stlredbird

Ah! Great! I'm learning new stuff everyday.

Have we found out if this method works? I ask bc I'm about to do a candle with 464 and mulberry scent which happens to have a really low flash point of something like 120. If I didn't cook the wax at 120 for 20 mins and just added the scent right after the melt point and poured immediately do you think there would be a scent throw problem since it was added at such a low temp?

Also does anyone think I should heat the 464 to 180 like usual and then let drop to 120 and add the scent? Or would that make a difference at all?

Ok, off topic noob question. I see a lot of abbreviations throughout the forums and half the time I don't know what they are. So can someone put up a sort of key? HT, CT, FO (well I know FO), etc...

Thanks!

So I keep reading in various places to use 1oz of FO per pound of soy wax, which if my calculations are correct is 6%.

I'm brand new to this and I picked up some FO from Michaels for my first batch (I have since ordered and am waiting for some stuff from CandleScience). It is a .5 oz bottle and on the back it says to use .5oz per 2lbs of wax, which is 1.5%. Can this be right? Are there scent oils that concentrated?

I did a million things wrong with that first pound of wax so it would be tough to decide if the amount of scent oil is why for sure I'm getting a poor scent throw from it. I do however want to use it for my next pound of wax bc I don't want to waste it, so the question is should I just do the full 6% even though the packaging recommends a quarter of that?

Thanks all

Great thread! Very helpful for newbs. Once we make a successful candle consistently I'll post up what we use.

stiredbird,

It appears that your burned your candle right after you made it? I don't use soy, but my understanding is that soy candles must be "cured" for a few days before burning to get the best scent throw, maybe some of the soy experts will chime in. In the meantime there is tons of information available by using the "search" function, it will become your new best friend! Best of luck!

Yep, I just read in another thread as I was searching around that I will need to let soy cure for 48 hours. Live and learn!

I'm very curious about vybar as well being extremely new to candle making. We plan to be using soy (container) and eventually palm (pillar) waxes to make our candles and hopefully one day possibly come up with a product good enough to sell.

As far as what we personally want out of a candle, scent throw and retention is #1. Will vybar promote that in soy and palm?

I also read that vybar can make candles more durable for hot weather shipping if we eventually do sell something. Is this true?

Looking back my first tests were all over the place and I ended up with many wonky burning candles and no real vision forward.

In the very beginning I would pick ONE jar that you like. ONE wax to begin with and 4 to 6 of the wick types that you read may work with your wax. For instance, pick one wax, but a selection of LX, CD, HTP, Cotton Core, Zinc wicks. Do some reading to see which size of each wick would be the starting point in your chosen jar.

Then, get 6 jars and set the wicks, mark each jar at that moment so you know which wick is which. Then pour all the candles at one time with one pour. Get out your trusty Wal-Mart notebook and write down the jar type, wax used, heated to what temperature, poured at what temperature. Use no fragrance and no color in this first test. Write down each wick used and leave room for burning notes. You can also make a note of weather, humidity (high or low is fine) and inside temp where you are pouring.

Okay, pour the candles, let set up 48 hours or so and find a safe place to burn all at them at once. I use the kitchen table. Make sure you trim all the wicks the same length since you want all factors equal. The only thing that is different is the wick.

Light up, mark down the time you lit them and then keep an eye on them. Every 30 minutes take a good look and see how they are burning, who is good, who isn't. Maybe move them around to the "doing well" side and the "eeeehhh" side. You can also buy a commercial made candle that is a similar size to yours and burn it along side to compare.

Make notes who is doing what as the candle burns. After three hours extinguish and let them set up. I like to test first thing in the morning so I can test again that evening.

Notes, notes, notes. It's nice to burn ALL the different wicks at once, that way you get a clear visual at how the wicks work and how they differ etc.

So, a week later you have a more clear vision of who is working in your wax. Now pick the top two and 4 more jars. Choose a color and fragrance and make 4 candles, two with two sizes of winner wick "A" and two with two sizes of winner wick "B". Mark your jars, set the wicks and make those candles. This time let them cure and start all over again. Since they have fragrance DON'T burn all at once, you may make yourself sick. Instead start in the morning, burn one for 3 hours and make notes as to fragrance throw etc. Extinguish candle one and light up candle two. Again make notes and burn for 3 hours. Do this through the day and compare each throw and make notes.

In the beginning I would NOT do the poke a hole and change wicks thing because you a.) need practice pouring with a wick and b.) need to learn the wicks in more burns than just one or two. Once you get to the point that you can guess on the first and second burn then you can test this way to save time.

While you are pouring, test tea lights with left over wax and then by the time you are done testing you will have jars and tea lights ready to go!!

Welcome.

Great plan of action for a beginner! I will definitely try this route. Going into this I never thought there were so many different wick types and what a difference they would make! So many variables with candle making.

What's your name? Jeremy

How old are you? 33

Where do you live? St. Louis

How long have you been making candles/soap/whatever? Last weekend was our first attempt so 2 days!

How did you get started making candles/soap/whatever? My wife and I LOVE candles. It may be girly for a guy to say but I don't care! I love them!

Are you married? Any kids? Yes / Not yet

If candle making isn't your primary job, what do you do? Graphic design coordinator in the real world.

Anything else we should know? Just that after our first attempt at pouring we are really overwhelmed by how complex and difficult it seems to be to get the results you want. It seems like there will be a lot more experimenting than we expected. We are starting this as a hobby but hoping make it a side business sometime in the future.

So I'm brand new to the forums and to candle making. We just made our first batch this weekend with limited success. The success was that we didn't burn the house down, the not so successful was the no scent throw and wet spots.

Anyway, this thread is really informative while being really scary for a newbie. While doing a little research after our first batch that had really no throw I was thinking about getting vybar. How does everyone feel about using vybar with soy or palm (the two waxes we plan to use)? Does it work well, is it worth it?