Forrest

It's not my fault, Trap made me buy it and now I can't live without it.

This ties in with a discussion I was having with birdcharm about Candles and Supplies recommending 6006 be heated to 200 degrees. My thinking is that the wax and FO will blend better the warmer the wax is. To that end I’m going to alter my process to keep the temp up until the wax and FO are thoroughly blended.

I was putting he salt/FO in a 4oz tin and setting it on the melter, but I think that was getting the FO too hot. Does that make sense?

I wouldn't be using tins except when I ask the extended family what container they preferred last Christmas they all liked tins. I might have debated the issue with them, but tins are a heck of a lot easier than tureens.

I am not the expert, but what I do is shake the salt+FO up to spread the FO across the salt crystals. Then I spread it out a little.

Is it getting hot enough?

I use the curse word method. When the candle has burned down enough I simply pick it up. I have a list of words and phrases, and if I what comes out of my mouth when I pick up the candle is on the list then it is too hot.

Basically you put 3-5 drops of FO on a teaspoon of salt and put it on a candle warmer/wax melter. That will give you a close approximation of what a candle would smell like.

My plan is working well. I only ordered the 4oz size of Vanilla Champagne, and everyone loves it and I'm burning through the 4 ounces quickly Soon I'll be forced to place another order with NG and of course I'll have to order lots samples sizes based on all these excellent recommendations.

Suppose when I got my sample size FOs in I did a smell test on each of them using the salt method. I could probably test 5 a day on weekdays. Then I put the ones that seem promising in candles. I think I could do a good test for HT on three candles a day and finish a burn test on those that work in four days. If I assume that one third wouldn’t make it past the salt test I could be buying 30 new FOs a week, that’s over 1,500 a year! This is the best idea I’ve ever come up with. I think maybe I should be on medication.

So I guess if I start selling candles I need to advertise that they are, "made with only the finest vintage soy blend wax". I might need to work on that wording a bit.

Candles and Supplies list 6006 as “IGI 6006 Vintage Container Hybrid Blend”. Why is it vintage? Is there some new, state of the art wax I should be using? If I get a new wax and start testing now I should be finished by sometime next summer.

I couldn’t find anything about heating to 200, but the pour temperatures varied a lot. My opinion is that the blending of the wax and FO will be better accomplished at a high temperature, say 185. Often I melt the wax in one container and mix it with the FO in another. I checked yesterday and adding the FO dropped the temp by 8 degrees. I haven’t tested it, but I suspect I would see a similar drop by pouring the wax into a second container. So if I want to blend my wax and FO at 185-180 I probably need to heat the wax to 200. If I’m blending in the same pot I’m melting the wax in I only need to heat the wax to 193. As for pouring, in an 8oz tin I pour as soon as I’m finished stirring; however, in a deeper container I get craters if I do that, so I need to let the wax cool.

Haven't had a chance to research it yet, but I heated my wax to 200 today just to be on the safe side.

Thanks, I'm going to write that down in my book and get some with my next Flaming order.

Do you heat your jars first. It may depend on the wax. I have to heat mine...so it seams to get the best adhesion. Which is not working lately. I’ve never had an adhesion problem with 6006, it sticks it everything, the jars, the counter tops, the floor, small appliances; it’s probably a good thing I don’t have a dog. Do you place the jar on a rack or something that has a solid surface? I put mine on waxed paper, it keeps me out of trouble. Do you cover your candles while curing? I place a box over mine. We pour ours in my detached garage with a descent level of temp control and no drafts Once they have cooled I put the lids on them, but if they don’t have a lid I cover them.

Well I broke my rule and bought a little bigger bottle of the Orange Peel and Cinnamon and I'm glad I did, the family is going to love that one.

Just another horror story to tell the children around the campfire.

Nice, easy and should do the trick. I like it.

Rename it as dirty socks and sell the candles on eBay for ten times what they are worth, you'll get rich.

I usually heat to 190-195 so that when I add the FO the temp doesn't get below 180. I pour as soon as I finish siring and don't worry about the temp. If you want a perfectly flat surface you need to let it cool.

Better pineapple than stinky socks

I am certain LX's are the perfect wicks, because they are the only ones I don't have. I must get some next time I order from a supplier who has them.

I burned an 8oz tin with 6006, a 51 zinc wick, and 8% WSP’s Pineapple Cilantro last night and got very poor hot throw. It was made on the 3ed so it had 23 days cure time. I had the same problem with a WSP Blood Orange I made the same day, but a third candle from that batch throws very well. I see three possible problems. -The FO doesn’t throw well in 6006 -I need a different wick - The problem is with my nose Here are the solutions I came up with. -Burn the candle again and let my wife gauge the HT. -Burn the candle and check the burn rate and MP to see if a different wick would be better. - Give up and move on. -Order Pineapple Cilantro from 13 other suppliers and test them all to see which one works best. Any other suggestions?

What I really love about this board is the way we stick to the subject😄