Candle Shack Ecosystem RS1 Wax What’s New

EcoSystem RS1 is a tried and tested 100% natural wax which overcomes many of the weaknesses associated with vegetable waxes.  It is shipped in block format.

Finally, a 100% natural candle wax that can be used straight out of the box by novices and seasoned chandlers alike!

Developed in the UK by Candle Shack and manufactured under license by British Wax, EcoSystem RS1 is a unique blend of hydrogenated rapeseed and soybean oils.  This is a truly professional grade candle wax, which many of our luxury brand clients have been using for 12-24 months with excellent results.  

Unlike most vegetable waxes, RS1 is easy to wick and promotes wick self-trimming, whilst delivering very good scent throw with compatible oils.  It is particularly good with essential and nature identical oil blends.  RS1 can be prone to polymorphism/frosting, but this can be tackled by minimising temperature fluctuations during production.  

HOW TO USE RS1 WAX

1.  RS1 should be melted slowly to prevent damage to the wax structure.  We recommend the use of a double boiler or iMelt system, where the temperature of all contact surfaces can be carefully controlled.  Overheating RS1 will damage the wax crystals, particularly the rapeseed component.  A maximum temperature of 75C is suggested.

2.  Once the wax is fully melted, fragrance and/or dye can be added.  The wax should then be stirred gently for at least 60 seconds to ensure the blend is homogenous; ideally longer.  If the wax clouds when fragrance is added, the mixture should be heated and stirred until completely clear.

3.  The wax should be poured into a pre-heated container at a temperature of around 60C-70C.  It is important that the container is not cold, as this will encourage early crystallisation, resulting in a poor surface.  Ideally, the container should be a bit warmer than the crystallisation temperature of the wax, which is around 30C-35C.  

4.  The candle should be cooled fully in a room with an ambient temperature of 20C or more.  Please note, EcoSystem will take a long time to cool and will remain fully translucent even as the wax temperature drops under 40C.  This is normal.  Crystallisation will start at around 30C and solidification will usually occur quickly thereafter.  

5.  Once the candle is fully cooled, the surface will either be smooth and shiny or will be lumpy.  This depends on the fragrance and environmental conditions during cooling.  If the candle is smooth, there is no need to do anything else.  If the wax appears lumpy, a second (very shallow) top-up pour can be used.  We recommend topping-up with a low temperature wax (~50C).  Alternatively, a heat-gun can be used to smooth the surface.

6.  The candle should be cured for several days before burning to allow the wax crystals to settle.

WHICH WICKS TO USE

RS1 is much easier to wick than other vegetable waxes.  We recommend the following wicks, although you may also wish to experiment with others…

• 9cl Container:  CL6, Stabilo 6, TB10
• 20cl Container:  CL12, Stabilo 12
• 27cl Container:  CL12/14, Stabilo 12/14
• 30cl Conatiner:  CL14/16, Stabilo 14/16
• 50cl 3-Wick container:  V6, CL8

TROUBLESHOOTING

Lumpy surface – try adjusting the temperatures (container, wax, room) to delay crystal formation for as long as possible.  Ideally, all parts of the wax should cool at the same rate.  This is difficult to achieve in reality due to container geometry and ambient factors (drafts etc), but the more linear the cooling is, the better the surface will be.  This takes practise!  RS1 wax is susceptible to polymorphism/frosting and this sometimes cannot be removed entirely.  It is one of the trade-offs we made in designing the wax, but the improved burn profile and scent throw make this worthwhile.

Wick clubbing or sooting – Try using a different wick type and/or size.  CL Series and Stabilo wicks will work in almost every blend, delivering a near perfect burn profile.  Unlike pure soy waxes, there is no requirement to achieve a full melt pool on the first burn or two with EcoSystem RS1, as any residual wax should be consumed as the flame drops inside the vessel.

Wick tunnelling or extinguishing – If you have tried using a larger wick, or different family of wick, without success; it may be that your oil is incompatible with RS1.  Some resinous oils do not work well in RS1 and some fragrance solvents do not work well with vegetable waxes.  Try using a different oil.

 

We have used this wax for the last year or two and our clients love it.  We hope that you will learn to use and love it too and welcome any feedback you may have.  Please let us know how you get on with RS1 and feel free to share your successes and frustrations.