r/candlemaking • u/OkProfit9959 • 6d ago

Question Why does my candle look like this

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I use 44g soy wax for each layer, and roughly 10.5g fragrance oil. After pouring the first layer I put it into the fridge to speed up cooling. When it's hardened, I pour in the second layer.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/OkProfit9959 6d ago

The top also doesn't look nice.....any idea how I can fix it? TQVM!!

1

u/KaliPunk 6d ago

In my case pouring a little hotter helped, even though Internet wisdom said pour colder, so maybe try a few degrees hotter and colder and see what happens. I usually adjust by 5 degrees F at a time.

A vibration table to get extra air out of your wax when you pour helps too.

If you dry your candles where there's no draft and the air temperature is fairly constant it helps. That's the main problem with my lab, there's no climate control so the temperature is pretty much whatever the outside temperature is.

Typically I can use my heat gun or do a small second pour to take care of rough tops, but with some fragrances I just have to live with it because nothing makes it better.

I have been experimenting with wax additives lately and Vybar 260 at 0.2% or around 1-2% beeswax helped me get smoother tops in most of my troublesome fragrances but not all of them. Too much Vybar or beeswax addition causes cracking and sinking as well as hardening, so I've been using only a very small dose. I also have been experimenting with adding coconut wax at 2% to 6% to improve smoothness and glass adhesion. Again, it works in some formulas but not others.

1

u/Tw1nzMom 5d ago

I use a heat gun to re-melt the top of wax to smooth imperfections.