Soy Candle Making Problems
Soy candles make nice decorative additions to your home and you can easily make them. However, problems may occur while you make the candles or when you try to burn them. It can take a while to perfect a soy candle recipe if you are starting from scratch. You can only fix problems that crop up in the next batch, so make only small batches of candles until you have a recipe that produces even-burning candles. Does this Spark an idea?
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Smoking Candles
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Several different problems may cause your candle to smoke while burning. Too much fragrance oil will cause the candle to smoke. Try using a smaller amount and measure using a dropper. A large wick may also cause the candle to smoke. Try using a smaller candle wick when you make your next batch. Larger wicks smoke because the wick is not reaching enough wax. Air bubbles in your candle may also cause it to smoke by exposing the wick and allowing it to burn without reaching enough wax. To stop this, heat your wax to a higher temperature. This will allow the wax you pour to settle before cooling completely. Soy wax pours best at a temperature between 67 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are sure that you used the right wick and you added the right amount of oil and heating, try trimming the wick before burning.
Frosting or Candles that Turn White Upon Cooling
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Pure soy wax has tendency to frost when cooling. Try blending your soy wax with another vegetable wax during the melting process. If you heat the wax above 75 degrees F it may cause the wax to frost upon cooling.
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Fragrance Oil Seeping out of Wax
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Fragrance oil may seep out of your candle if you add to much. If you have too much oil in the melted wax the oil will not emulsify with the wax. Also, if you add oil before the wax has been fully melted and removed from the heat, it may not mix fully with the wax and stay in a separate pool in the wax.
Space Between the Glass and the Wax
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The space will usually disappear when the candle warms up. Wax shrinks when it cools. If you overheat the wax it will shrink even more. You may have to add more wax after the first pour. Make sure your glass is clean before pouring, as any residue will keep the wax from settling up against the glass. Warm your glass before pouring the wax so the outer wax doesn't cool faster than the inside of the candle.
Rough Tops on the Candle
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Pure soy wax candles naturally have a rough top when cooled. You must blend the soy with beeswax or paraffin to get a smooth-top candle.
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References
- Photo Credit candle image by Gemma Williams from Fotolia.com
