Newbie- how do I stop my soy wax candles from looking like this?

[Nicole Hill]

Hello everyone. I am extremely new to candle making and got my first starter kit to test the waters. I followed the instructions and temperatures recommended but I’m getting a lot of pits and craters when the candles are dried. I watched and read a bunch of do’s and donts but can’t seem to get it right. I experimented with black liquid dye today too. Now, the thermometer the kit came with hasn’t exactly been reliable and I found a digital thermometer worked better. I used a blow dryer (I don’t have a heat gun) to try and smooth out the tops and fill in the pits, but then when I light them after the recommended curing days, still pits. I would love some advice on how to fix this. I did buy some better quality materials but I want to get the technique right before I use them!

 

[Ephemerella]

I'm certainly not the most experienced chandler here, and I don't know what wax you are using, but it looks like you have heavy frosting and sink holes.

Candlemaking can be frustrating as it is a try-and-see endeavor. And even more maddening, the fault doesn't always lie in the execution or technique. Candles have to be in a very happy place to come out nicely, which means there has to be communal love between the wax, the fragrance, the vessel and the wick. All of which requires... you guessed it... testing. Saving your good stuff for later will likely amount to a big ol pile of doodlysquat, as there are no guarantees if you get the cheap stuff to work well for you, that the expensive stuff will do so too.

If I were you (and I have been there), I would try the following:

1. Pre-heat your vessel in a warm oven. I turn my oven on at the lowest setting for 10 minutes then turn it off. 10 minutes later I put my vessels in and let the sit while my wax melts. By the time I take them out they are not too hot to touch, but still quite warm.
2. Apply your wick when you take the vessel out of the oven, not before... otherwise you can cook your wick... ask me how I know.
3. Make a candle with your favored wax and fragrance, but reduce the fragrance to 8%. A lot of my woes were solved when I stopped trying to put 12% of FO in. My throw didn't suffer appreciably, and my candles looked much better.
4. Pour your candle and then loosely wrap a tea towel around it while it sets out, loose as in close but not touching. My chandling area cools quickly, which I think attributes to sink holes. By giving your candle a little snuggy you can moderate the cooling rate. Too snug and the sink holes can be worse ironically. You don't want to insulate it, you just want to create a barrier to the cold so the cooling process is smooth and slow.

I do all my chandling at night, I live in a cold climate and my space has cathedral ceilings, so temperature management is paramount. These extra precautions have reduced my sinkholes to occasional nuisances, and I use 464, which is notorious.

Besides, it's fun putting the kids to bed with a snuggy binkie.

Lotsa luck!

 

[Nicole Hill]

I'm certainly not the most experienced chandler here, and I don't know what wax you are using, but it looks like you have heavy frosting and sink holes.

Candlemaking can be frustrating as it is a try-and-see endeavor. And even more maddening, the fault doesn't always lie in the execution or technique. Candles have to be in a very happy place to come out nicely, which means there has to be communal love between the wax, the fragrance, the vessel and the wick. All of which requires... you guessed it... testing. Saving your good stuff for later will likely amount to a big ol pile of doodlysquat, as there are no guarantees if you get the cheap stuff to work well for you, that the expensive stuff will do so too.

If I were you (and I have been there), I would try the following:

1. Pre-heat your vessel in a warm oven. I turn my oven on at the lowest setting for 10 minutes then turn it off. 10 minutes later I put my vessels in and let the sit while my wax melts. By the time I take them out they are not too hot to touch, but still quite warm.
2. Apply your wick when you take the vessel out of the oven, not before... otherwise you can cook your wick... ask me how I know.
3. Make a candle with your favored wax and fragrance, but reduce the fragrance to 8%. A lot of my woes were solved when I stopped trying to put 12% of FO in. My throw didn't suffer appreciably, and my candles looked much better.
4. Pour your candle and then loosely wrap a tea towel around it while it sets out, loose as in close but not touching. My chandling area cools quickly, which I think attributes to sink holes. By giving your candle a little snuggy you can moderate the cooling rate. Too snug and the sink holes can be worse ironically. You don't want to insulate it, you just want to create a barrier to the cold so the cooling process is smooth and slow.

I do all my chandling at night, I live in a cold climate and my space has cathedral ceilings, so temperature management is paramount. These extra precautions have reduced my sinkholes to occasional nuisances, and I use 464, which is notorious.

Besides, it's fun putting the kids to bed with a snuggy binkie.

Lotsa luck!

Thanks so much for this! I did buy 464 and after watching so many videos, I think you’re definitely right that waiting to use it probably won’t do much since it’s different than what I have been using. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what kind of soy wax they gave me in the kit.
I will definitely try what you have recommended.
what would you advise ideal pouring temperature is for 464? I will for sure be doing a lot of testing, but would love some pointers to work off of. I did visit Candle Science for recommended wick sizes and some other advice, but from what I see, each experience is different!
I just started maternity leave and was hoping this would be a fun little hobby, but it’s turned into more of a challenge

 

[Ephemerella]

Candle science is great, good people with responsibly sourced products and sound advice, but as you noted, you still have to test, because every combination is different.

I heat my 464 to 195°, add FO at 185°, stir for a full minute, and wait to pour until it is in the 145-150° range into my warmed vessels.

If you want a relaxing hobby, try making soap, because candlemaking is waaaay more frustrating, and probably more expensive.

 

[Nicole Hill]

Candle science is great, good people with responsibly sourced products and sound advice, but as you noted, you still have to test, because every combination is different.

I heat my 464 to 195°, add FO at 185°, stir for a full minute, and wait to pour until it is in the 145-150° range into my warmed vessels.

If you want a relaxing hobby, try making soap, because candlemaking is waaaay more frustrating, and probably more expensive.

Perfect! Through my ventures into videos and advice searching I came across something called “Vybar” that is supposed to help the overall finish of the 464 soy wax, since the uneven/pitted tops seem to be a common issue. I hear it can affect the hot scent throw though. Have you ever used this?
I’ve been thinking about soap too, but my stubbornness is making me determined to succeed at this candle thing I’d really love to eventually to make something I can sell but I want to give it my best shot before giving up!!

 

[Ephemerella]

No, I haven't tried vybar. I honestly match my FOs to my wax/wick/vessel combo. There are so many FOs out there; for me, it's a process of finding the ones that work for my set up.

 

[Nicole Hill]

No, I haven't tried vybar. I honestly match my FOs to my wax/wick/vessel combo. There are so many FOs out there; for me, it's a process of finding the ones that work for my set up.

Cool, good to know thanks so much for your advice and help!

 

[jcandleattic]

but I’m getting a lot of pits and craters when the candles are dried.

This is how soy reacts. You can try heating the top with a heat gun, but after the first time burning, that wierd bumply look will be back. Not worth the effort of trying to stop or prevent it as it will come back.

I'm certainly not the most experienced chandler here, and I don't know what wax you are using, but it looks like you have heavy frosting and sink holes.

Candlemaking can be frustrating as it is a try-and-see endeavor. And even more maddening, the fault doesn't always lie in the execution or technique. Candles have to be in a very happy place to come out nicely, which means there has to be communal love between the wax, the fragrance, the vessel and the wick. All of which requires... you guessed it... testing. Saving your good stuff for later will likely amount to a big ol pile of doodlysquat, as there are no guarantees if you get the cheap stuff to work well for you, that the expensive stuff will do so too.

If I were you (and I have been there), I would try the following:

1. Pre-heat your vessel in a warm oven. I turn my oven on at the lowest setting for 10 minutes then turn it off. 10 minutes later I put my vessels in and let the sit while my wax melts. By the time I take them out they are not too hot to touch, but still quite warm.
2. Apply your wick when you take the vessel out of the oven, not before... otherwise you can cook your wick... ask me how I know.
3. Make a candle with your favored wax and fragrance, but reduce the fragrance to 8%. A lot of my woes were solved when I stopped trying to put 12% of FO in. My throw didn't suffer appreciably, and my candles looked much better.
4. Pour your candle and then loosely wrap a tea towel around it while it sets out, loose as in close but not touching. My chandling area cools quickly, which I think attributes to sink holes. By giving your candle a little snuggy you can moderate the cooling rate. Too snug and the sink holes can be worse ironically. You don't want to insulate it, you just want to create a barrier to the cold so the cooling process is smooth and slow.

I do all my chandling at night, I live in a cold climate and my space has cathedral ceilings, so temperature management is paramount. These extra precautions have reduced my sinkholes to occasional nuisances, and I use 464, which is notorious.

Besides, it's fun putting the kids to bed with a snuggy binkie.

Lotsa luck!

Although all of this is good advice, it will only work in the short term for soy, and is a lot of effort for something that will just come back. This is just the nature of soy. And all of this will be for naught after the first time the candle is lit and extinquished.

but from what I see, each experience is different!

This is true because every variable will be different from person to person, so we can only give general advice. Like you said, testing is key, and you will just have to keep testing. And the testing never stops, especially with soy. Soy is a so-called "natural" product, so even though they can get each batch to be very very similar, it can still vary from crop to crop, manufacturer to manufacturer, etc., So you will have to test from each new lot number of the batches you get.

If you want a relaxing hobby, try making soap, because candlemaking is waaaay more frustrating, and probably more expensive.

You hit the nail on the head here.

I came across something called “Vybar” that is supposed to help the overall finish of the 464 soy wax, since the uneven/pitted tops seem to be a common issue. I hear it can affect the hot scent throw though.

Too much vybar can bind your scent and cause it not to throw, too little it does nothing. In soy, I wouldn't bother with vybar. To get the smooth finish you want, it will be enough it can really bind up your scent, and you will not have a strong smelling hot throw if you can get a throw at all.

 

[Nicole Hill]

This is how soy reacts. You can try heating the top with a heat gun, but after the first time burning, that wierd bumply look will be back. Not worth the effort of trying to stop or prevent it as it will come back.

What are your thoughts on coconut wax? I hear that the soy and coconut blends can be beneficial and work together well, and coconut wax on its own I hear is good but a higher price point and less availability. I would like to keep them as natural as possible, but I’m open to any recommendations

 

[jcandleattic]

What are your thoughts on coconut wax? I hear that the soy and coconut blends can be beneficial and work together well, and coconut wax on its own I hear is good but a higher price point and less availability. I would like to keep them as natural as possible, but I’m open to any recommendations

I've never worked with coconut wax, and I hate soy wax, so I'm not much help.
I tried working with soy but it is so finicky and not all FO's no matter how much of a load you put in just do not work, - as noted above, the end result is not always pretty, it doesn't take color well, and a myriad of other problems.

As far as "natural" waxes go, I like palm wax, but mainly I use paraffin.

 

[Nicole Hill]

I've never worked with coconut wax, and I hate soy wax, so I'm not much help.
I tried working with soy but it is so finicky and not all FO's no matter how much of a load you put in just do not work, - as noted above, the end result is not always pretty, it doesn't take color well, and a myriad of other problems.

As far as "natural" waxes go, I like palm wax, but mainly I use paraffin.

I really wish I had looked into it more before purchasing soy it just seems to be sooo commonly used, but the more I read about it the more I see how many issues come along with it. And again I’m sure no matter what is used there will always be something that comes up that you’ll need to problem solve or find a solution to just like anything. Just gonna mess around and take as much advice as I can and hopefully something cool comes from it!

 

[onehealthylemon]

Candle science is great, good people with responsibly sourced products and sound advice, but as you noted, you still have to test, because every combination is different.

I heat my 464 to 195°, add FO at 185°, stir for a full minute, and wait to pour until it is in the 145-150° range into my warmed vessels.

If you want a relaxing hobby, try making soap, because candlemaking is waaaay more frustrating, and probably more expensive.

I agree CS gives best advice, tutorials and tips!

 

[Nicole Hill]

I'm certainly not the most experienced chandler here, and I don't know what wax you are using, but it looks like you have heavy frosting and sink holes.

Candlemaking can be frustrating as it is a try-and-see endeavor. And even more maddening, the fault doesn't always lie in the execution or technique. Candles have to be in a very happy place to come out nicely, which means there has to be communal love between the wax, the fragrance, the vessel and the wick. All of which requires... you guessed it... testing. Saving your good stuff for later will likely amount to a big ol pile of doodlysquat, as there are no guarantees if you get the cheap stuff to work well for you, that the expensive stuff will do so too.

If I were you (and I have been there), I would try the following:

1. Pre-heat your vessel in a warm oven. I turn my oven on at the lowest setting for 10 minutes then turn it off. 10 minutes later I put my vessels in and let the sit while my wax melts. By the time I take them out they are not too hot to touch, but still quite warm.
2. Apply your wick when you take the vessel out of the oven, not before... otherwise you can cook your wick... ask me how I know.
3. Make a candle with your favored wax and fragrance, but reduce the fragrance to 8%. A lot of my woes were solved when I stopped trying to put 12% of FO in. My throw didn't suffer appreciably, and my candles looked much better.
4. Pour your candle and then loosely wrap a tea towel around it while it sets out, loose as in close but not touching. My chandling area cools quickly, which I think attributes to sink holes. By giving your candle a little snuggy you can moderate the cooling rate. Too snug and the sink holes can be worse ironically. You don't want to insulate it, you just want to create a barrier to the cold so the cooling process is smooth and slow.

I do all my chandling at night, I live in a cold climate and my space has cathedral ceilings, so temperature management is paramount. These extra precautions have reduced my sinkholes to occasional nuisances, and I use 464, which is notorious.

Besides, it's fun putting the kids to bed with a snuggy binkie.

Lotsa luck!

Made my 4th candle today and followed everyone’s advice and everything I’ve been watching and reading, and I finally got a smooth top!!! It looks so nice, I’m so happy now time to wait a couple weeks before lighting and see how it burns and if there’s any defects that come up, but for right now I’ll consider this a win!!

 

[Denise G]

This is just how soy wax behaves. You could use a heat gun to smooth the tops out, but be aware that even if you get a smooth top, once you burn the candle, the top will most likely go back to that appearance. I started with 464 years ago and this is one of the reasons I moved on to a coconut soy wax blend; now I'm using an apricot coconut blend and I just got CandleScience's new apricot coconut wax to test -- no, I can't help it. I love testing different waxes as much as I like getting new fragrances Anywhooo, if you are looking for smooth tops and one pour waxes, I highly suggest you try a coconut soy or apricot coconut blend. They are very beginner friendly and wonderful to work with because it's pretty straight forward and you don't have to worry about a lot of things that you'd normally have to if you were using soy wax.

 

[dalewaite48]

I would recommend trying Cargill's C-3 Wax it is the best container wax on the market and I have tried a lot of different waxes. And start over from scratch and make a container candle with no color or scent added. Melt completely and then let cool until about 155 degrees and then pour into your container leaving about 1/4" for a second pour. Wait a hour or so until candle wax has hardened and then do a 2nd pour by reheating your wax and pouring at about 160 to 165 degrees. Candle should come out nice and smooth. Once you have got success on that you can start making candles with a scents. Start out in the 7-10 percent scent amount. I pour my candles with about a 15% scent mix and they come out nice and smooth.