Blending Waxes - Soy blends

[CandleMakingDad]

I'm new to the game and started a couple months ago testing.  I watched so many videos, it sounds so simple and I new it wouldn't be but after test 25-30 candles with combinations of waxes and wicks I've yet to find a combination I'm happy with.  I was curious to see how many of you experienced makers blend waxes for your formula.  I've tried 464 and bees wax and it looks great, just trying to get the right wick.  I like 464 and have had some good candles, burn to edges all the way down, not too hot on the vessel, just not the smoothness after burns I've seen with some of the candles I've purchased from other handmade makers online.  Just curious what combination is your go to.

[TallTayl]

I suggest learning a wax as-is before blending. Beeswax and soy “can” be nice but will always present challenges as far as wicking. Soy and beeswax generally require different size “straws”.
 

Beeswax all by itself burns best in a taper or pillar form using bleached square wick. 

 

soy burns best in a container with other braids, such as flat (cd, htp, etc.) soy can use bleached square, but bleached square tends to tip/lean and sag in the softened molten wax of a container. 
 

Soy as you’ve learned is not pretty after a burn. Different components of the soy blend you’re using melt and are consumed at different rates leaving behind rough unattractive tops. many people just embrace the ugly and are perfectly happy. Others get into a blending loop that can quickly become overwhelming. 
 

if you like the idea of soy but want a more attractive candle, I’d suggest a parasoy such as igi6006. Or a CBL blend from candlewic. Or a Clarus 3022. Many to choose from. Paraffin helps lube the soy crystals and stabilize the unstable polymorphic nature of soy wax. 
 

464 is a complete blended wax that contains additives to help with jar adhesion and high-ish fragrance load as demanded by its consumers. Many additives will interfere with the additives already in the wax. You could purchase a paraffin wax to see if it smooths out the issues without creating new issues. 
 

as for the candles already made that are considered “fails”, man we have loads of those. I have amassed a collection of every wick series available in the US and will swap wicks and exhaust options before scrapping a test candle. Sometimes I have to be satisfied with a half way decent burning candle with underwhelming HT. That’s just part of the learning curve. 
 

it takes 10,000 intensive hours to become a “master” at anything. You’re at the beginning of a journey and will learn much as you keep testing and experimenting. 
 

By comparison, to become a  journeyman at a trade it takes hundreds of hours  of classroom study, and 2,000 hours typically of apprenticeship under a master. 
 

Chandlery is complex but has very low barriers to entry so many people jump in with both feet and are stunned at how many little things can go wrong with a candle burning in someone’s home. Few are willing to put in the time to really understand the media and stick with it for very long. Those who do are rewarded in many ways 😊