geekrunner

It's hard to say really, I know it sounds evasive, but you really can't tell till you try some. In general, you can't go wrong with Peak's or Millcreek FOs, and there are other companies that offer very nice FOs that are strong and not B-grade. I would beware of any FO that costs alot less than $1 an oz. As far as types of FO that work well in 100% soy or parasoy, my experimentation with 415, 464, and various parasoys is that musky and bakery scents do well in plain soy, while lighter scents do alot better in parasoys than plain soy. JMO Good luck! geek

I know you guys have been waiting with baited breath for me to chime in :rolleyes2 so here goes: CC, I don't know you from Adam but you seem to want to pick fights all the time. Sure we like to argue points but we like to keep it civil and on topic. You also have hijacked your own thread, as BrandNew's pithy comment points out. I dread reading the threads you start because the majority of them degrade to the type of guttersniping that gets very tiring and turns people off. CTers here can offer advice, give you an opinion, or even spoonfeed you information, and it's up to you to experiment based on what you get from us, and find what works. If you have used an entire pallet of jars in testing, you're not going at it the right way. Sometimes one can bite off more then one can chew. This board has been pretty fair to you. Someone posted a thread on your company that was not very complimentary to you and it got pulled. Perhaps you could return the favor and accept our comments and advice in the spirit it was given, and do away with the snide comments. Remember, noobs aren't the only ones that taste like chicken around here And to get back on topic, if you can't cup your hands arouind the candle jar without removing them, then it is too hot. geek

I concur with Top: I had an 8 oz JJ with GL 70/30 that I would have started with an HTP93, and I started with a 750, and it burned pretty close to the same. Great minds think alike :rolleyes2 geek

Well, this time I actually do have something in my pot! Seven lbs of GL 70/30 that will go into jelly jars with GL Indonesian Teak, to distribute to participants in mrs geek's Girl's Day Out tomorrow afternoon. They will be traipsing around downtown Indy doing fun things, and I wil be chauffeuring them hither and yon. So I'll be pouring like a wildman tonight! geek

From what I've gleaned from the many posts from our resident chemist, topofmurrayhill, USA is a vegetable based emulsifier. It definitely has a higher MP than soy, since it is the last to melt when I heat the stuff in a pour pot with soy. It should raise the MP of the soy, not sure if it makes the soy harder. As far as excessive amounts binding the FO, I don't believe it does. I have used up to 5% and got good cold throw. I'm not sure anyone would want a candle to have a 20% FO load, that would be pretty hard on sensitive nasal and eye tissue, unless one were burning it in a large house with ceiling fans, and wanted to have one candle to smell up the whole house. And also consider the increase in a candle's cost with that much FO. 20% load in a 16 oz candle is 3.2 oz, and at $1 per oz that drives the selling price up by $6.00. Not that there's anything wrong with that geek

Mmmmm...I smell tasty noob in the air Here is link to the thread with suppliers list that Jason form GB gave us: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19252&highlight=464 Also don't be afraid to use the Search function to find what you need geek

That was so nice it was worth saying twice! :rolleyes2 geek

Last price increase I heard of was $3 to $69 per case. Is this another one? geek

If you get to the point of buying 50 lb cases, you can transfer them to plastic cat litter containers (the 40 lb containers, not the litter box itself). Be sure to wipe them out real good to get any remaining litter dust out. The lids seal very well and keeps things neat. I have four cats so I have plenty of empty containers! geek

I can't really add to the conversation but welcome to the board! If you stick around long enough, you may witness some strange things, but don't let it deter you from asking questions! We like noobs, it keeps everyone on their toes geek

I'll have to try a slab of the parasoy myself. Much better price and closer to me. geek

I have used it when I could not get any Yaley slab paraffin from Michaels, but it is much lower MP than Yaleys, ~135 compared to 147 for Yaley. I think the HL wax makes a better container wax, and the Yaley works better for chunks, overpour and 'canes. geek

You didn't start anything Daisy. Some people just like to argue. What started out as a fun thread veered off course somewhat. So let's get it back on track. (cue pompous college professor voice) I declare that my own special top secret blend of Golden Brands wax (415 and 402 with USA), known only to me and my trusty Lab Assistant Bobbie the Bobcat, not only to be the Cadillac of Soy, but also the Prime Rib, All White Meat Chicken Nuggets, and the Rolex of Soy! So there. geek

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I think I know, but I won't try spoiling the surprise. geek

USA is here to stay! geek

Woo Hoo! More noobs! You have made at least one good decision so far in your choice of candle message boards. There are many to choose from, but this one is the All-White-Meat-Chicken-Strips of candle boards. Welcome and good luck! geek

I've seen one other person refer to it as this, and we are using more of it, and the name is awkward, so why don't we officially refer to it as USA? Perhaps even Vicky can add it to our list of abbreviations/acronyms? geek

I gotta tell ya, that bad 415 batch is what really made me freak too and stat searching for a new blend! I had some 415 I bought from MC back in January, and when stacien had trouble with hers, I started getting wick drowning trouble also! Now I am very close to a new wax formula, it combines 415 with 402 and a little Universal Soy Additive (which I shall hereby dub thee USA) so hopefully I can avoid any troubles when a batch of anything goes haywire. geek

If you don't already have a Presto Pot, get one at Wal-Mart. Only $20.00. You can color all your wax in the pot, then ladle it into two pour pots, then pour. Another thing you can do is make a big three-wick candle with wax chunks. A regular size cookie sheet can hold three lbs of wax, and when you fill the mold with wax chunks, then you only need about two lbs of melted wax for the overpour. There are instructions on the board for making wax chunks in a cookie sheet. Lots of fun! geek

Everyone of us loves to test wax, especially when we get free samples! We wouldn't be chandlers if there weren't a little Mad Scientist in all of us. Some of us even try blending different brands of soy, or different melt point soys, or try different additives to achieve a desired behavior. We all are searching for the Holy Grail of wax, one that does everything we want. Now, I don't want specific blend information, and I have one of my own pinned down, but I'd like to hear about other's wax blending experiments. Just provide the type of waxes and/or additives you have tried, no percentages or any proprietary info that give away your secrets! Also, since we are all a little bit off, feel free to include any experiments that went horribly wrong! You know, mutations, small explosions, etc. geek

I found I get great adhesion when the candle cools as slowly as possible. I use a blend of Golden Brands waxes with USA in it, I pour in room temp jars at about 125*, and place in an oven that was pre-heated to ab 150* and turned off. The very slow cooldown of the oven makes the wax cool more slowly and evenly, and when it is cooled completely is pretty solid with no sinkholes or air pockets. You may need to heat gun the tops just a little to smooth out. I have been doing this for various blends and have great adhesion! If you add more than 10% paraffin to your wax, eventually no matter how you try it will shrink up enough in cooler ambient temps to cause wet spots to appear. Sometimes with parasoys it is unavoidable. The only way to avoid wet spots in a parasoy is to put enough in to make it pull away completely for the jar, thus no wet spots. To make a long story short, to eliminate wet spots you either need full adhesion or no adhesion. IMHO of course geek

You are learning fast Grasshopper Good job! geek

Definitely double wick. I have 3 1/2" wide keepsake jars that need double wicking in 100% soy but in some FOs with a parasoy I can single wick. With a 4" you definitely cannot single wick. Having said that, if you single wicked it and have 1/4" hangup in a 4" jar it could work in 3 1/2" jar. Double wick suggestion: 4" jar begin with 2 x LX16 or 2 x HTP83 (or equivalent in other types of wick) spaced 3/4" apart. Then wick up or down as needed. HTH! geek

Not sure what brand of Butt Naked you have, but MC Butt Naked smells alot like baby oil to me. I do like the names already mentioned though. geek