Any favorite parasoy waxes for containers?

[TheUnquietKey]

Hi!

 

Just curious if anyone has a favorite parasoy wax that they would highly recommend for container candles? All things considered; CT, HT, ease of wicking, glass adhesion, sooting/smoking, etc. 

 

I've been testing Joywax since July and I really enjoy this wax for a lot of reasons but I want to broaden by horizons to learn as much as possible about the reactivity of different waxes. 

 

I'm not a huge fan of straight soy but if anyone has any rave reviews of straight soy or straight paraffin wax also, I'm all ears.

 

Thanks! 

 

Kristin

[BusyBee]

HI!

 

If you want STRONG HT with ease of wicking, then stick with straight paraffin.  Many likes this kind of HT, but I found that they are more value sensitive shoppers.

If you want VERY PLEASANT HT with almost impossible to wick, then it is straight soy.  There are many who prefer this kind of HT also, and these are people willing to open up their wallets.

I suggest anyone to stay away from parasoy, and the reason is this.  Paraffin & soy each wax has pro's and con's.  By blending two waxes together, you are not only improving con's of each wax, but you are also reducing pro's of each wax.  This translates into inferior result vs straight paraffin or soy.  You still can make decent candle out of parasoy, but it is not going to be stand out candle from the crowd.  

 

Paraffin wax has been around for 190 years.  It is highly developed wax that I don't think there are going to be any more room to improve on its quality.  It is easy to wick, because everyone in the industry knows characteristics of paraffin, and most wicks are designed and work well for paraffin waxes.  

On the other hand, soy wax only has been on the market for 20 years or so, and it's still in development stage where it needs to go another 30 to 50 years to be fully developed.  I believe the wick manufacturers haven't got up to par with soy waxes wicking yet.  None of them work properly.  All they know right now is that it requires bigger wick than paraffin, but still no good result.  I see some for soy waxes, but it gets too hot.

 

I was more of paraffin fan before I started candle making, and I have tried many different type of waxes available locally.  I live in Los Angeles CA, so we have almost everything locally over here.  But, I end up choosing GB 464 as my only product.  The reason is "very pleasant HT".  The scent is not strong and it does not hit your face, but everyone knows it's there.  Warning!  It is not going to be easy wicking this soy.  You have to do it unconventional way and need to be creative.  If you want to know how I wicked my GB 464, then I will be glad to share it with you.

 

This is only my opinion, I am pretty sure there are more experienced chandlers here that will give you more and better information.

[TallTayl]

For ease and hot throw, it’s hard to beat igi 4627.  Looks like vaseline but it ticks all of your boxes.

igi4630 is my next pick. It is slightly harder, but also wicks easily, 

what’s nice about Both of these paraffins is that they solve a load of issues people have with soy waxes.  10-20% of either of these with a naughty soy makes a gorgeous candle with smoother surfaces, easier wicking, better overall burn. 

igi 4786 is ok, but I can’t get last the wickedly high flames at the start of the burn. It works brilliantly with beeswax at about 5050 though. 
 

I made my living with C3 and 20% paraffin for years. that blend made a great candle at the time. People LOVE a good candle. (The paraffin I started with in that blend was J233. The company sold and the wax became harder to get and inconsistent so I switched.). 

[bfroberts]

I use a lot of parasoy and have for several years.  In my world, it joins the best of both paraffin and soy.  It's a little more picky with FO's than 100% paraffin, but not nearly as much so as 100% soy.  I use 6006, and more recently CBL130.  Both waxes have a great HT and enough soy to bring a a little creaminess to the appearance.  That's why I use it....because I prefer the way it looks in the jar.  I also have a few bakery FO's that smell a bit richer when used in parasoy than paraffin.  
I also use a lot of 4630 and more recently CBL125.  Both of these are great paraffin waxes and throw most any FO.  I just don't love the more translucent appearance.  As already mentioned, 4627 is great for HT, but I don't like how messy it is to work with.  
For me, wicking is equally maddening in all waxes.
 

[Auntjulie]

7 hours ago, TallTayl said:

For ease and hot throw, it’s hard to beat igi 4627.  Looks like vaseline but it ticks all of your boxes.

igi4630 is my next pick. It is slightly harder, but also wicks easily, 

what’s nice about Both of these paraffins is that they solve a load of issues people have with soy waxes.  10-20% of either of these with a naughty soy makes a gorgeous candle with smoother surfaces, easier wicking, better overall burn. 

igi 4786 is ok, but I can’t get last the wickedly high flames at the start of the burn. It works brilliantly with beeswax at about 5050 though. 
 

I made my living with C3 and 20% paraffin for years. that blend made a great candle at the time. People LOVE a good candle. (The paraffin I started with in that blend was J233. The company sold and the wax became harder to get and inconsistent so I switched.). 

So as far as using the crappy (IMO) C3 now a days :-)  would you suggest mixing with paraffin or naked soy? and would you suggest 20% of either, or a different percent of naked soy?  I am just trying to use this 100lb box I still cant' believe I ordered without testing a smaller sample !

[ErronB]

Problend 600 from The Flaming Candle is quite a nice parasoy, but like all the others the HT isn't amazing, Joywax was probably the easiest to wick and work with for me but it had a weird smell I couldn't take after a while.

 

Like TallTayl said above, it's hard to beat 4627 for HT, and it doesn't need long cure times.

[Paintguru]

I've been blending 464 and 4630 together with good results.  It does seem to give me the best of both worlds, but I'm sure HT is reduced with the addition of 464.  

[Auntjulie]

14 hours ago, ErronB said:

Problend 600 from The Flaming Candle is quite a nice parasoy, but like all the others the HT isn't amazing, Joywax was probably the easiest to wick and work with for me but it had a weird smell I couldn't take after a while.

 

Like TallTayl said above, it's hard to beat 4627 for HT, and it doesn't need long cure times.

Has anyone had a bad experience with the 4627 having a burnt smell?  I read a lot of really good reviews about this wax, but the newer reviews are experiencing a burnt smell to the wax and I am wondering if they have changed their wax recently like all the soy waxes?

[ErronB]

13 hours ago, Auntjulie said:

Has anyone had a bad experience with the 4627 having a burnt smell?  I read a lot of really good reviews about this wax, but the newer reviews are experiencing a burnt smell to the wax and I am wondering if they have changed their wax recently like all the soy waxes?

 

I've only had weird smells from it when using high loads of FO, was nothing but trouble and wicking was impossible. I've never had an issue from several blocks when using it sensibly.