Building Blocks of a Container Fill Candle – #1

Believe it or not, the wax you use is the most important building block of a container candle. You will find that Soy Wax is much more forgiving and easy to use. CandleWealth’s NVSoy™ wax has made making candles at home easier. Paraffin wax is more difficult. All soy waxes, though, are not the same. 100% soy wax is not ideal for candle making because is can crack when it cools, and syneresis occurs more in 100% soy wax. Syneresis is when the fragrance sweats at the top of the candle. Soy blends work better (soy and other natural vegetable mixed), but some companies blend soy wax and paraffin. If clean burning is important to you, look for all natural soy wax blends. NVSoy™ wax is a natural vegetable soy that is easy to use and allows the fragrance to throw better all the way to the bottom of your candle.

http://keystonesoycandles.com

http://candlewealth.com/keystonesoy

Building Blocks of a Container Fill Candle – #2

The second building block of a container candle is the wick. Wick choice for your candle is another very important consideration. The size of the wick is not determined by the height of your candle, but by the width of the container. The rule of thumb is the wider the container, the thicker the wick.

Thin wicks absorb less liquid wax, therefore produce less vapor fuel and a smaller flame. A thicker wick absorbs more wax and produces a larger flame. This becomes important when your container is wide. A larger flame produces a more even burn circle out towards the edge of the wide container.

When you purchase your wicks, they should be marked with the recommended container size. If they are not, compare the options that you can find. Containers in excess of 3.5 inches should have the thickest wicks. Containers between 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches should have a medium sized wick. And, jars less than 2″ need only the thinner wicks. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have thicker wicks in smaller jars, but they will burn off the wax more quickly.

No matter what container or wick size you choose, it is also very important to center the wick as perfectly as possible. CandleWealth provides a measured “target”. I place the candle (this works best with glass jars) on the target so that the perimeter of the candle matches one of the rings. The center dot in the target then matches the exact center of the jar. This is more accurate that eyeballing it. Then, use a popcicle stick with a small hole in the center to hold the wick while you pour and while the wax cures.

http://keystonesoycandles.com 

http://candlewealth.com/keystonesoy

Building Blocks of a Container Fill Candle – #3

The third building block of a container fill candle is the fragrance. Most of us burn candles because they smell good, so it is very important to use a quality fragrance oil. There are thousands of raw materials available to make fragrances. Different oils burn differently. The key in fragrance oils is that the materials work well together. Fragrance oil selection is critical to get a candle to burn properly. No two fragrance oils ever burn the same. The fragrance oil determines how the wick and the wax perform together. Carrier is an ingredient in the fragrance oil that helps the oil to solidify and blend into the wax more efficiently. If the manufacturer uses a carrier of lesser quality, then the blend and burn performance of the wax and wick is directly and negatively affected. If you notice a big price difference in certain fragrances, the type of carrier used may be of lesser quality in the cheaper formula.

http://keystonesoycandles.com

Building Blocks of a Container Fill Candle – #4

Color is the fourth building block of a candle. Colors very often decrease the performance of candles. You see, colorants and dyes are not combustible, and they often can clog a wick. If you have ever noticed that a wick can get a mushroom shape, too much colorant is the culprit. If you add a lot of color, use a thicker wick. 

http://keystonesoycandles.com

Building Blocks of a Container Fill Candle – #5

There are 5 building blocks of a container fill candle. Today, I will review the 5th building block. Over the next week or so I will give you the remaining building blocks.

#5 – Container itself. Assess the material of the container. Choose a size and shape of container to give an optimal burn. Where you burn the candle also makes a difference.

Container Materials:

Glass and ceramic are good materials to burn candles in. Not all containers are intended to burn candles. Glass that has been annealed is safe to use for candles. The annealing process is important because this is a process that makes glass safe for burning candles. If a container hasn’t been annealed it can crack. Tin is a great material but gets hot. Non-porous ceramic containers work well. Ceramic containers should be sealed.

Container Shape:

Ideal shape is a cylinder because the wax melts out to walls in even manner. Basic cylinder size is best. Oval shaped containers may need 2 wicks. Squares need bigger wicks so burn completely and to the edges however, the burn may not be controlled.

Proportion – tall as it is wide for single wick; for example. if a container is 3 inches in diameter then 3 inches wide is ideal. Eventually as it burns down it gets harder for oxygen to get down to the bottom to burn better. Flame starts to flutter when there little oxygen and ugly mushrooming of the wick occurs. May need to change wick size to compensate size of jar.

Position of Container in the environment in which it will be used:

Keep the candles out of drafts or near heat registers.

If the candle is in continuous stream of air it will burn unevenly. It could get mushroom head on the wick due to draft.

http://keystonesoycandles.com

3 Cs of Candle Making

Did you know that with CandleWealth we strive for the 3 Cs of candle making with our exclusive NVSoy wax?  What are the 3 Cs?  Keep reading to learn more…

A candle that burns Cleanly

A candle that burns Completely

A candle that burns in a Controlled Manner

Over the next couple of weeks we will post the building blocks of a candle.  Come back often. 

http://keystonesoycandles.com

http://candlewealth.com/keystonesoy