anncal

58 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

WSP does, though, so you can look into their popular fragrances and see if you notice any patterns.
 

How do you like WSP fragrances for candles?  I have tons leftover from CP soapmaking but I haven't seen anyone talking about them as a candle fragrance supplier.

I know that the same candle with different fragrances in it can require different wick sizes up or down from the "naked" candle.  Are there things you seasoned folks know about the fragrance formulations that help guide your decision when picking a wick to start with (such as vanillin content, flash point, type of fragrance like citrus vs floral, scent notes, etc.) or is the answer simply test, test, and test again?  I guess what I'm asking is whether there is a knowledge base out there that will tell me things like (hypothetically) citrus scents will typically require larger wicks.

I know I'll need patience for all of this, but if I can save myself from unnecessary testing brought on by just winging it, I would love to!

Thanks to all for your help!  This has been really informative

1 hour ago, bfroberts said:

I really don't have difficulty with any of the parasoys in tins.  We've done several sizes of tins, and they all work well.  We've used 6006 (the most), PB600, CBL130 and multiple other parasoy blends of our own.  Here's a couple of tricks that might help, or at least help you know what to look for. 
-Do not to get hung up on getting a full melt pool early on. You want a little wax clinging to the sides of the tin until the candle is nearly spent.  The last of the wax will melt off the sides near the end and you will be left with a clean tin.  If you wick hot enough for a full melt point early on, it will be too hot as the candle burns down lower in the tin.  6006 doesn't melt outward into a wide melt pool like some waxes, and sometimes people don't understand that is just the nature of this wax.  I see a lot of people just keep wicking up, up, up trying for that full melt pool, and they eventually end up with a hot, sooty candle.

-Allow the candle to cure. I like to wait a couple of weeks w/parasoy, but that seems to stretch the limits of patience for new makers, and I get that.  Still, you really do need to wait at least a week to test burn, although 2 weeks is more ideal. If you burn too soon, parasoys (6006 especially) seem to struggle to burn efficiently, your test results won't be 100% accurate and you'll be wondering why things aren't working the way they should.  A good cure fixes a lot of that.  

-Don't fall into the trap of wanting to use a high % of FO.  More FO doesn't really mean it's going to throw stronger, but it can make wicking more challenging.  

 

I poured a PB600 and a 6006 unscented yesterday to start finding my base wicks.  What do you like/dislike about each of these blends?  Off the bat I noticed my PB600 gave me a more satisfying top and seemed more pleasant to work with.  Do I need to wait the full cure time to wick test these, or is that just the time for the scent to cure?

14 hours ago, ErronB said:

8oz tins are literally the worst container for parasoy waxes to wick for newbies

 

Is there a particular reason for this?  This is the container I'd very much like to use, and I don't want to put a ton of time and effort into learning to wick a different type of container that I'm not really interested in using.  

Hello!

I'm pretty new to candle making and tried my hand at soy wax but wasn't terribly pleased with it.  I have an order in for 6006 and ProBlend 600 which I plan to pour into the 8 oz tins.  What have y'all used as far as wicks and fragrance loads that work well with these?  Any lessons learned or things you wish you'd known going in?

Thanks in advance!

Anne