TallTayl

Well, a win of sorts. I think the mottling is because of the release of the oils in the wax.  You can’t win. 
 

I’d try 1% for kicks. At least the stearic did something useful!

That’s a strange direction,  but with the weakened market for diy craft supplies I guess it’s understandable. 
 

will you be signing up?

1 hour ago, Clear Black said:

 

Does stearic provide the same reduction in fragrance sweating that the vybar 343 did? I have a mottling wax I have been trying to get to work, which says it can hold 6% fo. I am down to 3% fo and it is still sweating out the fo. Im about to give up and look for another mottling wax. The current wax Im using is the 1286 from Aztec. Im really sad it cannot hold FO even at 4%, trying 3% tonight but the 4% tester was rather weak on Cold throw.

I’m not sure what the reaction would be with that wax. The % testing may have been when retail Fragrance oils were not filled with so much diluent 🤷🏻‍♀️

I did a few tests with up to 50% : 50% stearic with various liquid oils with lots of success. Was surprised. 
 

the stearic May or may not cause setting up issues with your wax. 

If you were adding the citric acid as a chelator, you may want to give sodium citrate a try. It has already been reacted so won’t change the lye concentration. I make my own sodium citrate by reacting baking soda and Citric acid. I use it on several products and on cooking when I need cheese type sauces. If you’re interested in trying to make it I will look up the proportions when I get to my studio. Or you can search Google for how to make sodium citrate. Several super cooks shared their methods. 

 Citric acid can be tricky as it neutralizes the lye (as you know). At best it can make some sodium citrate in situ. At worst it can over super fat the batch making a squishy mess. 
 

did it finish ok?

Depending on how clean it gets a votive might be fun. Or some lip balm. 

Clementine Coriander and Pinion Wood are expected to arrive tomorrow.  I’ll list it on my site, and will send coupon codes through PM for those who generously helped select the first two fragrances.

next up: probably sun ripened BlackBerry.  I’ve asked the lab to formulate it a bit stronger for us. While it did perform well in the original sample, I like my fragrances to pack a solid punch at 6% to eliminate the hassles the solvents play with burns.  The soap usage rate will be lower than usual, but that’s AOK when 2% will result in soap  as strongly scented as 5-6%+ of the usual retail fragrance oils.

50 minutes ago, jackbenimble said:

I’ve discussed with AFI about a custom formulation and it’s $1K for their team to work on that not including you having to purchase a min amount of the FO. 
I’ll check what candle cocoon has. 

Yikes. That’s steep. 

Would AFI-USA have components? They are a formulator and can likely help direct or blend for you. 
 

I remember reading that candle cocoon was  working on blended drink fragrances recently. 

Just gelling? Or separation? 

3 hours ago, jackbenimble said:

They just bought Elements too! Wonder when they’ll purchase Candle Science LOL 

Candle science was rumored to have been purchased by a fragrance house over a year ago. Timing was about when the complaint reviews for changed favorites began.  

8 hours ago, AudraT said:

I would like to get a few sniffing samples in whatever way is easiest (the blotters?). Can you send me the details?
I have also been anticipating your soy candle testing as I am a fan of something you said once... that if a fragrance oil doesn't work in a candle after only 1 day of curing then you don't bother with the fragrance oil. Would love not having to cure a candle for 2 weeks for test burning. No rush and no pressure though with the soy testing. I am a patient woman plus I just got done pouring about 10 new fragrances for the upcoming season anyways.

Please PM your shipping details and I’ll send a set of the front runners out to you first class Mail,

34 minutes ago, PhoenixFyre said:

@TallTayl - I think my three favorites of the Summer Romance samples were Neon Flowers, Exhilaration, and Mesmerize. I don't know if you did it on purpose, but the Neon Flowers sniffie was packaged in the neon pink/purple packet...and I swear it smells EXACTLY like I would expect the color of that packet to smell, lol. I thought I liked Exhilaration the best of the three...but the more I smell Mesmerize, the more it grows on me. 

 

Honestly, I think any of those three would be lovely....I lean toward blending, so I'd be happy with whichever everyone prefers. 

 

Let the fragrance games begin!!!! 

Hehehe I did choose that color on purpose as soon as that color set arrived in my mailbox. 
 

I will get those three in wax and see what happens.  If it is meant to be, the candle universe will light the way. 

9 hours ago, Kris10Tackles said:

Oh man I really need to log in more often! I’m so excited about all of these new developments! Lol when can I order 🤣?!

Yeah! You’ve missed some fun 😃

I am expecting to receive Pinion and Clementine Coriander any day now. I placed a quick order for those two in order to keep a couple of the labs willing to work with us.  I need o choose a summer romance fragrance to keep the third happy. Anyone have a preference as to which? 
 

I am loving the fresh picked BlackBerry more every time I burn the candle and sniff the soap sample. I’m torn between asking them to make it a wee bit stronger or leaving as-is just because changes really push the time line out by months. 
 

we are at the time of year when lead times get drastically longer since the holiday rush has begun for wholesale. 

Off the top of my head:

Lebermuth

AFI

Innovative

Flavorchem

Agilex

all will require 25-50 lb orders.  Many are very busy now that the holiday orders are placed and may not be interested in duping.  
 

pure fragrance oils has/had a service that cost $50 last I inquired.  They send the sample to up to 3 different perfumers they use and you pick the closest to your needs. 
 

The other physical issue with too deep of a melt pool is wick tipping. The soft wax will reduce support of the wick causing it to lean (or slump if the prime melts off) or otherwise not burn well.  Many people consider that wick to be too small and reflexively wick up when the opposite is true. 
 

imagine the candle as an engine of a car.  Flooding an engine causes inefficient burning of fuel and terrible performance. 

2 hours ago, NightLight said:

 

 

I didn’t love Coco83 by itself too problematic.

 

 

100% agree, but it is the best for blending with in my studio. It repairs crappy soy blends and is a good base or “chassis” to bolt on other waxes for a custom blend that performs the way we need it to in our chosen containers.  I like waxes I can adapt to the condition versus having to find containers that will play nice with my wax. 
 

I wish I knew someone with a mass spec to tell me what is in my all time favorite lot of it. alternatively, I wish I could have lunch with the original wax scientist who created it.  Remember back in the good old days when coco83 and the bead format smelled like old fryer oil? As I scoured the Accublend web site they were at the time collecting old restaurant grease for several programs.  I had a hunch coco83 benefitted from that same service. The price was so cheap at the time,  then when the world fell apart and restaurants closed during the panny, coco83 changed dramatically. Coincidence? Maybe. 
 

I know only one thing: coco83 has never been a fixed formula.  The most recent batches have something weird in it that changed how it performs.  I’d never before had to concern myself with sinkholes or shrinking.  It melts cloudy and smells strange.  
 

ok, two things I know: the success of the revolutionary coco83 led to this flooding of the market of anything with coco in the name.  It’s far too confusing to go through all of these new waxes when most have nothing special tied to a big price tag and empty promises.  I wish I knew the basis of my old version for certain.  I’ve come rather close blending my own, but never won the cigar. 

Yup… some wick series an wax/fragrance/color/additive combos flood the wick material.

58 minutes ago, Tjwaversano said:

As always, appreciate the knowledge! 

Keep in mind, coco83 varies from lot to lot so your wicking and mine may be different. 
 

all of the recent coco83 seem to love blending with either a plain soy (I use Midwest soy as it is minimally or not at all blended with “enhancers”) or sp487. 

other palm waxes like 5301 or 5601 up to 25-30% also fix many of the inherent coco83 shortcomings. 

In that size jar cd9 is far too big I fear. I would drop down to cd4 or cd5 if you have it or better get a cdn 4 or 5

even a pellet of vybar can mess up a wax like coco83. 

3 hours ago, ichie said:

I started buying from Nature's garden, but my customers were complaining the fragrances don't stay long. Don't know if there are suppliers whose fragrance Oil last long on the skin

Give wholesale supplies plus / Crafter Choice a try. 

My gut is telling me the vybar is a big issue in the flat issue. coco83 does not need it. Vybar in any wax messes with the burn, especially if using even 1 grain too much,  it is like goopy glue. In base wax with absolutely no additives, 1/4 teaspoon per lb will often kill an otherwise ok burn. 
 

you didn’t mention the wick series you use.  CDN or premier 700 series seem to work best in that wax.  Small sizes like cdn3 or cdn4 in that size container should be more than enough for a lovely burn.
 

Every mahogany teakwood available retail  seems to be the dupe of BBW cologny scent type. 
 

I’ve never found a realistic, wood smelling mahogany retail fragrance. 

So basically the acquisition was not as profitable as the others and it’s being made lean. How long before it’s cut out altogether? So sad. 

Sad isn’t it?  All the more reason for us to pull together in our own collections!