Help with hot scent throw

[ErronB]

7 hours ago, THicks said:

 It has been a while but I was going to get back with the testing.  I tested the Peach Nectar in the square mason jar several different times allowing a couple of weeks to cure and still didn't get a hot throw from it.  I have been testing a sample FO from Flaming Candle in the 4630 and we are smelling it much better.  I've been testing with LX and Premier wicks but I'm going to have to order more 4630 if I continue with this.

 

I'm betting that you're not adding the FO at a high enough temperature.

 

Heat the wax to 190, take it off the heat and add the FO immediately. If you've been stirring the wax as it heats and you're stirring it properly while adding the FO there is no reason why 4630 wouldn't give off a proper hot throw with bfroberts wicking and fragrance suggestions with minimal curing time unless you have a bad block of wax. 

 

[THicks]

It has been a while and I thought I would give an update.

I took a break from serious testing mostly because I was frustrated with getting the same results.  I started back making a few small batches and made a discovery  during that time.  I have read back over the posts and noticed one thing that was never mentioned and that was my scales.  My husband reminded me that I have questioned these scales several times.  I tested their accuracy by measuring my FO with a Tablespoon.  I know that FO's are suppose to be measured by weight.  I put my pour pitcher on the scales and tared it to zero then put the FO in the wax by measuring 1 Tsp at a time (total of 2 Tsps).  I used the same FO's and made different batches of candles and the scale gave me two different readings.  The first was around .96 and the other was about .76.  That is quite a bit of difference especially since the capacity of the Tbs is going to be the same every time.  I've had the same inconsistency with two different FO's so far.

I have been testing the Harmony using the Tbs and scales together with a FO this week.  We have seen an improvement in HT but I have had another problem happen.  When I made this test batch it was heated to 175 and I put the FO in at 160 and the wax started clouding so I put it back on the heat till it turned clear stirring all the time.  I didn't want to leave the wax on the heat longer than was needed.  I was getting some hot throw from a few test wicks but the weird thing was how the wicks burned.  A few wicks would burn with small flames (the top of the flame would barely be burning above the wick) and then the next size up would burn tall and give off smoke tails.  I thought maybe I had clipped the small flame wicks too close but when I retested them they performed the same way.

When I get a chance I'm going to make some more with the same FO and heat hotter and see how the wicks perform.  I'm thinking the temp may have been too low or having to reheat messed up something with the wick testing but right now I'm happy to see an improvement with the HT.

Just thought I would let you know what I have found out about the scales and hopefully they were a big part of my problems.

 

[TallTayl]

Fragrance oils vary in specific gravity, so a tablespoon of one oil can very well weigh much less than a different fragrance oil. Citrus are very light while patchouli is very dense for example.  16 fluid ounces of orange won’t fit into a 16 oz bottle. Likewise, the level of fill of a tablespoon can vary a little due to surface tensions. 
 

do check you batteries. Scales are most accurate in the middle part of their capacity. Meaning, if the scale measures 7000 grams, it is most accurate, typically, around the 3500 gram mark.

 

for very small measure,ents, I bought a gram scale from eBay that measures to .01 grams.

[bfroberts]

I hope you've got the scale thing figured out, and I'm glad you are getting somewhere with the HT.  If you are still working with the 4630, be sure to heat to 185 to add your FO.  Give it several days to cure before burning.  It does make a difference.  LX wicks work pretty good with 4630.  I personally like zinc a little better, but I do use some LX. Every FO won't use the same wick.  With 4630, I need 2 different sizes per container, depending on the FO.  

[THicks]

I am still working with the Harmony wax but continue to have issues.  I was testing 2.5" jelly jar with 6% Baby Powder FO from Flaming Candle using an HTP 52 wick and getting good HT in the master bedroom and master bath.  Half way down the jar the wick started burning with a small flame and lost the HT.  I went up to an HTP 62 but didn't get the good strong HT back.  I have had several that will have HT and then at some point in the burn it will lose it and a wick change doesn't bring it back.  Any ideas 

[MsPeachesDelight]

On 12/8/2019 at 7:28 PM, TallTayl said:

Do you have a wax melter, like a scentsy? If so, drop a little onto it.  If you can smell it, then you can be assured it is a wicking issue. You’ll just need to find a wick that hits the sweet spot in your wax/fo/container variables.

I tried this, and it made me wonder if I should stick to wax melts instead because the HT was beautiful, heh!  Is it possible to add c55 to midwest soy or will it harden it too much that it wont properly release HT? Alternative is to just stick with adding 5% beeswax.  Thoughts?