thelittleflame

I agree that 185 to add is bogus, I agree that adding vanilla extract is hogwash and I think the whole flashpoint thing is misinformed. Flashpoint is noted on the bottles only for shipping safety purposes. I disregard all advice on temperature and flashpoint. Stir 2 minutes and max out the FO to the wax and never buy a scent in more than a one ounce size until you have tested it.

Kshaler, In my experience, no matter how you phrase your question, you can expect to get contradictory answers here. I have stopped asking and started making notes and here is what I have found with 464: You should not be burning candles you made yesterday and making judgements based on that... let them sit at least a few days. I have read anywhere from 2 weeks and up is the cure time, but give it a few days, at least. I have settled on a week. Some fragrances simply DO NOT WORK with soy, buy testers before you buy bulk, if one does not please you, move on. I use 2 ounces FO per 1lb of wax, even though people have told me that they would never do that, and that more fragrance oil will lessen the throw. I have not found that to be the case and also find the idea ridiculous as well as the "pseudo-science" explanations people give for skimping on FO. I use a double boiler although I purchased one of those Rival Cookers on someone's recommendation, it's a huge mess, don't do it. Heat the wax in the double boiler until it melts, remove from heat, add the FO/color stir for maybe a minute, both ways, then pour. The temp will most likely range from 180 at fully melted, to 160 during stirring to 140-150 while pouring... it's all fine. Your conditions may be different, but I have found NO validity in smoother tops with a hot pour OR with a cool pour. Just heat the wax and make the candles, don't rush, don't stall, take some notes, find your groove. I wouldn't abuse the wax with heating it too high, but I have had no ill effects from heating over 200 the few times that it has happened. Disregard flash point, disregard people who tell you that the wax and the oil have to be at a certain temperature to bind. My candles have been much better since I started using my thermometer to stir rather than gauge the temp and since I stopped taking the myriad crazy recommendations found on line. Just heat, stir and pour.... just be sure you are standing on only one foot when you pour. good luck! I

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it very much.

And you add FO at @185 regardless of flashpoint, correct? (I have been told that is only on the label for shipping purposes )

One supplier tells me to add FO at 180 so that the fragrance "binds" to the wax, another supplier tells me that is WAY too high of a temp and that my candles don't throw because the fragrance has burned off, and to add FO at 140 and stir for 3 minutes... I have had mixed results with both methods and I can't decide how to proceed. Could I get some feedback? Is the "burning off" theory false? is the "binding" theory false? Which Witch is Which? If you use 464 (or don't think it matters which wax) will you please reply so that I can get a consensus?

I feel that I may be guilty of what you are referring to, although at this point I am giving more candles away than selling them, as I am still in the trial and error stage. I wonder, how do you go about pricing your candles in an affordable manner that will give you some profit? Is there any kind of per ounce guideline or do you just figure your cost and add in some cushion? I would love to know your advice, or some examples of how you candles are priced, that is, if you don't mind sharing. Assuming that I get my 100% soy 8 ounce tins (really 5.75 oz of candle inside) throwing in an impressive manner, how would you price such an item?

Thank you both! I will start testing. I noticed that there is a thread listing of great FO from specific suppliers here, but it is closed to comments and hasn't been updated in years it seems. Is there some other good place to get suggestions on FO that have proven good in soy?

Thank you OldGlory and Vicky_Co... I appreciate your insight. Onward to testing

Hello! First let me say, I am new and using GW464, I see lots of comments such as "remember, more is not always better" regarding FO. If I want my candles to have the most possible HT, why would I not max out the FO at 9%? It appears most people use the standard 1 oz FO to 1 pound wax, which would be more like just under 6%. If it is a good FO for soy, is the 1oz per pound of GW464 the optimal amount? Has anyone compared this amount to higher % of FO in 464? I am really curious as to why most people fall at the lower %. If I don't need to spend 50% more on FO, then that is great, but I want to the best HT I can get. Other details, 3 inch diameter CS 8ounce metal tins, heating 464 to 185, working out color, removing from heat, adding FO at 180 stirring 2 min, pouring at 135. Tops look nice, CT is good (not amazing) and HT has ranged from non-existent (possible culprit could be non-soy agreeable scent) to overwhelming (LSC-Oakmoss, who knew?) Eco 10 wicking, GW 464, most FO from Lonestar. Any helpful advice for a newbie would be most appreciated. Thank you!

This has been very enlightening... I will attempt to re-post in a more appropriate thread, if I can find one.

Hi! I have just reprised an old candlemaking hobby. It seems a lot has changed, including my tried and true supplier of old seems to be out of business. AND I remember very little about the details of the art. I am trying to work out the details of making impressively scented candles and would love some input. This is what I am doing: Heating GW464 to 185, working out my color while heating and removing from heat. On the scale, I let the temp drop to 180 and add my FO. I am stirring for 2 minutes after but I am stirring with a fondue fork, I probably need a better stirring device. Then I am letting the temp drop to around 130-140 to pour into non-pre-heated metal jars that are exactly 3 inches in diameter (candlescience 8 ounce jars). I am using ECO10 wicking. I have had some candles that just don't have any HT, but I must admit that I have had some inconsistencies in my method. I am now logging my process and noting any discrepancies. I am using the max FO for GW464 which is listed at 9% I am calculating this by using a basic recipe of 10 ounces (weighed) wax to 1 ounce FO which would put the final concentration of FO at .091 (1 ounce FO divided by total weight of 11 ounces) I 4x this recipe for larger batches of candles. HERE are my quandaries: AM I calculating Fragrance load correctly? WHY would I use 6-7% FO rather than the max that the wax can handle? If I want the max HT, don't I need to max out the fragrance load? Does GW 464 really require a 2 week curing period? I do have a little mottling on the top of some batches of candles, but it really hasn't bothered me, adds character. But I did see a post about letting the wax get "slushy" then re-heating some before pouring, I guess the idea there is to give the candles a smoother top. I have also seen that some people pour this wax at @160 which is way above the recommended pouring temp. Any insight on this would be appreciated as well. What am I missing? What are the answers to the questions that I don't know to ask Thank you in advance!