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michellem

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Hi, there!

My name's Michelle and I started making candles about a year and a half ago. It all started when I attended a candle making workshop at my local yoga studio. It was so much fun! Soon after I bought a kit and made candles with friends. A few months later, I bought 50 pounds of c3 wax and a bunch of FOs from General Wax (a local candle factory in Los Angeles) and threw a candle making party for my birthday. I love working with my hands and even though candle making is a lot of trial and error, I've really been enjoying the process. I learn something new every time I pour :) 

 

I'm on a mission to learn how to make candles that look great and have amazing H/C throw. I use c3 soy wax and have been experimenting with wicks and FOs. I've tried so many wicks (HTP, CD, ECO) and have gotten better at choosing the right size wick for my containers (bigger is always better with c3!). I'm still learning how to use FO. I use 3oz for every 1lb of wax but haven't gotten a great HT yet. I buy my FOs from Flaming Candle Company and General Wax. I've heard great things about Candle Science FOs, so may try them next.

 

I was so happy to find this forum and am blown away by the community and camaraderie. I look forward to connecting and interacting with you! I'm a newbie but HTH however I can! 

 

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5 minutes ago, michellem said:

I use 3oz for every 1lb of wax but haven't gotten a great HT yet.

 

Welcome! I’ve found Lots of nice folks giving great advice and years worth of topics to read on here. 

 

I might be wrong, but it might be that you’re using too much FO per pound.  

 

My my understanding is 1oz FO per 1lb wax is about 6%. (I think 6% is actually 0.9oz). I often use 1.6oz per pound which should be 10%. (1lb is 16oz)

 

3oz per pound would be like 20+%?

 

seems like I heard talk about too much FO not burning correct. 

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Velcome! Velcome... Zo glad you could jion uz here... Lotz ov great candlez makingz here...   

I'm no chandler but I DO make soap and I LOVE Candle Science's FO's. They usually have a 1oz sample sale a couple of times a year and that's when I try out new stuff from them, I'd say 99% I've had great luck with (I read the descriptions carefully). ;)

Anyway, welcome!  


Slainte, 

Sponiebr
Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services. 

 

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Welcome!!  I too purchase C3 from General Wax and live in Central CA.  As said 1 oz pp is plenty, sometimes too much creates not only burning problems but a bad HT.  Some scents will be lighter than others but some people don't like strong or heavy scents.   I buy most of my fo's from Candle Science, The Candle Source and The Flaming Candle.  General Wax has some that I still use and are very good as well, they just don't have the selection that other suppliers do.

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18 hours ago, Dorothy Mantooth said:

 

Welcome! I’ve found Lots of nice folks giving great advice and years worth of topics to read on here. 

 

I might be wrong, but it might be that you’re using too much FO per pound.  

 

My my understanding is 1oz FO per 1lb wax is about 6%. (I think 6% is actually 0.9oz). I often use 1.6oz per pound which should be 10%. (1lb is 16oz)

 

3oz per pound would be like 20+%?

 

seems like I heard talk about too much FO not burning correct. 

Hi Dorothy! 

Nice to meet you :)

 

You are absolutely right - that would be way too much FO!  I have been using 3 oz of FO for 2 Ibs of wax (not 1), which is way closer to what you are using. That ratio has been burning okay (not too much hang up after the second burn, no bubbles in the wax) but not a lot of HT yet. I will keep experimenting :)

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18 hours ago, Sponiebr said:

Velcome! Velcome... Zo glad you could jion uz here... Lotz ov great candlez makingz here...   

I'm no chandler but I DO make soap and I LOVE Candle Science's FO's. They usually have a 1oz sample sale a couple of times a year and that's when I try out new stuff from them, I'd say 99% I've had great luck with (I read the descriptions carefully). ;)

Anyway, welcome!  


Slainte, 

Sponiebr
Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services. 

 

Hi Sponiebr!

Thanks for the warm welcome, I'm happy to be here :)

 

So cool that you make soap! I will keep my eye out for Candle Science's FO sale, thanks for the great tip! Good advice about reading the descriptions too. 

 

See ya around! :)

 

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15 hours ago, Candybee said:

Hello and welcome! Glad to have you with us. You are lucky to have a local supplier and GenWax is a good one to have !

Thanks Candybee! Nice to meet you!

 

I love being able to get to General Wax quickly. Everyone there is so nice, too! :)

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17 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

Welcome!!  I too purchase C3 from General Wax and live in Central CA.  As said 1 oz pp is plenty, sometimes too much creates not only burning problems but a bad HT.  Some scents will be lighter than others but some people don't like strong or heavy scents.   I buy most of my fo's from Candle Science, The Candle Source and The Flaming Candle.  General Wax has some that I still use and are very good as well, they just don't have the selection that other suppliers do.

1

Nice to meet you, KandleKrazy :)

Totally agree about the ratio! I just started pouring in 2lb container (yay!) and forgot the ratio was 2Ibs wax, 3 oz FO.

 

Maybe I should consider reducing FO from 1.5 oz pp to 1oz pp like you suggested. I know that some people like a light scent, but I'm on a mission to make a scent that's going to fill a room (even if it's just my bathroom, haha).   

 

Once I master wicking and pouring for C3, my guess is that trying out new FOs is the fun part that never ends. :)

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Hello and welcome Michellem,

 

I would back down on your oils and start off with an ounce per each pound of wax and work your way up.  Are you curing these candles b/4 lighting them?

It's important.......Just because your using less oil does not mean you are getting a weaker candle.  Some oils can clog the wick if using too much and definitely affects performance of your candle and scent throw.

 

Those are good companies your buying from.  And remember not all oils work with the wax your using....

Candle Science is in my opinion is one of the best companies to buy oils from.  I think they are very well formulated and find them very rich and beautiful quality oils.  You can't miss with this company.  Flaming is a great company also.  I order from them every week for wax, jars and oils as well.  There are a number of other great companies for all your supplies.

 

I would do a search here for c3 wax and oils for this wax.  There are years and years worth of threads that will keep you reading non stop.

 

What jar and series wicks are you using for C3?

 

Trappeur

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/27/2017 at 5:22 AM, Trappeur said:

Hello and welcome Michellem,

 

I would back down on your oils and start off with an ounce per each pound of wax and work your way up.  Are you curing these candles b/4 lighting them?

It's important.......Just because your using less oil does not mean you are getting a weaker candle.  Some oils can clog the wick if using too much and definitely affects performance of your candle and scent throw.

 

Those are good companies your buying from.  And remember not all oils work with the wax your using....

Candle Science is in my opinion is one of the best companies to buy oils from.  I think they are very well formulated and find them very rich and beautiful quality oils.  You can't miss with this company.  Flaming is a great company also.  I order from them every week for wax, jars and oils as well.  There are a number of other great companies for all your supplies.

 

I would do a search here for c3 wax and oils for this wax.  There are years and years worth of threads that will keep you reading non stop.

 

What jar and series wicks are you using for C3?

 

Trappeur

 

 

Hi, Trappeur!

 

Thank you so much for the response and helpful info! Very nice to meet you :) 

 

I am currently using 1.5 oz of FO per pound and that seems to be working, but will take your advice and scale back to 1oz. I learned to cure for 2 weeks, which helps a lot! I've realized the longer they cure, the better they smell.

 

I haven't tried Candle Science for FOs yet but will give them a try! Thank you for that recommendation.

 

Will also do a search for C3 wax and oils - excited to see what I find here! :)

 

I'm using 7oz and 10oz frosted white jars from General Wax and have tested a variety of wicks: HTP 62, 72, 83, 105, 126, Eco 12, 14, 16, and CD 20, 22. 

I know I need to test for every fragrance but just knowing that I need to wick up for C3 has been helpful. 

 

For the 7oz containers, CD 22 wicks provide good HT and no hangup. The flame does get a little high though, and I wish it was self trimming like HTP. Is it bad to use a wick that big? I also like HTP 105 for this container but it does have a little hang up even after the second burn. 

 

For the 10oz container, HTP 126 seems to be working pretty well.

 

Perhaps there is a better wick for C3 that I don't know about? Any thoughts you have would be appreciated :)

 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend! 

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Hi Michellem :)  Welcome ! Im not familiar with C3 but CD 22 sounds like it would be way too big for that size jar., but maybe not since Im not familiar

with C3 . Is it soy like 464 wax ?Now that you've cleared up the FO -wax ratio it seems ok,because 3 oz FO to 1lb of wax is ways too much. I personally

like a bit more than 6% (1oz per lb) depending on the FO I use between 7/7.5 - sometimes 8% and when making wax melts I use closer to 9-10% because

I think most people like a stronger wax melt IMO. What FO's have you been testing in your wax ? 

Edited by Moonstar
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17 minutes ago, Clear Black said:

Ya, I use CD-20's on 3" diam containers, that cd22 may end up burning a bit hot down the bottom of that 7oz little jar. Unless ofc, its a wide 7oz container

Wow this is interesting to me. So you use CD 20's on a 3"diamater jar ? What jars do you use + what wax ? I have a ton of vintage enamel camp mugs and they 

are about 3" in diamater and I use a CD10 in those and as the candle burns down to about 1/3 of the wax the flame is a bit bigger. 

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13 minutes ago, Moonstar said:

Wow this is interesting to me. So you use CD 20's on a 3"diamater jar ? What jars do you use + what wax ? I have a ton of vintage enamel camp mugs and they 

are about 3" in diamater and I use a CD10 in those and as the candle burns down to about 1/3 of the wax the flame is a bit bigger. 

 

I use 444, and 16oz paint cans which are 3w3d4h. And glass jars that are the same cept 5h. I never get more than a 1/4in deep mp and they stay fairly cool til the bottom 1/3. After that they heat up a bit, but not too bad. I tried CD-18 in these jars but I was getting way too much hangup. Even with the glass jar I have there is "residual" hangup on the sides until the very last inch or so of the jar

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1 hour ago, Moonstar said:

Wow this is interesting to me. So you use CD 20's on a 3"diamater jar ? What jars do you use + what wax ? I have a ton of vintage enamel camp mugs and they 

are about 3" in diamater and I use a CD10 in those and as the candle burns down to about 1/3 of the wax the flame is a bit bigger. 

 

I had a 16 oz glass tester burning so I snapped a few crude pics just to show you what I was referring to Moon.  This is about 2 hours after my last wick trim, which I didnt really need to do, it just had a few "mickey mouse ears" I call them. A few very small ones, but they annoy the crap outta me.  But as you can see, even with a CD-20 I still have hangup a bit at the bottom 1/3 and not even a full MP after a few hours.  Whne this jar is down to the last 1 1/2inch or so, that hangup is all but gone.  Id say thats about what Id want ya? Still learning and testing so feel free to tell me other wise

 

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Edited by Clear Black
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Im still on a learning curve myself. Im wondering if it has something to do with the shape of the jar, it kinda looks like a mayo style jar ? Im hoping someone more 

experienced will chime in with some insight. I can't believe even after 2 hrs you don't even have a full met pool. What about other style jars have you tried any 

to see if a large CD wick is needed etc ? Which wax are you using so someone can offer better advise. I also get some hangup with CD wicks but not as much 

as in your picture. Someone on here told me CD wicks lean so they'll have hangup.

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2 hours ago, Moonstar said:

Im still on a learning curve myself. Im wondering if it has something to do with the shape of the jar, it kinda looks like a mayo style jar ? Im hoping someone more 

experienced will chime in with some insight. I can't believe even after 2 hrs you don't even have a full met pool. What about other style jars have you tried any 

to see if a large CD wick is needed etc ? Which wax are you using so someone can offer better advise. I also get some hangup with CD wicks but not as much 

as in your picture. Someone on here told me CD wicks lean so they'll have hangup.

 

Its 444 Moon, and Im now at the 4hr mark after last trim and got a 1/4 deep full melt pool with about 1/5th left of wax. To me, that seems right on mark so Im happy for now.

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21 hours ago, Moonstar said:

Hi Michellem :)  Welcome ! Im not familiar with C3 but CD 22 sounds like it would be way too big for that size jar., but maybe not since Im not familiar

with C3 . Is it soy like 464 wax ?Now that you've cleared up the FO -wax ratio it seems ok,because 3 oz FO to 1lb of wax is ways too much. I personally

like a bit more than 6% (1oz per lb) depending on the FO I use between 7/7.5 - sometimes 8% and when making wax melts I use closer to 9-10% because

I think most people like a stronger wax melt IMO. What FO's have you been testing in your wax ? 

10

Hi Moonstar! Nice to meet you :)

I haven't worked with 464, but I think C3 might be similar (very heavy, creamy wax). Definitely learned with this one you need to wick up! 

 

Good to know you like a little more FO too. I've been using 1.5 oz per pound and that seems to be working out okay. 

 

I've tested a bunch of FOs from General Wax and Flaming Candle Co. Trappeur recco'd Candle Science and I am looking forward to trying them out! 

 

What wax do you use? 464?  

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9 minutes ago, michellem said:

Hi Moonstar! Nice to meet you :)

I haven't worked with 464, but I think C3 might be similar (very heavy, creamy wax). Definitely learned with this one you need to wick up! 

 

Good to know you like a little more FO too. I've been using 1.5 oz per pound and that seems to be working out okay. 

 

I've tested a bunch of FOs from General Wax and Flaming Candle Co. Trappeur recco'd Candle Science and I am looking forward to trying them out! 

 

What wax do you use? 464?  

Nice to meet you as well :) Yes 464 . Yup, Candle Science is a great company. Michelle, what type of FO's do you gravitate to ? Ive never ordered from General Wax

before , any favorites from there ? Your so lucky you have a candle supply near you, shipping can be a killer! Im sure you'll pick up great pointers from everyone here

Everyone is so helpful + friendly on here. I was so glad when I found this site about a year ago :) 

 

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Hi ya Clear Black!

 

So your jar is a 16 oz (pint ) jar?   It's not a quart jar?  That's what it looks like to me....What is that a mayo like Moonstar said?   A wide mouth or regular mouth?

The only reason I'm asking is cause I use a cd10 on my 16oz jars...Actually I just dropped down from a cd 12 to a 10 and now after testing a couple new oils today it looks like I could even go to a cd8...But now I'm using 464 which your not  so  that explains it...these new formulations on waxes are just disgusting....

 

Well anyways, it's a nice burn you have going there.  Hard to believe your using a cd20 cause I use that size for quart jars in the wide mouth...

 

Hey but it is what it is....Thanks for sharing!

 

Trappeur

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