My son started making paraffin candles which are beautiful. But around the wick, there is an indented sinkhole. How can this be prevented? Or does it require a second pour? Thanks for any advice.
sinkhole around wick?
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jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
What kind of wax? Paraffin I know, but is it a container blend, a pillar blend, a one-pour? Paraffin tends to shrink and relief holes should be poked then are repour done. Depending on if this is container wax or pillar wax it could require up to 2-3 repours depending on your pour temperature.
More information would be helpful to diagnose the real problem.
More information would be helpful to diagnose the real problem.
karon L adams
Well-Known Member
cool your wax slightly before pouring and then allow to cool more slowly. the faster the wax cools the more pronounced that sinkhole will be. if you ar emaking a container candle, you can't avoid the sinkhole. your best bet is to keep the wax warm and keep it agitated until it is hardened and the levels more even.another mothod is to shave the top portion of the candle with a warm knife and allow the wax to settle back into the center.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
You can if you use a one pour container wax, which I do, and never have sink-holes or have to do a repour. That's why knowing which wax is being used would be helpful. Then the OP can get tailored advice for the type of candle being made.
The first time I ever did candles, I used untreated wicks, which caused this ghastly indentation around my wick. Did several repours and it just ate up more, because the wick was untreated.
Use a wick that's been dipped in wax. The raw wicks, the ones that don't have wax on them will suck up wax and cause a sink hole around it.
You can cut and pre treat your raw wicks with plain melted wax, which will solve the issue.
You can tell if your wicks are pre waxed or not by feeling them. Do they feel waxy? Are they stiff? Is there a coating on the wicks? Then yes, the wicks are ready to go.
Is your wick material like braided thread, floppy, soft and easy to manipulate around your finger? When you scratch the wick are you just causing the threads to tangle and or come undone? Then you need to treat your wick material with wax.
Use a wick that's been dipped in wax. The raw wicks, the ones that don't have wax on them will suck up wax and cause a sink hole around it.
You can cut and pre treat your raw wicks with plain melted wax, which will solve the issue.
You can tell if your wicks are pre waxed or not by feeling them. Do they feel waxy? Are they stiff? Is there a coating on the wicks? Then yes, the wicks are ready to go.
Is your wick material like braided thread, floppy, soft and easy to manipulate around your finger? When you scratch the wick are you just causing the threads to tangle and or come undone? Then you need to treat your wick material with wax.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
I never prime my wicks and if there is a dip because of it, it's very very slight. You should't have gotten that bad of a dip just because of unprimed wicks. It really has more to do with type of wax, temperature of wax pour and diameter the container.
What wax were you using when this happened?
Hendejm
Well-Known Member
I’ve seen a guy that runs a heat gun over it for a second or 2 to remedy and level the surface. Seemed to work well.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
This works well with low shrink container waxes.
However, it the wax used is not meant for containers or is a straight wax with no additives, there could still be holes below the surface that only poking relief holes and a repour will fix.
Knowing which wax was being used would help in the diagnosis tremendously. Better advice can be given then.
Chris_S
Well-Known Member
Thanks, all, I'm just now seeing the responses, don't know how I missed it. I blame the computer....
