Quentin

1 hour ago, ncraiders said:

No it wont evaporate over time

Thanks. I now know what part of my problem is; PATIENCE.

19 minutes ago, Candybee said:

MP number of the wax.

I'm guessing that MP = Melting point?

39 minutes ago, ncraiders said:

Your math is correct and you are measuring by weight instead of volume.  A few questions i just thought of. 

 

What temp are you adding your fo into the wax? 

Do you have any candles at all that actually have a good/decent hot throw? 

How long are you letting your candle cure before test lighting?   

 

🤣 I have a small bag of pillar palm wax from hobby lobby.  I am to lazy to return it so i will just use it for some melts for my dad

That brings up a couple of good thoughts. Generally, I add the fragrance about 5 degrees higher than the pour temperature, take it off the heat and stir until it drops to the pouring temp. Then pour, of course.

I've had a couple of fair hot throws. If I burn the candle in a small room and walk away for awhile, when I come back I catch the scent right away. But that's not common. Yes everyone, I know to never leave a burning candle unattended. 

As far as curing time... I'm not very patient. It's sort of like Christmas Eve when you just can't wait till the morning to open the presents. I can't really give an exact time I use for curing. Overnight would be the best way I could answer.  Won't the fragrance evaporate if they sit for too long?

29 minutes ago, Candybee said:

I think Talltayl is knowledgeable about vybar use. Hopefully she will chime in soon.

Hopefully. I know there are two types of Vybar. From what I read, I couldn't tell much difference in the two. I emailed the guy at the manufacturer. He said no more than 1% should ever be needed. That's the way he phrased it. He also told me you could make a 50/50 mix if you wanted to just as long as you don't go over 1% total.

Q

2 hours ago, scrubzz said:

How much FO are you using per lb of wax?

On my pillars for example, 6% unless the wax data says otherwise. If it says lower, like 3%, I give it 3% and no more. If the wax info says something like 12%, I might bump it up from 6% to 8%.  At 6%, a 16oz(1 lb) mold gets 0.96 ozs of FO. If I make 3 lbs of wax (48 ozs) at 6% load that would be 2.88 ozs of FO.  2.88 ozs. divided by 3 lbs. brings back me back to 0.96 oz. as a check on myself. So my answer to you would be 0.96 ozs/lb.??  Hmm, something looks wrong here. Am I making a math error? My poor math knowledge has crippled me my whole life. I'm unsure. If I'm wrong, just tell me. I can take it without being embarrassed. Lay it on me!

Oh, I should also let you know that I measure the amount of ozs I've arrived at on the scale, so I'm doing it by weight and not by volume. I think

Well like I was saying I've used lots of different waxes. I can narrow it down some on the containers since that's the area where I've spent less time. Mostly 444 Soy and now I'm giving GB 464 a shot. In my container candles, some of them tend to sweat out at the top. Too much fragrance maybe? But once again, I've used no additives in my containers yet. I've also had problems with container wax never really hardening completely and having a gummy, gooey, sticky consistency.

As for the pillars I've mostly used IGI 4625 Pillar blend but wanted something that was translucent.  I've tried CBL-41 Votive/Pillar blend, but it takes too much time to work with, what with all the topping off and back filling. I've got a some IGI 1343 A I'm going to try tomorrow for pillars. I have settled in at 7% Stearic acid and 1% Vybar in all my pillars. 

When I first started this last fall, before I came across this forum, I was using the junk from Michael's and Hobby Lobby and a "general purpose" wax I bought from Amazon. The people on the forum here clued me in and convinced me to look elsewhere.  Nearly every pillar I made with those had a blowout, so I want go back to that overpriced stuff. 

But let me just say again, I could count on two or three fingers the candles that have had an acceptable throw to them.

Q 

Could someone shed the light on the subject of Vybar? I've read articles that say it locks up the fragrance and those that say it helps the fragrance. I even read one article where the author said it did both! I've used only 1% in my pillars and never put it in container candles. I've never gone over that amount. Yet I seem to be getting no hot throw at all. Some have a really good cold throw but no hot throw at all. The fragrance is strong in the melting pot (even overwhelming) but once I pour into the mold or container and let them cool the fragrance disappears.  

This is happening regardless of what wax I use. The problem is across the board. I should also mention that I've been using 7% stearic from the start in my pillars and nothing but wax and fragrance in my containers. What can I do about this? Very frustrated right now.

Q

20 hours ago, Pam W said:

Ya know, sometimes those excess pours I make into another container/mold for personal use down the road turn out to be something special in the way of scent blending......I truly love lighting this kind of candle because I never know what I'm going to experience but it will always be good.

I pour my bits of leftover wax or wax that went wrong into ice trays. I pour them in randomly. Then when I've nothing else to do, I take them out of the trays, break them up and place them in a mold and pour a light colored paraffin to fill the empty areas. They have been some of the most beautiful candles you've ever seen and some of the best burning ones.

Thanks. From what you've told me and ncraders said, I now see the error of my thinking about this.  I tend to overthink things. I gotta watch that.

Q

34 minutes ago, ncraiders said:

I would melt the 10oz of wax then when i went to pour the wax i would keep some of the already melted wax to use as a second pour on the pillar so it would still be 10 ounces.  Others may do it differently tho.

So you go by just exactly by what the mold holds?

How do y'all decide how much extra paraffin to melt to account for the second pour?  I'm ending up with too much leftover wax.  Is there some sort of percentage of the weight of the candle or some general guideline for overage? Or is there none?  Use this example: Let's say you want to test a new formula or wax and wick combo and you only want to pour one candle. Just one! You are using a mold that holds 10 ounces and you don't want much leftover wax. How would you determine how much wax to melt for that one task? 

Q

47 minutes ago, Jcandleattic said:

Also check out the NCA website will have stuff, and I believe maybe the IGCA might have something (but maybe not, since it's really just a club) 

National Candle Association. That must have been what I was thinking about. I'll check out those others too. Thanks.

I just had a thought. The American Candle Association has technical papers and maybe some books on their website.  I think I'll check it out and let y'all know what I found.

On 5/7/2018 at 11:54 AM, runner14jc said:

I haven't found a great many books that are all around great resources. While I am generally, an avid book reader for candle making and even soap making, my best resources have come from online. Would love to hear what your favorites are though!

I don't believe I could pick a favorite from the books I've read so far. Like I said, most of the ones available at Amazon and other online stores start out pretty good, but end up being little more than cookbooks and "creative idea" suggestions. No meat. Just potatos.

On 5/7/2018 at 11:35 AM, Jcandleattic said:

Have you tried "The Everything Candlemaking Book"? 

I have a ton of books in my craft library, but most are like you said, how to's and recipe's. I also have the one I mentioned, however, it's been about 12 years since I looked at it, and can't remember how technical it is. I'm sure by now they have current editions of the book though too... 

Yes, I have that one. It does seem to be the best I've found so far.

Sorry, I posted a general question in the wrong topic category. How do I move it?

Q

Almost all the books on candle making that I've read so far, have started out with lots of valuable information. Unfortunately, only the first third to one half of any of these books is technical information. The biggest parts are mostly recipes and things like "having fun with candles, etc."  Can anyone out there recommend a book that might get more into the technical side?  Is there a book out there that is considered the "bible" of the candle making hobby or industry?

Q 

15 hours ago, Pam W said:

Ok, please tell me what you're wanting to make because I' m confused.  ANY candle that I produce will have a 'burn quality'....it's just part of the initial quality of the candle.........but if you want to produce some candles that are not intended to be burned and only used for decoration purposes, then that is a whole nother story.

Pls give us more info on what you are trying to create at this point in time.

Let me clarify. I have some silicone molds. I want to make pillar candles with these molds. I read that stearic can destroy the mold. I don't want that to happen. Whether or not the customer chooses to burn them, I care not at all. If they DO choose to burn them, I want them to have a candle that will not collapse the first time they light it. What can I use as a substitute for stearic acid, so my silicone mold will not be damaged and the customer gets a candle that will not collapse?

What can I use as a substitute for stearic acid that won't damage my mold?  I should have just said that in the first place. Sorry. 

Q

I want to fool around with some silicone molds and some paraffin. In my reading I saw mentioned that stearic acid can damage the silicone. Supposedly the stearic pits it.

What can I use in place of stearic? OR, should I just make it with plain paraffin and assume that the person is buying it as a showpiece and not for burning?

17 hours ago, Pam W said:

17 hours ago, Pam W said:

This is exactly why I went exclusively to liquid dyes ...the dye chips always caused problems...

 

Good and helpful information you give here. I'm starting to realize that I'm trying to make this whole thing too difficult. That's one of my bad habits I guess you would say. It's obvious to me now that this is nothing to get stressed about. My A.D.H.D doesn't help either.

Good information Candybee. I'm going to start throwing it all in from the start. Now about the Flashpoint, I've got to be more watchful about that. I came close the other night to setting my house on fire. Turned on the burner with the wax and pot in there. Went back to get something else. Got distracted by the computer. When I remembered, I ran back out to the garage. The water in the double boiler had all boiled away. The thermometer said 276F. It would have ignited at any moment. That was a real eye opener.

Q

Thanks Runner, more good information. I do that with my stearic and vybar. Sure makes things easier.

Q

Thanks for that.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I was thinking about what difference does the melting point matter? None of my paraffin is ever melted at that point. It's never completely melted until the temperature is way up there, so why not wait until the wax is completely melted before adding the solid dye, in my case. My question is: Should I add the solid dye when my thermometer shows the "melting point" or should I wait until the paraffin is completely melted no matter how high the actual temp may be? 

I've been working with IGI 4625, which only shows a Working/Pouring range of 175-185 F. I'm pouring at 177 degrees F. 7% Stearic and 1% Vybar. 6% fragrance load.

I suppose I could wear sunglasses when I go to buy them. 

I've read in a few books the last few months that pantyhose are as good as you can get for polishing up your pillar candles.   Is there something that would work just as well?  As a guy, I don't buy them.  I've never worn them either (well there was that one time in college...) never mind.  It would be embarrassing to go buy any and I'm currently without a girlfriend.  Besides, I don't know what size I wear.