SundayAli Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I have a question in regards to adding Stearic acid to soy container candles. I currently use Naturewax C3 which has a melt point of 127 degrees Fahrenheit, but am concerned about low melt point for shipping over summer months. Would adding Stearic acid increase the melt point? If so, does anyone know how much by? How much Stearic to add? Also, is Stearic acid for candle making the same as for lotion making? I’m just wondering if it is worth it and would make enough of a difference to warrant adding it. When I asked at General Wax, where I buy my wax, the lady behind the counter suggested a Paraffin Blend. Thank you in advance 🙌 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 You can use the lotion kind, which is triple pressed palm stearic usually. It will require you to go back to square 1 with testing though. It may or may not help your candles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SundayAli Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 Thank you so much! That’s what I was wondering, if it’s even worth attempting. I will try it, and if it seems that there is not much benefit, then I will leave it out. I’m about 6 months into my testing, and not planning on selling any time soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 This year I experimented with palm stearic from 5% to 100%. Palm stearic burned a lot like glass glow, with similar wick requirements. Was not the worlds greatest thrower, but it burned well. take good note of the throw in your wax. Stearic might hinder it a bit until you find the right wick. It's pretty acidic if I remember correctly. theres also a tallow stearin on the market. You might want to compare that. C3 has an emulsifier in it already. anything you add can give different results from other soy wax blends. I don't love C3 any more. The throw was just not there for me this year. 😒 Am actively testing out clarus 3022 and gb444 as alternatives. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SundayAli Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 I really appreciate all your help and advice, and taking the time to reply! I am mainly using C3 because when I started to get interested in candle making, about 6 months ago, all the suppliers were out of wax! Plus General Wax is only about 20 minutes drive from my house, and that is their main soy wax. It’s great not having to pay shipping costs. In my very limited knowledge, and with nothing to compare it to 😁 except store bought candles, I found it ok. I only make soy container candles. I finally found that Eco wicks worked well for me, in this type of wax. I tried HTP, which is what General wax recommended, I tried CD and finally settled on Eco. Least amount of mushrooms and flickering, and it produces a nice even flame. In a 10oz (7oz of wax) 3 inch straight sided tumbler, I found ECO 8 to be the best. I usually use between 6-9% fragrance per pound of wax. The HT and CT is usually pretty good. I tested 26 fragrances from Natures Garden, and sadly didn’t find that many winners. About 5-10 that I would consider to be good HT’s. However, I’ve found that out of all the oils I purchased from General Wax, the HT is great. Their oils are pretty expensive in my opinion compared to NG, but if I’m using less per pound and am producing a good candle I would be happy to sell, then it’s worth it. Their Lemon Verbena is my absolute favorite, it’s a punch in the face it’s so strong 😆 I also found thay that if I pour at 140 the tops usually need no touch ups and adhesion is pretty good, even without warming the jars. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SundayAli Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 I am about to start testing with UV inhibitor, which I picked up yesterday. So that is going to be a whole new ball game 😬. I finally decided I want to color my candles, and don’t want fading. Let’s see how that goes 😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 You could also try beeswax at 3-5%. Any higher and you might experience cracking or cracks in the wax. But it will definitely help harden the wax. If you are not against using paraffin that is an excellent choice for adding to soy. I used to make parasoy candles and found my fav blends were 25% paraffin up to 50%. If you do try paraffin test at increments of 5% whenever you try an increase until you find the right blend for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SundayAli Posted December 11, 2017 Author Share Posted December 11, 2017 Wow I would never have thought of using beeswax! What an amazing idea, I have a 1 pound block hanging around at home that I use to make lotion, I’m definitely going to give it a try! Thank you 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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