tangerine

I get them from www.sciencekit.com. I use the 100 ml beakers for my FOs and the 1000 ml ones as my pouring pots. http://www.sciencekit.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_755007

I switch the cover of the FO bottle to a flip top cap. I measure my FO in small, plastic tri-pour beakers (polypropylene, #5). I have one for each scent, so no clean up required.

I use wooden spoons, one for each scent I carry.

Scottopus, I did allow the stored candle to come up to room temperature before burning it. I am hoping it was just this particular FO that is causing the problem, but I know that's wishful thinking. Mystical- I sure do hope that soy wax will keep improving. Candleessence- I came across your thread about palm wax and was wondering if the same thing is happening to this soy wax. I am considering testing yet another wax. Thanks for your replies.

Thanks, Top. I think you're right about the instability of soy waxes. It is frustrating, although this is the first time I'm having a problem with this wax in over a year.

Hi Beezwald, http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11268&highlight=Wick+Premier

Thanks for the links, Joanna! How do you mix the FO into your 8 ounce sample?

I carry about 20 scents and I test 2-3 scents for each new lot of wax. Someone suggested testing a normal scent and a heavy one. For each new lot that I got, the scents I tested burned pretty much the same. If this is all weather-related, then there's only so much we can do. If someone comes back to return a candle, then I guess I have no choice but to take it back. :embarasse Thanks for everyone's replies!

Hi Jason, Do you have distributors for this wax yet?

Did the problem have anything to do with storing the wax in a really cold place though? This is getting frustrating. :undecided Although I test burn each new lot, it wouldn't be cost effective to test each scent everytime! I've tested other older candles -- some almost a year old-- that burned fine. It was just this one particular scent that tunnelled then drowned.

I use soy wax with a bit of BW. I decided to burn one of the candles that I use as a tester (for sniffing). I made this candle in November. It has been stored in a warm enough place and has never been exposed to freezing temperatures. When I burned it, it left a half-inch hang up all around! My burn was long enough, so that wasn't the problem. When I got home I burned it again and the wick was drowning! I test each new lot of soy wax that I get. Has this happened to anyone else?

I would like to make some liquid soap using a pre-made base and just add FO to it. What's the best way to add FO to a small amount of liquid soap base for testing? I read a suggestion somewhere of putting the amount of base you need in a plastic bag, add the FO and knead. How about for a whole gallon? Do you measure the FO by volume or weight? Thanks!

I like the first one. The word "scents" is more visible.

www.greatcandle.com

How long should it take to achieve a full melt pool? Take the inner diameter of your container in inches. That will be the number of hours it should take for you to get a full melt pool. How deep should a melt pool be? 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep What is a "good flame"? Steady (not flickering), good height in relation to wick size Is some hang-up on the sides OK, if it melts away later? Or is it just a personal preference? This is a matter of personal preference. The glass I use has an inner diameter of about 2 1/2 inches. After 2 1/2 hours on the initial burn, I look for a melt pool of about 1/4 inch. A little hang up on one side is acceptable to me because I find that it tends to melt down with subsequent burns, even more so if you do power burns. I have tried wicking such that there would be no hang up from the first burn, but I find that when it gets down to the bottom third, the glass gets TOO hot.

Wicks from Candlescience are cheaper but their tabs are 15 mm X 3.8 mm. BCN's are 20 mm X 6 mm -- these are what I use. The price difference is getting me to think about switching suppliers though.

This sounds even better.

Hi, This question How many store bought candles have you bought can do that? may be missing "that"?

For scent #s 2 and 7, Brulee is misspelled.

I can't wait for your wick centering tools! Is the large one adjustable?

Kind of like The Emperor's New Clothes. Her logo was there a while ago.

I REALLY like the look of your site. I also love your containers.

Wet spots never really bothered me until I started a new batch of soy wax. This time, even with other conditions being the same (temperature and humidity in the room, etc), I would get really UGLY wet spots. I've been embracing wet spots for over a year but these, I could NOT embrace. So right before pouring, I'd heat my glass with a heat gun. I would still get wet spots at times but they were the embraceable kind.

Dawn, I'm not exactly sure what you mean. If you mean that you are looking at the side of the glass and your melt pool (liquid wax) is 1 inch DEEP, then your candle is definitely overwicked. Ideally, the melt pool should be 1/4 to 1/2" deep at a given amount of time (depends on diameter of container). For my container candles, I am ok with a certain amount of hang up leftover after the first burn. If properly wicked, the hang up goes away after consecutive burns. Others prefer a full melt pool, edge to edge, from the first burn.