birdcharm

I'm glad that worked out for you, at least for a while ... I just want to say that it was originally the advice of Moonshine that inspired me to go in the direction of additives, which I had been doing previously, but had stopped doing so until things changed a bit. The addition of a little stearic acid has been working for me.

I use little removable (might be Avery) labels, approx. 1x2" ... there's enough room to write the wick type, size, scent & %, ounces of wax, etc., they stay on as long as you need them and come right off.

Do you mean above 150?

Yes, it is in many ways. Yet, you've probably noticed that with many cake mixes, cookies, etc. that there has been a change in the recipes due to the transfat being removed. I think we have to accept that with soy wax and the recent issues in the processing with the fats, etc., it may not be consistent. It seems nothing is the same anymore, like Oreo cookies, for instance, not the same at all, totally changed, all because of the transfat issue.

Yet, if you bake at a high elevation, there are some tweaks that may be necessary. I think in the case of soy wax, temperatures seem to be a key factor in dealing with it.

I'm still on the order I received late last fall ('17) from Candlewic, so maybe there were some changes in the wax over the winter. The pouring temperature is what also comes to mind in regard to cracks, maybe the new soy is more finicky in that regard.

Obviously, some people like the smell of beer, while others don't ... I personally do not think it's an appealing scent and pretty much have zero taste for it. I used to get requests for beer gel candles in which I used a caramel type of scent; for wine, I used to use a mulberry. Some of the coffee scents that smell like Kahlua or other liqueurs can be interesting too. I have an amaretto that I like, and some other "cocktail" scents can be nice since they are usually a combination of different fruits (i.e., pineapple/coconut, etc.) and there is a peach brandy scent that I've really wanted to try after smelling it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. While scenting a candle in a beer scent may appeal to some, it just isn't going to appeal to everyone, but nothing will for that matter. My husband will sometimes buy some specialty beer of one sort or another ... doesn't matter what brand to me! ...he'd better stay away, otherwise it can be a scene like the Pepe Le Pew cartoons!

I wonder what is causing the large cracks ...? I've been pouring this wax, and I admit, I now add a bit of stearic and up'd my scent to about 8%, but I haven't been experiencing these drastic issues. Also, I haven't had much frosting. Sometimes I think it might be the climate, the humidity, temperature, etc., that is resulting in some of these differences in results.

I think the majority of people don't really have a concern about it. I bought some alpaca fiber a few years ago, I was going to felt soaps with it, I did one and found that I don't have the patience for it, but the fiber is very nice and the one I did do is pretty cool. I would hope that most people understand that lanolin has to do with the wool, so don't have a problem with it.

Of the names I recognize, I would refer to them as long-standing suppliers.

@bfroberts, if you have already invested in your logo and you want this as your logo, I think you should go ahead and claim it as your own, quickly. I think that is what I would do ... I'd get it "out there" somehow, especially published, either on a website, newspaper ad, phone book, etc. so it's documented that this was yours to begin with. That way, if they should come around trying to say that you have stolen their logo, you have published proof that it was yours first. I'd plaster that logo over everything I had ... sign, cards, flyers, promotional advertising, etc., essentially claiming it as your own. On the other hand, if you are no longer happy with it because it's been copied, then I guess you would have no choice but to design something else.

Funny, Candybee says "ewww" and Sarah posts about lanolin (no, gee, that would be "ewe") ... but I will say, due to the sheep issue, some people do not like lanolin. I can certainly see how it would be beneficial in a lip balm though, yet, it's a bit sticky by itself.

I like that style ... whatever you may call it ... kind of rustic looking with the muted shades with an artsy-boho flair.

I think Moonshine is often way ahead of some of us! Only a handful of suppliers are referring to these waxes with the new numbers. I thought a thread specifically addressing the numbers might help for quick reference. As far as the former GW464 goes, it doesn't appear to have changed much, although a couple of things seem slightly different, I think the melting point is a degree lower and the fragrance load minimum/maximum is a percent lower/higher than what was shown for this wax before.

As though some of us are not confused enough, we are now to learn new item numbers for the Golden Wax series, i.e., GW415, GW444, GW464 ... and whatever else. I don't know all of the numbers, that's why I'm posting this. The new number for GW464 is now 5702-02. I thought it might be good to list these so people know what we're talking about when we start referring to these waxes with the new numbers. So, if you have the new numbers for the other AAK (formerly Golden Wax) waxes, can you please list them here?

I prefer single wicks if at all possible, using doubles in only containers in excess of 3.5" or in a square container, which I try to stay away from. I think possibly that with LX wicks, size 18 or 20 may be suitable for your wax and jar, but someone with more experience may be able to clarify that. I mostly thought I'd try to answer your question about when a double wick may be preferred, just to offer an opinion. When using two wicks, there is more labor involved, both in the making of the candle and the burn maintenance, so I like the lazy way whenever possible and try to find one wick that will do the job.

Do you have some liquid soap on hand? I think you can add a bit of it while you're whipping.

Did you have a previous box of 444 at some point that didn't have the new item number that you could compare the new stock to?

I really like that jar style and hope to order myself some one day. I've read a little about this wax and I see that HTP wicks are used with it also. I have saved some comments I've read and saw that both Eco & zinc can create some soot. With a low profile container, I don't know if the rigidity of zinc core is necessarily needed. Zincs, imo, also have a tendency to mushroom a bit, which typically requires a trimming (or more) mid-burn for me. I agree with Trappeur, most definitely, that the wicks should be closer together, and I do think a bit smaller than that size would probably be better also.

I think that some people may read maximum capacity as the amount they should most likely use. A new crafter may not guess that many people only use 6% when they've seen 12% shown as maximum usage. Ideally, I think the suppliers should show the range and not only the maximum, as it may give a false impression. For me, with GW464, I would not put an ounce of scent into an 8-ounce candle and feel that it would still be safe when the candle gets towards the bottom, it just seems like too much scent, or FO, whichever you prefer.

I spotted this on a wick guide ... CD-6 - 2 - 2.25" CD-7 - 2.25 - 2.5" I'm thinking for double wicking, the smaller of the two would probably be adequate, unless your container is over 5 inches.

Sorry about the link not working properly, I quoted what they said on their page in regard to f/o in that post, which is a recommendation for "stronger scent throw" 2-oz. per pound. I never saw that Golden Brands stated 12% -- before I purchased my first box of soy wax, I went around to various websites, as well as the Golden Brands site and copied information. The page that used to have guidelines for their 415/444/464 series waxes is longer working, but as I mentioned before, for the 464 wax, the usage recommended was 7-9% ... for 444, it said 9-11% and for 415, it said 8-10% ... I did not see 12% mentioned. On Peak's website, they showed 6-9% for all three of these waxes. There are other suppliers also showing 12%, however, but I've yet to figure out where this information originated. I'm not intending to be difficult, but this is a safety issue and I think it's important to know what is safe and what is not in terms of fragrance load. When I see a manufacturer state one thing and then see resellers state something else, it makes me wonder where the aberrant information is coming from, esp. when I see it repeated on various sites.

GW464 by itself is a soft wax, which some sources have noted could over time allow scent to sink ("drift"), and the manufacturer suggests a threshold of 9% fragrance load. Some suppliers seem to feel that 2-oz. of fragrance oil (just over 12%) could be added to this wax as a matter of course. I've never used that much f/o in this wax, but I did read a post here not that long ago where someone had and it didn't work out, so that might be a clue that the 2-oz/pound information is not correct.

Would you agree that this could be considered a hazardous recommendation?

To follow up on this topic of using supplier's guidelines ... I advise to always not only find more than one source of information, but seek out the manufacturer's information directly. I have been using GW464 and I was using 6%, but my most recent batch was a bit different and I increased it to about 2%, adding a small amount of stearic acid to try to adjust for the composition change (something that was mentioned in this thread in regard to adding more scented oil). The manufacturer suggests a fragrance load of 7-9%. Some sources say you can add up to 2 ounces per pound ... that seems like a heavy load to me. Here are some examples (quotes) from a couple of online suppliers' websites in regard to how much f/o to use in this particular wax ... It is most common to add 1 to 2 ounces of fragrance per pound of wax (For a stronger scent throw, we recommend 2 ounces of fragrance per pound of wax). Cal Candle Supply Max Fragrance: 12% or 2oz./lb. Candle Science In my mind, it is the manufacturer who most likely has done the more thorough testing, so I think it's important to seek out the original guidelines and then do your own tests.