Grungedoll

I've also been contemplating just the 100% soy container wax from EL.. but I heard it has really bad frosting. TOO many choices!

I am at the moment using EL Millennium wax, and while I do like it so far I’ve been thinking about checking out other waxes as well to find what one works best. I’ve been looking into Golden Brands 415, 444, and nature’s wax C-3. I've heard too many bad things about GB 464. Which do you find better if you’ve had experience with using it (as far as cold/hot throw and nice finished candle tops)? And which are good about shipping to different climates? (I’ve actually read that the 415 can just start melting if it goes into really subtle warm weather temps.. which I think would cause some issues in the future. :/) Thank you in advance!!

Thank you you for the input rhoops! I’m definitely going to give CS FOs a chance very soon! Ive buy my wicks and my 8oz tins from them so I’ve looked over their FOs numerous times now. I just desperately need to find a great pure coffee scent! And after everything I’ve read, no pure EOs for me either.

Im searching for the perfect black coffee fragrance! I want something not super sugary or caramel like all the other coffee scents out there that I’ve found. Opinions? Also when it comes to mixing or measuring fragrance oils, what does everyone use? I’ve read to only use glass or disposable wax cups... but I’m having quite the time finding those (unless I order them) and is it ok to wash the left over fragrance oil out of a glass bowl or cup down the drain...? (Maybe that makes me sound over paranoid, but I have no idea! I’ve heard washing essential oils is a bad idea.. I didn’t know if it was the same thing. )

I will definitely be looking into it! I just don’t have any idea how much I need... I have a feeling insurance is going to be the most difficult thing to figure out. really, really basic question... how do you go about cleaning out your pour pot after making one batch of candles so that the wax/fragrance from it doesn’t go into the next batch? I have two different fragrances I’d hoped to make testers out of in the same time and obviously don’t want to mix scents! first pouring hopefully happening tonight and I’m pretty excited about it!

@Candybee well, I certainly hope so. I guess I’ll have to just test like crazy until then. Have you ever used Natureswax C-3? I’m using Millennium wax for my first round and literally didn’t notice just how much more expensive it comes out in the end compared to other waxes that I’ve also read good things about. :/ also, what wicks do you prefer...? And lastly. I’m also concerned about some of the legal things I’ve read while looking into what I’ve read about selling. Do you know anything about liability insurance while selling candles? Or have an idea of who I could go with who won’t cost me an arm and a leg? This one company that got back to me said they’d cover my business for 400 and something dollars... while that’s annually, that’s still a lot and I’m curious just how needed it is.... Thank you you again for your continual help!

So sorry @Candybee and @kandlekrazy I responded to the both of you on my phone and it didn't let me tag you in my responses so I have no idea if you got them or not.... but they're up there, haha.

I have a feeling that’s just what I’ll have to do. Just buy a bunch of wax at a time and use some of it to do tests while saving the rest for actual finished product. Can you kind of tell the changes in wax after awhile like you said through the look and feel of it? Not that you should go off that alone of course, but that’s interesting. I just am itching like crazy to make so many candles but I know I need to be patient. As I’d asked Candybee, I really don’t want to change from soy as I really like the idea of using it... but do you know of any more stable waxes or blends of waxes? I need all the opinions and input I can get!

Thank you Candybee for being so welcoming and detailed in your response! I’m definitely adding everything you said to my notes so that I don’t forget it! One thing that does worry me, after reading this part of what you’d written.. I understand the need to retest after a change in fragrance, wick, container each time... but I am concerned... what if the supplies I bought were just enough for a test and therefor I need to rebuy more wax for the actual finished products after finding the perfect combination. If the batch that I receive is in fact a different batch number as the one id just tested... that entire batch would be another retest? I feel that’s a bit overwhelming to think that unless I buy a huge load of wax or somehow am able to get the same batch number twice I’ll constantly just be testing and never have any finished candles. does that make sense? Don’t get me wrong, I’m willing to put in the time and I want to make good candles. But Is soy not the way to go? Are there any waxes that are more stable? Or wax blends for container candles? I like the idea of using soy but now I feel lost, haha. if you stuck with the same vendor, does that make any difference? I’m using enchanted lites millennium soy wax and had planned on staying with it as long as these ones I’m testing turned out ok.

Hello! As it says in the subject I am brand new at candle making but already so in love with it and soaking in all the knowledge I can (so any help would be so very appreciated!) my apologies if I put this all in the wrong place or anything. Ive read numerous times that to fix imperfections on the tops of your soy candles you can use left over wax from the pot after pouring. Since the candles do take awhile to dry, how do I reheat the wax left over in the pot without burning off all fragrance so that I can cover up holes? Do I just leave the left over in the pot while they cool and start it warming again..? Also after doing a wick test with one batch of candles to find the right wick for a container/fragrance do I have to do that every time I make a new batch? (Ie: if I mixed supplies today and did a test with three containers/wicks/1 fragrance and found the right one after the correct burn time, the next time I buy that same 1 fragrance/wick/container to actually make the candles, do I need to test it again or can I just make it with the specifications I found work best from the first test and leave it at that?) I have gotten SO MANY different opinions on this, you wouldn’t believe. Besides maybe leaving the wick too long, too much fragrance, or using an unsafe container- is there absolutely anything that could accidentally happen that would make a candle you made dangerous to a consumer? I’m obviously just starting out but would love the opportunity to turn it into a business later on down the road after I get much more experience and I guess I’m just paranoid that maybe there’s things I don’t know that could go horribly wrong? (I do have my warning labels ready and have been reading plenty of safety regulations.. but still.) And FINALLY for the last question: I know the depth of the burn pool is as important as the width... but I am starting off with 8 oz tins. How could I go about seeing how deep the melt pool is without being able to see the sides? Do I want it to touch the edges in the first burn? How deep do you believe the depth should be in each burn? Apologies if these questions are all very “newbie-ish” but that’s just what I am, haha. And I’m sorry to put so many but I need so badly to have people to talk to about this as I’ve been doing SO much research on my own but sometimes it just helps more to get personal help!