The Mod Team

Q: Do I have to test every wick, wax, and FO combo, even if I am using the same jar for all of them? A. Absolutely! Always test every candle you make!

Q: Where is the best place to buy wax? A. Try to find the supplier nearest you for your wax to save on shipping charges. Same goes for glass containers.

Q: How do I get a white candle? Should I buy a white dye block and where can I get one? A: If the fragrance oil you use does not discolor the wax, you don't need to add anything. Steric, vybar, UA and luster crystals will all help to make the candle white and harder. Peak offers a white dye block.

Q: How much FO should I use per pound of wax? A. 1 oz per pound is what most of us use. A: Every wax has an oil load threshold. Some waxes can hold 10%, while others can only hold 5%. Find out the specifics of the wax you're using. Q: Who has the best FO? A. The sponsor of this board, Peak Candle Supply, has top-notch products and service. Q: Where do I find ..... fragrance? This link will be helpful when you are trying to find a specific scent or dupe: http://www.geocities.com/lwoollen_25/FragranceFinder/index.html Q: Can you mix your own FO’s? A. Yes you can blend any type of FO to your own liking. Q: What if you don’t know if two FO’s will smell good together? A. The best way to try this is to dip a q-tip into one scent, and another q-tip into another scent. Place them both into a small plastic baggie and let them sit, Go back and smell them later. This will give you idea if you will like them or not.

Q:What are wick pins? A:Wick pins are used to leave a hole in pillar candles. When the candle is cool and dry, remove it and thread your wick through the holes. Sometimes you will need to widen the hole a little bit. This can be done by shaving the inside hole to widen it a little at a time to help accommodate the wick. The advantage to using wick pins is that you don't have to worry about centering the wick and keeping it straight during the cooling process. But you DO have to thread the wick through the hole after the pillar is cool. You'll want to prime your wick to enable you to thread it through the hole. You use wick pins (in pillars by) attaching some plumber's putty or mold sealer to the inside of the disk of the wick pin (around the pin), thread the pin through the wick hole in the bottom of the mold and press firmly to seal. You can cover it with tape to seal it more or let it stand as is, as long as you have sealed off any potential leaks. People also use pillar wick pins the same as votive pins, by dropping them inside the mold. Q: What are votive wick pins? A: Short pins similar to wick pins and used to form a wick hole to thread wicking through once the candle is cool and has been removed from the mold. To use a votive wick pin you just it in the empty votive cup. Q: I can't get my votive pins out. I put them in the fridge, but they won't come out. What do I do? A: Let the votive come back down to room temperature and try to remove them again. They should slide right out. Q: Can I use a wick pin with a container candle? A: You shouldn't as you won't be able to remove it to wick the jar.

Q: How do I know how much wax my mold/container will hold? A. Fill the mold/container with water. Pour the water into a measuring cup. Note the volume. Multiply the volume amount times .8 and you will get the solid weight of wax that you will need to fill that mold.

Q: Should I measure the fragrance oil in a measuring cup? A:No. Fragrance is measured by weight, not volume. So if you were using 6% of 16 ounces of wax, that's .96 ounces (weighted). Rounding off to 1 ounce is fine.

Q: My wax is a "preblend". Should I add anything to it? A: No, with the exception of UV inhibitor, which will keep the colors from fading in sunlight.

Q:How do I figure out how much 6% is? A:Lets say you have a pound of wax and and 1 ounce of FO. That's 17 ounces. 1 ounce divided by 17 ounces =.0588 or 5.88%. A hair short of 6%. For most uses, that's fine. For large batches, this might make a difference. I use the formula 6.4% of wax weight for 6% of total weight (comes out to 5.99%) and 8.7% of wax weight for 8%.

Q: If the specs for my wax say that it has a fragance oil retention of 8%, what does that mean? A. Wax is like a sponge. It can absorb just so much fragrance oil. Additional oil will just leak out.

Q: How many votives can I make with a pound of wax? A. 8 2 ounce standard votives Q: Which wax and wick should I use? A. Picking your wax is a highly personal decision. Everyone has a different wax preference. Find the one that works for you, is fairly close to you, and work with it until you perfect it. As far as wicking, you must test, test, test to find the best wick for YOUR application. Q: Can I use my pillar wax for votives? A. Yes. Typically pillar waxes have a higher melt point than votive waxes but will make fine votives. Q: Can I use a votive wax for pillars? A. No. A wax meant strictly for votives has a lower melting point (typically in the 130 range) meant to liquefy quickly and will tunnel in a pillar. Q: Can I test burn votives my votives in any container? A. No. Votives need to be in a tight fitting container for a proper burn. Think of it as a container candle without the container.

Q: What is UV Inhibitor? A: One thing you can (and should imo if you're selling) add to your wax (including if it's a pre-blend!) is UV Inhibitor. It helps prevent candles fading. And no, it doesn't affect the burn.