Forrest

Great request!

The interesting thing is that the shape of the container creates air currents that are strongest at the widest part of the jar, so that you often need less wick there than you did at the narrowest part.

I think CD 2's might work, but I haven't tried them because the shipping was prohibitive. For some reason when I double wick the 11oz tureen it creates really strong air currents so it needs small wicks. I tried the smallest wicks I could get my hands on. Aztec had 3 smaller sizes of Premier 700 series wicks that none of my other suppliers carried, but by the time I got them I had moved on to single wicking, which has worked better than I expected. Still I think double wicking will be better if I can get a wick that works. BTW I believe I'm getting good HT from my 8oz tureens; my wife came home and told me the two I was testing were too strong and they weren't as strong as the one pictured above.

I'm not sure, I don't trust my nose anymore. This was 80% Spa Day and 20% Lemongrass, which worked well. In the room next to it I was testing a White Tea and Ginger from the Chemistry Store and it had a little better HT, but the room was slightly smaller. I made eight candles with different FOs so hopefully after I've burned them all I'll be able to judge which had good HT and which didn't. and which need a different wick. BTW I'm going to take one last shot at double wicking the 11oz tureen. I have WI 720s and WI 715s, those are the smallest wicks I could find.

The two pictures were taken three hours into the second day of burn testing. It is an 8oz tureen with 160g, or 5.6oz, of 6006 wax, 8% FO load, and a CD6 wick. The burn rate has been a steady 4g/hr except that by the third hour yesterday it dropped to 3g/hr and the flame was small. I had to stop after three hours yesterday. Today the flame shrank some, but the burn rate stayed steady. It took three hours to get close to a FMP and there was no change from hours three to four. The wicks curl so the wax is melted to the edge on one side but I have a ½ inch of unmelted wax on the other side.

So that would be the same WSP that just shipped my order? This must be a karma thing or something like that.

Well color me shocked, I never would have thought so many people would buy a pound of FO without trying it first. Probably comes from me being a newbie and a hobbyist. OTOH it gives me hope that one day I will have that much confidence in my ability to pick FOs that I will buy a pound without trying a sample first. I've learned a lot from this thread. Candle making is like an onion, there are layers and layers and layers and sometimes it can make you cry.

The only thing I would offer is to try heat the wax to 85c and add the FO at 85c and stir for two minutes. I had a similar problem once that I suspect was from not stirring enough, but 80c is below what I have been taught to use.

You give me a good idea. I used to be passable at blending EOs, but the FOs have lots of notes I’m not familiar with. If I started keeping up with the notes on my hits and misses I bet some patterns would emerge that I could use to improve my hit rate.

I doubt any of us orders a one pound bottle of a FO we haven’t tried before, so at some point all of us scroll through the list of FOs on a supplier’s website trying to decide which FOs to order. Some supplier have star ratings supposedly given by their customers, I would like to think those are accurate despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Then there are the descriptions that tell us how wonderful each FO smells, I swear these people could make the emissions of an angry skunk sound like something you’d want to try. OK maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I’m sure you know where I’m coming from. So how do you decide which FOs to try? My method is to go through all the FOs on the website and make a list of those that I might want to try, usually between 20 and 30. There are currently six list on my desk; OK I know I have a problem, but my FO addiction support group says it is OK to make list of FOs as long as you don’t buy them. So when I fall off the wagon, like I did yesterday, I decide how much I’m willing to spend and I pick that many FOs off my list. It is definitely a hit or miss proposition, but I think with this method I’ve managed to get my hit rate up to something slightly better than a blind baseball players batting average. So how do you choose?

I'm lucky, now that my kids are grown I have two bedrooms that are unused. The trick is to set the timer so I don't forget about my candles.

My den has two vents on one end of the room and two doors on the other, each door is a straight shot to a return vent. If I burn a candle in the den the only way to judge the HT is go out in the hall or into the kitchen.

This was my first 11oz tureen test with FO and I am happy to report that, thanks to your help and guidance, this candle reached a FMP after four hours on the second day. More importantly the pool was not too deep in the middle. I’ve done three burns and I’m amazed at how well it has done. I should still have lots of unconsumed FO, which is why I’m hoping the problem is me. I'll take a few days off and then burn it again, that should answer the question.

I’ve been thinking about this and if I’m not mistaken there are a limited number of fragrance notes that will be used it the FOs. If this is true then burning a different candle might not work. If the FOs share enough ingredients then burning a candle today may make it harder for you to smell a different candle tomorrow. I think to avoid this you would need to burn candles from a different fragrance categories; so maybe a fruity candle, then a bakery scent, and then a floral. If I am just testing for fragrance and HT I’ll put the candle in a separate room and let it burn for a while before I go check it. I’ve got eight candles I need to evaluate for wicking, HT. and fragrance quality. I’m trying to develop a process to do that. This is going to be a little tricky. On a side note I was in the florist business for eight years when I was young. I still remember how wonderful it smelled the day I went in to apply for a job. I also remember how disappointed I was when after a week I couldn’t smell it anymore.

So now I have another line of FOs I have to try. I really should stay off of this board.

I’ve been burning my first post-test mode candle. I burned it three hours Friday and four hours yesterday in the room where we could enjoy it. Today it seems like the HT is much diminished. The burn has been textbook, better than I thought possible in an 11oz tureen. So I’m guessing that the problem is me. My questions are, does that seem reasonable, and how long should I wait to burn it again to verify my assumption? Another question is will adjusting to the scent of one FO make it hard to smell other FO’s? I have eight candles that I will be testing starting next week to see if they need to be wicked up or down, but also to test their HT. I need to make sure my test results are valid.

I know what you're talking about. the first time I tried CD's I looked at the wick chart and bought 18, 16, & 14, I'm lucky I didn't burn my house down. I've settled in to a CD8 in that container. My new philosophy is to start small and work my way up.

I’m going to pour some 8oz tins with 6006 for testing this weekend. I’ll try to report back here and we can compare notes. I’m going to try a CD6, CD8, and a 51 zinc core. I’ll be pouring two of each so I can burn one next weekend and the others in about a month.

Here are the rest of my observations. Overall I was very pleased with this group. Ginger Amber from TCS: Very nice, smooth, rich scent with good HT, I love this one. White Tea & Ginger from TCS: the best White Tea & Ginger I have tried, good HT and a great scent! Egyptian Musk from TCS: I suppose it is alright, if you like that sort of thing, not the way I want my house to smell. Sandalwood Rose from TCS: I did not like this one, but it has good HT and apparently it is very popular. Fresh Lavender from CC: Good HT, but this one is a bit too much for me. Needs a little sweetness. Luxe Linen from CC: Great hot throw, at least one board member whose opinion I trust more than my own loves this one Patchouli from CC: Good HT, nice patchouli scent, not exactly the same as the EO, but close enough for me. Pomegranate Blackberry from CC: Not sure what it smelled like, but I don’t want to smell it again. Spa Day from CC: I normally don’t like this type of FO, but I loved this one. Good HT and it just brightens the room with a fresh, clean smell. White tea and berries from CC: Good HT and a pleasant scent, I liked it Bergamot from FC: Not a true bergamot scent but nice and close enough for my needs. Butt Naked from CC: better HT than other butt nakeds I have tried Oakmoss and Magnolia from CC: Very strong HT. A little bit too magnolia. I toned it down with a bit of extra oak moss and it was great. Kumquat from CC: Excellent HT, but a little sweet for kumquat. It will work well for some of my blends. I finished FO testing Saturday night and Sunday I poured seven candles. Of course the proof is in the burning, but right now I am very pleased with all of them. Here is the list 70% Fresh Lavender & 30% Fresh Orange 90% Spa Day & 10% Lemongrass White Tea & Ginger (TCS) Bergamot, Orange & Grapefruit 80% Oakmoss and Magnolia & 20% oakmoss Ginger Amber Lemon Grass

That's interesting, my four sister-in -laws and assorted nieces and nephews prefer tins. I guess we have to give the people what they want.

Thanks, I have those, and the next size up or down. I have family members who like tin and I have lots of tins I'd like to get rid of. If I can get the wax, wicks, FOs and containers all matched up then everybody will be happy.

It would sure help me with my testing if I had a good starting point.

I have a tool that is half way between a screwdriver and a putty knife, I also have a rubber mallet. I could put it in the freezer for a while and then drop it on the garage floor.

I just got a slab of 4794 to make melts with and I’m wondering if there is a good to cut it. On my first attempt all I managed to do was break off a chunk; fortunately it was exactly the amount I needed. Perhaps a saw is what I need.

This comment threw me, especially coming from someone whose opinions I have come to trust. I’ve only had one slab of 4630 and it wasn’t messy so much as it was hard. I can cut my 6006 with a butter knife; the 4630 took a sharp edge and some force to cut it. Did I just get an extra hard slab of 4630?