Stella1952 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 You need to center the wick, meaning, push against the base of the wick in the direction of the hangup to center the HEAT in the container. It's burning lopsided because of the stance of the wick. Next time, twist your wick slightly to prevent this. It's lookin' pretty good... It'll be interesting to see if it "catches up" on the next couple of burns.You are so right about that blue - so clear!!Are y'all havin' fun yet? Is the HT still good on both candles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I think it is looking pretty good, you are still early in the life of that candle, I'm curious to see how it looks at the mid point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 That is Blueberry Cobbler (Lonestar)... royal blue dye chip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emahleem Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 Thanks Stella, I will do that! Wasn't sure how much I should be messing with the wick but I did notice that it was severely leaning to that one side. Tomorrow I will push it towards the hangup before lighting up. What do you mean by twisting the wick? When I am first pouring the candle, just twist it a little before clipping into place?YES I am having the time of my life! My boyfriend has been rolling his eyes at how obsessed I've become. And my HT on this candle is UHH-MAZING! Super sweet lemon... I will use this FO again, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 It's lookin' a little weenie... See what it does after the next burn...Sorry to hijack this thread again... this is 3 hours into the 3rd burn. Is there hope for the hangup? How many 3 hour burns do I do? Umm... I have another candle in this batch with a smaller wick that I could yank out & put in a size up from this one also. Any advice appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Sorry to hijack this thread again... this is 3 hours into the 3rd burn. Is there hope for the hangup? How many 3 hour burns do I do? Umm... I have another candle in this batch with a smaller wick that I could yank out & put in a size up from this one also. Any advice appreciated.Your test goes until the candle dies or about a 1/2 inch of wax from the bottom. As far the the candle with the smaller wick, if I need to rewick, I'd put the candle into a double boiler and remelt the wax, remove the wick, and pour off the wax. You could pour directly into a new, wicked container if you have one or into a pouring pot if you need to clean the old container to reuse it. The results may not be the same as pouring a new candle in terms of cosmetics if the temps are not the same and you may lose some HT due to the remelt but the it will give you an idea if the wick is a better size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Your test goes until the candle dies or about a 1/2 inch of wax from the bottom. As far the the candle with the smaller wick, if I need to rewick, I'd put the candle into a double boiler and remelt the wax, remove the wick, and pour off the wax. You could pour directly into a new, wicked container if you have one or into a pouring pot if you need to clean the old container to reuse it. The results may not be the same as pouring a new candle in terms of cosmetics if the temps are not the same and you may lose some HT due to the remelt but the it will give you an idea if the wick is a better size.So 3 hours burns till it's done. When does the power-burn come into play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 A power burn simulates an owner not following directions, worst case scenario, they light it and leave it to burn all day. It's kind of like a stress test. I would not worry about doing one at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 When does the power-burn come into play? The powerburn test happens once you believe you have found the best wick, size, etc. In other words, once you have completed a successful test of an entire candle. THEN you do a powerburn to check & make sure it will perform well if people don't follow instructions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 The powerburn test happens once you believe you have found the best wick, size, etc. In other words, once you have completed a successful test of an entire candle. THEN you do a powerburn to check & make sure it will perform well if people don't follow instructions.Got it.. I just lit the blueberry again for the 4th burn. Another question I had- do you always burn it completely or is there a point where you say "okay, this is a dud" & start over? So far, it's fair in a small room, but a dud in a larger room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emahleem Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Just finished my 4th burn. Here's what it looked like after hardening from the 3rd burn...And here are photos at the end of the 4th burn. I did push that wick over from the base right after the 3rd burn while the wax was still slushie. I'm glad I did because once it hardened, there was no way I could move it without snapping it off. I think it made a difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Looks like some of the hangout is finally melting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 the hangoutYou mean the hangup is no longer hanging out on the inside of the container? ROTFLMAOI did push that wick over from the base right after the 3rd burn while the wax was still slushieThe place to push the wick to recenter its heat is right under the surface, in the liquid part while the MP is still liquid; otherwise you obviously will break off the wick. So this is looking pretty good. Keep burning it and keeping the heat from the wick centered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 "okay, this is a dud" & start over? So far, it's fair in a small room, but a dud in a larger room. I only abandon testers when the wick drowns or becomes a torch. If it has no HT whatsoever, I set it aside and try it again in a couple of weeks or months. I've gotten nice surprises that way.Since you have little experience with making & testing candles, use every bit of this candle to learn from. If you think it's not going to work out, then set it aside, make another one and make whatever changes you wish to it, but keep the first "dud" just in case... You may change your mind later. New folks are often obsessed with remelting wax to reuse, etc. IMHO, in the long run, you are wasting a lot of time. Just pour a new candle and get on with it. Keep the "dud" to recheck later on when you're bored or have nothing to burn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I only abandon testers when the wick drowns or becomes a torch. If it has no HT whatsoever, I set it aside and try it again in a couple of weeks or months. I've gotten nice surprises that way.Since you have little experience with making & testing candles, use every bit of this candle to learn from. If you think it's not going to work out, then set it aside, make another one and make whatever changes you wish to it, but keep the first "dud" just in case... You may change your mind later. New folks are often obsessed with remelting wax to reuse, etc. IMHO, in the long run, you are wasting a lot of time. Just pour a new candle and get on with it. Keep the "dud" to recheck later on when you're bored or have nothing to burn...Well, for the heck of it, I moved it from the end of my kitchen (which evidently is in a vacuum) & set it on the ledge that separates my kitchen/dining from my living room. Lo & behold, I could smell it throughout my living room! Yea So, I'm a little more confident about this one & will continue test burning it tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 You mean the hangup is no longer hanging out on the inside of the container? ROTFLMAOThe place to push the wick to recenter its heat is right under the surface, in the liquid part while the MP is still liquid; otherwise you obviously will break off the wick. So this is looking pretty good. Keep burning it and keeping the heat from the wick centered.Dang auto-correct spelling is sometimes to smart for its own good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) I strongly disagree with the melting it in the microwave if there is a metal tab at the bottom of the wick assembly ... even if it is not adhered to the container ... it could damage the microwave! One of my customers tried this, the glass at the bottom shattered and the arcing from the metal ruined his magnetron.I believe jeanie353's advice would be great if only a piece of wicking (minus the metal tab) was being used.Judy....I neglected to mention to not use the microwave when using zinc wicks. The zinc in the wicks will definitely do damage to the microwave. Otherwise, I can only go on my own experience. I've been using the microwave method for years to re-melt the candles without doing any damage.So let us take both pieces of advice, combine them and say while it has been working fine for one person, there is some evidence out there that suggests other re-melting methods may be a safer alternative. Edited October 24, 2011 by jeanie353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I think we all know by now that microwaves and metal don't mix. The wick tab or wick with zinc are metal and should not be microwaved and certainly not on the presence of a combustible (wax). That said, I do microwave spent container candles to soften the wax for removal, just without any metal present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I think we all know by now that microwaves and metal don't mix. The wick tab or wick with zinc are metal and should not be microwaved and certainly not on the presence of a combustible (wax). That said, I do microwave spent container candles to soften the wax for removal, just without any metal present.In re-reading my post above, I need to rephrase what I said...I surely don't want any fires, blown out microwaves or anything from someone using a technique I use that isn't fool proof safe. While it has worked fine for me, I would highly suggest not to use this method since there is evidence of it causing a fire and damaging a microwave. There are safer alternatives to re-melt wax where a wick tab is still inside the container. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.