rebecca0 Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Hi! I'm quite new to the candle-making community (<4 months), and brand new to this forum, and look forward to entering this space with an open-mind! I'm in the process of developing my formula and process still, and I have a somewhat rudimentary question: How exactly do I mix/combine multiple waxes for the same formula? For example (not my actual formula): if I'm combining Coconut-83 (190F-200F pour temp) at 75% with SP-487 (175F-185F pour temp) at 25%: At what point in the process do I combine my two waxes? For instance, do I combine them in their "flake form" (i.e., prior to melting)? Or, do I combine them once the wax is melted (i.e., pouring 25% of SP-487 into 75% Coconut-83)? Or, do I pour them both - separately - into the vessel? Considering, and accounting for varying pour temperatures, how could combining my waxes incorrectly negatively impact the candle quality? For instance, in the example above, the pour temps are different and do not overlap (Coconut-83 is 190F-200F and SP-487 is 175F-185F) - how do I account for the different temperatures during the mixing process? I look forward to hearing feedback! Open to all comments/suggestions/ideas! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 When I blend waxes, I melt mine together. I think most people do. There are a lot of factors involved….your wax types and the percentages of each, for starters. What exactly are you trying to accomplish by blending? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebecca0 Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 6 minutes ago, bfroberts said: When I blend waxes, I melt mine together. I think most people do. There are a lot of factors involved….your wax types and the percentages of each, for starters. What exactly are you trying to accomplish by blending? Thank you so much for the feedback! The purposes for my blending is to provide my majority wax (coconut) a hardening agent, as most waxes with a high coconut concentration will require hardening additives for success all-season long. Side-bar, my formula is still somewhat undecided (although, I do know I want it to be 70%+ coconut) as I keep finding out that waxes I'm interested in adding as the hardening tool (i.e., SP-487) contain paraffin/palm. I'm attempting to create an environmentally-conscious candle that does not include palm/paraffin - so it's been tough! Nonetheless, the blend will be necessary due to the inevitable high coconut concentration of the candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I use that coconut and different palm waxes. I measure all ingredients cold and melt together in the pot to over 200. A hold time while blending well is recommended to make sure everything is well blended. I’ve been hearing soys to 200 for a while now with MUCH better results than the old 195 or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asr Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I experimented with a coconut and SP-487 blend too. If you are using a Presto pot and have leftover blended wax, do you have to stir it when you re-melt it, or does it stay blended? I always did, but wondering if it was needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 3 hours ago, asr said: I experimented with a coconut and SP-487 blend too. If you are using a Presto pot and have leftover blended wax, do you have to stir it when you re-melt it, or does it stay blended? I always did, but wondering if it was needed. Mix. Always mix. There are many components within wax blends that have different melt and drop points. Keeping a blend as homogenous as possible gives the most consistent results. 😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asr Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 9:18 AM, TallTayl said: Mix. Always mix. There are many components within wax blends that have different melt and drop points. Keeping a blend as homogenous as possible gives the most consistent results. 😊 That makes sense, and I always did. I can’t blame my poor performing candles on that then 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PINKT Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 On 1/20/2022 at 4:36 PM, rebecca0 said: Hi! I'm quite new to the candle-making community (<4 months), and brand new to this forum, and look forward to entering this space with an open-mind! I'm in the process of developing my formula and process still, and I have a somewhat rudimentary question: How exactly do I mix/combine multiple waxes for the same formula? For example (not my actual formula😞 if I'm combining Coconut-83 (190F-200F pour temp) at 75% with SP-487 (175F-185F pour temp) at 25%: At what point in the process do I combine my two waxes? For instance, do I combine them in their "flake form" (i.e., prior to melting)? Or, do I combine them once the wax is melted (i.e., pouring 25% of SP-487 into 75% Coconut-83)? Or, do I pour them both - separately - into the vessel? Considering, and accounting for varying pour temperatures, how could combining my waxes incorrectly negatively impact the candle quality? For instance, in the example above, the pour temps are different and do not overlap (Coconut-83 is 190F-200F and SP-487 is 175F-185F) - how do I account for the different temperatures during the mixing process? I look forward to hearing feedback! Open to all comments/suggestions/ideas! Thank you! the SP 487 is a palm wax which needs to be melted to high temps- over 200 just like the coconut 83 from accublend. Put both waxes in your melter at the same time and melt together ..POUR temps are strictly for asthetics, and this blend should be poured hot.. heat 215-225, add scent immediately, stir 20-30 secs and pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natasha Natasha Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 I want to use the same combo of waxes. I'm concerned about the shipping in the summer. I don't want my candles to melt by the time the customer gets it. Is the 75(coco)/25(s&p) percentage correct? If not, what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 7 hours ago, Natasha Natasha said: I want to use the same combo of waxes. I'm concerned about the shipping in the summer. I don't want my candles to melt by the time the customer gets it. Is the 75(coco)/25(s&p) percentage correct? If not, what? It all depends on your coco wax. They are all different. Using sp487 will change the burn. Often requiring a size or two wick up, or an entirely different series altogether. In my blend, anywhere from 20%-30% is normal. I have to adjust for fragrance variations and container types. to test candles for summer, I put several on my patio, some in direct sun, others in shade and observe over 24 hours. I place another set in my car and in the mailbox. If shipping ups, those trucks get well over 100*F in summer months, with the sorting depots and airport tarmacs being hot also… Summer months mean summer shipping schedules. I ship Monday thru weds, usually. This should bypass extra weekend days stuck in sorting facilities and on hot 18 wheelers waiting to unload. Pack with LOTS of packing peanut insulation. Believe it or not a few inches of packing peanuts on all sides can really help protect the candles from temp fluctuations. Don’t mess with freezer packs. They will leak condensation from humid air all over your package and make a mess. when shipping large orders to hot states (chicago to florida for instance) I defer to FedEx. At least FedEx vans are air conditioned, unlike usps and ups. Their service times have been craptastic lately, but at least the trucks don’t melt my stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightLight Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 You could try adding sunflower wax, or carnauba to your blend. Palm free. You will have to test percentages. Did not love the 487. I test same way as Talltayl. Abuse the candles in warm weather, and also winter months too. That will really tell you how you candle holds up! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilFirecracker Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 6:29 PM, NightLight said: You could try adding sunflower wax, or carnauba to your blend. Palm free. You will have to test percentages. Did not love the 487. I test same way as Talltayl. Abuse the candles in warm weather, and also winter months too. That will really tell you how you candle holds up! Does stearic acid have the same hardening effect in coconut wax as it does others? I bought 3lbs of palm stearic thinking it would be great to harden my melts just a tad in the summer. Works great - also made my melts hard like cement to get out of the dish at 5%🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natasha Natasha Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 On 5/18/2022 at 5:50 PM, TallTayl said: It all depends on your coco wax. They are all different. Using sp487 will change the burn. Often requiring a size or two wick up, or an entirely different series altogether. In my blend, anywhere from 20%-30% is normal. I have to adjust for fragrance variations and container types. to test candles for summer, I put several on my patio, some in direct sun, others in shade and observe over 24 hours. I place another set in my car and in the mailbox. If shipping ups, those trucks get well over 100*F in summer months, with the sorting depots and airport tarmacs being hot also… Summer months mean summer shipping schedules. I ship Monday thru weds, usually. This should bypass extra weekend days stuck in sorting facilities and on hot 18 wheelers waiting to unload. Pack with LOTS of packing peanut insulation. Believe it or not a few inches of packing peanuts on all sides can really help protect the candles from temp fluctuations. Don’t mess with freezer packs. They will leak condensation from humid air all over your package and make a mess. when shipping large orders to hot states (chicago to florida for instance) I defer to FedEx. At least FedEx vans are air conditioned, unlike usps and ups. Their service times have been craptastic lately, but at least the trucks don’t melt my stuff. On 5/18/2022 at 5:50 PM, TallTayl said: It all depends on your coco wax. They are all different. Using sp487 will change the burn. Often requiring a size or two wick up, or an entirely different series altogether. In my blend, anywhere from 20%-30% is normal. I have to adjust for fragrance variations and container types. to test candles for summer, I put several on my patio, some in direct sun, others in shade and observe over 24 hours. I place another set in my car and in the mailbox. If shipping ups, those trucks get well over 100*F in summer months, with the sorting depots and airport tarmacs being hot also… Summer months mean summer shipping schedules. I ship Monday thru weds, usually. This should bypass extra weekend days stuck in sorting facilities and on hot 18 wheelers waiting to unload. Pack with LOTS of packing peanut insulation. Believe it or not a few inches of packing peanuts on all sides can really help protect the candles from temp fluctuations. Don’t mess with freezer packs. They will leak condensation from humid air all over your package and make a mess. when shipping large orders to hot states (chicago to florida for instance) I defer to FedEx. At least FedEx vans are air conditioned, unlike usps and ups. Their service times have been craptastic lately, but at least the trucks don’t melt my stuff. I'm going to test 25% 487 - 75% soy and 75% 487 - 25% soy to see which works better. I'm also going to fully package both and sit them in the sun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Natasha Natasha said: I'm going to test 25% 487 - 75% soy and 75% 487 - 25% soy to see which works better. I'm also going to fully package both and sit them in the sun. A typical mailbox works well too. It tests how well the packng paternal sand packaging work to insulate against extremes of shipping. When doing final testing we want to best emulate how it will fare under the worst “normal” conditions 😊 if you sell in-person at fairs, it is SUPER important to know how well they hold up for the entirety of the event day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natasha Natasha Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 Well, so far the 75% soy has a smoother top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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