ksranch Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Sorry, another newbie question - but I've been pouring/testing a LOT lately and today I ran into a situation where I wanted the "topper" to be darker and added more brown (pretty dark at this point). I had some left over, and threw it in a votive so I could enjoy the scent tonight. But it is having the hardest time staying lit! Everything else the same - wax,scent,wick - just darker brown. So, do you have to wick up when doing darker colors?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 No. Wicking up means pay attention to your fragrance. You can, however, possibly use too much dye, but unless it's half a bottle or more (exaggeration) you will be fine as long as you aaren't using pigments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnvyCandles Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I think the issue could be the type of wax you are using. Were you making jar candles and then made a votive of left overs? You used the same wax and wick for 2 different types of candles? What was the original candle? Usually different sized candles require different wax/wick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetsCandles Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Nope, not in my experience. Although that depends on the type of colorant you're using. I had some problems when I was starting out with using the dye blocks, too much would cause burn problems. Switched my colorant and was OK after that. I can say that color does not effect burn in unscented candles unless you use dramatically more than the recommended levels (like Scented pointed out). Are you using the same fragrance in both colors? Same level of usage? Same wax type? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksranch Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 (edited) Everything was the same - except the amount of color. That's what threw me. I was using Peak's liquid dye - not pigments or anything different - again, that's what's throwing me. I brought it up because I've seen a lot of candles on the gallery that are dark and I liked them, so now I'm wondering - if I make one that is barely tan and one that is dark brown (everything else the same) is it going to have a difference - or is my experience just a fluke?Sorry, to answer questions better - no, not a difference in type of candle (container vs votive) or anything like that - only difference was color. I have since tested one of the lighter colored votives, and it burnt just like I expected. Live and learn I guess - I just hadn't seen this on the forum as a big variance before so it surprised me! Edited July 20, 2011 by ksranch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I have to say that on occasion when I dye darker I have wick problems with drowning out and small flame and wish I had wicked up. (Regular dye, not pigments or other evil stuff.) I'm not talking about half a bottle of dye either, but more aggressive use of dye that normally is not a problem if I go lighter. I've learned to go easy on the color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetsCandles Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Peak gets their stuff from French Color, from my understanding. The manufacturer recommends a max of 0.2% of their colorant or it will give major burn problems. But 0.2% is something like 28 drops? I know that the one brown I got from Peak is a very light color, if I want something darker, I have to use a different colorant. So yeah, that seems possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I think I notice the wick issues more with dye blocks. As for the liquid, I think the most I used was like 10 drops per pound and that was very dark and I do recall some wick issues, so maybe different manufacturers or different waxes are more sensitive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 What kind of wax? What wicks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coconut Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Peak gets their stuff from French Color, from my understanding. The manufacturer recommends a max of 0.2% of their colorant or it will give major burn problems. But 0.2% is something like 28 drops? I know that the one brown I got from Peak is a very light color, if I want something darker, I have to use a different colorant. So yeah, that seems possible. 28 drops per pound of wax? I have noticed burn problems when I use a lot of color but always thought it was just the heavy FO. I'll have to retest some of those FOs with less color. I do use Peak's dyes and really like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksranch Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 What kind of wax? What wicks?4625 and 44-24-18Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimholzer Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Absolutely! Different colors and ingredients in fragrance oil can both affect which wick size you might need! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 You've used too much color if the wick is clogging up. You're saying that the candle/fo works just fine unless you use a heavy concentration of liquid color and so the wick clogs and won't stay lit. Wicking up may get you an initial burn but might also increase sooting and may eventually clog up and lose flame size. You might add a little black to your brown to cut down on the amount needed to get the darker color or look at a chip that colors more effectively. Personally, I hate dealing with color and do not use it on any candle, unless the customer requests it. So far, customers like a white candle that fits any decor and seem to be only interested in whether it stinks up their house or not. HTHSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I've used up to 36 drops to get a dark black and have had no trouble. Haven't bothered to experiment with more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Must have been a Halloween candle? I can't imgaine it either Scented, unless the fo was loaded with vanilla and or spice fragrances. 36 drops in a pound or in one candle? We are talking paraffin right?Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Talking paraffin, but that would be in a 4 lb batch too. Some company's brand that I used once required upwards of 50 some drops. I don't use the dye from them any more. In fact, I don't even imagine they are still around. Even then though, the wick was not suffocated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksranch Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Thanks for all the thoughts and info. I've decided it was a fluke because I've since made several with the same ingrediants that did fine. My better half thinks I was doing too many things at once and didn't have the wax hot enough - could be. Anyway, all the comments are always helpful, I learn something everyday on this forum. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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