464 problem for a newbie

[Didi]

Hello everyone! I have been reading this forum for quite a while and have finally joined! I am using GW464 soy wax and am having some issues (much like all the other soy users out there!). I added coconut oil to my batches to get rid of the frosting as a couple of people suggested. This worked when I poured at 170 with coconut oil the best! However, when you light the candle to enjoy it, and then you blow it out...the frosting comes back when it cools. After seeing this, I decided frosting was not going to ruin my day! I kept using coconut oil and kept pouring at 170.

My biggest problem is with craters and sink holes. I read some threads on tempering the wax and was wondering if this is a must when working with soy? I'm willing to compromise on a little bit of frosting even though my candles are colored..but I dont want to compromise on ugly tops. Does anyone know if the cratering is due to a melt temperature issue? Or is it because of a cooling issue? I am currently in my kitchen testing regular, plain 464 wax, heated to 180 then poured at 170, then put in an oven that was heated to 170 then turned off to cool at a slower controlled pace. I saw the oven idea on another thread and figured id try it.

I'm running out of ideas so any help would be greatly appreciated for a lost newbie!!!

Thank you!!

[rjdaines]

I get very smooth tops by pouring at 160, however, after a burn they never look as good again and there is not much I can do about that. I've poured at 140 as well and achieved good results but this is all with 8 ounce and 16 ounce containers. Less then 8 ounces I pour hotter as they will cool faster because of the reduced amount of wax. They also seem to be sensitive to drafts and touching at the final stages of cooling.

I experimented by adding paraffin (IGI 6006) at 50/50. Got really smooth tops but it burned too much like paraffin. Some other ratio might work better or some other wax to add in. What container and size are you using and posting a picture might help.