke a lot when blown out. Otherwise, its the perfect wick for me. The mottling wax I have to wick down and have not finalized the wick yet.

To eliminate the smoke when extinguishing the wick, dip it over in the wax instead of blowing it out. If you spend your time trying to find a wick that doesn't smoke some when blown out, you won't have much time left for pouring candles.

[EricofAZ]

Right, I got that. My customers don't. I'm trying to build a candle that is perfect for those who don't really know how to operate them.

In fact, it was not until a tester came back with a black rim on a container that I realized the problem. She was trained well, but her son blew it out and it smoked and blackened the rim. There was another that she let self extinguish and it really turned the container black.

I see the same with the pillars and had one tester tell me that when a friend blew it out, it smoked a lot.

So I'm working on reducing this. Ply wicks seem to be better than Eco's and Eco's are pretty good IMHO.

Oh, and that black trail that goes from the top of the LX wick to the ceiling is just unacceptable even with the best of testers.

Edited March 14, 2011 by EricofAZ

[rjdaines]

Got some more HL paraffin wax (for consistency) and added 2 TBSP of Stearic acid to harden up the wax. The 3" pillar seems OK but the 2" pillar is cracked in multiple places. I am guessing that this may suggest that I add too much stearic acid. On both candles the mold release was not as good as before the SA was added and made the surface rough and white. Do I need to go heavy on the release spray when using SA?

All that said, the burn seems better, no sagging yet.

[Pam W]

I use up to 3 TBL of stearic & never had any cracking.

Did you by any chance put the 2" in the freezer to speed up the cooling process :smiley2:

[rjdaines]

I use up to 3 TBL of stearic & never had any cracking.

Did you by any chance put the 2" in the freezer to speed up the cooling process :smiley2:

Ahh, yes I did but to the touch the mold was already cool it just refused to release. So I assume that the freezer is not a good thing to do?

Thanks for the reply

[Pam W]

With a 2" candle, it can get pretty cold pretty fast. I will put one in the freezer on occasion but I stand right there and never leave them for more than 5 minutes at a time. It's usually just a matter of being impatient - I remember that well from my Newbie days and still get that way but now I usually put them in the fridge instead of the freezer and force myself to wait.

I don't use the mold release stuff, instead I use Pam veggie spray - it's cheaper and works as well if not better. But once your molds are broken in you shouldn't need either.

Edited March 15, 2011 by Pam W

[Scented]

Got some more HL paraffin wax (for consistency) and added 2 TBSP of Stearic acid to harden up the wax. The 3" pillar seems OK but the 2" pillar is cracked in multiple places. I am guessing that this may suggest that I add too much stearic acid. On both candles the mold release was not as good as before the SA was added and made the surface rough and white. Do I need to go heavy on the release spray when using SA?

All that said, the burn seems better, no sagging yet.

No, but your surface must be rought from something else. By white can you explain? Snowflake appearance or the wax is whiter?

[Pam W]

hum...white surface - sounds like frosting caused by pouring too cool or the mold was on the cold side.

[ladysj]

Got some more HL paraffin wax (for consistency) and added 2 TBSP of Stearic acid to harden up the wax. The 3" pillar seems OK but the 2" pillar is cracked in multiple places. I am guessing that this may suggest that I add too much stearic acid. On both candles the mold release was not as good as before the SA was added and made the surface rough and white. Do I need to go heavy on the release spray when using SA?

All that said, the burn seems better, no sagging yet.

The HL wax is my main paraffin wax. I've never had trouble with them coming out of the molds unless I was trying to unmold them before they were ready. Which in that case I stuck them in the freezer a few mins.

I have found that when they are left to cool over night at least and by the next morning they slid right out and no mold release. When I add stearic I just about 1/2 to 1 tsp.

I don't have my camera cord to upload the test burns with the LX 22 but I've been burning it for about 4 days now power burns 5 or more hours. It is fulling melting out to the edges and the outsides are rolling in without having to hug it it's completely consuming itself without me doing anything to it. I'm very pleased with the LX22 I used 6% FO and a few sprinkles of vybar and it's scented rainy nights.

The hot and cold throw and kick butt. I'll try to get a pick and post it.

[rjdaines]

Thanks for the report Ladysj, my pillar is doing well to (HL wax +2 tbl SA, LX-22), I'm doing a little hugging but not sure it is needed, it's just fun. I did get some of the LX-20 wicks and will try them some time soon but the next real step is to add FO to the candle and see how that effects the burn.

The 2" made with the same wax but with a LX-10 wick is also doing very well (looking at it now). After so many disasters, I am thrilled to see a good burn.

All this experiments sure uses up a lot of supplies.

[ladysj]

Yes it does use up alot of supplies this isn't an inexpensive hobby/business lol

[rjdaines]

The upside is I get to have fun making and burning candles

[rjdaines]

Here is a photo of my second try at a paraffin pillar based on you suggestions, I think it is a marked improvement.

[Scented]

What'd you do to this one? And if you add fragrances to the mix, they aren't fragrances from Hobby Lobby are they?

[rjdaines]

What'd you do to this one? And if you add fragrances to the mix, they aren't fragrances from Hobby Lobby are they?

This was a 3x6 pillar made with HL wax and 2 tbs/pound stearic acid and an LX-22 wick. A slight green color was added and no FO. Gentle hugging was applied during the burn. While it can still be improved upon, it was 1000x better than the original picture that I posted, no bulging, no burn through, no soot and no drips.

I have another one now with an LX-20 wick and 3 tbs of stearic.

[Scented]

The reason I'm asking when you test with fragrance, are you going to test with HL scents? If you are, don't. They are weak, weak, weak.

Yes, your burn appears to have gone much better. Another additive that you can look into using is vybar 103.

[rjdaines]

My scents are from either from Peak or Candle Science. Next variables being tested are 3 tlb of stearic and the LX20 wick. Fragrance will be the last thing tested problem is, i like so many, hopefully there will be similarity on how they effect the burn. It would be disappointing the have to conditions out for each scent.

[rjdaines]

I am still having troubles with both my 2 and 3 inch pillars, I have wicked up and down (LX wicks) to the point where the flame height is just a small glow to a 2" flame where the wick need constant trimming. I've just started looking at the Cotton Core wicks that Peak sells with the 2" pillar. As far a recipe goes, these are all done with Hobby Lobby wax and 2 tbls of stearic, minimal color and 3% FO.

My questions for today are:

- am I too low of the stearic, do I need to make the candle harder?

- does vybar increase hardness, should I be using that?

- I have the following wicks on hand to try; LX, CD, Cotton Core, RRD, HTP; do any of these strike you as a preferred wick?

- as mentioned above, I'm using the HL wax because it's readily available and requires no shipping, I also have 4625 on hand which I have not yet tried. The 4625 claims to not need additivies, do you find that to be true?

Thanks for any help.