birdcharm

Maybe this wax has changed quite a bit recently, that could be a possibility. I plan to work with the one I am accustomed to for now, only time will tell if future orders turn out to be the smaller flakes, different smell, slightly different feeling wax. In any event, if this is the case (that the wax has drastically changed in appearance), others reading this can be forewarned. If it doesn't turn out to be that way, then something is also learned. For the blend experiment I'm now going to get on, I'm going to use the wax I bought from Candlewic which is the one I'm used to. Anyway, just to share a pic of the difference between these ... the one on the left is what I've come to know as GW444, with the other one on the right ...

So now I'm wondering if I should leave this seller negative feedback. I looked a little closer at this wax this morning and I truly do not believe it's GW444. I took a pic of the two waxes side by side, they are not the same wax, and again, when I open the containers I have them in, they don't even smell the same. I don't think that the wax itself directly from the manufacturer could have changed this much, which is why I posted this question, but since there are no replies, I'm thinking that it's very possible such discrepancies have not been noted by others who have been using this wax. I was using this wax primarily five years ago, then a couple of years ago, I switched over to GW464 and 415 for a time in order to try them all out. Last year I ordered C-3. Right now, I'm trying to experiment with various percentages to see how I might like 444 with C3. So much for my experiment if I don't know what I'm using. 🤪 Really, I'm trying my best to not be annoyed, the wax itself is not bad, I'd just like to know what it is, but I get the feeling I probably won't get a straight answer from the seller, I suppose I could try, although age & experience tells me I'm not going to get anywhere, as I checked their feedback and it seems when there is an issue, they don't always respond. Here is what I bought, even their photo of the flakes does not match what I received: "GW444" Just as a note to explain why I'm ordering wax on ebay in the first place ... it's one source where I can get the wax sent USPS, as my UPS man gets lost. 🙂

Here I am wondering what I've really got. Can anyone tell me if GW444 (Akosoy 5715-02-02) had a major change between the lot number of 8/28/17 until now? The reason I ask is because I ordered some from a seller that came in a bit different from what I had known before ... not in performance, as it seems fine, but in smell and flake size. I'm assuming there have been some changes. I ordered some from a different company that has the lot number I just mentioned, and it's the same as I remember, larger flakes, mealy kind of odor. If I was using it without blending it, I wouldn't be concerned at all, but I'm blending it and now I'm wondering if my tests are going to be off with the differences noted. In other words, I'm trying to figure out if the wax itself has gone through these changes, or if the first seller (which turned out to be a bit on the "marginal" side, another story ...), may have shipped something other than what was labeled, as it did not offer a lot number on the label.

For glassware, I understand why it sometimes requires warming to try to minimize pulling away from the glass, but I don't know why tins are warmed. There may be a reason, probably so, that I'm not aware of, but I think it needs to be considered, esp. when pouring wax on the warm side, as it may be bringing up the temperature as a whole. What do you think?

I do to some degree. That is to say I've used many of their scents, although not all specifically in soy. I keep pondering on whether or not I should suggest a small group buy of a few, but I never get around to thinking it out. 🙂 If you can tell me which scents were you thinking of, I can let you know if I've had experience with them. Some of them are quite strong, while others are so-so. I have a few in my stash that I use or mix with.

So now I'm utterly confused ... I just had to go look to see what you're all talking about and it's very puzzling. I saw a lady with dyed hair & false eyelashes telling me that there's brown sugar and bourbon in her candle. What??? Oh wait, she didn't actually tell me that, she told me that her candles are "award winning" (where are the awards being given out?), asked if I wanted to make a contribution to enter a contest, that she made foody candles for relatives and then presented fancy-label candles with foody type names. Now, it's all very pretty, but there is that word "O R G A N I C" on the label, and in order to label something with that word, well, we all know the leaps that need to be done there, and I'm afraid I'm not getting the feeling that those leaps have been fully & adequately performed by this company ... first, what is organic? The wax? What type of wax is it? (I didn't get that far, you see, my eyes started to blur.) Is it the bourbon that's organic? Wouldn't it have to be certified?

I briefly looked this up out of curiosity. From what I'm reading, it's not something that is up to the candle maker, it's up to the manufacturer to ensure their glassware intended for candles passes the tests. Excerpt: "Candle manufacturers/retailers may choose to have a few pieces of glass from their batch tested independently to give them further reassurance that the glass maker was diligent, but this later testing does not confirm ASTM compliance of the batch. Only compliance to the procedure by the glass manufacturer does that." Source

Can mica be clogging the wick?

I replaced my larger one similar to the one you have with what is called a "mini" ... I think it's 300 watts, so it doesn't get nearly as hot.

I think the "leather look" & uneven areas comes from too much heat from the heat gun. As much as everyone raves about heat guns being the silver bullet to creating smooth tops, there can be times when they can cause adverse results. I've switched to using a small gun and holding it as far away as possible if I have to use it. My goal this year is to be 100% heat gun free if at all possible when it comes to soy waxes/blends. (I'm not saying there isn't a place for them, just that I've seen similar results and I think it's when I applied too much heat ... although, typically, mine also frosted a bit after a day or so, adding to the appeal of an icy leather look candle.) 🤔

I ordered samples of the following a couple of years ago ... their quality was more of the the "old time" type of oils I've bought in the past, which I really prefer. Some weren't as strong as desired, but they performed, mixed well, and most were pretty true to their name. I liked that they were "basic" scents, as they mixed very well. Creme Brulee - sweet, but not as full-bodied as I'd prefer French Vanilla - smelled nice, but not an over-the-top Fresh Cut Roses - definitely fresh cut roses! J & J Bedtime Bath (Soothing Lavender) - nice in a body spray, I'd like to get more of this one Spearmint Candy - a mint I mixed with other stuff, and it still shines through, should have bought more Bartlett Pear - very nice, I added some spices to it Fresh Strawberries - had more of a "jam" type quality, but nice anyway - goes great with roses, btw Fresh Orange & Peel - a nice orange Pineapple - pretty close, mixed very well Peppermint - nice, just a basic peppermint

Too funny, it really doesn't make any sense. How does this stuff get started? I see so many people concerned that their candle hasn't reached a full melt pool an hour into burning!! That's crazy! I like my candles to burn a long time, the longer it takes for it to reach a full m/p, the better, as long as it eventually melts down.

Oh gee! I've never measured the depth of a melt pool in my life! Although I can't say I feel as though I've missed much! 🤭

They certainly can be. We really don't need to scare people out of using paraffin candles in order to sell soy candles, that's a negative form of advertising, imo. There are a lot of people who like all kinds of candles.

Also, paraffin wax is a by-product of something that is already in use. We can't, and should not, ignore that clearing land for waxes without regard for the natural habitat or the creatures that live there should not be something that goes unchecked or unregulated, our resources are not infinite. And, yes, when chemicals are sprayed without considering the consequences, we are truly upsetting the balance ... we need our bugs, our birds, our butterflies for reasons other than their mere beauty, and some of these chemicals are being found in our own food! So although waxes from soy and palm may be from plants, we can't let that blind us to how the farming of those plants may be harmful in their own ways.

One of the best things you can insulate your package with is recycled paper, whether it's shredded newspaper or cardboard. It not only pads the package well, cushions the corners and other fills in the spaces, but it truly does insulate from both hot & cold. I agree that you should try to use it.

I agree, I like the smaller one I have now better than the larger one I finally wore out. Okay, so, in case anyone wasn't familiar with Red Green, I just looked him up to see what he does for a heat gun ... I see he did a short episode on it, but he was using hair dryers. On this note, I've read of people using hair dryers, but it's really not a good idea, too much blowing air, could blow your wax all over, and could be dangerous ... I would have never thought these were interchangeable.

I've seen where people have mixed GW415 and C3, does anyone know how 444 might go with it? From the thread I read, that combo made for an easier to work with wax, it seemed. I like how C3 doesn't require as much scent and has good CT/HT, but it has its quirks in some ways. I think 444 might be a bit easier to work with, but requires more scent than the 6% of the C3 from my own experience. Would these two mix well? I'm wondering because I have a little of both, I just haven't done it (yet).

I'm using a smaller one now than the larger one I had before that finally went out, I think it was about fifteen years old. I prefer the smaller one, which I think might be called a "mini heat gun" for embossing, even with that, it still blows a little more than I prefer and I had to rig a little foil cage for the nozzle. Most likely, there are some models that come with an attachment of some sort so it doesn't blow so directly, but if you have ever watched "The Red Green Show," you'll understand how my foil cage came to be.

I guess it was simply a matter of time, you would think people would at least give credit if they decide to share it with others, esp. on youtube since it's already there, lol. If you do more videos like this one, make sure to say "remember folks, you saw it here first" at the end! 🤭

Take a look at this place ... there are a variety of jars here. I think this place is in Maryland from what I recall, but I could wrong, although almost positive it was east coast. I actually ordered candle gel from them once and just thought to check back over the last few days, and I found some interesting stuff in that catalog! Also, in looking at the fragrance oils they offer, for the most part, I bet they're surely Wellington scents. I see they have C-3 wax there too. I inquired to find out if they ship USPS flat rate and they sent me an e-mail telling me that if I place the request in the comments, they make an adjustment. I think that's what they did when I ordered the gel, I got a refund for the difference. myworldhut.com

As a follow-up, I've made my way out of the dungeon and have been able to refresh my memory in regard to the candy molds I stuck away. I know I sold some of them that I wasn't using at one point, but I've got a decent stash, something to work with anyway ... funny how you can forget what you put away for yourself for use in the future, I feel as though I found something useful. I have little swirly candy/cookies, simple pine trees, Christmas trees, candy canes, wreaths, bells, reindeer, clam shells, sand dollars, bows, stars, hearts, other stuff, and the state of Texas, lol.

I know I'm replying to an old post, but I went on a little reading adventure with "embeds" as my search to see what opinions have been about them. I'm about to do some embeds or embellishments ... maybe some of the cookie stuff I've done before, I'm not sure yet. I'm about to go exploring in my candle supply dungeon once I get up the courage to look for my molds. But now I'm at the same place where you were a little time ago, maybe a little different, but similar in ways as to the wax to use, to scent or not, etc. I know a lot of people do not scent them and some comments in another old thread advised against it, but they do sit on top of the candle, so I'm torn about that part. Well, I'm just chatting here, trying to get up my motivation to pull out those trays & figure out some designs.

You might be able to blend some of those old ones to make something new with them ...? If you decide to dispose of the ones you don't like, just make sure you take them to the proper facility for that, as they're chemicals. I bet you could work with some of those, I've made some "bad" ones smell pretty good with a little scent work.

It is tragic in a sense. I saw a thread on reddit a while back and I had to quit reading, it was truly a case of blind leading the blind and as I was reading it, it seemed to be getting worse by the moment, I was almost getting a headache, so I moved on! I think there is a rather large number of new crafters who have not taken the time to read about what they're doing, they're just jumping into it. I don't think experienced hobbyists can save them from themselves, nor do we necessarily have an obligation to do so ... part of me always wants to try to steer them in the right direction, but there's too many of them, so we've just got to let it go; but the concern is that they are flooding the market with inferior products and the candle buyers don't know until after they've spent their money.