obsessed

@Sebleo THANKYOU

I just thought I would show you this .... a friend of mine bought it and loves it! It only holds 500g wax I think , but she loves it to make a tester or small batch of tealights . I actually heats and stirs your wax ... a great little gift i think for teenagers or hobbyist.  www.chandlerandme.com   Don't know if you have them in the US.  but they are worth a look

On 5/23/2018 at 12:16 PM, Gary in Canada said:

I tried a ECO 2...6% FO (Lily of the Valley)..6006...2.5" glass container.  It smoked like crazy on the second burn. I ended up switching it out for an HTP104... Seems to be working ok now. 

How did you go GAry with the HTP wicks in 6006? I live in Australia and we have only CDN or HTP available. A few  candle suppliers do their own private wicks , but there's not a great deal of info on them. I have both 4630 & 6006 , but so far , I've only tried the 4630. It was not good! hahahaha  I have no idea what to do and it smoked a lot/ had a big flame and smelt like petrol. So ... yes , I over-wicked! LOL   how much do you recommend i wick down in comparison to soy , for testing? 

On 5/21/2018 at 1:57 PM, ncraiders said:

I am using palm wax.  I use the glass glow from Lone Star Candle Supply doing wick testing in just he wax I love it.  Even plain white wax looks beautiful with the pattern you get.  I am using a 4" apothecary jar and it is beautiful i wanna get the main wick test done fast so i can start adding color and scent to them.  Even my mom loves how the candles look burning with the patterns you get in it.  I wanna look into pillar candles but not till after i get the container candles dialed in first.  I do this as a hobby at the moment.

I bought a container palm wax called "frost" palm wax ( in Australia). It was super hard , coloured beautifully and had the most beautiful glow when burning. The throw was great , but I had a problem I didn't know how to fix. I made 2 , with different sized wicks. However , they both tunnelled really bad , but had a HUGE flame! so cn you suggest what I do? I would have used around 8% fragrance oil.  One jar was a squat type of glass bulb jar , the other  a 7cm Libbey "salsa' type jar , maybe not the best styles? But if i had wicked down , the tunnelling would be worse , what should I do? Any ideas please?

OMG you guys crack me up! I think I've hit a sore point here LOL  I get sucked in with it all , I know.  I actually saw some Yankee candles today and opened one to see what the fuss is there. Well, what a mess they were! Really ugly coloured shiny paraffin candles with wonky wicks .... I'm amazed they are so popular. My cousin told me they are huge in the UK!

10 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

I don’t have time to read their propaganda process, but can tell you that I use a large fan to cool all of my waxes before pouring. 

 

My process requires that I heat the waxes to the recommended temps by the manufacturer before adding scent, mix very very well with a wide spatula, then sit the pour pots in front of a box fan, or over a powerful fan that can cool from the bottom. The bottom cool is the best imo since I can stir as the wax rapidly cools ensuring a great homogenous blend. 

 

Rapid cool means smaller crystal formation (less graining) so my tops are shinier and the FO molecules are evenly distributed which can mean little to no risk of “drift” as some in the candle world call it. Drift is a pretty word for incomplete blending which allows the fo to seep out of suspension, usually toward the bottom. 

 

Whipping wax would introduce a lot of air... not ideal for the type of candles i make IMO. 

wow! I wasn'y expecting a reply that fast! thankyou So much . That makes a lot of sense ... I love reading your posts. The advice on here is always so professional and well explained. I will give it a go. TTFN  hahahahha tata for now!  PS.. Do you use metal or plastic pots? Plastic would cool faster?

It's me again , this time with a REAL question that isn't as stupid as my last! ( I hope...)  I have come across a USA shop called "Pure Integrity CAndles" that claims it has the strongest smelling soy candles. They say they have a "7 step pour process" ( http://www.pureintegrity.com/best-scented-candle.html#7step  ) that locks in the fragrance. Does anyone know how this works? through watching their tutorials on You Tube I have learnt that they ... use 100% soy wax / use 11% fragrance oil ( preferably natural - not synthetic) / heat wax then add fragrance @ 150F /COOL RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE while mixing oil / then pour @110F . Has anybody else come across anything like this , or can elaborate on the cooling/mixing? I have been told by a manufacturer that some places mix the oil in for 10minutes ... and basically to "use a cake mixer and beat the s*#%t out of it" . Will this make sink holes or bubbles in the wax? Do I beat it while it's sitting in a sink of cold water ??? The rapid cooling is supposed to prevent the fragrance from evaporating off and lock it in the set wax quicker.  Thankyou for your time ..nighty night from DownUnder!

On 6/12/2018 at 4:58 AM, Jcandleattic said:

Yes, what Sebleo said, I meant the melter you use when using your melts. The hot throw from that will vary depending upon the type of tart melter you are using. 

Sorry I was not more specific. 

YES I WAS having one of my "speak before I think" moments the other day , my husband so kindly told I have LOL. It was later I was thinking about it and as Oprah would say ... i had an 'AHAHA!" moment . Oh dear , there's not much help for me , is there? xxx

7 hours ago, Jcandleattic said:

Here you go - 

 

 

7 hours ago, Jcandleattic said:

Here you go -    WOW thankyou so much! It was a great read .... it's helped me a lot figuring out a problem I'm having. I must confess , when I first read you original post about the difference melters' made , I was thinking you meant the WAX melting pot! I swear I should really be blonde  LOL I take things so literal , it gets me into a tonne of trouble! Anyway , I learnt heaps and am so happy to be on this site. It is a lifesaver and the advice is always fabulous. It's really cold at my place and my 15w bulb melter is pitiful ... going to have to fix it up xx

 

 

 

Bump for interesting reading!

Hi ... I just came across a post where someone mentioned that different wax melters may have quite different outcomes with your wax. I was hoping that somebody could please shed some light on this subject. I started with double boiling on the stove , but now use a Sunbeam electric fryer type of pot ( don't know if you have them in USA ... like a non-stick crock pot). It has a thermostat on a dial - I usually heat on low-medium and it's quite effective. I never imagined that melting a different way could affect the throw. Is this true? thankyou all xx

3 minutes ago, bfroberts said:

The palm wax just looks nice and festive for the holidays.  You can add a bit of soy to soften the palm without losing the crystal patterns.

Oh I get it LOL thankyou for being so prompt! Just jumped into bed with icy toes and thought I'd bring my laptop.  It's a bit of a dud for me doing icicles here at christmas as it it usually boiling xx

On 1/18/2018 at 2:53 AM, Jcandleattic said:

Too much vybar, and you can bind your scent and not get any throw at all. As Sarah said, if it's a preblend it already has additives in the wax, most likely vybar, and you wouldn't need any more. 

 

I agree with Sarah also about people having unrealistic expectations, and also find that the melter you are using depends a LOT on the type of throw you are going to get. If I can find it and link it, there is an excellent thread here on the board, started by our dear friend Old Glory that is an awesome outlook on the different types of melters. 

Hi , I tried to search for the link regarding melters and couldn't find it. Can you ellaborate on it by any chance? This is something I never ever imagined! thankyou Sally x

11 hours ago, bfroberts said:

There are some great waxes formulated for making tarts on the market. That is a good starting point.  Most people that are using their own blends have a lot of time and money invested in testing to arrive at that blend, and they may not want to divulge specific information.  For most things, I use a blend of container & pillar paraffins.  For the holidays I like using palm.

Hi ... I am a little confused as to why the holidays wax you use is different. I use GW tart wax which I like , but find it is a little hard at the moment in a plug - in melter as it is winter here.I have some palm wax for containers , but it is very hard wax! Just trying to understand the theory behind it . thankyou

Hi there ... I am really frustrated with the variation of the resets of 464 wax. Some of my jars are setting OK (not beautifully smooth , but not ugly) - while others are really awful. Lumpy tops , cottage cheese look and craters . The worst are 4" double wick jars , that really set ugly around the wicks ... I was thinking his happens because of the intense heat. Do all of you find from time to time 464 behaves this way , or is there something I can either add or do to help prevent it? I heat wax to 90c add fragrance ...stir 2mins then pour around 70c. If I pour lower , the wax always sets bad. thankyou- Sally

On 10/14/2017 at 5:52 AM, TallTayl said:

Insomnia is a bugger. Every night I Wake up between 2:30 and 3 no matter what time I hit the hay. Spent the wee hours watching Netflix "Glitch" instead of researching more, or making candles. 

 

Yesterday i dug into some really old threads here about 464, 4786 and others that got me really thinking. Sometimes if the direct approach to a problem is not working, a side step might be where the answer lies. 

 

The new soy waxes are melting too easily. At first I thought (along with others), "Great! I can use smaller wicks!"  The problem is those smaller wicks are not doing the job. The soy wax is pretty heavy compared to paraffin, even at similar melt points. My tins seem too cold to throw far. I can walk around the house holding a tin with a totally full melt pool and barely feel it. The wax melts too much, too soon for the wicks to be able to get the wax and FO into the air. 

 

Today i lit a double wicked tin (two cd6) in a combo of C3 and 415 with a Hail Mary dose of 4630 made the same time as a single wicked cd16 in an 8 oz tin. The 8 oz cd16 barely is detectable after hours. The 16 oz fills the entire house in a very VERY short time. I can smell that double within 5 minutes of lighting it. The melt pool is barely wider than the wicks themselves, but darn it throws HaRD. 

 

When moonshine mentioned to me the other day that a dab of wax from a dud candle was smelling the place up in the little wax melter it was a lightbulb moment. She has a thermometer to take temps of her wax melt melter and a melt pool of a burning candle. Hopefully this will inch us closer to the solution.

 

This is not the final answer for all wax blends and fo combos, but in my case it is a huge step forward. My candles are beginning to throw  again. I have been testing dozens of different additives to find a balance between the melting point of the blend and the temps needed to throw that fragrance. Beeswax, stearic, sunflower wax, pillar blend, you name it. I have been testing it. Have also been testing the other direction (lightening up the viscosity of the soy so that the small wicks can throw better) using Coconut wax, palm, and others. That is showing positive results too.

OOh Aussie Glitch? Crazy storyline , but a good watch anyway  x This thread is fascinating by the way!! you guys are so forward thinking ... i'm loving it.thankyou

On 10/8/2017 at 11:16 PM, Darbla said:

This pic shows three votive holders (please ignore the soot; I tossed these together for the sake of this picture and didn't clean anything first), two of the usual thickness of glass and the one with the lit candle is really thick.  Have any of you seen anything like that anywhere?  I figure the heavier weight glass is probably at least a little safer and less likely to break from heat.  I always always always have these inside something else that's fireproof, but a bit more safety still can't hurt.

In Australia EROMA sell some beautiful glassware called Velino tumblers. long way for a jar?!

On 10/14/2017 at 6:46 AM, Moonstar said:

I always thought steric acid could hinder scent throw if adding more that a few TBL pp, but you referred to it as palm steric, is that different than steric acid ?

What about Vybar or Universal soy additive, would those work in this instance, if so how much is added ?

I haven't tried it , but Aussie Candle Supplies recommends you can use 10% UA to GW416 to make 'a wonderful tart and votive wax that pops straight out of the mould". Maybe worth a try if you have some kicking around. I read a review on it and they liked it

5 hours ago, moonshine said:

I don't have a ton of experience with blended waxes - I started with soy 10 years ago and just recently the last couple of years have started playing with parasoys and other blends along with palm 

what I'm finding is soy alone is so Much easier to wick BUT that's what I know- this is a learning curve for me adding different waxes and you have to take the melt point of each into consideration when choosing your wicks 

with the changes in soy lately it's throwing everything off - I have to wick down now at least  1 size in my jar, parasoy has always taken a smaller wick for me and when you throw in Palm or bees those are harder to burn so it's a balancing act and I always test with 2 sizes to get a starting point in new blends - that 16 ounce jar above I did single wicked is a dud....it's shoots black soot like crazy so it will need to be double wicked when I get back around to it 😂

oh don't you just love it?! My house looks like a funeral home with all of the candles in it! LOL  We are having the same problems over here too with waxes ... 464 seems to be different and everyone has been waiting for the new Advanced. Now a few have tried it  , the expectations are dashed. The blend I tested had palm and paraffin in it and yes , it is a harder wax. I don't know how to wick it though because the flame was fairly big . maybe I will try a different type of wick that is bigger , but less vigorous if that's possible!

On 8/16/2017 at 11:07 PM, moonshine said:

Thanks everyone 

I am not a double wicker- lol 

I will try a few with a single wick and maybe try my  parasoy blend in them being able to wick smaller than plain soy- but then again with these new lots of soy I have to wick down so maybe it will work ?‍♀️

the lids..... well I love them but.....think if the jar end up working out for one of my blends and end up loving them  I will be getting the bronze lids from CS, I'm just not liking that these don't seal, at least they came with jars for a reasonable price so I won't be out too much 

Moonshine hi! Haven't been on here for a while ,but just re-read this . I am testing a soy/paraffin/palm blend at the moment and it seems to have a fair bit of hang-up ,where the same wick/jar with soy does not. Would you normally say blended waxes burn hotter , or the other way round?! I am really struggling trying to wick a jar and am confused , as in the past a blend I made myself burnt like a steam train! 

I sent you a reply to your other question .. I am better at it now! thank goodness  I was about to chuck it in!! I use straight 464 now with CDN wicks or a generic one in Australia called ACS  (Aussie Candle supply make their own). I really like them better than CDN or HTP. Luxury Candle Supplies in Australia are also developing their own waxes. They are really nice and I think they are releasing them worldwide. They make A27 soy blend , which contains small amounts of paraffin and palm also. It is a really smooth stable wax and can be used also for melts.I would like to use it , but over here there's such a stigma about paraffin and soy .... not sure yet if ai will go down that road

On 8/22/2017 at 11:09 AM, wthomas57 said:

I know you say you dont double wick which I get. But, often double wicking appropriately can be less heat than one giant oversized wick trying to get a full MP.

 

Also, while I mostly use a parasoy, this is worth mentioning. While soy does require hotter wicks in general, that doesnt' meant a hotter candle and melt pool. The MP and jar gets much hotter with all parrafin that it does soy usually. Soy needs hotter wick, but the wax is much cooler when melting. Just my two cents

OMG ... this is like Pandora's box! hahaha do you use a commercial parasoy , or make your own? I tried mixing GW464 with IGI 4630 and found it gave me weird tops. I did soy70/30 parrafin then just 90/10 ... then even did 60/30/10 coconut to try and smooth it out. I wasn't happy with any of them ...  I am looking for a nice blend to do some xmas colours. x

I have tried to upload photos ... but I cant do it. I shall have to wait until my daughters visit again aarrgghh! It's almost midnight and I want to go to bed , the internet is sooo slow and now my ph wont allow me to do it. I am over- and-out. hahaha night night fellow chandlers!

Well , here I am again giving the Libbey 238 stemless rocks another go. This wick is a Cdn18 ( i tried smaller as suggested but it was pitiful)in 464 with 8 % peony rose. Has been burning just over 3 hr and has had rather a large dancing flame most of the time.I did trim before lighting. It is the 3rd burn and has major hang up. So my question is, what do i do ?? Id i go for a smaller wick the hang up will be worse. 

On 8/4/2017 at 9:05 AM, Trappeur said:

I have a stupid question.  You can all laugh if you want to as I have been myself.....cause you would think for all the  years I've been making candles I would know the answer but really don't.  

 

My scale has options on how to measure things.  You have to pick what ever unit for measuring and work it from there.

One option is for lb and oz

Another is for fl. oz (fluid)

Another is for g. (grams)

Another for ml (not sure what that is? lol....)I would think milligrams?

Another for oz.

NOW.....all these years I have been making candles I either go with the lb and oz or just oz. .......Are these the correct ones?

 

NOW the other question?  Yep I admit I must be a real dummy!  What in heck is the difference between fl. oz and just plain oz?  An ounce is an ounce whether it is liquid or solid.   Should I have been going with the fl.oz option?    lol

 

Trappeur 

Trappeur ... I am so glad to see you asking something that has obviously been a little scary to ask. It makes me feel relieved LOL I look up to all of you wonderful members for advice and never once have I felt too afraid to ask. your advice has always been well meaning and friendly ... I love this website. there is no secrecy or nastiness. I wonder how many years and how many candles have burned , with all of the advice given ?!