Misfaya Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Hi Everyone, I am new here, and new to candle making. I live in Dominican Republic. I love candles, I believe many people here do, but is a small market so right now I can't find many good ones, paraffin ones with like five different very regular scents. Nothing fun. I own a gym, so I like to light candles here at the reception for people to enjoy and relax, or transport themselves to somewhere in their minds. People said I should get difusers, and I did, but there is something I like about a candle burning that can't be replaced by that. So, I though about making my own. I can't find coconut waxes or soy waxes, or vegetable waxes here, just paraffin (really bad ones). So I've been bringing some in couriers, as well as 3" straight sided containers from dream vessels. I've been reading from all of you, @StanfordP @TallTayl, (it's been amazing to learn from your experiences, I want to share my own in the future). So I am planning to get from candles & supplies coconut wax, eady beads and from other supplier C3 and 464. It came to my mind that maybe Dominican Republic is too hot for coconut wax, temps here vary from 72 to 84 F in winter (december to mid february) and 88 F the rest of the year. I was planning to mix coco and soy as many people suggested in the forums, or use easy beads only, but i've read so many reviews that I just don't know anything anymore. I got 1 oz fragrances from aztec, brambleberry and lonestar. I got CD, premier and Eco wicks in different sizes. Do you think if I use coconut my candles are going to melt or sweat here?? Should I just stay with soy and avoid blending? I like a strong HT and I dont know if soy its going to be frustrating for me. It's pretty confusing to start and shipping is really expensive for me as I have to pay it twice to get things to Florida and then pay couriers fees to DR. It makes it harder for me to do experiments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Welcome! all good questions. Environment definitely plays a role in candle burning. Temp and humidity each play a role. Your wick selections will likely be a bit different from most here simply based on your ambient conditions. easy beads will not necessarily melt at those temps listed. it’s possible they may sweat a little, but not as bad as you might think. I am in Northern IL, and summer sustained temps get into the low 100*F with high humidity. I tested some easybeads from a lot made in 2017 and another in 2018 at my outdoor Faire. So long as not in direct sunlight they held up fine. If you are concerned, or notice too much sweating for your liking, you can try adding beeswax at anywhere from 1% to 5%. You could also try soy wax to help make it appear more creamy. Beeswax and soy will each bring something different to the candle. 464 wax has changed so much from when I started I can only say since you have it, give it a try. You may really like it. For your wick choices, for coconut wax and coconut wax blends, I tend to prefer cd wicks to Eco just because of how they burn in the last half of the candles. Eco tended to throw more soot. Try both and see what you think. Much has to do with your containers and burning conditions, so you might have a different experience from my own, the most frustrating thing with easybeads coco wax for me is how much it varies from case to case. If you like it, and learn it well, you can usually work around it and blend in thins to keep it performing well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misfaya Posted December 19, 2019 Author Share Posted December 19, 2019 Thank you so much @TallTayl ! The one I have, as is the one I found first, is Virgin Coconut from WoodenWicks (Lab&Co). I am now testing with that one before I order the others I am planning to (If this one works not sure if I am going to order more as I have 30 pounds). Right now I feel is a good wax to work with for begginners and I got it for $2.83 per pound, and the others (due to shipping costs) were going to cost me about $3.5 per pound. I figure that testing and blending was going to elevate the final price per candle. So I've been reading about wicks, to find alternatives for the CD5 wicks I tested first, as they are close but a little bit hot I guess, they make a tall flame, no sooting. I believe for my 2.7" inner diameter vessels, CD5 are close to be the right wick. What do you think about trying LX, i am thinking LX12 can be a good fit, or HTP 62 OR 73 as they have similar descriptions, but lower flame height in charts. For the premiers I am really not sure. My last question, and sorry for asking to much, do people have to buy 50-100 pack of wicks on every test or there are places that sell you just a bit to try? Thanks for the support! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Test all the way to the bottom. If the wick seems tall or hot in the first half, it will most definitely escalate in the las half. definitely test all of your wicks. test all of the fragances individually as well. FO can change everything. Some need to be wicked up, down or swapped between series altogether. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Some companies sell tester packages of wicks so you don't have to buy 50+. Premier is one of them and others do it as well. You can also ask on here in the classifieds, possibly see if any other chandlers are closer to you and would be willing to sell you some of what you're wanting to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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