Brad Ford

Soy will not be immune for major price increases in the next year to 18 months. All the hype about bio-fuels has made the major Ag companies take notice. E85 & BioDiesel are the hot topics right now...and the major soy suppliers are hoarding veg feedstocks in anticipation of increase capacity (for biofuels) and therefore need for veg oils. Now that Veg based fuels are comparable in cost to petro - the biggies will be anxious to reap the margins of converting the oil to fuel vs. wax.

"most" of the time, the products are the same...you pay extra for the certification. I would not be concerned at all. People have been swallowing mineral oil by the spoon full for years. Reason? This is not the forum for such details. Brad

mineral oil and parol are the same thing...parol is a technical grade (industrial use) oil vs. mineral oil that is Food Grade/FDA approved. I would expect you to see no difference. Bonus, Tech grade is cheaper. Brad

Unscented baby oil will work if you are looking for small quantities. From my days as an oil salesman, baby oil is usually a 50-70 Visc. mineral oil. Brad

I start this reply with this disclaimer - I am making a generalization. No hate mail please. In the early days of soy blends, poor scent performance was a common complaint. It turns out that soy and FO didn't like each other much. The soy and FO have a polarity conflict - ie, their molecules don't really get along. However, upon this realization, fragrance suppliers were able to modify FO to achieve the performance people wanted out of soy and retain the orginal "smell". Soy blends and soy waxes have become so popular this is rarely an issue. Most any fragrance manufacturer has learned how to optimize for this. I do make it a point to tell all of my customers to make sure the FO supplier knows you are using a soy or soy blended wax. This should avoid problems. Brad

You owe it to yourself to try the capri blue - volcano - i haven't seen anything better yet...and i have seen a lot. Brad

please contact me at brad@clarussp.com, i will resend the info you requested. Brad

There are lower MP paraffins, however they will have an even higher oil content than scale wax. Some even will pool oil on top w/o any fragrance. Additionally, the lower MP usually(but not always) also means a softer wax. Some are borderline hard enough to slab. Now if you are willing to buy in 55 gallon drums (approx. 400 pounds), then there might be an option or two for you. Note - Scale wax is as far down as one can go and the wax remain food grade. While I am sure few are interested in eating (at least knowingly - ps don't swallow your gum!) - it also means it might not be odor free - important for candles I would guess. brad

blonde...did you get me PM? Brad

Blonde, how much do you need...i have 400 pounds of 133F paraffin in my warehouse i would like to move. See specs for 133M www.claruswax.com Brad

Brooke, I would guess that most candle supply companies will have at least one to choose from. Your best bet is a micro wax with a melt in the 165-185F range that is not super hard. Typical usage is between 2-5%. It will give the wax a more creamy look, raise the melt point, harden a soft wax, and aid in oil retention. Pillar and votive blends may contain up to 10%. As a general rule, double the percentage of vybar use for micro wax for similar results. Please contact me here (bford@clarussp.com), if you would like a small sample to exp. with. Brad

i must have misunderstood your post..my apologies.

I have also heard that adding a little black dye will also deepen the colors... Brad

way, way too much vybar. Too much vybar makes wax wrinkle on top, somtimes referred to as shark skin. 1-2% is usually more than enough..if not, add micro wax instead of additional vybar...not as $$$, accomplishes the same thing, and won't ripple. brad

2281 is a paraffin scale wax. This means it may contain up to 1.5% oil by itself (fully refined paraffin is typically a max of 0.5%). The higher oil content will limit the wax's ability to suspend additional oils. You would be lucky for it to hold more than 5% on a consistent basis (w/o additives). Even fully refined paraffins have trouble with over 6% (w/o additives). Unless you need the low melt point of this wax, you might have better luck with a fully refined wax or add some vybar or microcrystalline wax. Hope that helps. Brad - bford@clarussp.com www.claruswax.com

I have two paraffins that meet that melt point range - prices FOB Dallas, TX are $0.72-74 per pound depending on the wax. Brad

we are working on that right now! i hope to have some news soon. Brad

If anyone is interested in purchasing pallet quantities...Clarus does not have a minimum order requirment - as long as it is pick up or shipped from our Dallas, TX warehouse. Various paraffins and blends for containers and votives are available. Contact me at your convenience if there is any interest. Brad - bford@clarussp.com www.claruswax.com

Joy wax is 30% soy - are trying to hit a specific ratio of soy to paraffin or is there anyother appearance/performance reason? Brad

are you making pillars or jars? for pillars you need a very translucent wax (assuming the chunks are colored)...this is difficult with jars using a blended wax. Additional products when added to paraffin increase the waxes opacity. We do market a fairly translucent wax (for a blend) if you are making containers. what is the melt point of the wax chunks? They need to be high enough no to melt or bleed color on the over pour. Hope that helps. Brad www.claruswax.com

I have seen a lot of candles in my day...they best container candle by far - Capri Blue - Volcano scent No. 6 - so says my wife. Brad

If anyone is in the TX area and needs a wax like 5055, I would suggest my CSP 155W. Available out of our Dallas warehouse. If interested, please email me for more information bford@clarussp.com Brad www.claruswax.com

We have our own branded waxes and formulas. Regarding wax comparisons, I know a little about some of the competing waxes, but not all. As this is a candle makers forum, I don't think this is the place for me to make formal comparisons, however, I am happy to answer more detailed questions on a one on one basis. Contact me at your convenience. Thank you.

Hello All, I am new to the forum, but i do have some information regarding FilTec wicks and hybrid candle blends(soy&paraffin). The soy has a higher viscosity when molten compared to paraffin. That is why candles made with a blend or all veggie products require more wick than paraffin. The "open" nature of the Filtec wick allows for better "wicking" action and a better burn.