My first candles

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Saponomancer

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I looked up all the tutorials on the candle making websites, I watched a million videos on youtube, I made sure I understood the instructions for the wax I'd picked, and that my wicks were suitable for the wax and the jar diameter and I did it!

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I still need to do my first test burn, but I've already flashed the top to get rid of the tunneling and they're all set for Christmas, I just need to make little labels

After all the talk about how hard candle making is I thought this would go a lot worse!

I didn't mess around with colours, but they are gingerbread scented to go with the soaps I made for the holidays :)
 
WooHoo.gif Way ta go! I want to do that too, but can't stand the thought of failure. So happy for you that you pulled it off first time out of the gate.
 
Those are so pretty! They make a great holiday gift too.

I love making candles. They are actually easy Zany! You have to try it.

I sold a few soy candles I made with wood wicks on the bazaar.
 
Its usually the test burns that trip you up - lost count of the wick too big, wick too small scenarios Ive had and thats even before Ive thought about the horrible CLP labels!

I have made hundreds of candles this Christmas and I think Im feeling a little jaded!
 
Its usually the test burns that trip you up - lost count of the wick too big, wick too small scenarios Ive had and thats even before Ive thought about the horrible CLP labels!

I have made hundreds of candles this Christmas and I think Im feeling a little jaded!

I agree. It's the wicking that trips me up, even though I've been doing this *forever* I still get a scent here or there that I will need to drastically change the wicking in, but won't know until after it's made and I do my test burns.

They are actually easy Zany!

Making them, yes. Getting that perfect burn, -eh, can be, but since every scent reacts differently in wax, the testing is where most people have to change things around to get it right. I wouldn't say it's hard, but it is time consuming since testing involves burning each candle all the way to the end, and can become very expensive if done right.
 
I agree. It's the wicking that trips me up, even though I've been doing this *forever* I still get a scent here or there that I will need to drastically change the wicking in, but won't know until after it's made and I do my test burns.



Making them, yes. Getting that perfect burn, -eh, can be, but since every scent reacts differently in wax, the testing is where most people have to change things around to get it right. I wouldn't say it's hard, but it is time consuming since testing involves burning each candle all the way to the end, and can become very expensive if done right.

Oh I so agree - making them is simple. Its the test burns, the wick testing, the fragrances that are great cold but hopeless when lit.

Getting the fragrace right and at the right percentage - even for a test burn - can end up so expensive and then you change the fragrance or the wick or the container (or the wax or FO supplier changes the formulation) and you have to start all over again! Sigh...
 
And sorry, I didn't meant to ignore the OP, it's just that while I am at work, I can't see the pic. :( I'll have to wait until tonight when I get home.
 
I'm doing my burn test now, so far so good, I've got a good burn pool and the hot throw on the fragrance is strong, so fingers crossed I did a good job of picking wicks, I went with one recommended for this wax and size so here's hoping.

Jcandleattic: No worries! Its not that impressive a picture anyhow, I just got excited
 
I'm doing my burn test now, so far so good, I've got a good burn pool and the hot throw on the fragrance is strong, so fingers crossed I did a good job of picking wicks, I went with one recommended for this wax and size so here's hoping.

Jcandleattic: No worries! Its not that impressive a picture anyhow, I just got excited

You should be excited!! It's exciting!!
Just make sure to burn it all the way to the bottom of the candle and take good notes.
I find most suppliers tend to recommend wicks that end up being to big. They seem to be fine for the first few burns, but once they get to the middle/end of the burn, the melt pool is too deep, the container gets too hot, and then you get sooting, mushrooming, etc.,
(and yes, even soy soots, it's just usually a white (ish) soot so not as noticeable as paraffin waxes - same with palm, but even less so)

Show us a pic of your burn, and if you have any questions let us know.
I'd love to see your progress as a candlemaker.

(and the pic is great btw! very creamy looking - what was the scent?)
 
You should be excited!! It's exciting!!
Just make sure to burn it all the way to the bottom of the candle and take good notes.
I find most suppliers tend to recommend wicks that end up being to big. They seem to be fine for the first few burns, but once they get to the middle/end of the burn, the melt pool is too deep, the container gets too hot, and then you get sooting, mushrooming, etc.,
(and yes, even soy soots, it's just usually a white (ish) soot so not as noticeable as paraffin waxes - same with palm, but even less so)

Show us a pic of your burn, and if you have any questions let us know.
I'd love to see your progress as a candlemaker.

(and the pic is great btw! very creamy looking - what was the scent?)

I did a soy/paraffin blend, and I used brambleberry's gingersnap at a 10% load

I *did* get some mushrooming, but the burn pool was only half an inch deep on the end of the first burn, the glass wasn't too hot, and it did extend to the edges of the container. I suspect I didn't trim my wick down far enough, we'll see how it does on the next one.
 
Second burn didn't get the guttering or the mushrooming, but the room got super cold so it also didn't make a full pool, third burn was during the day when it was warmer, did make the full pool, looks like this wick is doing as decent as I could ask for, the jar hasn't been heating up more than warm to the touch so I'm encouraged. I'm only going to burn during the day from now on for accuracy.
 
Second burn didn't get the guttering or the mushrooming, but the room got super cold so it also didn't make a full pool, third burn was during the day when it was warmer, did make the full pool, looks like this wick is doing as decent as I could ask for, the jar hasn't been heating up more than warm to the touch so I'm encouraged. I'm only going to burn during the day from now on for accuracy.

I would say if you got a FMP on your first burn, the wick is going to end up too big by the end of the burn. My candles never get a fmp until the 2nd-3rd burn, unless it's a small container candle or votive.
Have you also done a power burn? Most consumers are not going to burn the recommended times, and it will be good to know how your candle is going to do if they end up burning the candle for 8-10 hours or longer.

Not trying to discourage you, just trying to help you make the best possible candle you can.

Room temperature makes a difference in how a candle burns?! I'd never have guessed that.

Everything can affect how a candle burns. That's why most candle makers test the same type of candles many times in many different scenarios to make sure what they are putting out on the market is the safest thing they can.
 
And I just went back and looked at the pic. Is that 5 oz mason jar? A FMP in that jar is probably just fine. It's a small(ish) container.
 
And I just went back and looked at the pic. Is that 5 oz mason jar? A FMP in that jar is probably just fine. It's a small(ish) container.

8 oz, one of the squat ones! I haven't done over four hours yet, or any more four hour burns since it snowed, but I can do that and see if the glass heats up too much under the stress test, so far I'm pretty happy with how its been burning though, the flame behaves as long as its kept trimmed to the right length, and I'm just barely hitting my full melt pool by the end of the burn.

I want to make sure these candles are safe for people for Christmas <3 no catching the house on fire.
 
The power burn went well, it did twelve hours with no real problems, the glass got hot to the touch in the end but not enough to burn me. The melt pool stayed at about a half inch deep. When the wick got long it started to mushroom but that was expected.
 
The power burn went well, it did twelve hours with no real problems, the glass got hot to the touch in the end but not enough to burn me. The melt pool stayed at about a half inch deep. When the wick got long it started to mushroom but that was expected.

YAY - I'm glad you had such success right out of the gate. Most of us don't/didn't get so lucky. :)

However, when I started, there was no such thing as forums, or groups, or even facebook. LOL
They started coming around a few years after I started and were slow to build. Unlike today, so when I started I had to rely on really inaccurate antiquated books.
 
gee, I never would have thought of all this technicalities.... I make sure my wick encompasses at least 1 inch in diameter, and that is it, off I go!
 

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