pughaus

@Laura Cthe rabbit testing was prob. just related to the "paraffin" portion of that wax.  My guess is that they were referencing past tests on paraffin as an ingredient w/r to safety and not necessarily testing the wax itself on animals. God, I hope not.

I didn't dig much deeper- I just moved on.  

I think the pan tests are fun.  But I'm a nerd  

@Laura C  The tall flames and sooting later in the burn have been an issue for me with every off the shelf coco wax blend out there that I've tried.   IMO the cocos need a lot of extra soy to work- as in 50% soy to coco for best results.  Pick your soy (poison)- I've been using 444 since I got some cheap.  I'm sure there are "better" soys but I've got 10 lbs left and I'm gonna use it   Sinkholes and cracks were routine for me until  theJune heat hit Los Angeles and my candle room ambient temp went up to 79-82 degrees - now it's a 1 pour blend for me.  Haven't had a crack or hole in 2+ months..  I don't sell or ship so I can't attest to the durability of any blends I've tried in shipping and temp variations.  I'm pleased with throw but I don't buy the "coconut wax needs little time to cure" that some suppliers spout- they burn and throw very differently after 3-4 weeks.  

Really, when you have a new wax it's much less time consuming in the long run to do a pan test with a bunch of wicks as a starting point- in a few hours you can get some essential info re: melt pool diameters, flame behavior, mushrooms, wick condition...   It's a good start.

I didn't move forward with that wax- mostly because I later found out it wasn't cruelty free.  Per the supplier, at least 1 ingredient in it had been tested on rabbits- for me, that was a deal breaker.  But if I did decide to continue with it, at least I had some idea which wicks performed best in it and could proceed from there.   It is a pretty wax. Aesthetically, perhaps the most beautiful I've tested yet.

38 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

I bought 5 lbs of it to try in my C3 and in coconut. I can send you some if you want to try a little without committing. It killed throw in all of my tests even at small additions. 

Thanks T! But I moved on from coco83 a while ago.  Now I just do my own coco soy blend and it's working for me as-is.

I've wondered how much soy is in coco83.  I had trouble with that wax on its own and never found quite the right additive but universal soy wax additive is one that I never tried.

4 hours ago, Laura C said:

 

As you can tell, I'm new here. Hello my fellow Chandlers.  The Coconut 83 wax (Accu-Blend MFG & CA Candle Supply supplier) and with or w/o Universal Soy Wax Additive 

Hello Laura!  What  is the impact of the Universal Soy Wax additive on your coco83 candles?

@strugglebrother the evo liquid dyes from candlewic  DO NOT STINK. It's a miracle

1 hour ago, Shari said:

I got some Gee Your Hair from Oregon Trail and not sure I like it.  Doesn't bring back any memories anyway and not very strong to my nose.  Might try it in some soap or bath bombs to check it out in the near future.

I have that one too plus a few others that are out there.  The OT one smells pretty awful to me OOB.  The others seem to be identical FO's, although from different sellers and much more reminiscent of what I think may be GYHST but there's an off note in them that makes it not so pleasant to me.    

@sunday  For an upscale ceramic pot, yes. (Unless you can bring them in yourself in large volumes from China.)
 You might save a few bucks if you search some wholesale home decor lines like www.homart.com or https://www.creativecoop.com/Home-Shop-by-Product-Candle-Holders-Tealight---Votives/  or, since you're in Canada, https://www.chive.com/collections/ceramic-vase  for something suitable.  But even then the cost is typically upwards of  $4.00 pc. and you'll need buyer credentials and to meet the vendor's minimum orders.   And there's still freight, although timing your buy with a trade show can help. Many lines offer freight breaks or discounts during the trade show season.  (July-August and Jan-Feb)  

Traps link, www.candlesandsupplies.net also has some colored glass tumblers that look similar to woodenwick's version. 

HTH

https://www.glassnow.com/glass-candle-containers
https://www.candleworksusa.com/category/2008

https://woodenwick.com/product-category/unique-vessels/

@katmeltswax@GailC did either of you try the Gee your hair or Herbal Essence FOs?  I have both and not I'm not quite sure if they're really like the originals..They both remind me of.. something.

  I could use some 2nd and 3rd opinions.  The 70s were a long time ago  

3 minutes ago, ScentedPleasurez said:

I dont know but you made those candles and they have poured by boomer life. Something could be done about that. They cant make false claims even though they bought them they didnt pour them. Ijs

more like  "go boomer lies" amirite? 

Sorry. It's late..

4 minutes ago, Trappeur said:

Did you see my candles on their site?  They decorated the candles and made all the labels....I just made the candles.   I couldn't even find their site tonight.   They told me they contacted their designer and told him to remove the candles.  

 

Trappeur

yes they are on there, but not listed on their main menu. You have to use the search feature on their site to get to them. 

I'm sorry @Trappeur that you had to deal with this.  Those people disgust me and personally, I find their website (an unsecured site- ha, such pros)  repellant.  You and your products deserve better business partners. 

@quentin  I make container candles only and haven't used any performas in some time.  I pretty much replaced them with CDs, which perform well in my wax in most containers.

Did she just pour wax around an overwicked, unsecured votive? There must be a million ways to make a bad candle, but that's gotta be one of the more creative methods. wow.  

15 hours ago, Quentin said:

That would be very helpful. If you locate it, please let me know.

@Quentin, I make little quick reference sheets like this for the wick types I use the most.  I haven't found a wick chart on the web for Premiers and I do use small Premiers  for several FO's in a certain jar  so I have those on my chart listed simply as "alts".

@Quentin I use the wick charts from Wicks Unlimited - like this one for example http://wicksunlimited.com/wicks/atkins-pearce-candle-wicks/atkins-pearce-cotton-core-wicks/ to help me narrow down wick types + sizes that may have a similar burn results.    If I recall correctly, Precision has a similar set up. Either site is great.  These charts have been such time savers for me.

@Trappeur  https://normansprintery.com/candle-dust-covers/   

Here's the blog post to go with the pic   https://candletech.com/candle-making/tutorials/pot-o-gold-chunk-candles/

You can always go with the simple: Green Palm Candle Co.   the domain www.greenpalmcandle.com is available ...  Some version of a green palm leaf graphic can be incorporated into your package design, labels and/ or logo and "Green" evokes not only the leaf of a palm tree but "eco friendly" too.  🌴

23 hours ago, Quentin said:

Thank you 100 times and then some.

Glad to help.  I've been collecting a variety of vintage /throwback FOs and noticed Chloe on there a while back. It's a tough one to find via google since they misspelled the name on their site.  Hope it works out for you.  SOS is a bit hit or miss; then again, I guess you could say that of any FO supplier.

SOS has it and the reviews looks good: http://www.saveonscents.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=2451

2 hours ago, Linda P said:

Thanks for chiming in, @TallTayl. I knew there was a reason I was doing it this way, and you explained it so much more clearly than I was doing.

 

Yes, to the economics of testing wicks in unscented wax. In the long run, an economy of time in addition to money & supplies. Limit the variables so as to reduce the frustration of troubleshooting. 

 

IMO there's no downside to unscented pan tests when experimenting with a new, novel wax blend with no clue what wicks to begin with.  You can reuse the wax so it's really only a small investment in time and not much time at that.

I've done pan tests where every single wick type mushroomed by burn #2 and most mushroomed in the 1st 3 hours.  That saved me from potentially spending weeks looking for a unicorn wick that won't quickly mushroom in that wax.   Had I been testing with FO, I would likely have concluded that the fragrance oil was responsible for the mushrooming. 

Really enjoying reading about your wax blending and results Linda..  Thanks for sharing it! 

@olives  Did you ever find a wick solution for this wax or have you moved on?