Problems with Palm Starburst Wax

[tjaramillo]

Thanks so much, I was dreading having to do a second pour for all of the batches! I will do this next time I pour. I really appreciate your help.

[KommonScents]

I have not tried the palm wax, but I have spoke with Diane at Candlescience at great lengths about it (I'm just too chciken to start testing a new wax) and I wanted to reiterate the temp to pour in 185 not 85. If you don't get a reply to your email, give her a call - she is SO helpful & knowledgable. I think it's so neat that she struggles / succeeds with wax just like we do, and isn't afraid to share it with her cusotmers.

[Stella1952]

I love working with palm wax!! I have been pouring palm pillars the past two days... some ordinary, some creative that came out kinda cool, and a couple of *great* ideas that died on the vine... (can you say remelt?)

I am very careful to pour *hot* for maximum crystallization (unless I am deliberately going for a different surface effect). Generally, I pour between 195°-200°F. This helps to compensate for the cooler FO and pour pot temp. I don't mind putting them to cool in a prewarmed (then turned off) oven in the wintertime, but it's just too danged hot here to heat up the oven (and the house), so I wanted to try some new (to me) slow-cooling techniques. I remembered someone here saying something about using bubble wrap to insulate their molds, but, OF COURSE, I couldn't find my bubblewrap stash (until AFTER I finished), so I discovered yet another use for old tee shirts for the larger diameter pillars. I placed the 3" pillars inside spare pour pots then covered the batch of them with a tee shirt. The wick pins held the material off the surface of the candles, so it worked out great!! I don't like fooling with coolers and boxes because somehow they are never quite the right size or I bump them and spill hot wax all over them... not good in a styrofoam cooler! Easier when doing the relief holes, too.

I hope you'll try it soon - while it IS different from other waxes, it isn't as temperamental as soy, IMHO. The only problems I have had with it are air-trapping and poor crystallization. Once one resolves those two issues (make relief holes and pour hot), it's easy to make beautiful pillars.

[tjaramillo]

Stella - help!!!! OK, today I tried out some testers, using feather palm wax, Robnat palm wax. I tried your technique for the relief holes. I test in 3" x 3.5" round pillars. I think I did it all wrong! I tried your techique, and I got a slushy mess, instead of something I could push down. I think I may have done it too soon. What do you use to push down the wax? For this size pillar, how many times do cut and push down?

Also, once you get a combination that you are happy with (FO, wax, wick) and you see that it works after you test, both the 3 hour test and the power burn test with that size 3x3.5, do you test a larger size that uses that same combination, i.e., 3 x 6? Or do you assume that because it worked with the 3 x 3.5" it will work with a 3x6 and 3x9? I'm only talking about taller sizes, not width larger, obviously that would change the wicking, etc.

One more question, on your power burns on the pillar palm wax, where you let it burn all the way down, do you care if it blows out the sides? Pretty much in all of mine if I let it burn for more than 5 hours, it burns out the sides where they get holes and very thin and sometimes they leak. Not profusely, but they do leak, but if I wick down, after the initial 3 hour burn, the shell is way too thick. Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone! The information I've learned here has been invaluable.

[Stella1952]

What do you use to push down the wax?

A sharp knife.

For this size pillar, how many times do cut and push down?

Maybe 3 times... depends on how fast the candle is cooling... Sometimes it DOES get a little slushy and palm wax makes a mess... I tried using a bamboo skewer, and stirred, but it made a bigger mess than just cutting a circle and pressing it back into the candle (I use the other end of the knife to push).

do you test a larger size that uses that same combination

Yes. I found that the 3X3 – 3x6 perform about the same. But when you get much taller than that, things can get dicier because of the depth of the flame as it burns down... The shell becomes like a chimney and the top area continues to melt and becomes thinner... I don't make many that are over 6"...

on your power burns on the pillar palm wax, where you let it burn all the way down, do you care if it blows out the sides

Heck yeah, I care!! I don't want a blowout!! Palm wax is VERY messy when it blows out... (guess why I don't test on candle plates on top of the tv anymore... :embarasse)

In post #19 in this thread, I talked about off-center burns. Keeping the wick centered is important, especially when using a self-trimming wick that curls to one side... but obviously, when one has been burning for 12 hours (like the one in the photo), they can get a little off... I think folks have a tendency to overwick palm wax, which will definitely cause blowouts. Because palm *wants* to form a shell, I go along with that! That way I can put a tea light or one of those fake LED tealights in the shell and enjoy it for a long, long time. Palm wax doesn't get pliable and elastic when soft and warm the way paraffin does. It is quite brittle. Because of this property, you can't "hug" a palm pillar... they tend to expand outward as they burn rather than collapsing inward. If you do try to hug a palm pillar, they usually split and wax goes everywhere...

Pretty much in all of mine if I let it burn for more than 5 hours, it burns out the sides where they get holes and very thin and sometimes they leak. Not profusely, but they do leak, but if I wick down, after the initial 3 hour burn, the shell is way too thick. Any suggestions?

What kind of wicks are you using? I really like CDNs for palm and soy waxes. The shell may seem thick at first, but as the candle burns down, the shell will continue to melt on the inside, as you can see from the photos I showed on page 2 in this thread where the burn got a little off-center during the night... Just as with containers, I wick for the bottom third of a pillar... ANY candle will have a tendency to burn a little to one side of center, so giving it a quarter turn every so often, especially if you can see it's getting off center, will help keep it straight. You can also give the base of the wick a poke in the opposite direction if it's burning hot to one side. Wicks need to be recentered on most candles at some point - don't wait until it's gotten too far to straighten things out. Once a palm pillar has blown out, the heat is gonna venturi right out that hole and it'll get worse and worse and bigger and bigger...

The bottom line is that palm wax is not like other waxes! What seems way underwicked on a paraffin or soy candle may work out perfectly with palm. To me, palm seems to burn more slowly than soy (dunno about paraffin - been a long time since I burned any). As it burns down into its shell, the flame will be on the small side, but very true and steady.

HTH

[tjaramillo]

Thanks so much Stella, your help has been much appreciated! I'll try it again. I'm sure I'll get better with practice. Thanks again.