baretree Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Okay. Using IGI-6006 wax (paraffin/veg blend) with FO at 10% by wgt, poured an 8 oz mason jar. I was using an HTP-93 wick from Peak Candle. Initial wick trim was about 3/8" long. When I lit this candle for a test burn, every thing started out just fine. Melt pool was slowly expanding. Went to make myself dinner, and then ate dinner. Checked on the container candle, and lo and behold, a tunnel had been created right down the center of it, about an inch in diameter, maybe two inches deep into the candle. Needless to say, the candle is ruined (will have to clean out, remelt and repour). I am guessing I chose too big of a wick, or the wrong type, because it would seem to me if the wick is the "pipeline" supplying the wax to the flame, this "pipeline" was too big and prevented a proper melt pool from forming. I would appreciate any input from experienced chandlers on this. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Your wick was too small (the cause of tunneling) or if this happened rapidly (which it sounds like it did), then you may have had an air pocket (cavity) around the wick which produced the big hole. To help you with wick size, what is the diameter of the container? Also, posting a picture or two would be helpful in diagnosing the problem. While some waxes are called "single pour" or low shrinkage, sometimes you need to poke around the wick to make sure there is no air trapped, a heat gun can fix any visual flaws. When I used 6006 I noted a fair amount of shrinking. Slower and more even cooling can eliminate some of these issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 If it tunneled 2" in that short time, I'm thinking air pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksranch Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 If it tunneled 2" in that short time, I'm thinking air pocket.That's the first thing I thought of too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorseScentS Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 If you pour 6006 at 150, you won't have much shrinkage. I recommend zinc wicks for 6006, they work very well. If the diameter of your jar is 2-1/2", try a 51 zinc. If your container is bigger than 2-3/4" dia. to 3" dia, try a 60 zinc. For a dia or 3" to 4", the 62 zinc works well, depending on the shape of jar and the thickness of the glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 That's the first thing I thought of too...Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetsCandles Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Not trying to be critical, but why are you using 10% FO? And it sounds as if you had the experience of air pockets and too small of a wick in the first place. Remember, this is why you're test burning in the first place. I am pretty sure we've all had candles turn out like that at some point or another. Just remelt, rewick and away you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baretree Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thank you to all who replied. @ JanetsCandles - No, I have not had experience with too small of wicks. As I stated, this is my first attempt at container pours. I've done research, looked at a lot of different forums, so I picked up the lingo, as it were. The wick I used was stated to be for a container size of 3" to 3.5", which is actually wicking up for the I.D. of my container which is about 2-3/4". @ the two or three others who mentioned air pockets: I haven't, in my research, run into a mention of this problem/condition. If this is what caused this to happen, how do I identify it in the future? And, how do I fix it if I encounter it? I let this candle air cool (no water bath, etc.) with the lid off. Pour was done at 165. Pics of the end result attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baretree Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 And thank you to all. I am just a novice at this, but trying to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baretree Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 @ rj. Yes. It happened rapidly. Within an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 @ rj. Yes. It happened rapidly. Within an hour.Then I vote air pocket, cavity too. Try for a slower cooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorseScentS Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Thank you to all who replied. @ JanetsCandles - No, I have not had experience with too small of wicks. As I stated, this is my first attempt at container pours. I've done research, looked at a lot of different forums, so I picked up the lingo, as it were. The wick I used was stated to be for a container size of 3" to 3.5", which is actually wicking up for the I.D. of my container which is about 2-3/4". @ the two or three others who mentioned air pockets: I haven't, in my research, run into a mention of this problem/condition. If this is what caused this to happen, how do I identify it in the future? And, how do I fix it if I encounter it? I let this candle air cool (no water bath, etc.) with the lid off. Pour was done at 165[ATTACH=CONFIG]23643[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]23644[/ATTACH]. Pics of the end result attached.For 6006, you have to use a bigger wick size than what you see on the wick charts because it's more viscous than straight paraffin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetsCandles Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 @ JanetsCandles - No, I have not had experience with too small of wicks. As I stated, this is my first attempt at container pours. I've done research, looked at a lot of different forums, so I picked up the lingo, as it were. The wick I used was stated to be for a container size of 3" to 3.5", which is actually wicking up for the I.D. of my container which is about 2-3/4". @ the two or three others who mentioned air pockets: I haven't, in my research, run into a mention of this problem/condition. If this is what caused this to happen, how do I identify it in the future? And, how do I fix it if I encounter it? I let this candle air cool (no water bath, etc.) with the lid off. Pour was done at 165No, I wasn't meaning you had experience with these, I caught the part about not having done containers before. My apologies if I wasn't clear. I was meaning that you are experiencing the problems of air pockets and small wick for the combination of wax/FO that you're using. One thing I will note, I have had experience where too much FO will clog the wick and make it act much smaller. Looking at your photos, it does appear as if you had an air pocket under the surface. It's not uncommon. Most of us make "relief" holes in the top, then overpour. If your wax was a single pour type wax, it could just depend on the conditions you were cooling the candle in. Single pour waxes aren't always single pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodScents Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 6006 can be a beast to wick, but I still love it! It definitely will get air pockets in it so I would strongly recommend a lower pour temperature and consider the relief holes. The first time I poured in the 8oz Mason I got a huge hole in the top but I burned it anyway, it tunneled about half way down the jar in 30 min till it got through the air pocket then it filled the hole in and finally burned right after about 8 hours, wish I had taken a picture of it. I use an Eco 6 with 8-9% fragrance load in the 8oz Mason and have pretty good results, occasionally I'll get a nasty mushroom but 1 trim and it's done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baretree Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 Okay. An update. And another thank you to all who have responded.It was air pockets evidently. Researched, poked relief holes, did an overpour, etc. Retested yesterday and though the candle now burns evenly without the rapid tunneling, it is still underwicked evidently. Sooooooooooo, I am going to do another melt and repour and move up one size in wicks. And yes, I probably overdid it a bit on the FO, but I've been playing around with % of FO to see what it does to throw (and so far I'm discovering increasing the % does little to nothing for hot throw, IMO).My apologies @ Janet. I should have made clear in my OP that I truly am a novice at this, having picked up the candle hobby to try to tie it into my woodworking hobby and budding business.I'll update again if it looks like there is still interest in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 May I suggest adding 15% soy, heat to 190 degrees and pour into room temp jars and do not cover. I like cdn wicks and use 6%.fo for best results. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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