joanncat18

Just wanted to see if anyone was using these waxes out there...I am still trying to find what wax I want to buy and trying to do as much "research" before hand. I am looking into Just Scent's 50/50 or JS 123. Leaning toward 50/50. I will probably pour into jelly jar 8 oz. Does anyone have any suggestions. How does this burn? Scent throw? Wet spots? Where would you suggest I start with wicks? Thanks.

Leah- Yeah I am now leaning back towards the comfort blend (4627). I was originally going to use that wax until I saw some good things about J50, but now I don't think I really want to try j50 after hearing about the "wet spots" and formula changes.

Carrie- How much soy do you use? Any particular type of soy? Thanks. So on the JS 50/50 does anyone else use that? I heard it does make a great looking candle but the only bad parts I have heard was about the scent throw...so you think it is good?

Ok, I have been trying to research a good container wax but a lot of the posts are from 2005 and 2006. I don't want to make a bad decision due to waxes changing in the last few years. I originally had thought that J50 (4636) would be a good choice because of it's one pour ability and great scent throw, but then I saw a lot about nasty wet spots on jars. I was also considering the comfort container blend. Any suggestions? When was it that IGI bought out Asrolite? I heard some of the waxes changed after this buy out? At least that's what I am reading in the old posts. I plan on pouring 8 oz jj with this wax and have not tried container candles yet. Thanks.

Ok, thanks for the tips. When I did the final pour it did overflow...and my workspace is probably not exactally level so it overflowed in one direction mostly. So I will try not to fill it quite as much and then re-pour. I did buy a heat gun so I will try that. I tried the heat gun after the final pour to see if the line would go away, but it didn't and the wax was going to blow off the top. =)

Ok let me try to post my pics.

How do you guys resize your pics to meet the 97kb requirement? When I try this it is so small. Like 1 inch.

I have been experimenting with a 2 colored layered votive, but I am having one problem. I pour the first color let it cool and then pour the second color. However when this cools it doesn't sink as much as if it were one color because the bottom layer already cooled. There is still more of a sink hole then I like, but when I repour the top color again, you can see where the repour is on top by a line. I think because there wasn't enough room to repour up to the outer rim. Should I just not repour or is there a way to make this line better. Maybe I should fill the second color slightly lower when I initially pour it so there will be enough room for the repour. Does this make sense. I don't know how else to describe it because I am a noob. =) I can't melt and repour because there are 2 colors. I am using the 15 hour votive molds and 4794 votive wax. Is there a one pour type votive wax avaliable? Jamie

So I am glad this site exists because I am learning a lot searching through the threads. I realized that I shouldn't be worrying about different shaped containers until I master one...one at a time. So the process of testing is it just pick your container type and then try different waxes with different wics and then test each and every FO in it like this? I am trying to figure out an efficient process for testing. I think I will start with IGI 4636 (j50)...I have heard good things about it on here as far as a good container candle. Unless that info is outdated. If anyone has another suggestion let me know. I will start pouring jelly jars simply because of expense...I like the apothecary jars better, but maybe later I will do that. So 4636 in a jelly jar...any suggestions of where to start wick testing? And is 1/2 oz per lb or 1 oz per lb recommended? I hear you only NEED 1/2 oz and 1 oz for very strong candles. FO of course. I have been looking for a supplier near me but the closest is like 5 hours away in Seattle. So I think I will have to pay shipping. I like in Washington State. Any suggestions on who might have the lowest shipping rates for wax and jars? I really appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks. Jamie

Thanks all. I will order liquid dye the next time and maybe try duct tape for sealing. Another question...when selecting wics for container candles, if you have an irregular shaped container, such as a heart or star, should you use 2 wics or is one ok? Do you still select the wic based on diameter of the candle if it's a short fat container? Thanks. Jamie

Well thanks for your opionions so far. I was using IGI 4625 pillar blend of wax, regular color dye chips (redi glo) from peak- not pigment. The FO was pink sugar from peak. The wax was around 190 I think when I added them. I wanted to pour hot this time to see if I would get less surface blemishes on the top of the candle. I mixed 2 pots of the wax with different FO and dye and both of them flecked on the top. Well both used the same red dye chip, but one was a lot less for pink and the rest went into the other pot for warm apple pie. The end result doesn't actually look that bad, but I don't want it to happen each time.

Hi all. I am new to candle making and this forum. I got a kit from peak for votives and that was fun so I bought 4 sheet metal molds for pillars, but I am having some issues. My first pillar candles weren't horrible but have some flaws. The ones I did yesterday have specks of the dye chips on top. It seemed like everything was mixed well. When I put one of the scented oils into the wax, it looked like an "oil and water" effect and that the scented oil wasn't mixing well with the wax. I don't know what the problem was. Also what is the best way to clean the metal molds? I have been baking them in the oven on a baking sheet with paper towels on it for about 8 min, but it still seems like there is residue in my pots and on the molds. It wont all come off. The other thing I noticed is that my mold sealer is so sticky that it leaves a nasty residue on the mold bottom. It's pretty gross to remove too. Is there a less messy kind of sealer. I got the basic mold sealer from peak. Or maybe a way to clean it off better. Another problem I have is it seems hard to level the bottoms of the candles...I get how to do it but they still don't seem very level. I made a star pillar and it's fairly level but still rocks side to side slightly like the bottom is not very level. Maybe there is an easier way. I have been using a cake pan on top of a pot of boiling water. Can you use a heat gun to level at all? I don't know if this would work to level before taking it out of the mold. I'd appreciate any tips. Thanks. Jamie