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Candle Making List of Categories

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Do different colour candles have different burning rates? If so what colour candle burns fastest.
I made some beautiful over dipped candles, but the outside layer came off the candle, or it made large air bubbles under it. Do you have any idea what can be the problem?
I'm trying to find dip and carve (or "cut and curl") wax, but have been unsuccessful in my attempts. Is there a formula for this type of wax that I can make at home?
what is the right temperature to overdip candles?
I make glass container candles and I can't seem to get them to melt all the wax to the edges of the containers unless they are extreemly narrow. How do I lower the melting point of my wax?
How many ounces of pigment dye must I use per pound of wax?
Why do some of my candles smoke and leave soot on the remaining wax?
How do I make candle melts/tarts?
How is the wax actully made?
I have noticed spots on my jar candles where the wax pulled away from the container. I am using your container wax blend with no additional additives and one ounce scent oil per pound. I pour at about 170-175 degrees. Am I pouring the wax too hot or too cool? What might cause this.

Do different colour candles have different burning rates? If so what colour candle burns fastest.

Candle color on its own will not change the burning properties of a candle under normal conditions. High concentrations of candle dyes may cause some wick clogging causing the candles to burn at different rate, however this is the exception, not the rule. If you are planning this for a science fair project please note that in order to get a proper comparison you must use candles all from a single manufacturer of the same type and size.

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I made some beautiful over dipped candles, but the outside layer came off the candle, or it made large air bubbles under it. Do you have any idea what can be the problem?

The most common cause of this is the wax of the core candle or previous dip being too cool. Wax sticks best to warm wax, so dipping needs to start by holding the candle in the dip wax for 30 seconds to warm it up. After that, the candle should be dipped in and out of the wax, then in and out of the water bath, then immediately back in and out of the wax (repeat as needed). The air bubbles you describe typically result from the poor adhesion described so they are not actually a separate problem. If the problem persists, sometimes adding some Micro 180 Tacky Wax to the dipping wax helps.

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I'm trying to find dip and carve (or "cut and curl") wax, but have been unsuccessful in my attempts. Is there a formula for this type of wax that I can make at home?

For colored cut & curl I normally use 140 mp paraffin with no additives and colored with pigments. For white cut and curl wax I add some stearic acid and color it with Titanium Dioxide.

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what is the right temperature to overdip candles?

A temperature in the range of 150 to 160 degrees F. works best. If you make it too hot, not enough wax will adhere. If you make it too cold, the surface will get lumpy.

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I make glass container candles and I can't seem to get them to melt all the wax to the edges of the containers unless they are extreemly narrow. How do I lower the melting point of my wax?

The only effective way to lower the melt point of paraffin wax is to mix it with a lower melt point wax. Some folks add petrolatum (petroleum jelly) for this, however I find it causes excessive soot and smoking and don't reccommend it. The problem is not necessarily related to the melt point though. Some low melt point wax blends (mostly known as "One Pour Waxes") seem to have this problem and I know of no cure for it other than using different wax. The problem may also be wick related, and I reccommend experimenting with several different wick sizes before making any other changes. Most candle makers tend to use an oversize wick to compensate for poor melt pool size on the assumption that a larger wick burns hotter. This however makes the problem worse since the difference in heat is negligible while the larger wick is pulling too much hot wax from the melt pool.

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How many ounces of pigment dye must I use per pound of wax?

I prefer to use this at 5% to 10% (approximately 3/4 of an ounce to 1 1/2 ounces of pigment per pound of wax). This provides good color with the fewest dippings. These can be used at as little as 2% (a little more than 1/4 ounce per pound), however it will require more dips to attain the same depth of color.

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Why do some of my candles smoke and leave soot on the remaining wax?

There are several common causes of this. I'll list them in order:
1. The most common cause is a wick that is too large, and this is the first thing you should check. Experiment with progressively smaller wick sizes to see if you can eliminate the problem before continuing on to the rest of this list.
2. I find that using petrolatum (petroleum jelly) or blended waxes containing it as a softening agent tends to cause smoking and excessive soot. I do not recommend using this in candles.
3. Many "One Pour" waxes on the market tend to produce a lot of soot as well.
4. Excessive amounts of scent oil and / or some low quality scent oils can cause this also.
5. Containers with a narrow neck can sometimes cause this by restricting oxygen flow to the flame. This can be corrected by switching container style.
6. Burning candles in a draft may sometimes cause this.
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How do I make candle melts/tarts?

Basically, just make floating candles with no wicks. My preferred wax formula for melts is:
- 1 pound 130 melt point paraffin
- 1 level teaspoon of Vybar 260
- 1 ounce of scent oil
- dye to suit
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How is the wax actully made?

Paraffin wax is made in oil refineries using fractional distillation.

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I have noticed spots on my jar candles where the wax pulled away from the container. I am using your container wax blend with no additional additives and one ounce scent oil per pound. I pour at about 170-175 degrees. Am I pouring the wax too hot or too cool? What might cause this.

Unlike most waxes, with our container blend it is possible to make them without these bubbles (commonly called "wet spots"). The difficulty is in keeping them bubble free. Since glass and wax expand and contract at different rates, as the temperature fluctuates some eparation will occur. The only way to prevent this is to keep them at a stady temperature.

More detailed information on this can be found on our wet spot troubleshooting page.

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