rachf19 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Hi everyone. I am very new to candle making-- I decided to try making some for holiday gifts for my siblings. I just used the basic wax manufactured by Yaley that I found in my local craft store. I really enjoyed making candles, and am ready to make more!!! I've been reading the posts on this board, and am trying to figure out what type of wax to use... Should I bother with the Yaley stuff from the craft store anymore, or is there better stuff out there? I've got molds for 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 (I think!) pillars and votives as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroome2005 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I get Votive/Pillar Wax from www.candlewic.com I love it.. Much better than the stuff they sell at the stores. You are going to find that many people choose many different waxes.What kind do you want to make? Depending on the kind of pillar you want to make is depending on what wax you would want to try. Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Welcome to the board I would suggest looking into close suppliers. If you can pick it up and save shipping, great! If not, it'll cost less to have wax shipped from one state away than across the country. The Yaley will work, but you'll need additives. What kind of additives will depend on what you want the end result to be. I like plain paraffin for mottles, but for most of my pillars, I much prefer a preblend that I only need to add UV to. It's a personal preference which kind of wax, based on what you want to make.Just be forewarned, making good quality candles requires much testing. Not just pour them and give away/sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Actually if you can find a company/supplier near you who will send you samples, get a few of those waxes to try out. Some companies will send samples and all you do is pay the shipping. Usually they'll send about 5 lbs of wax, which is enough to make a few candles I'd suggest trying as many kinds as you'd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I agree that Candlewic is a good choice considering your location. The shipping costs should be reasonable and it may be only one day shipping, two at most. If it's pillar candles you're interested in, I suggest the following:- For pre-blended wax that has additives already in it, try the CBL-141.- If you want to work with plain paraffin and put in your own additives such as Vybar, Universal Additive, Gloss Poly, etc. try the FR4144.- If you'd like to make mottled or rustic pillars with just stearic, use the 4045H.HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 http://www.candlewic.com/store/category.aspx?q=cParaffinshttp://www.peakcandle.com/http://www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/wax.htmlAre a few well known suppliers.Since Top mentioned candlewic:The FR3134 is probably the closest thing to the hobby store wax you've been buying.As Top said, though, the FR4144 would prolly be better for your pillars. You will prolly need to change your wicks, though.Everybody will have different opinions on which wax is best, because we've all found the wax that works best for *us*. All we can offer is a starting point, really.Check some prices and shipping costs from several suppliers. Find the ones where the total cost of the wax is in your price range, then see what they have to offer. Choose from that selection.Sometimes a supplier further away will offer a better price than one closer, but it costs more for shipping, so they come out about even.You'll have to get some of the wax and make some test candles, then see if you like the way they burn, the way they throw, the way you need to do things to work with that wax and the way they look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachf19 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Thanks to all of you for your responses. I especially like the idea of trying to get some samples to work with, particularly since I'm so new at this. Does anyone know of particular suppliers that offer free/low-cost samples in smaller quantities to try the wax out?Again, thank you all for your thoughtful and timely responses!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breanna Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 When I first started I used the Pillar Kit from Peaks and they give you a lot for the price,,,when you add all of it up individually it cost more,,so for 50 bucks you cant beat that price and get what peaks offers you,,JMHO;) www.peakcandles.com They ROCK!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candle Man Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 How come there is no mention of IGI 1343? Does anyone else use this wax for votives & pillars? Do the others mentioned perform better?I can't find the waxes listed above, with those numbers, anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 How come there is no mention of IGI 1343? Does anyone else use this wax for votives & pillars? Do the others mentioned perform better?I can't find the waxes listed above, with those numbers, listed anywhere.I don't use it for votives, but I do use it for all my pillars and love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breanna Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 How come there is no mention of IGI 1343? Does anyone else use this wax for votives & pillars? Do the others mentioned perform better?I can't find the waxes listed above, with those numbers, listed anywhere.Hi there,,I use the IGI-4625 pre-blend from peaks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 How come there is no mention of IGI 1343? Does anyone else use this wax for votives & pillars? I ditto the 1343 - for a newbie, it's a really simple wax to use. It will give you a variety of styles with very little head-scratching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 How come there is no mention of IGI 1343? Does anyone else use this wax for votives & pillars? Do the others mentioned perform better?I can't find the waxes listed above, with those numbers, anywhere.Those are Candlewic's numbers as far as I know. The 4045 is close to the 1343 but holds a bit more FO and has a higher melt point. I've used both.Rachel, you might want to check out www.candlesandsupplies.com they are in Pa also with fast and reasonable shipping to NJ.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 How come there is no mention of IGI 1343? Does anyone else use this wax for votives & pillars? Do the others mentioned perform better?I mentioned waxes from Candlewic because it's quick and economical shipping to NJ where rachf19 is located. There's no point in buying waxes from across the country if the best ones are at your doorstep.As Eugenia mentioned, Candles & Supplies is another one in PA and they do carry IGI stuff. 1343 or 1274 will make great burning candles with additives to improve their hardness and MP. Stuff like UA, Gloss Poly, Paraflint and the like. If you use them with just stearic, like people do for mottles and rustics, they don't burn very well. It's hard to wick them for a balanced burn, so in a very long session they could blow out. They also tend to bulge and require hugging.As far as pre-blends go, the IGI 4625 that Breanna uses is popular and works well. Candles & Supplies carries that. I also order IGI stuff from Candlescience, which is a little further away but I like them a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beverlyann Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Starting out can be costly and frustrating. I think using the kits from craft stores is a good way to get your feet wet. The kits give you everything you need to get a successful candle. From there I started testing samples of parafin wax,soy wax and mixing the 2 into a 50 50 blend. From this I decided that I needed to make soy candles as the parafin and my asthma did not get along. I got on the internet and scoured for suppliers that were nearest to me , so I could keep the cost of shipping down. Many of the suppliers now provide small amounts of wax for you to test with the molds that you have from the kits. This allows you to decide what type of candles you want to make for now,pillar,votive or container. This may change as you get more experienced. Following the forums that are available on the internet will help you,too. It seems we all started out with the same questions and we all experienced the same "whoops",how did that happen? I do think that you can get a lot of help from this forum.No one thinks there is such a thing as a "dumb question".I hope you have success with your new project. Welcome aboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joisey girl Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Hi and Welcome to a fellow Jersey Girl...I'm a newbie to candles myself so I can't offer much advice i'm afraid, I just hang out, read and read, and ask questions when I need help. You will quickly learn that the guys and gals here are experts and will never steer you wrong. Good luck!!~~JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.