Candle Development Process

[jasondigitized]

When you create a new candle concept, what does your process look like from beginning to end?  I am really curious how any of you go from "It would be really cool if I did a candle that looked like ABC and smelled like XYZ" to "I feel good enough to sell this candle".    I have heard people say they start with a jar as the first variable that doesn't change and start testing from there.  I am curious what your specific steps are and how you don't waste too much $$$ and or pull your hair out in the process.   Based on all my reading, in mind mind it might looks something like this:

 

1) Identify a jar I like and order 24 of them ( For the purposes of this question let's pretend it's a 10oz tumbler )

2) Pour 12 candles with 3 different sizes of CD, LX, Zinc, and :HTTP: with no fragrance and fill jars half way.

3) Perform 4, 3 hour burns tests, trimming wick each time and write down the following:  a,b,c,d,e,f

4) Perform a power burn for 8 hours, trimming wick and writing down the following: a,b,c,d,e,f

5) Perform as many 3 hour burn tests until I reach the bottom candle or the candle dies / drowns / explodes

6) Pick the top 2 performing candles.  Let say it ends up being LX-18 and CD-12 with 6006

7) Pour 6 candles with 3 different fragrance percentages ( 6,8,10 ) for each wick size ( LX-18 / 6006 )

Next Step

Next Step

................

Final Step ( Yes!!!  I am now awesome and can sell this candle to strangers! )

.......................

 

Does your process look anything like this?  Am I being too methodical / not methodical enough?  I am really interested to see how much the answers are going to vary among all the awesome and knowledgeable chandlers on this board.  I have read and learned so much from this board and I think I have a good idea around what my process would be but would like to see where agreement and disagreement lies across approaches.  Thanks for any insight you can provide into what you have found as a great approach over the years.  

[TallTayl]

I would insert : choose your wax. Everything is pretty much based around your wax.

 

Your wax often determines the type of container.

[Candybee]

I definitely choose my wax first. At any rate I determine what type of candle I want to make; choose my wax, mold/jar, and select some test wicks to work with.

 

Even as a hobby candlmaking gets very pricey. You have a lot of testing to do to make a good candle that is also safe.

[Jcandleattic]

55 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

I would insert : choose your wax. Everything is pretty much based around your wax.

 

Your wax often determines the type of container.

^^ Exactly this. Not only will your wax determine you container in most cases, but it will also determine the type of wick, and even down to wick size as much as the container will determine size. 

 

One thing you will find out quick enough in your testing is that A) there are no shortcuts, B ) everyone does things just a little bit different, and C) it can and does get expensive through the testing phase. 

But once you have that perfect burning candle, and you are proud of how you made it, it makes it worth it in the end. 

[Terry]

1 hour ago, TallTayl said:

Your wax often determines the type of container.

 

Please

11 minutes ago, Jcandleattic said:

^^ Exactly this. Not only will your wax determine you container in most cases, but it will also determine the type of wick, and even down to wick size as much as the container will determine size. 

 

Please elaborate on this.

I would think, for example, beeswax may not be a good container wax as it may burn too hot but are there any types of containers that would not be suitable for PF, soy and palm and why not?

 

[jasondigitized]

Ok, so let's say wax goes first.  Can you provide more detail on the specific steps you take to finally get to "Success!!!!"

[Jcandleattic]

35 minutes ago, Terry said:

Please elaborate on this.

I would think, for example, beeswax may not be a good container wax as it may burn too hot but are there any types of containers that would not be suitable for PF, soy and palm and why not?

 

That's exactly the point, if you decide to use beeswax, then that determines even IF you use a container (some people mix beeswax at low %'s with a very soft container soy for their wax) 

Whatever wax you think you want to use, research that type of wax, it's specifications, etc., (see more below) 

 

As for what types of containers, you need to know your wax. If you've never worked with wax, then determine what type of candles you want to make and then do research on that type of wax to get an idea as to what you can do with it, and just go from there. 

Sorry I'm not as articulate as some are on the board with specifications, and scientific explanations, but this was my approach when I started making candles. I knew I wanted to make pillars, so I started with a paraffin pillar wax. Found out early on I didn't like straight paraffin, so opted for a blend. I went with IGI 4625, and learned everything I could about that wax, and just continued with my testing. 

 

Hope this helps and makes sense. 

 

[TallTayl]

Here is a real-life example I’ve been working toward for the last 18 months. I make stoneware pottery, and have wanted to add a line to my existing candle set up for my summer Faire. I want it to be more upscale than soy, and beeswax (already selling in pillars) is unsuitable.

 

I chose coconut wax as the winner after having tried pretty much everything on the market over the last 10 years. tested several retail available coconut blends in a pan to observe how they burn with different wick series. Some melt too soon. Some cause excessive sooting. Some create huge carbon balls. Some don’t burn well at all. Some just don’t “feel” right (hard to explain). I settled on the blend I liked best and have been working toward wick testing in the various vessels I already have and like for the established brand. 

 

From here here it is similar to what you wrote above. Test my narrowed down wick series “by the book” of one hour per inch. If they wax fails at any point I go back to square one. One big fail is if the wax in the vessel liquefies too much. Stoneware, like glass, holds a lot of heat. This causes the last half of the candle to be difficult to wick for. If a candle passes by the book, it’s off to powerburning and doing another test not coddling the wicks and burning differentlengths of time. Sometimes I scratch the vessel as the problem entirely and find something more suitable. Sometimes I can adjust with additives learned through many, many, many failures. 

 

The shape of the vessel changes the wax burn more than I could ever explain in writing here. A straight sided glass vessel releases more heat, and sometimes makes one wax perform better than another. Any square vessel burns differently than a round. Some waxes fail in squares but work well in round and vice versa. Some vessels have a shoulder and neck (like canning jars) - These are extra challenging because of the way heat distributes. Tins are the hardest of all.  Not many waxes work well enough in tins. I’ve performed literally hundreds of tin tests and only a handful even come close to passing well enough to sell. My chosen vessels have a bean pot type of belly that makes them darned near impossible, but not quite. I’m almost there. Almost. 

 

There is no substitute for learning more than one vessel and wax. I’ve made more failures than any dozen forum readers have made candles combined. The knowledge gained from each one is priceless. Test each one from start to finish and the world opens up quite a bit. 

[Jcandleattic]

34 minutes ago, jasondigitized said:

Ok, so let's say wax goes first.  Can you provide more detail on the specific steps you take to finally get to "Success!!!!"

In a word - Research. 

The specific steps are research your wax for the type of candle you want to make, then order samples of that type of wax in different blends to find out what YOU like, then test, test, test, until you know that wax inside and out. Once you do, go on to test other containers, different scent blends and colors. 

 

As I said earlier, everyone goes about candlemaking differently, and everyone's results are going to be different, but the one thing every successful candlemaker has, is they put in the time and effort to do all the testing and experimenting to make a succesful candle. 

[Sarah S]

If I may, I have been making candles for a much shorter period of time then the talented and experienced ladies above, so my A-Z is also a bit shorter. 

1. I want great HT, and I don't want to wait on a cure, and I'm too lazy to do a second pour, and I get frustrated easily, so that means a low-melt point parrafin. I live very close to Candlewic, so I started with their CBL-125 and I love it, so that is my wax of choice.

2. I tried HTP wicks, and they worked great right off the bat, so that is my wick series of choice. I am never tempted to cheat on them with those other tawdry wicks.

3. I like the look of glass jars. I don't like to pay a bunch of money for fancy jars, so I use canning jars with smooth sides for a simple and clean look. Size selection is easy from there, 8 or 16oz.

4. Fragrance can seem overwhelming, but that's where having a clear vision of your overall brand comes into play. I know exactly how every fragrance I try fits into my brand as a whole. If I can't make it fit, I don't use it (or it become a "just for me" candle).

5. I test my wax, wicks, and fragrance in both size jars, because you just never know. I had one FO that I adored, that I just couldn't wick correctly in the 16oz jar, but it worked in the 8oz jar. If I can't get a FO to work with my wax, wick and jars, I don't use it.

6. I write notes on all my test burns, and I don't test more than 3 or 4 candles at once because I have a short attention span. 😆

I do test burns just like I would burn a candle for my own use, which for me means 4-6 hour burns. Keepin' it easy.

 

So that's my development process. Super simple, right? It has saved me so many headaches to focus on one wax, one wick series, and a couple of basic jars.  I have about 10 fragrances that I know work really well, and that fit great with my branding vision. I consistently get positive feedback about them. That took me around 18 months to get to that point, but in that time I learned a ton about my wax and how it behaves.

Now I have started to play with parasoy in my personal candles, and I have tried some larger multi-wick containers as well. Still same wick series though, and my base wax is still a low-melt point container wax, so I'm not really changing too many factors.

Next I want to play with palm wax, so I'll probably need to try some different wicks since that's a totally different wax. But I'll use my standard 8oz and 16oz jars since I know what a good burn looks like in those. And I'll use FOs that I've already tested, so I have a general idea of what kind of throw to expect.

Learning to make great candles is a lengthy process, but if you're methodical and consistent, you'll have a product you know inside and out and that you can be proud of!

[jasondigitized]

54 minutes ago, Sarah S said:

If I may, I have been making candles for a much shorter period of time then the talented and experienced ladies above, so my A-Z is also a bit shorter. 

1. I want great HT, and I don't want to wait on a cure, and I'm too lazy to do a second pour, and I get frustrated easily, so that means a low-melt point parrafin. I live very close to Candlewic, so I started with their CBL-125 and I love it, so that is my wax of choice.

2. I tried HTP wicks, and they worked great right off the bat, so that is my wick series of choice. I am never tempted to cheat on them with those other tawdry wicks.

3. I like the look of glass jars. I don't like to pay a bunch of money for fancy jars, so I use canning jars with smooth sides for a simple and clean look. Size selection is easy from there, 8 or 16oz.

4. Fragrance can seem overwhelming, but that's where having a clear vision of your overall brand comes into play. I know exactly how every fragrance I try fits into my brand as a whole. If I can't make it fit, I don't use it (or it become a "just for me" candle).

5. I test my wax, wicks, and fragrance in both size jars, because you just never know. I had one FO that I adored, that I just couldn't wick correctly in the 16oz jar, but it worked in the 8oz jar. If I can't get a FO to work with my wax, wick and jars, I don't use it.

6. I write notes on all my test burns, and I don't test more than 3 or 4 candles at once because I have a short attention span. 😆

I do test burns just like I would burn a candle for my own use, which for me means 4-6 hour burns. Keepin' it easy.

 

So that's my development process. Super simple, right? It has saved me so many headaches to focus on one wax, one wick series, and a couple of basic jars.  I have about 10 fragrances that I know work really well, and that fit great with my branding vision. I consistently get positive feedback about them. That took me around 18 months to get to that point, but in that time I learned a ton about my wax and how it behaves.

Now I have started to play with parasoy in my personal candles, and I have tried some larger multi-wick containers as well. Still same wick series though, and my base wax is still a low-melt point container wax, so I'm not really changing too many factors.

Next I want to play with palm wax, so I'll probably need to try some different wicks since that's a totally different wax. But I'll use my standard 8oz and 16oz jars since I know what a good burn looks like in those. And I'll use FOs that I've already tested, so I have a general idea of what kind of throw to expect.

Learning to make great candles is a lengthy process, but if you're methodical and consistent, you'll have a product you know inside and out and that you can be proud of!

 That’s a awesome reply Sarah S.  I realize people all do this differently but I am looking to understand those differences and it’s good to see how your personally approach the creation of a candle.  Super helpful. 

[pughaus]

6 hours ago, TallTayl said:

From here here it is similar to what you wrote above. Test my narrowed down wick series “by the book” of one hour per inch

@talltayl   Would you mid elaborating on "One hour per inch".

  I think I may be confused about something...

[jasondigitized]

One hour per inch is the standard for the diameter of the melt pool on a test burn I believe.  

[TallTayl]

burn one hour per inch of diameter. the melt pool may or may not be full at that time.

 

A 2" diameter candle would be burned in about 2 hour increments, but may not reach full melt pool for several successive burns.

[Candybee]

12 hours ago, TallTayl said:

burn one hour per inch of diameter. the melt pool may or may not be full at that time.

 

A 2" diameter candle would be burned in about 2 hour increments, but may not reach full melt pool for several successive burns.

 

This!

[jasondigitized]

I’m curious when you declare victory. What conditions exists where you say “this is a winner!”

[Trappeur]

Victory?  Ok....Lets say for example I sell the pint canning jar 16oz (like the Balling Canning Jar)....   I have many style jars I use but I'm just using this one for an example.

The victory is  I tested for years with this wax and different jars.   I chose this jar because it is readily available at grocery stores in in the area I live as I sell wholesale.  So #1 I have no shipping by ordering the same jar from a candle supplier.  I buy so many jars at this particular grocery store they give me  20% off a case of 12 but I buy in quantity, about 12 minimun cases at a time.  Then lots of time I run in and will pickup just a couple cases...what ever...My wax another victory for me is I can buy from Flaming candle and I order today and I get tomorrow.  I get all my wax, wicks and 3/4 of my oils come from them...plus lids, uv, wick stickums....everything I need to make a candle.  So I tested for quite sometime, figured out which wick performed the best for me, I had great throw and I was able to produce a candle with no soot, no smoke, good throw and make a candle safe.  Then finding a company who I could design my own labels with and they produce for me and I'm able to buy even just 1 page of labels of 20 if needed instead of hundreds for just 1 scent name.  The final victory is when I could sell to stores and they are able to sell at a price that the average shopper could afford and reorders from shops are constantly coming in as the demand is there.  That is victory for me.

 

Trappeur

[jasondigitized]

I meant victory for the testing of your candle, e.g. it got a FMP on the 3rd 3 hour burn test, the flame never exceeded 1 1/2 inches, the jar never got hotter than 150, and some other things did happen but I am ok with it.  Just curious what you must have / must not have before you say this candle can be sold / given away.  

[TallTayl]

I consider success when I can easily recreate the same candle consistently in the same scent, color. etc. several times in a row - and each passes erratic burn tests never getting out of hand, and not tunneling. recreating a successful candle depends on how well you control variables.

 

They must pass freeze/thaw testing to see if they develop cracks or develop symptoms of syneresys. 

 

They must pass heat tests, like sitting packaged in the hot black mailbox for a few hours tests. ... I mail some to my sister in Utah. She burns some and mails some back to me so I can see how the extremes of temp change the candle. (no slumping, cracking, etc. allowed!)

 

Candles change quite a bit under different environmental conditions both while being manufactured and during storage. Some of my soy developed hairline cracks that split the entire candle from top to bottom in the jars after curing in controlled environments for a few months. That is a BIG fail. I scrapped quite a lot of candles after that.

 

Test them over time. Today's perfect burn may be wildly different in a couple of months.

 

sounds like you are on the right track. No rush.

[jasondigitized]

3 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

I consider success when I can easily recreate the same candle consistently in the same scent, color. etc. several times in a row - and each passes erratic burn tests never getting out of hand, and not tunneling. recreating a successful candle depends on how well you control variables.

 

They must pass freeze/thaw testing to see if they develop cracks or develop symptoms of syneresys. 

 

They must pass heat tests, like sitting packaged in the hot black mailbox for a few hours tests. ... I mail some to my sister in Utah. She burns some and mails some back to me so I can see how the extremes of temp change the candle. (no slumping, cracking, etc. allowed!)

 

Candles change quite a bit under different environmental conditions both while being manufactured and during storage. Some of my soy developed hairline cracks that split the entire candle from top to bottom in the jars after curing in controlled environments for a few months. That is a BIG fail. I scrapped quite a lot of candles after that.

 

Test them over time. Today's perfect burn may be wildly different in a couple of months.

 

sounds like you are on the right track. No rush.

 

This is another great answer and the kind of answer I was looking for.  

[TallTayl]

i found that scaling up presented the biggest challenges. 10 candles in a presto pot are vastly different from 100 candles in a big melter. It's harder to control variables.

[Trappeur]

55 minutes ago, jasondigitized said:

I meant victory for the testing of your candle, e.g. it got a FMP on the 3rd 3 hour burn test, the flame never exceeded 1 1/2 inches, the jar never got hotter than 150, and some other things did happen but I am ok with it.  Just curious what you must have / must not have before you say this candle can be sold / given away.  

oh ok....but everything you just said in your post is included in the final determination of a well made candle with all the above mentioned.  I do go by that.   That is just a normal thing that must pass that test and it does.

 

Trappeur

[TallTayl]

oh, and it has to make it through the accounting process! If it's not profitable it's a FAIL.

 

 

[Forrest]

On 4/23/2018 at 3:40 PM, Sarah S said:

I am never tempted to cheat on them with those other tawdry wicks.

 

 

Come on Sarah, you wouldn't let a Zinc Core buy you a drink, or maybe flirt a little with a hansom CD wick? 🙂

[Gary in Canada]

On 4/23/2018 at 4:40 PM, Sarah S said:

If I may, I have been making candles for a much shorter period of time then the talented and experienced ladies above, so my A-Z is also a bit shorter. 

1. I want great HT, and I don't want to wait on a cure, and I'm too lazy to do a second pour, and I get frustrated easily, so that means a low-melt point parrafin. I live very close to Candlewic, so I started with their CBL-125 and I love it, so that is my wax of choice.

2. I tried HTP wicks, and they worked great right off the bat, so that is my wick series of choice. I am never tempted to cheat on them with those other tawdry wicks.

3. I like the look of glass jars. I don't like to pay a bunch of money for fancy jars, so I use canning jars with smooth sides for a simple and clean look. Size selection is easy from there, 8 or 16oz.

4. Fragrance can seem overwhelming, but that's where having a clear vision of your overall brand comes into play. I know exactly how every fragrance I try fits into my brand as a whole. If I can't make it fit, I don't use it (or it become a "just for me" candle).

5. I test my wax, wicks, and fragrance in both size jars, because you just never know. I had one FO that I adored, that I just couldn't wick correctly in the 16oz jar, but it worked in the 8oz jar. If I can't get a FO to work with my wax, wick and jars, I don't use it.

6. I write notes on all my test burns, and I don't test more than 3 or 4 candles at once because I have a short attention span. 😆

I do test burns just like I would burn a candle for my own use, which for me means 4-6 hour burns. Keepin' it easy.

 

So that's my development process. Super simple, right? It has saved me so many headaches to focus on one wax, one wick series, and a couple of basic jars.  I have about 10 fragrances that I know work really well, and that fit great with my branding vision. I consistently get positive feedback about them. That took me around 18 months to get to that point, but in that time I learned a ton about my wax and how it behaves.

Now I have started to play with parasoy in my personal candles, and I have tried some larger multi-wick containers as well. Still same wick series though, and my base wax is still a low-melt point container wax, so I'm not really changing too many factors.

Next I want to play with palm wax, so I'll probably need to try some different wicks since that's a totally different wax. But I'll use my standard 8oz and 16oz jars since I know what a good burn looks like in those. And I'll use FOs that I've already tested, so I have a general idea of what kind of throw to expect.

Learning to make great candles is a lengthy process, but if you're methodical and consistent, you'll have a product you know inside and out and that you can be proud of!

Great response Sarah...sometimes we try to over think things and make it harder than it has to be.  When I went on the road to do sales (many yrs ago)....my sales manager taught me the KISS theory... Keep It Simple Stupid..  worked then..works now.