geekrunner

Hello to all my old timer friends and noobs! Haven't posted in a long time, my OCD steered me toward flipping bicycles since last July, as well as racing my mountain bike. I finally formed an LLC for Tricky Wicks Candle Werks! Business has been modest but steady. On topic: I still have alot of my Pryme color system left, and in no danger of running out soon, but I haven't seen anything on Barnloft's site pertaining to Pryme colors. Has anyone recently purchased any Pryme colors, or know any scuttlebutt on Barnloft? As always, your geek

Hi leisa! May I call you leisa? I have been away from the board for a while, but back when I was first experimenting in my Mad Scientist Lab I did alot of testing with 415, 402, 444 (both old and new) and 464. The 415 and 402 are straight soys, but the 402 has a much lower melt point. The USA that is added to 402 makes the 464, and for some it works better, but I had issues with the fact that it was too soft even after it set up. I guess it was because I ahd learned to use soy with 415 and Beeswax and the candle was very hard. It mostly depends on what you start using first, that kinda shews your view of othre waxes. Each wax has it's peculiarities, and one adjusts to those peculiarities. I've been doing soy for almost four years, and only changed my formula once, when I switched fom 415/BW to a blend of 415/402/USA and pour hot. As long as I preheat my jars and take them to a warm room (>72 deg) to cool, I have no frosting problems. I do have to poke and heat gun, but I'm used to that routine. Good luck! geek

The 464 is actually the GB 402 (a very soft low MP soy) that has had 2% Universal Soy Additive blended into it. Poured at the right temp it does set up with smooth tops but it still is pretty soft, the USA raises the MP a bit, but not much more than 120 degrees. I have tried using 3% beeswax in 402 and it hardens it, but the hot throw is sacrificed somewhat. Now 415 with 3% BW poured at 100-105 deg was pretty popular a couple of years ago. geek

Wow! I thought I was bad for flaming noobs! Hello to all! Been away for awhile building and racing my mountain bikes, but candle testing continues. As far as tempering goes, it is probably more work that anyone really wants to do, especially if you're selling alot and your time is valuable. It is a valuable exercise, though, for those who may be just beginning and in the early testing phase of candle making. Tempering can mean different things to different people. For me, I want perfection, but my customers don't mind a little frosting. They are bowled over by the awesome hot throw. My version of tempering is to first pour the candles, and let them set up so they won't slosh around when I move them. I then preheat my oven to about 125, turn it off, and place my candles in it and let them cool down gradually. It remelts them somewhat, then they set up again. I do like to experiment, though. My most recent experiment was to do a 2:1 402 with MillCreek pillar/votive blend. Absolutely no frosting, and no wet spots, even in a chilly basement! I even put the candle in my refrigerator overnight, and it came out as beautiful as it did going in. I used the boldest colors I have. The hot throw was not quite as good as my regular blend, but I'm now working on how little of the MC pillar blend I can use and get the same result. As always, I remain your geek

Hi guys! I mostly use HTPs in 8 oz JJ, and either double wick with zincs or single wick with Premier 795/798 in any jar approaching 3 1/2 inches wide. However, I have found that the largest CD wick, CD22, burns hotter than either HTP 1312 or HTP 126. In general I think the CDs burn hotter than an equivalent HTP. Not sure why, both are same type of wick but different manufacturers. Mushrooming gets to be an issue though in the larger sizes and jars, but in JJ I can use HTPs and as long as it is not wicked too big, I don't have any 'shrooming trouble. geek

It's been mentioned in another thread to add 5 TBSP Stearic per lb of plain soy (like GB 415) to harden it enough for pillars/votives. It probably would work for tarts/melts too. geek

Hi Carol, Millcreek does have a Golden Brands pillar/votive soy wax, but I'm not sure what it is called nowadays. I bought 10 lbs of it a couple of years ago, and just now made some votives and a 4" pillar with it to test it out. I and some other CTers were given some samples of the 444 when Golden Brands first blended it, and it seems to be a good wax if you want to just use it and not experiment with your own blend. It needs at least one week of cure time before burning to get the best throw. If you try the 444 in a pillar, let us know how it works out for you! geek

Welcome! Us guys will need to stick together. There are quite a few guys on the board, but we're definitely in the minority here. Everybody has great suggestions for you, another one is to avoid getting too caught up in it (buying alot of stuff right away) until you get a sense of liking making candles. It's easy to get real enthusiastic at first, spending alot of money on stuff you might not really need until later, when you decide you want to take it to the next level. After two + years of playing around and making candles as gifts and selling a few to friends, I'm getting ready to take the next step toward starting a real candle business. But if that's your goal, you'll need lots of parctice and patience to get good, and to learn proper testing techniques before even thinking about selling. Good luck! geek

OK, I've teased y'all long enough. SEP, I feel your pain. I went through alot of wax and FO testing them before giving up on them a year and a half ago, but I held onto the jars thinking I'd use them as decorative containers for Christmas gifts. But I wound up making bathroom candles out of about 100 6 oz hex jars I had bought real cheap the previous year, by someone getting out of the candle biz. My solution? I double wicked using 2 x 44-28-18 zinc but trimmed the tabs so that I could space the wicks at 1/8 to 1/16 inch instead of the standard 1/2 inch, the narrowest setting on my EZ Wick Setting tool. At 1/8 inch, the wicks are still separated enough to be considered double wicked, but they're close enough to mimic the effect of a broad narrow flame. What I was trying to avoid was a big fat flamethrower type wick. This can be tweaked, if needed, by using 44-24-18 or 44-32-18. I succesfully wicked a 24 oz melting pot jar with Peak's Home for the Holidays at 7% load, with 2 x 44-28-18z using my proprietary GF blend, and burned it 4 hours each time, along with a 12 hr marathon burn, and got good flame action all the way down to 1 inch of remaining wax. How this will work for different soy wax brands or parasoys, or even paraffin blends is for you guys to try. I myself tried this in J50 (yes, I still have some left) and had issues with soot, and have not yet tried it in my KY Parasoy. But for those like me who really like the jar, and bought five cases of them I think I have the solution, and felt moved to share this with my fellow candletech board members. Lately I've been pretty obsessed with mountain bike riding, racing, and trail conservation work, and haven't been on the board for awhile. I'll still be racing, but also have been sufficiently motivated to push my candlemaking to the next step. I'm finally going officially into business, develop my business plan, get insured, set up a modest website, and approach a local race director I know about providing candles for giveaways at our local mountain bike and trail running events in exchange for the advertising sponsorship. I have a litle more than two years in of testing experience, and 30+ FOs tested and working in two sizes of jars. Anyway, I hope this wicking info helps out anyone who really loves that jar, but gave up on wicking it. your geek

You're close! The openings are 3" in diameter. Double wicking in the conventional sense didn't work out for me, as in 1/2 inch spacing. Either I overwicked and got too much MP too soon, or got great MP and drowning wicks when halfway down the jar, even when using a 415/402/USA blend and 2 x LX14 through 18. Stay tuned for the solution! geek

Holy cow, things change when you're away for awhile! I need a show of hands (and you know who you are) for those who have tried to wick the 16 0z and 24 oz Melting Pot jar from the Jar Store, and have had no luck. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Many of us who tried to wick that beautiful jar were tearing our hair out in clumps. The jar is way too wide to single wick, even using paraffin blends. But when we tried to double wick, we experienced a bad case of wick drowning about halfway down the jar. We attributed it to the shape of the jar, possible creating odd airflow characteristics. I tried many different types of wicks, and no matter that I overwicked them to the point of one inch deep MPs in one hour, the wicks still drowned. Literally I've had people testing these that had to pour out molten wax just to get some wick back to finish burning. Anyway, let's see that show of hands, then I will impart my solution! your geek

Congratulations from the geek

My Mad Scientist lab is in my basement, and it tends to be chilly. After I pour candles, I wait for it to set up enough to then carry them upstairs to my toasty warm computer room to finish setting up. It is usually about 75-80 deg in there. I have very few issues with frosting or wet spots if I keep the finished candles warm. However, if I take them downstairs to poke, heat gun and trim wicks, I have to do it fast or else they begin frosting and pulling away. It only takes about 15 minutes to mess them up. Your storage area seems to be somewhat cooler, so that may be causing the wet spots and frosting. My computer room is normally warm due to my PC always running and pumping hot aitr out of the PC into the room, along with the furnace air. geek

Hi purebliss (may I call you pure?) Testing really never ends, it only takes an occasional break. Usually it's because we like to test new FOs, but mostly it's due to the relentless pursuit of the perfect candle. I suppose testing could potentially end, but only if one tests a finite number of FOs, uses the same jars, wicks, FOs, wax, etc and is satisfied with a finite number of scents. Testing though is required if using a new wax, or wicks from a different supplier, or any change. Good luck and tally ho! geek

I second Top on the soy/paraffin blend. You can pour it at hotter temps, worry less about air pockets and sinkholes, and it takes color much better with no frosting issues. Some of us have discovered "parasoys" after already testing out plain soy, and have kept both for those customers who want a candle with no paraffin. Only drawback to parasoys is that it comes in sticky blocks you have to cut with a butter knife, where the plain soy is flaked and easier to measure. Welcome to the board! your geek

Hey top! Long time. I have not had drowning wicks when using zinc cored wicks in the 415/402/USA blend I have. My big problem has been having some wicks being too hot, even with the smallest size. For instance, I have double wicked a 3 1/2 inch keepsake jar with LX14 and it was still too hot, even with the heaviest of FOs. I can't single wick or the sides don't clean, unless I marathon burn Of course, I have been working off the same batch I bought last year. I'm down to my last 75 lbs out of 250 lbs. The 415 batch that had drowning issues was last year, and was from MC IIRC. I had some old stuff from them that was doing the same thing, so that's when I bought from CStore. geek

When blending your own parasoy, you'll always get the "dip" in the middle, not a big worry. Just a quick shot from the heat gun smooths it out. When I was blending 415 and J50, I poured it at about 150, but not any cooler or it turned to jelly. You're probably OK to pour at 160. Question: how is adhesion when you pour like that? I had adhesion issues, and abandoned blending in favor of pre-blended KY parasoy. geek

I have sold the most in the Keepsake, which is sometimes confused for Apothecary. Nice round shape, not too cosmo, not too country. geek

Hi Shelley, BW will harden your 415, but I really can't say how more than 3% will work in tarts. Usually more than 3% will make the wax in a jar too hard, and cause jar candles to crack. It may not hurt to go as high as 4% to 5% in a small batch of tarts and see how it turns out. HTH! geek

Thanks all! I'll be a busy boy cleaning up my lab. I did crash hard a few times, but I didn't land on my head. Most of the time putting my shoulder into trees. My big accomplishment was riding my first road century, 106 miles total from Franklin, IN to Bloomington, IN and back. Then two mountain bike time trials at our local urban trail park. Now off to clean things up and melt wax! geek

Hi noob! You provide me with the opportunity to dust out the cobwebs in my head. You're starting off good so far, I would have gone with a sampler pack of wicks which has the smaller sizes too. Be prepared to try different brands of wicks besides LX, since not all waxes behave the same way with all wicks. Also, if your jars will be wider than 3 inches, you'll probably want to double wick those jars. You may be OK single wicking as long as you stay under three inches wide. Welcome to the board! geek

Hmmmm. I figured I'd get flamed by now from someone who didn't know me :undecided Actually, I found my notes! They were hiding underneath what I thought was a very fine Angora sweater, but upon closer inspection was actually a pile of matted cat fur. geek

You could do what I did--enjoy the outdoors on a mountain bike! Once the weather starts turning and the trails are unrideable, I'll huddle down in my Mad Scientist Lab and test new scents and jars. geek

Notes?? What are these "notes" you speak of? geek

Hi, my name is geekrunner (but you can call me geek ). I used to make candles, but I filled my head with so much mountain bike riding this summer I forgot how to make candles! I stumbled upon an area in my basement filled with candlemaking equipment, and it was covered with spider webs and dust! I just don't know where to start! What I need is detailed, step by step instructions on how to make the PERFECT candle! Check this out--I took an order for 100 candles in ten different scents, five different jars, and I have to deliver them by the end of next week! They MUST be perfect, too. I heard you guys here are the best candlemakers in the world, so I trust you can meet my demands. Did I mention that the candle have to be perfect? Please reply to my request before midnight tonight. geek