Linda P

OK, I'm going to ignore what you said about your experience with coconut blends and glass jars. At least for this test. However... Lately I've been entertaining the idea of making my own containers out of concrete. I haven't even begun to go down that road, though. One thing at a time...

Point(s) taken. For some reason, I became fixated on coming up with a beeswax "infused" candle and have stubbornly resisted giving up on the idea. But yeah, I know from experience that too many variables means you don't know where to start troubleshooting. After all, that's why I'm foregoing FO and dye until I get my base blend & wick series settled. Best to focus on getting one thing right. So I will back off from the beeswax and go with C3:Coconut 2 blends today of 50:50, 60:40, and 40:60. Tomorrow I'll do a C3 + USA plus C3:Coconut 2 blends of 70:30 & 30:70. Hopefully, one of these six candles will be sufficient to point me in a direction where I can focus my efforts. Thanks for the advice/reminder.

Today's experiment will be 3 candles in 9 oz straight-sided jars using C3 & Coconut 2 blends of 50:50, 40:60, & 60:40. Plus I plan to use 3% of yellow beeswax as part of the coconut portion. No fragrance or dye until I get the base blend worked out. Not sure yet which wicks I'll try. I've got a few of almost every kind except wood wicks. For this first round, I won't wick them at all and instead, poke a hole in them after curing to test with wick leftovers. On your recommendation, @TallTayl, I bought some universal soy additive because of issues with C3. What do you think about adding it to the above? I'm thinking I'll do today's batch without usa.

This is exactly what I'm going to do starting today, find my own blend. Thanks for the suggestion to start at 50:50. Except I'm going to use Coconut 2, which is the only one Northstar currently carries. I've been wondering about the difference between the two NatureWax coconut waxes, and finally found a press release announcing Fillmore's offerings of the wax along with this description: "NatureWax Coconut 1 wax is 100% hydrogenated coconut oil and can be used as an additive or as a softener for pillar candles. NatureWax Coconut 2 is composed of 98% hydrogenated coconut oil and 2% hydrogenated soy. The primary application is container candle wax or softener for pillar candles." https://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/cargill-naturewax-from-fillmore-are-now-made-with-coconut-oil-40010854 I'm still searching for similar info about C6, ie the ratio of soy:coconut.

I've heard of it the same way you did, searching for a US supplier of Naturewax C6. So far, they're the only supplier of this soy coconut blend I've found. I didn't make a purchase because the shipping cost was outrageous. C6 is somewhat popular in other countries, and I'm glad to see it's maybe starting to show up here. One of these days, I will ask my C3 supplier if they plan to add C6 to their line of Naturewax offerings.

Disappointing to hear about the lack of HT you experienced, since coconut in general seems to be touted as having better HT than soy. In particular, Northstar claims that Coconut 2 "Helps improve scent throw with soy candles at rates of 5% to 25%."

I can't answer your question, but I'm eager to hear from others, because I've been going back and forth with myself about trying it to blend with C3. The description for Coconut 2 on Northstar's website says: ""Coconut 2 is intended to be blended with other waxes for creating your own special blend. If used as is without blending with other waxes or additives your candles would be very soft and fragrances will bead up on top of candle in warm weather." So I'm curious, too, about a starting point for determining the ratio of soy:coconut when coming up with a custom blend.

My test candles are unscented in 9 oz straight sided glass jars. Not quite 3". I used eco10, 12, and 14. For my next test in the same container, I'll use eco6 & 8 in the Millennium wax. I want to get some rrd and lx wicks too, just to say I did. I want to get the wax/additive and wick series settled before I add fragrance to the mix. I have 50 lbs of Millennium on hand, so I can test for a good while.

I over wicked ECO. I'll try again sizing down. Huge flames, smoke, 1/2" melt pools, and carbon balls the size of peas.

It definitely makes sense. My first thought was to see if ASO's modifier was the same as USA. But the description on their website was too different, which is why I asked. Thanks so much for your responses and clarification.

Thank you! I'll be ordering from the candlemakers store.

@TallTayl Ah, here's the answer to my question on another thread about sourcing universal soy additive. Are the two versions similar enough to be interchangeable in your opinion?

Don't have a definitive answer to the original question, but this is what I've been experimenting with since January. GB 464 and CD wicks (starter kit from Candle Cocoon) C-3 Midwest Container wax and soy modifier Millennium I have a sample of Northwood's coconut wax, but haven't tried it yet This week I'm testing ECO, Premier 700, HTP, CD, CDN, and ribbon wicks in unscented, undyed Millennium in a 9 oz straight-sided jar. (Trying to find my baseline.) So far, HTP 105 seems to be doing the best, but I'm not convinced yet. I'm also liking how the medium ribbon wick is performing. Low, wide flame. I have a couple more burns to do, so nothing conclusive yet. Most of these test candles were greatly over- or under-wicked. So I'll probably repeat this test with the same series, sizing up or down according to my results.

@singleserve What's your secret for avoiding rough tops with either of these? I'm experimenting with pouring temps/conditions, but so far haven't landed on the magic formula.

I've been reading this forum for months, soaking up as much info as I can, dabbling with candle making as $$ allow. I haven't yet settled on a soy wax yet, but I'm committed to experimenting with C3 and Millennium until I decide. I haven't chimed in before now because I have way too many questions and I seem to be easily overwhelmed. LOL So I'll start with a simple question. @TallTayl Where do you buy this? I've seen it on The Candlemakers Store.