frustrated-please help

[ladybug1]

would that be 0.3 fo, if I use for one candle, if I use 5.5oz of wax?

[Becky]

If using 5.5 oz. of wax and adding .3 oz. of FO, that would come out to 5.17% FO

 

Online Conversion Percentage Calculator is a very useful tool!

 

http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm

[Guest OldGlory]

I do math the old fashioned way. What can I say - I'm old! LOL

 

To get the percentage of FO in your wax, divide the amount of FO in ounces by the amount of wax in ounces.

 

For example, if you are using 1 oz of FO and 16 oz of wax, 1 divided by 16 = .0625, or 6.25%

 

If you are using 5.5 oz of wax you would use .33 oz of FO to get a 6% load. If your scale doesn't measure 1/100ths, don't worry about it for a candle. Soap is a different story - you have to make sure your measurements are exact when using lye.

[ladybug1]

How long should I let the candle cure, if using igi 6006?

[EricofAZ]

These issues are very highly specific to the wax, the additive and the FO and wick.  There are over 800 wicks on the market now.  So to really help you, we need to know these things.

 

I realize nobody wants to give out their "secret" but the real deal is that folks here have already branded themselves and figured out their style and are pretty cordial about helping others.

 

Eric

[ladybug1]

So far I think the 8cd works the best for me in the 8oz. jelly jar, with the igi6006, how long does it take this wax to cure?

[topofmurrayhill]

I do math the old fashioned way. What can I say - I'm old! LOL

 

What you are doing is called "baker's measure" in some circles, where all the additional ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour. I use it when I make bread. Even though it produces a slightly different answer, it's convenient when you have some big ingredient like flour or wax to measure against.

 

Technically, Becky has the right answer by using percentage of the final product instead of percentage of the wax. That's the way you'd have to do it if you didn't have a major ingredient to measure against. Let's say a wax blend that has 50% major ingredient A, 25% major ingredient B, 20% major ingredient C, and 5% of some additive. Now you have nothing to measure against except the total.

[amanda]

@ladybug - same wax, wicks, and jars as you

For me, 5 days seems to be the magic number in terms of cure time. I have a few exceptions though: very vanilla, pumpkin soufflé, Caribbean teakwood, etc, very heavy/think/spicy scents I cure a little longer. Maybe 10 days-2 weeks.

[Guest OldGlory]

What you are doing is called "baker's measure" in some circles, where all the additional ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour. I use it when I make bread. Even though it produces a slightly different answer, it's convenient when you have some big ingredient like flour or wax to measure against.

 

Technically, Becky has the right answer by using percentage of the final product instead of percentage of the wax. That's the way you'd have to do it if you didn't have a major ingredient to measure against. Let's say a wax blend that has 50% major ingredient A, 25% major ingredient B, 20% major ingredient C, and 5% of some additive. Now you have nothing to measure against except the total.

Becky is taking a percentage of the total, I am taking a percentage of FO in the wax. If that is wrong, I apologize to those who have followed. This is how I was taught to do it. 

[moonshine]

http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm

This has always been a very confusing part of candle making for not only myself but many others- so using this chart in the link if I use 1.5 ounces of FO per pound of wax and I put in 1.5 is what percent of 17.5(adding the wax and FO together) is this correct? Or do I put 1.5 and 16?

[TallTayl]

The % calculation many use for wax threw me for a while. When making soap and cosmetics the formulas for the whole are written as percentages of each individual ingredient in the sum total.

Ingredient A = 10 %

Ingredient B = 20%

Ingredient C = 70%

Total of all = 100%

This makes scaling recipe sizes up or down a snap. I add up ALL ingredients to equal 100% in cosmetics manufacture and did the same with wax when i started. All of my worksheets were already designed that way, so i never thought anything of it....

so my interpretation has always been:

1 oz per lb of wax = 1 oz FO plus 16 oz wax = 17 total oz.

1 oz FO divided by the total 17 ounces = 5.88% FO in the whole blend.

[ladybug1]

Thanks Amanda

[moonshine]

The % calculation many use for wax threw me for a while. When making soap and cosmetics the formulas for the whole are written as percentages of each individual ingredient in the sum total.

Ingredient A = 10 %

Ingredient B = 20%

Ingredient C = 70%

Total of all = 100%

This makes scaling recipe sizes up or down a snap. I add up ALL ingredients to equal 100% in cosmetics manufacture and did the same with wax when i started. All of my worksheets were already designed that way, so i never thought anything of it....

so my interpretation has always been:

1 oz per lb of wax = 1 oz FO plus 16 oz wax = 17 total oz.

1 oz FO divided by the total 17 ounces = 5.88% FO in the whole blend.

Ok thanks- that is what I have been doing making my candles 8.57 percent as opposed to

[moonshine]

9.375 (sorry it wouldn't let me edit I had to post again)

[Candybee]

I take the total of scented wax I want in my jar and then calculate the FO and or additives from that. So if my jar takes a scented wax fill of 16 oz I calculate 16x6% to find my FO % = .96oz. That means I will use 15.4oz wax and .96oz FO. If I use an additive the % will be different.

 

Like Talltayl I use the sum of all my ingredients as my total. In making soap you use % of your oils and butters that add up to 100%. Works the same way for wax fill for jars or molds.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Candybee

[chuck_35550]

I was driven to formulate an amount that would equal a pound. That way there was no waste. Either two 8 ounce candles or one 16 oz candle. the 15 oz wax plus one ounce fragrance oil works for the majority of my oils. Its a tad over the 6% and if Ifound a fragrance I liked enough that required more than the usual; you just add and subtract. Very simple for me and very precise without waste. Remember, that zinc wicks burn cooler and at the time were used for paraffin (before soy) as an alternative to lead wicks. The cooler burning wick extended the life of the candle but was not always the most efficient wick type (mushrooms/carbon build up and smoking) by today's standards. You might try a cdn wick. HTH.

 

Steve

[Candybee]

I love the way zincs burn I just hate the mushrooms and smoking when the candle is extinquished. But wow do you get a great hot throw with zinc. So for my personal candles I use zincs. Don't use them anymore for candles I sell.

 

They should work great in parasoy blends like 6006. But you will still get the mushrooms and smoke. But I loved the HT, the cool burn, and the less flicker they produced. You just have to embrace the pros and the cons of this wick because it definitely has both.

[Guest OldGlory]

Love zincs in 6006, but like the rest, I do get some mushrooms.

Edited May 4, 2015 by OldGlory

[GoldieMN]

I do math the old fashioned way. What can I say - I'm old! LOL

 

To get the percentage of FO in your wax, divide the amount of FO in ounces by the amount of wax in ounces.

 

For example, if you are using 1 oz of FO and 16 oz of wax, 1 divided by 16 = .0625, or 6.25%

 

If you are using 5.5 oz of wax you would use .33 oz of FO to get a 6% load. If your scale doesn't measure 1/100ths, don't worry about it for a candle. Soap is a different story - you have to make sure your measurements are exact when using lye.

My scale measures by percentage of a pound. So if I follow your 5.5 oz of wax with .33 oz of FO example, my scale would read .021 on my scale. Right?

[Guest OldGlory]

I think some others pointed out that my method is incorrect. What they said is to add the complete mixture, for example, 15 oz of wax and 1 oz of FO, for a total of 16 oz. Then divide 1 oz by 16 oz to get the %. This method shows a % of the total. The way I have been doing it shows a % of FO to wax.

When I divide .33 oz by 5.5 oz I get 6%.But, when I divide .33 by 5.83 I get 5.66%.

I am not sure where .021 comes from.

[TallTayl]

I would't say your math is incorrect, OG, just one of the two common ways people interpret it. The suppliers are not really clear.

[GoldieMN]

I think some others pointed out that my method is incorrect. What they said is to add the complete mixture, for example, 15 oz of wax and 1 oz of FO, for a total of 16 oz. Then divide 1 oz by 16 oz to get the %. This method shows a % of the total. The way I have been doing it shows a % of FO to wax.

When I divide .33 oz by 5.5 oz I get 6%.But, when I divide .33 by 5.83 I get 5.66%.

I am not sure where .021 comes from.

Yes, I understand the two methods. The .021 comes from the reading on my scale when I THINK I have .33 oz of FO on it. My scale does not read in ounces but in % of a pound. So I took 16 oz. and multiplied by .33 to get .021. Don't laugh, but I made a complete chart for 6%-10% using wax in 1/2 lb. increments just to get something to use with this scale. Maybe I just need to buy a different scale.

GoldieMN

[chuck_35550]

Dividing 15 ounces into 1 ounce gives you 6.66% as the amount of fragrance oil in your solution. You don't add the ounce back into the wax amount (15 not 16). Hope that clears things up. Most people add one ounce to 16 ounces which is not a big whoop when pouring into 8 oz jars, unless you take into account that an 8 ounce jar comfortably holds 7 ounces (depending on the design) and that my application is 8 ounces into a 12 ounce salsa jar. That jar comfortably holds 8 ounces of wax and makes a good appearance with the label. I never pour wax past the neck of a jar (where it begins to slope upward) because of adhesion and safety. The 12 ounce jar is labeled as an 8 ounce candle. I typically pour 12 ounces into the 16 ounce salsa. I hope this makes sense.

 

Steve

[Guest OldGlory]

Lol, the debate will continue on which is the best/right way. Doesn't matter to me - I will continue to do it the way I've been doing it, which is the same way Steve does it. I show the fragrance oil % in the wax, not as a % of the total.

Goldie - go to your calculator, not your scale, and divide 1.00 by 16.00, and you will get .0625. That is a percentage, 6.25. If you prefer to do it the other way described in this thread you would divide 1.00 by 17.00, and you will get .0588, or 5.88%. You can decide which way you want to do it. That's the best information I can give you.

[GoldieMN]

I understand the two methods. What I'm wondering about is what do I use to measure the oil? How do I know I have 1 ounce, or .8 ounce, or .75 ounce. My scale does not show me ounces. Please all understand, I'm not trying to be difficult.

GoldieMN