Just2BHappy Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Hi everyone, I'm sure this is going to come off as a dumb question, but I really am confused. When adding FO to wax, I know the "standard" is 6%, or 1 oz FO per pound of wax. This will vary, I know, but for the sake of this question, this ratio will be assumed. The way I understood this, if you were using 16 oz of wax, you would ADD 1 oz of FO. I've been reading a lot here today, and I've seen where some are saying that you should SUBTRACT the amount of FO you are using from the wax. In this instance, you would only use 15 oz of wax to the 1 oz of FO. I'm not as good at the "maths" as I used to be, but wouldn't this now be closer to 7%? I can't even fathom trying to calculate my FO% this way. I'm not that smart! Someone please tell me where I'm going wrong, because I'm sure I'm missing something here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 This is one of the Great Debates of chandlery. Pick one way and make them consistently is my motto. (I use the oz per lb of wax without subtracting method BTW) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 If that's the case, I choose the non-subtracting method. I don't know how I can possibly do the math otherwise! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm You will use this a lot.....HTH! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Ooohh, that WILL be helpful! Awesome, thanks for sharing, Becky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 No prob, glad I could help:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcbrook Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I have always wondered if I was doing it right too! I subtract it out and it just works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) 3 hours ago, pcbrook said: I have always wondered if I was doing it right too! That makes me feel a lot better! Thank you! Even though I'm sure I'll be doing what is simpler for me, I want to know more, like why people prefer one method over the other! I'm sure there are pros and cons for both. Since I suspect this has been debated before, I'll be searching! I won't ask that you all go through it again! Just one quick question, though, before I start: is this more of an issue for making candles versus melts? I've been reading mostly in the Wickless forum, so far, and have only run across one or two brief mentions of this topic. Thanks! Edited March 3, 2016 by Just2BHappy Edited to correct a glaring grammatical error! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I always load up my melts with extra fragrance; not having a wick to worry about with burn performance, flames dancing, puffs of smoke or soot, etc., I load em up! lol my melts lasts for days.....don't go too overboard though, or the fragrance can morph, and you run the risk of smelling fuel or chemical notes... I usually fragrance my melts to about 12.5%: that is, 14 oz of wax, 2oz. of fragrance.... Yikes! I know, I know.....lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I got into the habit very early on (decades ago) after reading manufacturer rec's for 1oz of fragrance per lb of wax. soap calculators (generally) calculate fragrance per lb of oils. All of my batch calculators work the same way, and it works for me, so I stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 1 hour ago, Becky said: I usually fragrance my melts to about 12.5%: that is, 14 oz of wax, 2oz. of fragrance.... Yikes! I know, I know.....lol Wowsers! I can understand why they last for days! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 35 minutes ago, TallTayl said: manufacturer rec's for 1oz of fragrance per lb of wax Yes, this is where I got my understanding that you're supposed to add 1oz of FO to 16oz of wax (opposed to 15oz of wax). This makes sense to me, so this is the way I will do it. I'm a beginner so the simpler the better. I should be receiving my very first order of sample waxes and FOs from Peaks tomorrow!!! I'll be placing an order at Candlescience for some more wax types and FOs soon, I hope. I'm pretty excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonshine Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I do my math different for candles vs. melts candles I add 1.5 ounces of FO per pound of wax (I do not subtract)- some fragrances I use 1.25 ounces FO per pound of wax- I use soy and have never gotten desired throw using 1 ounce per pound for melts I use 10%_ or least what I think 10% is (I am not math friendly either)...If I make a pound batch of melts which will give me 6 clamshells I use 1.6 ounces of FO for that pound of wax (taking the 16 ounces and multiplying it by .10) if that makes any sense ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 Yes, this makes sense, Moonshine! So what you're saying is you don't reduce the amount of wax by the amount of FO (for both candles and melts). But you do use a different FO% for candles than you do for melts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 The only thing I can add is be careful if you decide to add more fo than recommended. What will happen if you are using some soy wax, is the fo will begin to bleed out of the wax and you will get tiny droplets of fo on top of the clamshell melts. This even happens to me if I use the rec 6% with heavy fo's sometimes. I use C3 wax. So my advice would be to add just 1% at a time to see how your wax behaves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Yes, I forgot to mention I don't use a ton of soy in my formula... If you're using soy, kandlekrazy just gave great advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just2BHappy Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 I am *planning* on using paraffin or a parasoy (my testing will determine, I might switch over to soy, I'm open!). Since I am just starting out, I will do my testing with 6%, to start, and go from there. I don't really want to make melts that are TOO strong. Two reasons: 1) I am personally sensitive to some fragrances when they're really strong, and 2) I'm cheap! Hahaha! I'm not averse to using more FO, just only if and when necessary! (I'm not really that "cheap", I just want to make the most effective use of my resources, if that makes sense. Sometimes you gotta spend more to get more. Sometimes, you're not getting more, just spending more!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seniorbhs06 Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 On 3/1/2016 at 9:53 PM, Becky said: http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm You will use this a lot.....HTH! This is a really really dumb question but when using this calculator say your doing 8% fragrance load, you would put 8 in the top box but what goes in the other box? Whatever weight your going to be using? Say I was going to do 16oz of wax, would I put 16 in that box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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