Candle Making Supplies
Crafting soy candles is an increasingly popular pastime for many people, and it’s easy to understand why. Not only do soy candles produce a beautiful, clean flame with very little smoke, but they also come in a variety of colours and scents, making them perfect for DIYers who are looking for something unique. But there’s one important factor that all candlemakers must consider when crafting their own soy candles: temperature. Let’s take a closer look at recommended temperatures and why it is so vital to the success of your soy candles.
What are Recommended Temperatures for Soy Wax?
When you make a soy candle, you need to be sure that the wax has been heated and cooled to the recommended temperature in order to ensure proper burning and scent throw.
Soy wax starts to melt at a relatively low temperature (around 46-49 degrees celsius) making it a safe wax for people of all ages to use. However, it should not be exposed to excessive heat during the melting process as this can affect its performance once it cools down again.
In addition, too much heat can cause air bubbles in the wax which can lead to flickering flames or even extinguished flames altogether! To get the best results when crafting with soy wax, it’s essential that you maintain an even temperature throughout the entire process from start to finish.
Each soy wax has a recommended temperature guide that is very useful. These guides come from the manufacturers and are published on our website for each wax. They are there to help you create the ‘perfect’ soy candle and can vary quite a lot between brands.
The recommended temperatures that you need to pay attention to are:
Melting Temperature – this is the temperature that the soy wax starts to melt
E.g GW464 – 46-49 Degrees Celsius
Fragrance Temperature – this is the recommended temperature to add your fragrance. If you add the fragrance at a higher temperature then you risk burning off the top notes of your fragrance.
E.g GW464 – 75-80 Degrees Celsius
Pouring Temperature – this is the recommended temperature that is recommended to pour your wax to get a smooth creamy top
E.g GW464 – 62 Degrees Celsius
How to Measure the Recommended Temperature
When making soy candles, maintaining a proper temperature is essential for crafting quality products that will burn evenly and consistently every time. To monitor temperature you will need a good quality thermometer. You can use a traditional candy thermometers or infrared UV digital thermometer. The infrared thermometers are easy to use and very accurate with a point and shoot laser that senses the temperature to the wax.
The other important factor when making candles is the ambient temperature. This is really important and can have a huge effect on how your candles cure. The ideal temperature to make candles in is around 21 degrees celsius. So make sure that you can hold this temperature in your home or workshop once the candle has been poured for at least a couple of hours!
A word to the wise – for those just starting out with soy candle making projects, keeping track of temperature is key for successful results; but as you become more experienced this will become second nature!
