Jami

After trying liquid and color blocks, I switched to color crystals from make scents candles. It sure makes coloring soooooo much easier and takes so little crystals to get a nice color. Breanna, thanks for that link. I have been trying to come up with a few different colors and wasn't sure how much of which color to use and this was a HUGE help!

I tried liquid dyes but didn't get along very well with them lol I have used color blocks by shaving off little pieces trying to get my colors right and could never be consistent. I now use color crystals from make scents and having great results, it only takes from a couple crystals to a few for a nice colored candle that doesn't bog a wick down and I can be more consistent with my colors. Just another suggestion to try Jami

Thanks for everyone's reply. It seems BCN has the vote of the best strawberry. I will order some to see if I can get it to actually have a hot throw. I was beginning to think I will end up with every strawberry fragrance out there just to get SOMETHING to work lol I appreciate the help! Jami

The best I understand it, wet spots are basically air pockets between the wax and glass. It doesn't affect how the candle burns at all. You can warm the jars a little before you pour, tap the jars after you pour to tap out air pockets, and make sure your jars are more than 6 inches apart while cooling. Sometimes they show up no matter what you do lol. You can take a blow dryer or heat gun up the side of the jar where the wet spots are to try and fix it. I just got some a couple days ago because I actually had my air conditioning going and the jars were a little cooler so the candles set up before I realized there was a draft by the jars. It wasn't a biggie, just doesn't look as good as a candle that is smooth all the way around the jar. I am fairly new to this too, only been at it for about 6 months. Everything that can go wrong I think has gone wrong so far but I am learning as I go lol. Hang in there, it DOES get better Jami

I have ordered some Bluegrass soy and will give it a try. Thanks for the info. I am finding the "food scents" are throwing great, its the fruit scents I am working on now. I did get a digital scale and see how some of my measurements were off. Hopefully, this will help me fix the problem too! Jami

Is it wet spots? If so, did you have your jars sitting close together after you poured them? I had this happen not long ago. I made my candles the same way but since I made several candles, I set them together on a cookie sheet on my dining room table. Someone told me that if you set soy candles too close together as they are setting up, you will get wet spots on the side where the candles were close to each other. Just a thought.

I am on my 3rd com'pany's strawberry FO. I currently have ICS strawberry preserves. It is AWESOME in the bottle and did fine with my tarts BUT........ EVERY candle I have tried to make with strawberry has a VERY weak hot throw. My last candle was made with KY125. I used 15 oz of melted oil and 1.5 oz of FO. (I have tried 1 oz up to 1.5 oz in the past) I added the FO at 150 degrees and poured once it was a tomato juice consistency. I used an 8 oz jelly jar with a CD 10 wick. After curing for 8 days, it was a weak throw. I put it in my bathroom to get a better idea of how little it is throwing. I didn't use any color to see if that would affect the throw. My b/f keeps asking me when am I going to figure out how to make a strawberry candle that smells as good as the glade candle or the yankee candle. Strawberry is his favorite scent. *sigh* lol Is it just me or is Strawberry one of those FO's that just doesn't throw well in soy? Thanks.

I am trying to find a good coconut oil. I have tried a couple but in the candle and tarts all it smelled like was crayons and not a pleasant coconut. I thought maybe it was just my nose but when I asked my daughter what she thought about the scent, she asked me if I mixed up my soap and wax in a candle that it just had a "soap smell" to her. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I use the Banana Nut Bread oil from ICS. I tried 3 others before this one and EVERY person who has smelled this said they want to eat the candle instead of burn it. I was just playing the role of "mad candle chemist" one day and added a cap full of caramelized praline from ICS to my Banana Nut Bread. It added a little kick to the candle that will make your mouth water lol. I will have to try candle science now because I think Banana Nut Bread is my favorite scent.

This is one of the few fragrances that gags me lol. I had to make some candles with it a couple weeks ago for a friend who LOVES it. The only way I could work with is was to put 3/4 vanilla and 1/4 patchouli. Even then its still pretty strong with the patchouli fragrance. The only other fragrance besides vanilla I have seen several blend it with is lavendar.

Yes that is it. Maybe I will just name it "skunk in a bottle"

Does it smell as bad in the candle as it does in the bottle? Did your testers happen to say what it reminds them of scent wise?

LOL I agree with everything you said. That's why I just don't get this oil. It STINKS but I was hoping SOMETHING could be mixed with it to make it smell better.

A friend of mine who makes soap sent me a bottle of "candle shop" FO because it wasn't skin safe. Supposedly its supposed to smell like you are walking into a candle shop. I don't like the fragrance and was wondering if anyone is familiar with this FO. I might have to mix it with something else but I can't figure out what the scent is to mix it and make it smell better lol. Any input is appreciated :smiley2:

Ics's Caramelized Pralines.....is just as good as Snowtops Carmel Nut Cluster, and ICS"S is cheaper. I love the Caramelize Pralines and still trying to decide if I want to try the Caramel Nut cluster because I hear so many raves about it then I see some who say they smell the same. what to do what to do ICS's Buttery Vanilla...I actually like ALOT better then the Vanilla Bliss...and its alot cheaper $4 ..cheaper. I wish I had seen this before I ordered the Vanilla Bliss. I thought the vanilla bliss was pretty weak and now I am stuck with a pound of it lol. I have been using Kathy's oils and being a FO addict, really debating on ordering some of the Snowtop oils. I think I will keep watching the boards before I order. Thanks for the info!

Here is a link I have been referring to alot when I have questions regarding what wicks to try: http://www.wicksunlimited.com/candle_wicks.php Hope this helps! Jami

I melt my wax on warm on my presto which is around 175-180. I measure out 14 oz of melted wax and then add my color. I usecolor crystals from makescents and I have also tried little slivers of color from a color block. Once the color is blended, I add my oil (tried 1 oz up to 1.5 oz)and stir for 3 -5 minutes. I let it sit til it cools to a tomato juice consistency mix again then pour. I have even tried to wait til the wax cooled a little before I added the oil (around 140 - 150). I have tried 8 oz jelly jars, mason jars and 8 oz wide mouth jars. I have used cd 10, 12 and 14 on the 8 oz jelly jars, HTP 105 and CD 16 on my 8 oz wide mouth, HTP 105 and CD 16 on mason jars. I have fragrances from KY candle, natures garden, ICS, candle source and alabaster. I don't have a problem with my melt pool, I can get the 8 oz wide mouth to burn clean with cd 16 and my jelly jars with the cd 12 or 14 depending on the oil. The fruity fragrances are what I can't get to throw in a candle. I have banana nut bread, caramel praline and creme brulee that I don't think anyone can mess up, it throws no matter what the combination lol All of my tarts throw well there is just something about the candles that the fruit fragrances don't want to throw in. I poured some yesterday to test RRD wicks. I am sure I am leaving something out but this is the somewhat quick run down of what I have tried.

I live in the Nashville, TN area and after spending a fortune buying candles over the years to find out 90% of them were "duds", I decided in October to make my own. Boy oh boy is it a challenge and I am going to conquer this if it kills me (and it just might lol) I am currently using KY125 soy but have tried others. I have spent MANY MANY hours researching, reading and testing what I have read. The wicks seem to be my worst nightmare. When I make a batch, I make a candle and pour tarts with my excess wax. My tarts are awesome, the throw is great hot and cold. Most of the candles I have made are very weak though. The only exception has been Banana Nut Bread and Caramel Pecan. I can't ruin those two fragrances no matter what I do lol. I have fragrances from several vendors. Yes, I am a FO addict. Today I made 10 different candles. I used the same size 8 oz jelly jar but several different wicks so I can determine which wick I can get to throw hot. I have 3 friends who "test" for me so its not just my nose. The biggest feedback is I can't smell them unless I am right over top of it but they all burn clean and the burn time is great. My goal is to have hair left when I finally find the right combination! lol This board is AWESOME. I have spent the past 4 hours reading and I am sure I will be spending several more days reading. Thanks for the wealth of info on here!