Newbie using IGI 6006 wax

[Ray]

Very new to this and obviously have a ton of questions. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Learned a lot already just reading through the posts.

 

Using IGI 6006 in 16oz mason jar containers.

First few candles I used 1oz of oil from Bittercreek in 13oz of wax (13oz of wax fills the 16oz jar perfectly)

I didn't wick the jars because I want to test different size wicks to see which works best.

I'm using zinc wicks 44-32-18 which didn't give a very good melt pool. Tried 51-32-18 which seemed to work a little better. Just ordered some 60-44-18 from candlewick and we'll give that shot.

 

Few questions...

Is there a difference between CBL-130 from Candlewic and the IGI 6006 wax (which I ordered from Bittercreek)?

From which company have you experienced folks found the best oils? Are most all suppliers different? Since my wife and I are in the country primitive business we plan on going with mostly bakery type scents.

 

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[chuck_35550]

I would go with a cd wick. Zincs just don't hold up to soy (a percentage of 6006 is soy) but testing will tell the tale. Try cd or cdn wicks, lx wicks, eco wicks and go for sampler packs. I think the KY line from Aroma Haven/Rustic Essentials has the the best bakery fragrances for the price. The first rule of thumb is to see if you have a local outlet close by and start with that distributor. Buy everything in sampler type bundles. You can save a lot of cash by trying out 1 or 2 ounce fragrance oils and buying slabs of wax. The Prim market is a good one if you study and find out what's being offered in your locale. This phase of the journey is no piece of cake and a lot of folks drop out because they get discouraged at handcrafting something that looks easy. I'll take soaping any day over chandlering but that's just my opinion. Welcome to the Board and good luck with your adventure. Just keep your hand on the credit card and stay focused.

Steve

[amanda]

I use 6006. The wicks that I found to work the best are LX and CD. I didn't care for the zinc.

I've only used Candlesciene and nature's garden for oils, but the bakery scents that I've liked the best are CS's blueberry cobbler, banana but bread, and pumpkin soufflé. And I've recently been trying more of NG's oils because every one I've tried so far has been super impressive. I've been testing their Sugar Cookie lately and really love it.

[Ray]

Thank you both Steve and Amanda.

Unfortunately there really isn't any supplier in my immediate area.

Yes, it can get very expensive when starting out. Tried this a couple years ago using soy wax and it was a complete flop. Got discouraged and dropped out. This time we are determined to stick with it until it works. Definitely not as easy as most people think!

We will try some LX and CD wicks and see what happens.

Tried a pumpkin spice oil from bittercreek and it smelled like cinnamon...no hint of pumpkin at all. I have heard of Rustic Escentuals and Nature Garden. Plan on trying both those. Thank you very much for your advice!

[Ravens]

I do not work with IGI 6006 a lot, but for me the CD and zinc wicks worked better than other wicks.  I prefer 100% paraffin waxes, and use zinc wicks with those.

[Karen M]

I used 6006 and CW cbl 130 with LX wicks with great results.

Both waxes are great.

Bakery scents are my fav, I love ICS classic cinnamon buns, I could bath in it, LOL. Other favs are CS pumpkin pie, ICS holiday cookie, MC birthday cake, CMS orange danish

[cindym]

The 60's will probably work well with 6006 in that jar.  You will have to really test with this wax, it has a tendency to burn hot, my experience anyway.

 

I have also used the candlewic wax, it is a true one pour, with the 6006 I always had to use the heat gun on the tops,  I like both waxes however,  I found the 130 to burn a little cooler.

Edited August 28, 2014 by cindym

[Belinda]

I can't give you much advice on candle making since I've only made a few of them, but I can give you my opinion on some bakery scents that I really like.

Nature's Gardens- Mrs. Claus Cookies, Sugar Cookie, Sugar cookie brûlée, pumpkin crunch cake, pumpkin apple butter, banana nut bread, country bumpkin, cherry crumb pie, gingerbread, hot orange danish, pilgrims pie (a good, primitive scent), zucchini bread. There are more that are good from them.

Peak-birthday cake, sugar cookie, german chocolate cake, amish harvest, creamy praline pecan, gingerbread cookies, 

Indiana Candle Supply-sugar cookie dough, lemon meringue, brown sugar & pecan, caramel nut cluster, orange caramel cake, orange bliss, 

Cajun- cream brûlée,

Rustic Escentual-birthday cake, toasted marshmallow, pineapple and brown sugar, 

Just Scent-coffee caramel cinnamon (something like that), buttercream sugar cookie, birthday cake, 

Candle Science-banana nut bread, blueberry cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, pumpkin soufflé, pumpkin pie, brandied pear, caramelized pralines,apples and maple bourbon. 

I don't think you will be disappointed with Peak, Candle Science, Candlewic, Natures Gardens. With JS, it's a hit and a miss in my opinion but when she has a good one, it's really good.

I could go on but I think I've enabled you enough! Good luck with your new addiction. If there's something you would like to try, just message me and if I have it I will send you a sample.

[Ray]

Thank you guys for all the info.

Taking a lot of notes. It can be overwhelming at first, but I know we'll get it!

Belinda it sounds (and by the look of your picture) that you are into the "primitive" thing. From my reading I have heard good things about Nature Garden and Rustic Escentuals. Will definitely try those out soon.  I know a lot about early country antiques but this candle making is a whole different ball game!

[Belinda]

I absolutely LOVE primitive/colonial decor! My whole house is decorated in it. It's very hard to find anything here in Texas (most people here are in to the western themed stuff), so I have to order from places, usually on the east coast or further north.

Do you sell primitive/colonial decor? Do you have a website?

[mzpickles]

Tried a pumpkin spice oil from bittercreek and it smelled like cinnamon...no hint of pumpkin at all. I have heard of Rustic Escentuals and Nature Garden. Plan on trying both those. Thank you very much for your advice!

 

Hmm, imho pumpkin fragrances are difficult to find just the right one. You should jump over to the Fragrance board and do a search for "pumpkin" to see all of the threads about pumpkin fo's. I use several BCN fo's so I jumped over to the site to read the description of Pumpkin Spice. I guessed it would be heavy on the spice and that's how the description read. To my nose a lot of the cooked pumpkin scents (pumpkin souffle for example) have a burnt smell to them. I've had better luck with pumpkin blends like pumpkin creme brule, etc.

 

I'm currently testing the BCN WYW Perfect Pumpkin to see how that does. A lot of the FoHo's blend their own pumpkin fragrances. The other posters who suggested getting sample packs are spot on, some vendors (like the Candle Maker's Store) have specifically packaged sample packages, like a pumpkin or fall or holiday sample pack. I don't know how much of the Pumpkin Spice you have, but if you have some left you could try blending it yourself with a vanilla or a pie crust or something to cut the spice, then maybe the pumpkin flavor will come out more! I hths!

 

[ETA] I forgot to mention that I use a 464 soy & 6006 parasoy blend and use CD wicks. Love the CD wicks!

Edited August 29, 2014 by mzpickles

[Ray]

mzpickles, I have heard from others that pumpkin is a difficult scent to get right. Unfortunately a little too much "spice" in the pumpkin spice from bittercreek! First pumpkin scent we have tried. Will have to try the pumpkin crème one you mentioned. Just ordered a pumpkin ginger streusel from candlewic. I know an experienced candle maker that has done that scent and it smelled great....but that could have been from a different company as i'm sure every company, even though some have the same name, has a different scent. We will definitely try the blending of oils down the road. Only 1oz of the pumpkin spice left. I'll save that for when I try blending!

 

Belinda, I don't have a website, but my wife does. Not sure if I am able to post it here without getting in trouble? haha

[Candybee]

Welcome to the forum Ray and good luck on your candlemaking venture!

 

I made parasoy candles for many years before I finally settled on palm. I tried lots of wick series and the ones I liked the best were zincs and cd's. I settled on zincs because they gave me the best throw, burned cooler, and had less flicker. The downside of zincs is the mushrooms they are prone to develop over long burns. But you will find that with wicks its always a compromise. Each has their pros and cons same as different wax blends.

 

For my candles I buy a lot of my FOs from CS. I love their pumpkin souffle and their pumpkin pie and mix them 50/50%. I would say CS is where I buy the majority of my FOs with a few from other suppliers.

 

Personally, I would refigure my FO to wax ratio. For a 6% fragrance load take the total liquid wax fill (wax + FO) that fills your jar. For example, if 14oz (wax + FO) fills your jar multiply 14x6%. That will give you .84oz of FO or approximately .85oz if you round it up. So your wax will be 13.15oz and your FO will be .85oz. This is important to consider as I assume you are interested in selling your candles at some point. So you must think about what is cost effective while still giving you the best candle you can make. FOs are not cheap and that extra amount you are using will add up real fast. The majority of today's waxes and wax blends, including 6006, work great with a 6% FO load.

 

Good luck!

Edited August 29, 2014 by Candybee

[Ray]

Thank you Candy. Thanks for the formula you presented for finding the right fragrance load for what I am using. Right now I am using 13oz of wax and 1oz of FO for 14oz which fills the 16oz jar nicely. I know that is going to add up very fast. So slightly cutting back on the FO is a good idea as long as it doesn't compromise the scent throw...which it probably wouldn't.

[Danni5173]

I'm not a fan of Cd's in this wax at all. Cd's burned very sooty and smoky for my taste, the Cd's are awesome for soy though. I would stick to Lx's or Eco's. Zinc's work very well since this blend is mostly paraffin, I like the Wu zinc's , they burn beautifully and are low smoke. Some people get freaked out by them because of the metal core. I don't sell my candles so I'm not that concerned about the zincs. I always stayed with 1 ounce per pound for fragrance. Always cure for a week before burning for scent throw- sometimes 2 depending on your fragrance. You can test the wick in 48 hours, some scents throw and some don't. 

6006 is a beautiful wax and nice to work with, very easy, once you have it wicked. 

Good luck- it's a wonderful wax.

[Ray]

Thank you Danni. I'm going to try the 60's zinc wick in this wax and see if that helps with burning. Yes, this wax seems fairly easy to work with. I heated wax to 185-190. Took it out of the double boiler and added the FO. By this time the temp had already dropped to about 175-180. Stirred for a couple minutes and poured.

[Danni5173]

Thank you Danni. I'm going to try the 60's zinc wick in this wax and see if that helps with burning. Yes, this wax seems fairly easy to work with. I heated wax to 185-190. Took it out of the double boiler and added the FO. By this time the temp had already dropped to about 175-180. Stirred for a couple minutes and poured.

 

See- easy peasy! :-) I hope it burns well for you.

[Brooklyn Candles]

IGI 6000 Help? Has anyone used IGI 6000 from CandleScience or Lonestar? Do you have a preference? I want consistency in a wax. Thanks

[ErronB]

10 hours ago, Brooklyn Candles said:

IGI 6000 Help? Has anyone used IGI 6000 from CandleScience or Lonestar? Do you have a preference? I want consistency in a wax. Thanks

There is no such thing anymore, you have to learn to deal with the problems of each lot as you go along.