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Yes, the 3.75 are these ones from candlewic: http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c24,p1372&title=16-oz.-Frosted-Glass-Jar-With-Hinge I bought them before I had tried any candle making because it seemed like a good price for such nice jars and I was already going to drive the 45 minutes to pick up my wax and other supplies from candlewic. What size do you (and anyone else) recommend for me to test with when I'm still totally new to this? I did make some candles in votive glasses that I picked up on sale from Michael's, and I was using some small soy wicks that I bought there as well, but when I made those I hadn't read enough about fragrance and was only putting a few drops in... needless to say, they didn't have much of a scent throw Would the votive size be good for testing? Would it be too small to test for a good scent throw or does that not have much to do with the size?

Thank you, I am currently curing a candle that had FO added at 180 and poured at 160, so we will see how that goes! And I am pretty clueless in the world of wicks, but why is an ECO-14 so bad? The jars that I have are 3.75 diameter (Yes, it is a total waste of wax for testing and I'm planning to get some smaller jars until I find a combination that works )

Thanks Jeanie, I'm going to see if I can get some samples of each of those blends. What have you found to be the best wicks to use with each of them? Also, I am still a little confused as to what makes a wax easier or harder to wick. Does that mean how much it moves the wick while drying, meaning you would have to work harder to keep the wick centered and taut? Thanks again!

Hi Jill! I am in pretty much the same situation as you! Brand new to candlemaking, and I am also using GB 464 with ECO wicks. The link that rjdaines posted has a lot of good advice that I am currently putting into action, so I will let you know how it goes. Please keep me updated, too! Since we are both using the same wax and wicks, I think we could probably help each other out by sharing our failures, ha!

I apologize if that was a repeat question. I was unable to find anything specifically addressing my question about cure time, but perhaps I was using the wrong search terms. In terms of extinguishing and relighting later, how quickly is too quickly? Would it be okay to burn for an hour or so for the first time, and then try again after 24 hours has passed? I do understand that patience, knowledge and experience are needed, there is no need to apologize for making that statement. I admire all of you who have put months and years into this art, and I am glad to have found this forum where I can learn from your experiences. Oh, and I haven't made the decision to switch waxes just yet. I'll keep working with the 464 and see if I can make it work for me, because I really haven't tried much at this point. I'm just thinking that if paraffin is going to be easier to learn, I might want to switch while I'm still just starting out rather than invest a lot of time, energy, and money in soy only to end up switching to paraffin later. I hope that makes sense and doesn't sound like a cop out, ha!

Oh, I have been wondering... if you want to give a candle 5 days to cure, for example, does that mean you can't burn it at all in that time? Or is it okay to try after 24 hours... put it out and try again in another 24... etc. I don't want to burn it too soon and then not be able to see if it would have been better if I had waited longer!

Hey everyone! I am new to candle making and trying to figure out the best wax to use. I have been experimenting with Golden Brands Soy 464, but struggling to get any HT and minimal CT. Now I am considering switching to a paraffin blend, and I am looking for suggestions on which one to pick. I need to buy from candlewic.com because they are local and I can avoid shipping costs. This limits my selection a bit, but I just can't make myself pay $40+ for shipping when I don't have to. My perfect wax would have the following characteristics in order of importance: #1 most important - GREAT SCENT! CT is not as important as HT. #2 - short cure time. 24-48 hours if possible.. definitely less than a week. #3 - Easy to work with, since I am totally new to this. Extra... Minimal or no additives preferred, but if that's the best way to do it, I will learn how to use them. I am only making these candles for myself, so I am not at all concerned with appearance. Scent, cure time, and ease. These are the two wax blends that I think would be best from candlewic... Paraffin Wax 130 Container Fill Wax - CF

Yes, I am thinking that paraffin might be a good idea now that I see how difficult candle making can be! Thanks for those suggestions, if this next soy candle doesn't work I will probably try those ones. EDIT: I just checked peakcandle.com and it would cost $45 to ship the wax which is $45... the shipping would double the cost. SO I am wondering if anyone can recommend a good wax from candlewic.com? This is where I purchased my supplies the first time because they are nearby and I can drive there to avoid paying anything in shipping. (Also don't have to wait! Hehe) I am also going to call tomorrow and speak with someone to see if they can recommend a nice, easy to work with wax that throws scent well. Just looking over the paraffin waxes, I would think the Paraffin Wax 130 and Container Fill Wax - CF would be my best options. I'm tempted to try the 130 since it is cheaper and seems to be easier for a beginner (easy measuring, only one additive)

lmc, what makes 464 hard to wick? I didn't know some waxes could be harder to wick than others. Obviously I don't know much though, since I had no idea you had to hold the wick taut while the candle dries My other question is for anyone. I've read a lot of conflicting information about this, but is soy wax harder to get a good scent throw out of than paraffin or other waxes? I'd like to find a wax that has good scent throw, short cure time, and preferably one that I don't have to use additives. I don't care at all about the appearance since I'm only using these for myself. I am going to pour another candle later using my 464 and one of the other FOs I bought. I'll be sure to center the wick and keep it taut, and I will add the FO at 180 (mix for 2 minutes) and then pour at 160. Does it matter what temperature I add the dye at? I've read it's good to add after the scent so that you can see if the scent is mixed in so I guess that is what I'll try!

Thank you! I will first try adding FO and pouring at a higher temp. I already have the 100 pack of ECO wicks and Candlewick has a no return policy on opened items, but hopefully the higher temp will be the trick and I won't have to ditch the ECOs. I read the descriptions for both of those FOs you mentioned and they sound great, plus they both have many good reviews which always helps. I'll give them a try as well.

Hey guys, I'm feeling really disappointed right now. I've spent over $100 gathering all of the supplies to make my own scented candles, and so far I have been unable to get even a whiff of scent out of any of them. Earlier tonight I was ready to give up and just buy candles from people who know what they are doing, but I've decided to wait and see if I can make this work. I understand that this is a hobby that takes a lot of patience. I think I have reasonable expectations... I'm not expecting to have beautiful, high-quality, highly scented candles, but I was hoping that at least I would have something that would make a small room smell nice. So here are the supplies I am working with, all from Candlewic.com (local for me, which means no shipping). Their website states that all of their scents are compatible with soy wax. Golden Brands 464 Soy Blend Lemon fragrance oil EVO Highly Concentrated Liquid Dye ECO-14 wick assemblies 16oz jar with 3.75" diameter I have the metal pour pot and thermometer sold at Michael's. First I weigh out 1lb of wax using a digital kitchen scale. I melt the wax using the double boiler to 175* and mix in a small amount of dye. I then take the pour pot out of the water and place it on an oven mitt to cool. At 125* I mix in 1oz of fragrance oil and immediately pour into a room temperature jar. I use hot glue to adhere the wick before even melting the wax so that it is ready. I pour the wax in very slowly, staying close to the edge to avoid making bubbles. Then I prop up the wick with a pencil and let the jar sit. So far, the result has been that the wax smells amazingly strong and wonderful while it is in the boiler. The CT is good, but the HT is nonexistant. I am wondering what I am doing wrong. Am I using the wrong wick type or size? I did check and this wick is supposed to work for the size of my jar and for soy wax. What about the temperatures that I am using? Should I be adding the FO and pouring at a higher temperature? I will admit that I have not allowed it to cure very long... only one day. However, I can't imagine that a candle that is producing NO scent after 24 hours will ever produce a STRONG scent, even if it sits for a month! Right? I am willing to be patient but I feel discouraged at this point. Please be nice... I need encouragement.

Baby wipes. Check!

Thanks, I will try the dishwashing detergent too.

Hello! I am new to candle making and have a quick question about cleaning the double boiler after making a candle. I have read that all you need to do is heat the left over wax again and just wipe it with a paper towel, but does that also remove the dye and fragrance oils? I wouldn't want my next candle to come out smelling slightly off or having a color that's not quite right. Thanks!