NickS

I guess it depends if candles are considered a “consumer commodity” under the letter of the law. Here’s a link to part of the FPLA. Look at section 500.2(c). I think by that definition candles are covered under this law. https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=d46d8c24934536de0ef58344303bf174&rgn=div5&view=text&node=16:1.0.1.5.62&idno=16

I have been doing R&D with 4627 for a while and struggling with wicking. I discovered I was giving up way too early on a test burn. With this wax you need to burn it to the bottom to see how it performs through the whole candle. I use a 3” diameter 3” tall glass tumbler with an LX26 and have hang up to the middle of the candle (20-25 hours, four hours at a time). From the middle to the bottom, I don’t get the traditional edge-to-edge liquid melt pool. There is always about 1/8” of wax surrounding the melt pool but it continuously gets consumed as the candle burns to the bottom. The throw is still fantastic, zero black on the tumbler, and only slight mushrooming in the bottom third of the candle. I suggest trying an LX24 or 26, possibly smaller based on what @TallTayl said about tins. Don’t give up on it too early.

Like all of us, I don’t want to over pay for anything. The best I’ve found fractionated coconut oil for in smaller quantities is $4.88/lb. Is this price reasonable/average or do you know where it might be cheaper?

I have a candle from a major manufacturer where the wax has pulled away from the glass so much it rattles if you shake it. Your candle looks fine to me in comparison.

Their’s look just a little more “liquidy” than what I’ve made so far. Thanks for sharing that.

It's 4627 and I found a thin wide wick worked better than a thicker narrower wick when using wood.

After lots of thought and discussion with Missy (wife/boss), we are going to relegate the wooden wicks to personal use only. They are just too picky with trim length and tricky to trim, especially further down in the jar. I think this will only hurt repeat business. Thankfully I've been testing LX and HTP wicks parallel to the wooden wicks.

Yes, it is a wooden wick. No, I don't prime them.

I started this adventure in June and I am getting real close to a candle that's ready for market. Here's Dragon's Blood getting ready for final testing (I hope).

I wound up ordering this one: Stanley 89-875 MaxSteel 6-1/2-Inch End Cutting Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007XNNWC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_qA2NEBzkdOsJZ It arrived this morning and I think it may work brilliantly. The cutting edge is right at 3/4" wide, and there is a 3/8" gap between the cutting edge and hinge, so that is the most you could trim from a wooden wick. You will still need to initially trim the wick to about 1/2" or so with something else and make the final trim with this. It should work very well for between burn trims. It will take some practice and experience judging how much you are trimming.

I've been thinking of getting one of these to try. TEKTON 34052 6-Inch End Cutting Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQ7RKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Xe1RzbYQKK484

I found this site http://www.color-hex.com/ where you can find the exact color you want and one piece of info it will give you is the RGB percentages to make that color. I may just get some red, green, and blue to try to mix my own color.

I would like to achieve a gunmetal gray or steel-like color. I'm not good with color so I could really use some suggestions on where to start in trying to get there. Alternatively, does anyone know if a supplier offers this color OOB?

Yes they are. That was my thought also, just needed to bounce it off someone else. Thanks for your input!

I guess I'll go with HDPE then. Any thoughts on bottle shape? Tottle v. normal upright bottle?