While candle making may appear to be a relatively easy project, any experienced candle maker will quickly admit that it takes significant commitment of time and resources to produce a quality candle. In our soy wax troubleshooting guide, we provide some helpful tips for candle makers when working with vegetable-based waxes like soy. Whether you’ve been trying your hand at candles for a bit, or are brand new, it’s helpful to know what to look out for and what measures you can take to avoid some common challenges.
In a previous post, How to get Smooth Tops on your Candles, we addressed causes & remedies related to rough or uneven candle surfaces. Below, we tackle some additional issues.
This is the growth of crystals on the wax surface – usually that of plant-based waxes. It is purely an aesthetics issue and has no impact on candle performance.
Causes: Too drastic a drop in pouring OR cooling temperatures | Excessive fragrance oil
Remedy Recommendations: Bring temperature of jars/container at least up to room temperature | Reduce fragrance load | Reduce pour temperature | Manage cooling temperatures for a slower more even cooling process.
Thin or thick cracks on the surface of the candle which can be around the wick, or extend to the edge of the candle.
Causes: Too drastic a drop in pouring OR cooling temperatures resulting in more rapid contraction of the wax | Air bubbles or voids in the wax.
Remedy Recommendations: Bring temperature of jars/container at least up to room temperature | Reduce pour temperature | Manage cooling temperatures for a slower more even cooling process.
Also known as fragrance bleed, this is when liquid accumulates on the top surface or bottom of the candle after cooling/curing.
Causes: Excessive fragrance oil | Fragrance oil doesn’t bind to the wax because it was added at too low of a temperature.
Remedy Recommendations: When using plant-based wax, add fragrance oil at 185°F and stir very gently | Adjust your fragrance load to the recommendation.
Melt pool stops short of the diameter of the container, leaving unmelted/unused wax around the perimeter.
Causes: Too small of a wick to produce a complete melt pool | Too large of a wick which burns too fast, before creating proper melt pool | Too much fragrance oil.
Remedy Recommendations: Adjust wick size | Adjust your fragrance load.
Clump of carbon buildup on the end of the candle wick that resembles a mushroom.
Causes: Too large of a wick | Too much fragrance oil.
Remedy Recommendations: Adjust wick size | Adjust your fragrance load | Trim wick properly between burns.
When the candle pulls away from the container causing the appearance of wet spots. This is only visible in clear containers.
Causes: Reduced adhesion | Too rapid of a cooling process.
Remedy Recommendations: Clean glass containers prior to filling | Bring temperature of jars/container at least up to room temperature | Reduce pour temperature | Manage cooling temperatures for a slower more even cooling process.
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