Soy-N-Suds

3 hours ago, BusyBee said:

I did not put Perfumer's Apprentice link for all the chandlers in here.  They only have about 10 FOs that can be used in candle.  But in order use their FOs in candle, we really have to know what we are doing just like "NightLight" said.  This link was meant to be only for "sarahmarah", who likes to mix own scents.  For all others, we still can learn little bit about process of how a scent is made from this website.  

 

I am satisfied with many FOs that are available thru our own suppliers mentioned in our forum.  I put "Premier Specialties" web link up there because "CaptnKush" was curious about where Lab & Co. gets their FOs.  If we were to getting bigger and growing our candle company, then next step would be to deal with companies like AFI or Premier Specialties.

 

Well everyone sorry for the confusion I have caused!  Happy holiday season and I wish you great successful new year!

I did see their page for Candle fragrances. The Arabian Sandalwood isn't on that page, but I know it's a great Oil for soaping. I guess I'm just wondering if the oil they sell is the same oil Wellington sells since it says it was manufactured by them. I didn't realize oil manufacturers that retail their oils were also retailed by other companies. 

I'm in WI and for 21 years I've only purchased FO from 4 places and EO from 2 places. I feel like I'm learning a lot about oil suppliers just recently and this past year ordered sample sizes from a few new places. I learned years ago once I find an oil I like, stick with the company because under the same name, but different company, they can smell very different. I guess studying data sheet information might change how I order if I branch out to other manufacturers/suppliers.

Thanks for sharing the links, I may try a few. I've yet to find a coffee fragrance I like a lot and I see they have that on the candle FO page.

These are new to me, so I went to perfumers apprentice and the first Oil that captured my attention was Arabian Sandalwood (never made it past "A" 😂

When i checked the safety data sheet it says it says its manufacturer is Wellington, so I went to their site. The price is $46 vs $22 for 1lb or 1.1 lbs.

Is it the same Oil? 

I've purchased oils from lebermuth and I've never been disappointed.

I have an 80lb water jacket and a 20lb water jacket. I purchased both at Bitter Creek. I'm not sure if they have those particular ones anymore, but I've used both a lot over the years.  

On 11/12/2019 at 7:07 PM, ErronB said:

I've been using this wax for a few months now and I love it, but due to the inconsistency with thin wooden wicks I gotta switch to regular wicks.

 

I've used HTP and LX plenty before but I've never managed to get the 'self-trimming' to work like I've heard about.

 

In a 8oz tin I'm using HTP 83 / 93, and LX 18 / 20 / 22.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm just starting to test this wax in a custom parasol blend. I'm using jars in several sizes which burn cooler, but I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has experience to the OP since I have some tins to use up.

This post right here is why I love being here. Wish i would have found this forum years ago. But, I've just started doing things off Etsy and ordering from my suppliers in the past year. 

On 11/20/2019 at 7:25 AM, Forrest said:

I have my wick list and my 8oz tin wicks for all the FOs that I use, moving up a size in paraffin would be quick and easy. 

If everything could be this easy in Candle making 😂

Never mind my double post. I'm still trying to figure out how to quote. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't? Always user error 🤓

If everything could be this easy in Candle making 😂

Okay, I thought I needed more than that. I can make that work. Thank you!

If you use wood wicks and sell your candles, how do you comply with their legal requirements?

Its too much information to fit on my warning label. 

25 minutes ago, Soy-N-Suds said:

The answer to your question is 'yes'.

 

I make wickless candles @ 6% and 9% for some lighter fragrances. I label them with FO/Company, % used, date. I don't color wax for candles or clamshell melts. I test my jars at 6 months, sometimes it goes longer.

 

Most candles do well at 6% with the long cure. I have a few that are 9%. I use the remaining of the bottle of FO and make as many candles as I can. Put them back in the box, label the box, and put on the shelf. They sit on my shelf for 6 months. Back in a day, way back 😬, I learned this when I had a store front. The wick issue has some truth for not only soy, but paraffin also. 

 

Once I reached the 6 month mark, the fragrance strength didn't change and the wick characteristics didn't change with a longer time. Meaning, 9 months or 12 months of cure time doesn't give it stronger scent and the way the wick performs doesn't change.

 

6 months really is the sweet spot and when I read problems about wicking and scent after a 3-5 day cure, or even a 2-3 week cure, I've learned not to say much because it causes so much controversy. A 3 month cure is better, but 6 months is best. I'm only responding to your post because I've seen your posts about 6 months and a year cure time. 

 

I'm fortunate to have space for this. It's also why I don't sell candles in many fragrances, but offer wax melts in a ton of fragrances.

 

Editing to add, once the 6 months are up, I sell wholesale and take to shows. They don't get old and the burn (wick) is spot on, so if it takes 5 years to sell them I know they will burn and smell great.

On 10/24/2019 at 9:07 AM, Forrest said:

Like many people when I first started I used 10% FO because that’s what it said my wax could hold. That led to a lot of problems with smoking and mushrooming. Dropping down to 7% solved many of those problems. A while back I did wick testing for 18 FOs in 8oz tins with 6006 at 7% and selected wicks that I thought would be good after several months curing. One FO that gave me problems was Flaming’s Falling Leaves, but I settled on a WI740. However when I made the candles I miscalculated the FO and ended up with something around 9%. After four months curing my WI740 didn’t work at 9%. I tried several wicks I ended up with a 44 zinc core, which is seven wicks higher on my wick list. The thing is that when I tested this I had no smoking or mushrooming problems. This got me to wondering if a long cure time would allow a higher FO percentage without wicking issues, and would the higher FO percentage lead to better HT in well cured wax. So the in my next batch of candles I’m going put this to the test by making a few unwicked candles at 9%, and the rest at7%. Once they have a few months to cure I’ll test them and see what the difference is. I realize this has no meaning for someone looking to sell candles, but for amateurs like myself it could be important. One reason I think there may be something here is that one of my first soy candles that cured for a year burned perfectly and had the strongest HT of any candle I have ever seen. Since that experience I have had a theory that soy candles will have better HT than paraffin candles if they are cured long enough. Given the problems with soy I’m not sure I want to test that theory.

 

The answer to your question is 'yes'.

I make wickless candles @ 6% and 9% for some lighter fragrances. I label them with FO/Company, % used, date. I don't color wax for candles or clamshell melts. I test my jars at 6 months, sometimes it goes longer.

Most candles do well at 6% with the long cure. I have a few that are 9%. I use the remaining of the bottle of FO and make as many candles as I can. Put them back in the box, label the box, and put on the shelf. They sit on my shelf for 6 months. Back in a day, way back 😬, I learned this when I had a store front. The wick issue has some truth for not only soy, but paraffin also. 

Once I reached the 6 month mark, the fragrance strength didn't change and the wick characteristics didn't change with a longer time. Meaning, 9 months or 12 months of cure time doesn't give it stronger scent and the way the wick performs doesn't change.

6 months really is the sweet spot and when I read problems about wicking and scent after a 3-5 day cure, or even a 2-3 week cure, I've learned not to say much because it causes so much controversy. I'm only responding to your post because I've seen your posts about 6 months and a year cure time. 

I'm fortunate to have space for this. It's also why I don't sell candles in many fragrances, but offer wax melts in a ton of fragrances.

Editing to add, once the 6 months are up, I sell wholesale and take to shows. They don't get old and the burn (wick) is spot on, so if it takes 5 years to sell them I know they will burn and smell great.

I haven't made pillars for a long time, but made a lot when I had my store. I always leveled on a hot plate.

Here is the YouTube video 

58 minutes ago, CaptnKush said:

I could have sworn that video of the guy testing said it was 140 degrees.

 

Yes, there is a video on YouTube and it says 140*F for glass. The video is done by a man who tested candles for a living based on safety standards.

If you aren't running a production line, this will help.

Set your jar on a white piece of cardboard (will last longer) or paper. Draw a circle around the jar and make a vertical and horizontal line. Where they intersect is the middle. 

When you are ready to wick your jars, place on the circle and set your wick over the 'X'. This will work for see through vessels only.

I have a template for each size jar I make. I made my templates from white tiles purchased at Menards.

Igi 4625 pillar blend from Bitter Creek in WI. I'm from WI and buy wax from them. Their prices are good, but I can pick up, so I'm not sure about shipping.

After the soy fiasco, I ordered a 10 bag of Midwest and tested 6 fragrances I knew worked in Soy. I was NOT disappointed. I'm fortunate enough to have a large shop with shelf space and this is how I've made candles since 2001. 

I pour my test candles and cure for 6 weeks before burning. Why? Because after sitting that long the scent is better and the wick burns different than a 2-3 week old candle. I make candles in summer for my fall shows and need to have wicks work well in candles that are 2 months old or older.

i use Midwest with modifier. Its a 3 hour drive for me so we go with a trailer and make a day of it. 🙂