Laura C

That's exactly right. Good example. And the customer or friend probably thought you had done something wrong when you had not. Then you have to try to explain it to people and they don't exactly understand. LOL

Hi @pughaus. Yes, I see what you are saying. Here's the thing, the Flame Height and ROC can vary depending on the wax, wax blend, scent, etc. used. The Yield of the wick stays the same no matter what.

I know what you mean @ScentedPleasurez. That's something I have noticed about the candle industry, lots of misinformation, misleading verbiage and like you said, some out right lies. The more I learn about candle making the easier it is to notice the deceit or someone that just doesn't know what they are talking about. LOL 😃 There is a fairly big soy wax candle seller that says their candles are 100% soy wax without fillers or other waxes and, wait for it, that their candles don't produce soot. I was curious so I bought two to see for myself. I call BS on their claims, big time. A true soy candle, or even one with lots of soy wax, is somewhat soft and has the rough top after burning. Their candles are hard as rocks, have smooth, shiny tops after burning and have really strong C&H scent throw. After burning them I thought, who are you kidding? I felt like calling them up but I didn't. But most consumers don't know the difference.

That's interesting, good to know. Yes, it is really white and pretty.

Hello Ladies. Just wanted to add my 2cents and provide additional info for this post. Seems like this is also discussed in another post or maybe the other post doesn't include the SC-21 paracoco Wax. Since the wax manufacturer Accu-Blend has California Candle Supply as one of it's distributors then I'd imagine that these two paracoco waxes are the same. I have talked to both companies before about their waxes except for the SC-21 wax. http://calcandlesupply.com/sc-21-wax-coconut-hybrid-blend/ and http://www.accu-blend.com/HTML Files/hybrid_coconut.htm And they did tell me that these 2 waxes are the same and do not contain paraffin. http://calcandlesupply.com/coconut-83-wax-all-natural-coconut-wax/ and http://www.accu-blend.com/HTML Files/all_nat_coconut.htm The paracoco wax at Candles and Supplies appears to be the IGI 6570 wax http://www.candlesandsupplies.net/IGI-ParaCoco-Container-Wax-blend-per-case?sc=7&category=36966 Unfortunately, I do not know how the IGI 6570 paracoco wax and the SC-2 paracoco waxes compare. I have not tested the SC-21 wax, at least at this point. LOL.

@Trappeur I love those fairy labels. I too like the one that is black & cream with the pink font. I also like the fairy in color too. Did you try a label with the fairy in color and the scent name in pink? I'm curious, what did you end up with for your label and jar? Got a product pic?

That's awesome @GailC. Way to go.

LOL, yes it is and welcome to the scent junkie club. I always go bananas when I'm ordering scents and then I have to stop myself and come to terms with reality and my budget, not to mention the bewildered look I get from my husband.

Very nice, love it. 👍

🎂 Happy Belated Birthday @lightmyfire and congrats on your new candle work shop! I'd love to have something like that, it's very nice.

Welcome @Ramr and enjoy. Yes, there is a lot to learn about proper candle making. Still learning myself, this is a great place for info.

Yes, it smells really good. I want to get more of it.

Thanks @pughaus, good to know. I tested Christmas Hearth and Bourbon Butterscotch, both from The Flaming Candle.

Thanks @pughaus. I cured them for 2 days before I burned them. It has now been 4 days and the c&h scent throw is still fairly weak. I can smell the scents but not very strong. You think they need to cure longer for the scent throw issue? Do you have good scent throw with that paracoco wax?

Ok thanks. My jars were at room temp but I'll heat them up next time.

Thank you so much @TallTayl for responding, that's some very helpful info. I see what you are saying.

Ok great, that sounds good. Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I have gotten some good info from the pan test, so glad I'm finally doing one. I will certainly continue to do them with other waxes, it's so worth it. Can't believe I have waited this long to try it. I also made a few jar candles and used the wick that did the best in my pan test which was the HTP 104. Not sure yet if the HTP 104 will by my final choice.

Hi @strugglebrother, @pughaus, @moonshine, @TallTayl, @olives, @Trappeur, @Jcandleattic and anyone interested. I assume IGI 6570 and IGI 6570A are the same wax, not sure. This is regarding IGI 6570 paracoco wax. I don't know what percentages of paraffin and coconut make up this wax. I made some candles in 3" diameter, straight sided round jars. I followed the wax instructions which were all low temps and I ended up with jump lines and weak C&H Scent throw. I used 8% scent (up to 10% max suggested). I heated to 170 and added scent and then poured at 155. (On a side note, I know, sorry, I heard about the rabbit testing with this wax but I already had it ordered 🐇). Wax temp instructions per Aztec Candle & Soap Supplies were : Heat to & add scent 160-170 Pour at 150-155 I’m going to try this next time: Heat to 190-195 Add scent between 185-190 Stir 2 mins Then pour Will the hotter temps improve cold & hot scent throw and eliminate jump lines?

Hi @TallTayl, @pughaus and everyone else that conducts pan tests. I have my very first pan test in progress using IGI 6570 ParaCoco wax and I'm testing 3 HTP and 3 Performa wicks and testing for a 3" jar. Performa: 95, 100 & 130 and HTP: 93, 104 & 105. As other people have stated this wax is really beautiful and white, my husband even commented on it. I just did the 3rd round of burns and both wick types are doing great IMO. I burn in 4 hr. intervals. Basically only had mushroom issues on the very first burn and even that went away after the first trim. The flames have been growing tall requiring some trims due to smoke. I was disappointed the curling "self-trimming" HTP wicks still needed occasional trims. But overall, great results I guess. The Performa wicks just barely curl. I have measured the melt pools after each burn. Besides a marker, what is good to use to make marks on wax? My question is, when do I stop the pan test? LOL. How do you obtain the most accurate melt pool results & measurements? Do you burn the wicks down to the bottom of the pan? Or do you only burn the wicks 3-4 times? Looking forward to feedback, thanks.

Hi @pughaus and everyone interested. Yes, they do the wick testing service for anyone and they say it's free for their customers. I've been very tempted numerous times to use this service myself. See the "Solution" section at the bottom of the page. http://wicksunlimited.com/technical-resources/common-burn-issues/ Other Technical Resources http://wicksunlimited.com/technical-resources/

Here's some hacks for the EZ Wick Setter tool without having to send it back to the company for resizing. I have done both of these and they have worked great for me. - If the white plastic piece does not fit your particular jar perfectly then you could try placing a rubber seal/washer on the plastic piece to give it a snug and level fit. - Or if that particular jar has an extra wood or metal lid then switch out the white plastic piece with the jar lid and use it as a part of the centering tool. Of course you have to measure and drill holes in the wood or metal lid and then you can insert the metal tubes into it. http://www.ezwicksys.com/The_Multi.htm

I concur.

Also if you don't have wick stabilizing devices or your device doesn't fit a particular jar then you can use scotch tape to make a grid across the top of the jar (as in floral arranging). I did this with my pan test to hold all my wicks in place. And also this wick centering device. I have the single and the triple wick devices. They are a huge time saver. I love gadgets.

I pretty much use all the basic stuff everyone has mentioned, as it relates to small scale candle making. - Instead of bamboo sticks or wood sticks for stirring I use washable, durable, plastic, long handled spoons from the Dollar Tree. - Digital thermometer that has the numbers panel on the top instead of the side so you can just look down at it. - Pour my jar candles on trays lined with old towels so the trays are not cold. - I took an 1.5" wick and marked off 1/4" line on it and use that as my wick trimming guide. - Finally broke down and bought a long neck, electric lighter 🔥, which I love, it’s so cool. I can’t believe I waited this long to buy one, I don’t think I’ll ever buy a regular lighter again. I was feeling so guilty for throwing away so many disposable ones and didn’t want the hassle of refilling lighter fluid. This is my new favorite gadget right now. LOL.

That's very interesting about the restaurant heating strip vs. using a heat gun on the candle tops. That's awesome if you're doing large batches like you are. I'll have to keep that in mind. LOL