MissMori

Has anyone tried it? I see it on the Accu-Blend website, but they don't have any info on it. They also list other veggie wax blends, but not any info.

Thanks soy, that partially answered my question.

I'm liking coconut wax as well. I only tested 2 candles with the sample i got, but have to say, it burned very nicely. Not as clean as the picture above, left a bit more wax. Seems to burn and cool much more nicely than soy. By the by... the only coconut wax I've found is actually a blend of coconut wax and, because the blends are proprietary, "vegetable" waxs and beeswax. After talking to one tech guy, the most often used vegetable wax is soy.

How do you define hangup? What is acceptable and when is it too much? I've been experimenting and with the same wax, same wicks, same containers, same dye, same additives, same fragrance, all used at various levels (I'm experimenting), I get anywhere from a scant 1/32" to a generous 1/4" of wax clinging to the side of the container. Coconut wax is giving me least hangup. Soy is giving me the most hangup. What do you do? Wick up? Add something to the wax to make it softer/more likely to melt/burn all the way to the side of the container? Let it be, that's life? Do you really want all the wax to be melted all the way down the inside of the container? How clean is your container when you get to the bottom of the candle? Is some soot a bad thing?

This may be a bit OT, but what exactly is in USA? I use it, but have never gotten a good answer as to what is actually in it. If anyone knows, I'd sure appreciate an answer. Also... must have used up all my beeswax, because it wasn't in it's place when I went to go look for it. So I decided to get some at Michael's.. I know, don't tell me.. but $17.99 per pound? Are you #&*ing kidding me? I'm ordering today online. My next experiment will have to wait a bit... but I'm not giving up.

I finally got a chance to make another candle... did I mention I have 2 boys (3 and 5?) I used 75% c3 and 25% 76 degree coconut oil... cut to the chase... didn't work. I also used uv absorb, USA, 1 orchid dye chip... didn't work. After cooling, it was spongy and fo was weeping out. I stirred, stirred, stirred to get everything mixed thoroughly, poured at 110 degrees. Thinking either of adding some bees wax or steric. Still thinking... will update. Any suggestions? Thinking, hmmm.... is there such a thing as an emulsifier that makes 2 oils/fats mix together better and not have one come out of solution as the mix cools.

Here's what got me motivated... I'm liking the coconut wax I've been testing, don't like the price. Coconut wax is essentially soy wax, coconut wax and beeswax. So, why not try to mix my own. What's the difference between a wax and an oil? I've read that waxes are essentially oils that are hard/harder at room temperature. So, perhaps a mix of soy wax, coconut oil and maybe steric acid, beeswax or a number of other additives will work. Thus far 5% of total wax weight is not working. Too much hang up, not enough throw. I'm going to give it another go this weekend (if the natives behave.)

Hi Stella, The reason I'm asking is because I've been testing "coconut" wax, which is a blend of soy, bee and coconut. I'm thinking, "why not blend my own soy/coconut wax?" When you say you've used 80% coconut oil and 20% other ingredients, do you mean 80% of your finished candle was coconut oil? The other 20% was other waxes, fragrance, dye, additives? If yes, did you fear burning this candle?

Does anyone use coconut oil at a very high percentage? I've read in several threads that a little coconut oil (1 to 3 tsp. ppw) helps with frosting. Has anyone tried a high percentage, say 25% or more or total wax weight? Would there be a potential problem with this mix being too flammable and potentially dangerous? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I spoke to a couple distributors (LARGE distributors for multi-national corp types) and both told me that the crops were bad over the winter. They recommended waiting 6 to 9 months to purchase in bulk again. The crops should be better over the summer and they are expecting prices to come down a bit.

I asked my husband and his response, "pretty funky," and not in the good way. Would you be referring to Darth right after he was burned by molten lava? During recuperation? After years inside his rubber, plastic and leather outfit? So charred, gangrenous and bo.

OOHHH! That's what the clippy thing is for. I had no idea. Will try using it next time.

The metal tab looks a bit off center and the melt pool is very much off center. I don't know what you mean by edge tabs. Please elaborate, thank you.

Ah, I pull them straight, but do not pin them. Will try. Thank you.

I don't have pictures yet. I spent the day at the zoo with my boys and taking pictures of candles is one of the last things I want to do right now. But, I do have a little info: Candle #1: Coconut wax (it's a blend on coconut, soy and bee but I'm referring to it as coconut) and UV absorb from GenWax. I'm using the UV absorb because I've been told that wax with no color will discolor over time. Made last week, burned yesterday. I used a 10oz glass container (Monticiano) heated to 150 degrees in oven and HTP 105 wick. Poured at 125 degrees. Results: Upon cooling, wax had sunk, a bit, I'd say about 1/8" to 3/16" around wick. Other than the sinking, top pretty smooth. I'm making a distinction between flat and smooth. Although not flat, I would say it was smooth. KWIM? No frost, no wet spots. Burning: Burned for 3 hours. Melt pool was 3/8" to 1/2" away from sides. I would use a larger wick next time. When the wax cooled, it was very flat and smooth in the melt pool. I compared it to a soy wax (c-3) and it is much smoother. Candle #2: Coconut wax, UVabsorb, 1/2 an orchid dye chip. UVabsorb and 9.5% fragrance load. Poured at 125 degrees. Same wick, same glass heated to 150 degrees. Results: Cured for 1 day, no fragrance throw just after wax set up, however very strong cold throw today. Very smooth top with a bit less sinking. Wet spot! No frosting. I will post more after I burn it, hopefully with pictures.

Aggravation if the theme of my day. I use this wick centering tool from Peak Candle... http://www.peakcandle.com/products/Large-Wick-Centering-Tool__A1036.aspx AND My wicks are still off center. What do you do?

CRAP! I was so proud of myself. I actually waited until the wax was 125 degrees before pouring. Only 1 problem, I forgot to add the fragrance. Is it ok that I poured the wax back into the pot, reheated, added fo and am now waiting for it to cool before pouring?

I'm testing coconut wax I got to sample. I'll post, hopefully with pictures later. Question: Other than not breaking your glassware, are there any other advantages to heating the glass before pouring? If it's a really warm day, I'm thinking ahead to summer here, say 90 degrees or warmer, do your really need to heat the glass if you are pouring at a relatively low temperature (125 or cooler)? What do I have a bag of 1000 wicks in 1 size when it would be so much smarter and more economical to purchase sample packs for testing? :rolleyes2

I think color is more difficult to achieve in soap than fragrance. Other than saying, "next time use more," I would go slowly and take copious notes. Not all the dyes/colors/pigments produce the same saturation at the same usage rate. For some darker or more saturated colors you have to tiptoe up to the line of overload as to avoid colored suds. I reread your post and 1/8 tsp. was used in 1 cup soap and then added to more soap and mixed in? What was the total amount of soap you wanted to color? If you tried adding the 1/8 tsp. to 10 pounds of soap, this may explain the pastel. Without knowing how much soap you wanted to color, we can't give an approximate amount to use.

If you are serious about making soap, consider the Tank from For Craft's Sake. If you don't want the expense and don't mind having soap that is slightly different sizes, I have seen a cheese cutter used. One of the ones with a single wire attached to a cutting board.

Mine are 3.5" x 2.5" x 1 1/8". Any bigger and the soap is uncomfortable in my hands, difficult for the first dozen uses.

I'm a tightwad and proud of it. I'd go so far as to claim it's genetic... I'm 1/2 Scottish. However, have you ever calculated what that tiny sliver of scrap cost to make? Are we talking a fraction of a penny? Cost of soap press + shipping = centuries before you come out ahead.

Thanks for the info. I couldn't get into the Highbeam article because I didn't want to give them my credit card number. I did read the patent. Still doing more digging.

Reputable attorneys are a very rare bread indeed. I'm going to do a bit of poking around myself to see if I can find information on any complaints that were filed by Penreco. Attorneys and big businesses have NEVER used scare tactics against competitors. :rolleyes2 They may have invented a gel that is suitable for candle making, but they don't own a patent that prevents someone else from inventing another gel that is suitable. Think of it this way... someone invented the bicycle. That didn't stop other inventors from taking the original idea and improving it, filing their own patents on their improvements (their inventions.) I can see them wanting to prevent anyone claiming they are using Penreco if they are using something else for their gel candles. Patents are for inventions. You own the patent only on the exact thing you invent. If someone else comes along and improves on your original invention, they can then patent their new invention that improves upon yours. Trademarks are for protection of intellectual property rights for things such as your unique look, logo, mark, design, name, etc. Trade names are also protected. Penreco may be trying to protect their formula. They could only prevent someone from using the EXACT formula they are using. Can't stop someone from formulating a gel candle that is slightly different than their formula. A question does arise if they are using a proprietary manufacturing process. That process would be protected. But from your earlier post, you stated that chandlers were manufacturing their own gels by mixing oils and resins, this makes me wonder if Penreco was engaging in scare tactics more than anything else. Anyhoo... I'm going to see if I can find any information on possible lawsuits.

This made me laugh. Can you imagine? Wouldn't it be a little peculiar to order a drink and then pour it into a to-go cup? Or are they more subtle and just pour it into their purse(s)? They could possibly sue for false advertisement if it wasn't really Penreco, not patent/trademark/license and any other number of things being infringed. Just curiosity on my part.