Amy2180

wanted suggestions for the best wax to be used to prime the wick 

should i use pure beeswax only I used it once and the wick turned quiet harder than the soy ones 

is it good or bad 

or i use the blend of the container candle i am using;  to prime the wick

i want to avoid paraffin for priming 

Need more suggestions on this also

thanks

Thanks birdcharm and  trappeur

the wick i use is a cotton flat braided one and are available in diiferent sizes

to fine tune my blends i will be experimenting with several combinations around 5 of them

1. 75% soywax 25% beeswax

2. 80% soywax 20% beeswax

3. 75% soywax 20% beeswax 5% paraffin oil

4. 80% soywax 15% beeswax 5% paraffin oil

5. 80% soywax 15% beeswax 5% palm stearic 

with same fragrance load in all 

will report the burn result in few days and ask for further suggestions

thanks

Hi 

i make container candles with soy and bees wax 

wanted suggestions for the best wax to be used to prime the wick 

should i use pure beeswax only

or the blend of the container candle  i am using itself to prime the wick 

i want to avoid paraffin for priming 

thanks 

20 hours ago, Trappeur said:

Hello Amy,

 

You will need to be more specific on the following for any one to help you.

1.  What brand  and style wax and where from?

2.  What brand wick, the size you used, and where from?

3.  Is that what looks like to me a 16oz country comfort or apothecary jar?

4.  How much oil in ounces did you put per each pound of wax?

 

From the picture I detect:

1.  You are severely over wicked.  This causes sooting.

2.  If you use more than the recommended amount of oil per pound of wax that can cause it could be clogging the wick.

3.   I would suggest testings of another different style wick.

 

So many things come into play when blending waxes.  No one can tell you what to use.  You have to continually test.

I don't know what you mean when you say you are using paraffin oil?   Did you mean paraffin wax?

All the additives of stearic acid and vybar sure do come into play in the performance of a candle.  Maybe you don't need all this?

 

I don't blend any waxes so I can't make any suggestions of what is or isn't proper to be adding together to bring a nice wax combo.  Everyone has their own wax formula combinations and it is a never ending battle to a great blend is achieved.  There are a lot of chandlers here who I'm sure will come and make suggestions for doing blends. 

It would be great if you could state what you use in ounces and pounds for most of us to understand.

 

 Good luck to you!

 

Trappeur

 

 

Hi Trappeueur 

thanks for the reply and your concern

for your first set of questions i would say there are no branded and standard wax blends as well as wicks are available in India we do all the things through hit and trial

the jar is is a 6 oz yankee jar

the oils is paraffin oil that is mineral oil and i use about 3.5 oz in 2 pounds of wax( 17.5 ozsoy wax and 14 oz bees wax) and 60 ml of fragrance oil that makes a total of 2.3 pounds

i agree every one has its own wax formula 

and through this platform i would like to hear experiences of the pioneers like you and benefit 

thank you 

and waiting for your reply further

5 hours ago, birdcharm said:

Okay, so your first blend was about a pound of wax and too much stearic and vybar.  My suggestion is to skip the vybar completely and add only about 1-2 teaspoons of stearic acid per pound.  I think the excess vybar may have had a negative effect on your fragrance.

 

On your second experiment, I'm not sure of that combination since not all soy waxes blend well with beeswax and I've never used paraffin oil.

 

Can you tell us the wick size you used, for instance, in the yellow candle? ... and the dimension across the top of the glass? The flame looks quite bold. 

Thanks bird harm for your concern and your tips 

in India there is no such standard wicks or brands or sizes and even wax are unbranded too.

and everything has to be done on presumptions and assumptions by experimenting

the yellow one in the background is forsurely over wicked and was

Blend no 1 no problem in burning but of course with fragrance that can not be seen

the blend no2 is in the forefront and is quiet sticky may be due to paraffin oil or beeswax I don't know

and the wick seems to be clogged too while burning

i appreciate your suggestion of avoiding vybar 

the question that come to my mind is when it is stated that vybar increases the scent throw so can i use both stearic and vybar in moderation may be 1 tsp stearic and 1/2 tsp vybar 

and moreover is there any need to add beeswax 

and what good or bad it will do

do reply please

I am new into candlemaking for a while and having tried many combination during the course and need some expert comments

since i am in India and no pre fabricated wax blends are available 

all has to be done by yourself

my first blend was 

450 gms soy wax

5% palm stearic(22)gms

4% vybar (18 gms)

30 ml fragrance oil

color dye

and appropriate wick

problem faced were low cold throw and big wax pool

second experiment

250 gms soy wax

200 gms bees wax

50 gms paraffin oil

same fragrance oil and dye and wick

good things were good cold and hot throw

problem faced 

very little wax pool 

tunnelling 

and ugly looking jar with wax adhered to the sides of jar

pics attached

can anyone suggest the right blend that fixes these problems 

really stressed