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Sinkhole around the wick on every pour even after a second top pour Troubleshooting
Every candle I pour develops a cavity around the wick as it sets. I have tried a relief pour with wax at 60C, poking holes with a skewer before it sets, and going over the top with a heat gun. The top looks perfect and a day later there is a dip again. Single pour soy, 8 percent fragrance.
@cure_rack_cody · 4mo ago · 3 replies
You are treating the symptom. A sinkhole is the surface setting while the core is still liquid - the skin forms, the middle shrinks underneath it, and it pulls down around the wick because that is the hottest column.
Slow the whole cool down. Pour at 54 to 57C into warmed jars, cover with a box, do not move them for four hours. If you still need a top pour, do it while the surface is still soft rather than after it has fully set, with wax about 5 to 8 degrees above your pour temperature. A cold top pour onto a set candle is exactly what gives you the dip a day later, because the two layers shrink independently.
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@annualfee_amy · 4mo ago
So my heat gun pass is basically making a second thin layer that then shrinks on its own.
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@cure_rack_cody · 4mo ago
Exactly. It looks perfect for an hour and then tells the truth.
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