CandleCouture

I've been pretty well able to achieve this on most of my fragrance oils (Indo Teak being an exception). And, I would say that we all have different opinions of what a great scent throw is. That was all I was stating. Someone in this thread previously, stated that at 1oz per pound, the Indo Teak, in their opinion, produced a great throw. I disagreed, in that, at that level, in my opinion, it wasn't a "great throw." That is all I was stating. And, I also disagree that NOT EVERYONE is looking for the strong, blow me out the house, type of throw that I'm looking for.

I also have a private message from you indicating that you too tried the Indo Teak at 9% and it didn't throw well enough for your tastes. Did you not? And, someone earlier felt it threw great at 6%, so, my point (that everyone's opinion of a "great scent throw" is not the same) has been shown to be true.

By the way, Dallas Dean, I'm from Miami....Go Heat.

I know. We are trying. We have our wax, our jars, and are finalizing our testing of fo's and wicks. We are striving to make the perfect candle.

Goodness, no. Not at all. You are wonderful. I was pointing out that, unlike most, I prefer to use a bit more oil (generally) for purposes of scent throw, as I prefer a stronger throwing FO than most. I had also pointed out previously, I think, that this may be the reason that it was sooting (the higher level of FO's), although, even at that higher level, most other oils just don't soot for me in this wax, which is why I love this wax.

So, all things being equal, I do think that Indo Teak may have something in it that produces more soot than most other oils, however, possibly using less may fix this problem.

Also, Brenda, there was a thread about this (actually, it was specific to the Premier wicks), with regards to the Indo Teak, so this really isn't the first time I mentioned this about Indo Teak, and, while it may be due to the higher FO level, it certainly isn't the wicks, as every wick imaginable has now been tried, and they all sooted with this oil. And, again, while it may be the higher FO levels, I think it also is something inherent to the oil, as it doesn't happen (even at these levels) with the other oils. Having said that, it's one of my favorite oils, in terms of it's scent, and, anyone who has NOT tried it, absolutely HAS to. It's a magnificent oil, from a magnificent supplier (my favorite supplier, in fact).

That's pretty terrible. What kind of a moron burns a candle for 13 straight hours? I guess one like that does...Either way, I agree...testing under MUCH less than optimal conditions is the absolute way to go.

No, mine doesn't mention this of course it's a pretty basic model. Oh well.

There are companies that do nothing but custom blend waxes for you.

What people are fearing is the jar breaking (possibly even exploding), because it overheats. The issue isn't so much a fire being caused, at least not directly.

From what I understand, infrared thermometers measure a surface temperature based on the infrared waves coming off the surface. While it's only accurate to within +or- 2 degrees (roughly), it is probably accurate enough for our purposes.

I've not gotten a single wick that didn't produce soot in my straight sided tumbler, with Indonesian Teak. And, I've tried them all. The winner, in terms of the least amount, was the Low Smoke Zinc, but it did still soot.

It doesn't throw to my liking at 6%. We all have different opinions on what constitutes a GREAT throw, and, for me, at 6%, it wasn't cutting it.

well thats how a company makes up for the loss of an item by charging more for shipping even if it is ups or USPS all they have to do to charge more, is add the pounds of shipping more,it does sound good to get an item for 1.99 on ebay,but look for the shipping cost first.ITS CALLED SHIPPING FRAUD.

Fraud? That's pretty harsh don't you think? By definition, if their shipping rate is posted, then it isn't fraud. In a free market economy, you can choose not to purchase, for whatever reason, including if you think that shipping charges are out of line.

Yes, I agree. Indonesian Teak is the one that gave me a ton of problems. It's a shame cause I love the scent but, it smokes horrendously and, I can't carry it for that reason.

They don't? What should I use? And, how do you know they don't work on glass? I looked at all the specs for mine and it doesn't mention anything for glass.

I've been trying the search feature on this for the better part of two hours, but, my searches turn out to be either too narrow, or too broad. I can't quite find what I'm looking for that way.

Does anyone have a guideline for how hot is TOO hot for the glass to get when burning a container candle? I have an infrared thermometer and am able to measure the tempereature of the glass and was just wondering.

I use a straight sided tumbler and, the only CD wicks that could actually make it all the way across (3.25" diameter), produced soot (some fragrance oils worse than others), however, having said that, I use between 8% and 10% fo load on most of my oils, which might have something to do.

The Zinc Wicks I mentioned are not the regular ones, by the way, but rather, the low smoke kind only sold at WSP.

The CD's have seemed to smoke a bit and put out a bit more soot in the 70/30 than I would like. I've revisited the Premier Series, despite my earlier feelings that it wasn't living up, and, they are starting to grow on me. They have so many sizes that it's hard NOT to find one that is perfect (at least as far as size is concerned).

Another wick that I've liked ALOT, is the Low Smoke Zincs from WSP. They put out less smoke and soot than any other wick I've tested, bar none.

Specifically, which waxes are you looking at that you think might be one and the same? Many are, however, we would probably need to know what waxes, specifically, you are inquiring about.

Thank you for that, Vicky.

Top, do you think they all increase retention of FO, even if it doesn't specifically state that it does?

Phenomenal. This is a great wax. Incredible that you got almost NO SOOT. Great job.

I'm seeing a HUGE variety of these things, called a bunch of different things.

Enchanted Lites calls it "Modifier/All Vegetable" and sells it for around $1.50 per pound.

SoyCandle.com calls it "Soy Lite-Universal Soy Additive" and sells it for a bit over $2 per pound.

The CandleMakers Store calls it "Universal Soy Additive" and sells it for around $3 per pound.

I would normally "assume" it's all the same, however, they have different descriptions, some of them not even MENTIONING that adding it will help increase max FO load, but rather, only mentioning that it hardens the wax, and smooths out tops. Some say that up to 15% can be used, and SoyCandle.com says to use between 1 and 3%.

I'm confused (clearly not hard to do). Anyone know if all these are the same? There is also a HUGE different in pricing, with Enchanted Lites being BY FAR the cheapest.

I'm really not. I was just shocked to hear that it could hold that much. I will test and see what happens. Also, as for colors, I'm not coloring my candles, so I don't mind that too much.

The wax and additive are on the way, however, I was asking people with experience for their opinions. Clearly you have none, and have nothing to share, so, again, clearly, the question didn't apply to you.

ok, a bit new to the business part of things....I've figured up my costs per candle. It came to 3.75 to make one candle. Now thats only including wax and FO at the price(without shipping or tax) from the supplier. My question is....do you figure in the shipping you pay on the supplies or not. Also do you figure in the additives and dye you use in the costs to make a candle? because that can get very complex then. I know from there it's 2X for wholesale and so on....hope you can understand what I'm asking.. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Absolutely. You figure in shipping, jars, wicks, labels, boxes, etc. Then, when you are done accounting for everything, you add in some sort of "Misc." cost, which should account for the things you didn't already account for, such as electricity, testing, waste, broken jars, etc, etc, etc. I figure my "Misc." factor in at 20%. I then mark-up from that.

anyone else have any experience with the USA? (you seek, Geekrunner...it's catching on)