# Question about Tealight Issues



## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Pour at a lower temperature. Try just over 150 degrees F. Beeswax shrinks as it cools. The hotter the wax is at the time it is poured, the more it will shrink. Also, the top of the candle is solidifying before the middle. Sometimes there is a hole and sometimes the wax top looks solid, but the candle is somewhat hollow inside. With bigger candles it is often necessary to do a second pour (or topping off) to avoid a valley. 

Slow the cooling down once poured. Keep the top liquid longer.


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## Bright Eyes (Jan 20, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback Bee Bliss. At around 150 the wax is already solidifying (skin forming) so would be difficult to start at that temperature.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Beeswax melts at about 145 - 147 F. You are pouring at 158 F.

The main thing is your beeswax once poured into the tea molds is cooling too fast and skimming over and some holes with sunken areas are formed as the wax shrinks. The amount of beeswax shrinkage is directly related to temperature. 

If your poured candles would cool slower, then the wax would still be liquid at the top and you could top it off prior to the skimming over (and hole developing). Topping off might not be necessary if the wax is a lower temperature due to the volume of the mold being so low.

On any mold that I pour I find that if I can keep the top liquid it is easy to top up the candle mold by pouring a little more in to the original level of the first pour. That original level is easy to see due to the beeswax coating on the sides of the mold (or glass candle jar). Pouring past the original level will result in wax flowing between the mold sides and the candle and is not attractive. 

What is the room temperature? That makes a difference also.


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## Bright Eyes (Jan 20, 2012)

Thanks Bee Bliss! 

Understand what you're saying, will try to bring down the wax temperature a little further.

Room temperature has varied when I pour, some days I had the air conditioning on, perhaps affecting the candles as you say. But to your point, temperature has been 73f when air con on. 

Will do some more with no air con and report back.

Thanks


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

I would never pour candles with the a/c on. In fact, I turn off my fan when pouring and have the room temp around 76-78f so the candles have time to cool slowly. It does get pretty hot sometimes but I think you will have much better results with a little discomfort.


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## savage_sultin (Nov 30, 2011)

I have recently poured some tea lights and tried some different ways to see what might be going wrong. If you warm up the moulds with a hairdryer first, not very warm but when the hot wax hits the cool mould it will cause an air bubble under the the wax and it will work its way through the wax before it is completely cured. also what bee bliss is saying is right, drop the temp just a bit and leave a bit of room on the top to pour some more wax once it cools a bit, that will fill any holes that might occur


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## Bright Eyes (Jan 20, 2012)

Beekeeper_sd : didn't consider that air conditioning may affect the pour but will now turn off. As you say will suffer a little, will definitely pay off when I start pouring the hundred cavity mold.

Savage_sultin : warming up the mold with a hair dryer sounds interesting too.


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