Proper Measuring

[pixelstick]

I've checked the boards and for the life of me can't find what to measure against what when including more than one agent (FO, color, etc) to your wax. If I missed it, I apologize in advance.

For example, if you're creating a 16oz candle with 6% FO, that would be 16*0.06=0.96oz of FO and 16*0.94=15.04oz of wax. My question is what if you then want to add colorant at X% and vybar at Y%? Are the subsequent percentages taken from the 15.04oz of wax or what or do you reduce the amount of wax even more based on these "extra" percentages??? Could someone please help me with this?

[Marilyn]

Color and vybar additives are not added against the wax amount. Color is added based on the color you desire, making note of the amount if you want to get the same color again! I've never used vybar but I believe the company recommends a percentage to use.

[topofmurrayhill]

I've checked the boards and for the life of me can't find what to measure against what when including more than one agent (FO, color, etc) to your wax. If I missed it, I apologize in advance.

For example, if you're creating a 16oz candle with 6% FO, that would be 16*0.06=0.96oz of FO and 16*0.94=15.04oz of wax. My question is what if you then want to add colorant at X% and vybar at Y%? Are the subsequent percentages taken from the 15.04oz of wax or what or do you reduce the amount of wax even more based on these "extra" percentages??? Could someone please help me with this?

You reduce the wax amount more based on the extra percentages. The way you did your original example is exactly right and you do the same thing with additional ingredients.

I both agree and disagree with Marilyn about the colorant. Once you know how to get the color you want, the best thing is to include it in your percentage formula by weight. This is the standard way to use Pryme dyes, and it works fine for certain others such as color blocks. With standard liquid dyes, it's impractical to weigh them for smaller batches so people count drops or whatever.

Example with 6% FO and 1% Vybar:

.06 x 16 = .96oz FO

.01 x 16 = .16oz Vybar

.93 x 16 = 14.88oz wax

That's 93% + 6% + 1% = 100% = 16oz

[Marilyn]

Thanks for stepping in, Top. No one had answered so I thought I'd stick my 1 1/2 cents worth in.

[pixelstick]

Thanks guys. Is there ever an issue with total liquid added to the wax. For example, if the wax has a max FO load of 6% and you add 6% but also add 1%-2% colorant and, say, 1% vybar for a total of 8%-9% would that be more liquid than the wax can hold and thus cause seepage or do colorants and other additives not figure into this?

[topofmurrayhill]

Thanks guys. Is there ever an issue with total liquid added to the wax. For example, if the wax has a max FO load of 6% and you add 6% but also add 1%-2% colorant and, say, 1% vybar for a total of 8%-9% would that be more liquid than the wax can hold and thus cause seepage or do colorants and other additives not figure into this?

Solid additives don't really figure into that. Some of them can help. If you are adding for instance Pryme dye, you have to take account of the oil holding capacity of your wax.

[simply soy]

I'm new and I don't think I have been doing my measuring correctly after

reading the various posts.

I don't do dye or any additives except fragrance. If I doing a tester

candle of 8 oz. soy wax and 9% fragrance.....

When I measure the wax and fragrance, it will be 7.46 ozs. of

wax and .54 oz. of fragrance. This equals to 8 oz. Is this correct?

Lynn

[topofmurrayhill]

I'm new and I don't think I have been doing my measuring correctly after

reading the various posts.

I don't do dye or any additives except fragrance. If I doing a tester

candle of 8 oz. soy wax and 9% fragrance.....

When I measure the wax and fragrance, it will be 7.46 ozs. of

wax and .54 oz. of fragrance. This equals to 8 oz. Is this correct?

Lynn

That's actually 6.75% FO (.54 / 8 = .0675).

To calculate your percentages you start with the size of the candle (or the batch), not the amount of wax. The wax is calculated as a percentage also (whatever percentage isn't fragrance in your case, meaning 91%).

Assuming 8 oz fills up your container, it's .72 oz FO and 7.28 oz wax.

[simply soy]

Thanks Top

Lynn

[pixelstick]

If using the concentrated liquid colorant (not Pryme) do you have to consider the 1%-2% of colorant part of the 6% (or so) that the wax can hold, thus limiting the amount of FO you can add?

[geekrunner]

If I'm reading top correctly, the concentrated dye that one uses in drops does not count against the total amount of stuff, since the quantity used is miniscule compared to Pryme dyes.

BTW I should be getting my Pryme dyes soon!

geek

[topofmurrayhill]

If I'm reading top correctly, the concentrated dye that one uses in drops does not count against the total amount of stuff, since the quantity used is miniscule compared to Pryme dyes.

Yeah, I'm not sure if it counts against FO loading, but it's just not enough to matter. Nobody (I don't think) would be putting in 1% concentrated liquid dye. It's closer to 0.1%.

[Cissy]

Maybe I am trying to complicate this, but I am trying to figure how to make an 8 oz candle without having any wax left over. If I figure the % of 8 oz of wax, I will have to reduce the amt of wax I'm putting into the 8 oz jar making room for the FO or any additives, therefore increasing the actual FO % in ratio to the (less that 8 oz) of wax I can put in that jar. Does this make any sense, or am I trying to be too precise? If a wax can hold only an approximate percentage of FO, couldn't this cause you to go over that limit?

For example 8 oz wax using 5% FO:

8x.05 = .4 FO

8 - .4 = 7.6 wax

.4 ~ 7.6 = .0526 % FO (which is the actual % of FO in ratio to 7.6 oz wax

in jar) which doesn't sound like much, but it will

make a bigger increase in maximum FO allowed if you

are using 10 to 12 % FO load.

This makes sense to me as far as preciseness in figuring FO%, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get that 5.26 % down to an exact 5%

FO load for this 8 oz jar. Can anyone else figure this out? I suppose I should just do it the simple way based on 16 oz. and pour tarts or something with the leftover wax. I'm just a beginner and really just wanted to make (1) 8 oz candle with .75 oz of the 1-oz samples I've ordered to test (changing wicks in same jar until I find the right one)......trying to be conservative at this point... testing only one candle when or if possible. Are there any geniuses

out there who can figure this out?...or is the maximum FO % load based on the total finished candle as opposed to the actual amount of wax? I believe this has been the confusion with others also who are also trying to start with a certain amt of wax and end up with the exact amt of FO allowed.

[topofmurrayhill]

1 - Take a candle that's already made and weigh it. Subtract the weight of an empty container. That's the amount of stuff you have to pour in to make your candle.

2 - Take the weight you got in step one and figure out the weights of the ingredients based on percentages. Let's say for the sake of argument the result from step one is 6.5 oz (by weight) you have to pour into the jar. That makes the individual ingredients as follows:

5% FO = 6.5 x .05 = .325 oz FO

95% wax = 6.5 x .95 = 6.175 oz wax

(6.175 + .325 = 6.5 = 100%)

Hope that clarifies.