ErronB

10 hours ago, Ernie said:

Well I just sent Aztec an email asking them if anyone else has complained about that wax or any other IGI wax since I need to order soon. Ill let you know what they tell me as soon as they get back to me.

Things have gotten so bad that a lot of experienced chandlers don't even bother complaining because they know that the supplier will just say it's nothing to do with them they're just the middle man and it's the manufacturers fault, or they'll just say you're a noob and don't know what you're doing. Sometimes wax can be salvaged in blends or for other purposes, but sometimes it's just a complete loss (I've seen it a lot with soy wax).

3 hours ago, Ernie said:

Are you adding additives, and where did you purchase it from, and what wick? I am doing some apothecary jar testing with what I have and I added Vybar 343 and I noticed not as strong a hot throw than without it. Using Zinc wicks single and double.  And also, that wax only holds 5% fo. Try 3 tbs stearic and see if that helps. Like I said Im going to try out the igi 1230 which also mottles to see how it compares. 

I bought it from Aztec, the last 5 IGI waxes I’ve bought from there have all been crap, same with the 6006 from the flaming candle too. I did do one with stearic as well and it made no difference. Tested using HTP / LX / Aroma- lite wicks. I won’t use zinc because they don’t self trim. 

2 hours ago, Ernie said:

You said you were going to pour some more tests with the 1286. Did you get any better results or do you think it was still a bad batch of wax? I just ordered a slab of igi 1230 to try out, do you have any experience with that wax? If so, how much FO does it need to mottle?

 

I did pour some more and the fragrance was not binding properly at 6%, it was starting to pool at the top of the candles. I guess it can’t even handle 6% even when added at 200f. I gave up after that, I lit them after I cleaned them up and there was practically no hot throw. 

On 11/17/2022 at 11:14 AM, AmandaP said:

Can you advise why you say .02 is the worst? I’m new to these and trying to figure it out. .02 seem to work well on my glass jars, but not my tins. 🤔 

They’re too thin to reliably stay lit on the first burn, unless the wax you’re using burns with a high flame from the get-go, but most clean burning waxes aren’t like that. Plus the consistency is terrible, they won’t ever burn exactly the same as each other like regular candle wicks. I fought with wooden wicks for years, if you strive for good quality burning candles they are a bad choice, if you don’t really care about that and just want big scent throw quickly then they do have that going for them, that’s about it, other than looking pretty cool as well.

On 10/14/2022 at 8:55 PM, Ernie said:

Well first let me tell you, the box of the 1286 I have is 2 years old, so you might be right in saying you got a bad batch. I have only gotten one bad batch from IGI and that was the 4630, I posted on it showing pictures. As far as what I do with 1286 is i heat the wax to 200ish, usually im a little higher if I don't watch the Presto pot Immediately add coloring and mix, then I add the fragrance 6% anywhere between 185 and 200 stir till blended and pour. I have used Vybar 343 a few times but didn't really notice a difference. I use the libbey storage jars, the same one Yankee uses. All the jars I pour into are heated in the oven. As far as wicks, I have tried lx, cd, htp, paper core, Zinc, pretty much anything I have and they all worked. I would tell you the size wick, but I havn't made candles since the Pandemic started, and my wife seems to have lost my notebook with all of my notes so......yah, so I am having to go through all that wick testing again. However, I do know that the wick I have in the ones here at home all have CD wicks only because they have so many sizes and I can always get them. I have never used a small jelly jar, all the candles I pour with that wax are 1lb or more. I will poor a small jar tonight and see how it is as well.

That’s the problem…. most of their wax batches  these days are extremely hit or miss compared to 2 years ago. I would probably use HTP / LX myself, CD get very smoky with straight paraffins.

I will still make another candle just for the hell of it, even though I used a known strong FO last time. 

31 minutes ago, Ernie said:

Weird because out of all of my waxes the 1286 probably has the best hot and cold throw. Never had a problem with it.

Tell me the temp you're heating the wax to, adding fragrance, the fragrance load, and a rough guesstimate wick for a 8oz jelly jar or similar. I'll go make one right now with your process, and I'll test it in a few days.

The wax might like your process better than mine, I'm willing to give it a shot.

17 hours ago, Ernie said:

All I use is Paraffin. Just the ease of wicking is such a relief.  You can't go wrong with IGI 4786 or one that I blend is  IGI 2281 / IGI 4627, or either of those on their own. If I could get 2281 to not bubble, the rustic translucent look of that wax with color is nice, but any additives change that.  If you like the Yankee candle mottled look IGI 1286 never changes and throws as good or better than Yankee. The 1286 is my favorite. I have always liked the mottled wax even the ugly tops look great to me. The 4786 is a pretty wax with or without color. I use it for Luxury candles with painted jars. One thing about 4786 is the wick needs to be trimmed under 1/4 because the first burn tends to cause a big flame. I posted a video showing this in this forum. Hope this helps.

I have some 1286 and it doesn’t throw at all, and 4627 is not the same anymore, I won’t use IGI wax again. They keep selling blatantly crap lots and it’s hurting chandlers.

On 8/27/2022 at 8:06 PM, Darbla said:

Gosh, I hate to hear this.  That had been my favorite wax for yeeeeeears.  I might run out of the last of my stock when I start making holiday candles, so now I'm worried about that.  😟  Might be time to let candle-making go and stick with tarts......

That’s exactly what we are doing, tired of the crap candle wax. I loved 4627 too, the hot throw used to be so immense. Could literally blow out a decent sized room with a tin candle.

I got some from Aztec not that long ago and it’s crap, you gotta add the FO around 190 so it has better hot throw, and it’s still nowhere near as good as the lot I had before from Candlescience, that was great HT. This lot makes the wicks drown with some of my scents it’s just crap. 

Just a heads up, CandleScience have new revisions of the following fragrances below, so if you want the ones you're using now, it's time to stock up on the discontinued version.

• Coconut Lime
• Blood Orange 
• Honeydew Melon 
• Ocean Breeze 
• Coconut Lime Verbena 
• Peach Nectar
• Caramel Apple, formerly Candied Apple
• Toasted Coconut, formerly Coconut

On 6/3/2022 at 8:05 PM, bfroberts said:

All day, every day. I am fortunate. No one in my area cares one way or the other. They just want a great smelling, clean burning candle. That I can do.

Same, now if i could get some paraffin wax which was consistently good then I’d be set. 

I’ve been testing this the past week or so. It’s exactly as I expected.

LX wicks are only good in it with small containers, bigger ones I like using HTP but the hot throw seems to be a bit muted, but it’s still not bad. Just have to use very small sizes to get a cleaner burn, but because it has such a low melt point it makes things easier with 3 inch containers. You don’t have to wait an eternity to get a bigger melt pool.

I’ve also been testing the new parasoy, it behaves very similar except it likes bigger wicks because of the added soy. (and I added a couple more % FO load to compensate).

Overall, I like both the waxes, but there’s no way I could use them for shipping all the time. They both arrived by UPS almost melted.

I’m about to test some of this soon purely out of boredom, I’m already predicting it’s gonna act like Problend 400 where it will smoke / soot easily, especially with that very low melt point.

I will be testing HTP wicks in it, they have never been the best for HT but in my opinion they have always had the cleanest burn for me in straight paraffin waxes. That’s more important to me than bigger HT.

The small HTP sizes should do it, I used HTP the whole time with CBL130 in tins before I stopped using their waxes for good.

You literally have no idea what you’re talking about, sorry.

On 2/2/2022 at 5:41 PM, bfroberts said:

I was wondering what you’re seeing with zinc wicks and plasma lighters. I’m using both exclusively right now and I haven’t seen anything alarming, but if there’s an issue there I may need to rethink. Thanks 😊 

I’ve seen some crazy pops and bangs, almost like mini fireworks or something, but I haven’t used zinc wicks in a long time so I wouldn’t know what’s causing it. @TallTaylmight know.

That's disappointing, I actually tried some of their oils and stuff not long ago and talked to someone there, they seemed like they really had everything together. For me it totally throws out any credibility seeing something like this which is obviously a terrible idea.

They're talking a load of rubbish, nobody is gonna use a wax with that low of a melt point at a large manufacturing company. Any kind of transport with heat and those candles will go to crap. It's good marketing though.

I don't think it's going to be any different than every other wax on the market from lot to lot, I've tried most of them recently and they all never wick the same as the previous batch.

18 hours ago, lovelyscents said:

Yep, I have seen that complaint many many times.  I am not sure how the manufacturer and / or supplier can send out wax like this and then expects us to become the scientists and troubleshooters.  We have less time to "fix" it once we establish a customer base. 

 

I seem to be losing my motivation and excitement for the whole thing more times than not and its saddening.  I am getting to a point where blending coconut 1 and some beeswax sounds more promising for consistency lately.  Well, I hear mottling wax is pretty consistent also.  I have to say I am shocked 4627 would be messed up, it seems like such a basic petrolatum blend.

They obviously have no quality control whatsoever, they brag about making 40,000 lbs of wax each batch, but can’t even test a small amount first to see if it’s trashed or not. Real professional.

Now I’m back to Flaming Candles wax blends as emergency until I get something figured out.
 

On 1/1/2022 at 12:55 AM, lovelyscents said:

I meant to ask you which wicks you prefer in it?  Zinc?  Do you tend to get high flames or excessive soot if not constantly trimmed?

I jinxed myself, all the praise I gave it then we get a new batch a couple weeks ago and when you pour it, it looks like zombie brains on top when it sets. Of course, you can fix this by adding a bunch of a different wax but then you don’t get the same HT. 
 

The first burn does have a higher flame for me, but not after that. I used HTP / LX in it, I don’t trim my candles so I don’t have much experience with zinc wicks, plus I don’t like how they act with plasma lighters which are becoming more common these days.

It's not a bad wax, it's easy to wick and pour but like most parasoys it depends if it likes the particular fragrance you're using. 4630 is better except for the lower melt point, but if you're not exposing the candles to high heat like in the mail then it doesn't matter.

I always like fruity stuff strong like Macintosh Apple. Some things are just too much for me like Black Sea or designer dupes, or caramel / eucalyptus type scents.

I was making soy candles for a long time before soy went to hell, then after a while I started dabbling with 6006 and joined some FB groups thinking it would be just as easy to figure out as 464 but it is a completely different animal, and some of the wick / vessel combinations I tried were terrifying. Even ones recommended by people that others look up to as so called ‘experts’. 
 

One example : a 3” glass tumbler, double wicked with HTP 104’s in 6006. That’s pretty much a guaranteed glass breaking combo when that burns further down.

Everybody has their own opinion on what a decently wicked candle is, and how safe something has to be, so it’s always going to be a complete crap shoot. 
 

my opinion is FB groups are literally useless for advice, but they can be good for getting ideas to try new things. 

On 11/12/2021 at 8:59 PM, Sarah S said:

@lovelyscents, you know what i am going to say... go back to the CW waxes! I am still in love with the CBL125 and I love their Palm1 as well. Their blends are very consistent. My only complaint is that they are often out of stock these days, but who isn't?

I use oils from CW, Flaming Candle, and NG with great success in Palm. Like @Candybee, my CT is almost overpowering before the wick is even lit. I find Palm does best with florals, fruits, earthy blends and ocean type scents. And the typical "clean" types.

CBL125 throws anything. But put a bakery scent from Indiana Candle Supply in it and be ready to die from rapture!

I still have a stash of CSNs to use with the palm. I will cry when it's gone.

I use HTPs with the 125.

I used HTP with the 125 too, but my problem was finding a wick between 93 and 104, I could never get one to burn right like the HTP’s.

23 hours ago, Candybee said:

Wanted to add one more thing... I was initially worried about the CT with palm when I first started out working with it. I was worried customers would just think meh... and move on. But that has not been the case at all. Customers tell me how strong my candles smell, strong enough they can smell them before they open. Plus, when I am standing several feet away I can always smell the candle when a customer opens a jar to sniff. So no more worries about CT. There is definitely enough there for customer interest and no one, not one single person, has said anything about a weak CT. This on top of the fact that I lowered my FO load from 6 to 5% more than 3 yrs ago. With the lower FO load the candles actually smell stronger when burning, create even less soot, burn even cleaner, have a better (shorter & more stable) flame height, produce less if any mushrooming, last longer, and cost slightly less to make. A real win-win for me!  

Can you elaborate a bit on getting hot throw with Glass Glow? I've tried everything to get a good hot throw and only about 1 in 10 fragrances want to give anything. The cold throw is banging, super strong, but hot throw non existent.

I usually add FO at 200, I've tried 3%-6%, CSN and CD wicks.