Soot no matter what

[fredron]

Okay here's my problem today. I have a fragrance which smells great, & sells like crazy, but it also soots like crazy. I use J50 in a 10oz square shaped jar, which I've used for years, with excellent results. With this particular fragrance, which is blueberry and pineapple, no matter what wick I've tried, zink core 60-44-18, Fil Tec , Premier 700, and in larger jars which are refils, I've use 0-8 braided. Results are the same-good scent throw cold or hot, but smokes like a chimney. The oils are from Natures Garden, and again I've used their stuff for years with good results, and neither fragrance smokes when poured alone.

Any ideas?

[CandleCouture]

What % FO are you using?

[fredron]

1/2 ounce each, by weight, per pound of wax. Just a little better than 6%.

With J-50, that's what we've used forever.

[CandleCouture]

That's 3.125% actually, not 6%. Not sure, why at THIS low a percentage, you are getting sooting, to be honest.

[topofmurrayhill]

That's a half ounce of 2 different fragrance oils, total of 1 ounce per pound.

It's 5.9% actually.

This is a little speculative, but I'm pretty sure I've heard that certain fragrance oils can be incompatible with each other when mixed. If neither of them smoke on their own then maybe that's the situation, in which case you could be out of luck.

Maybe you could give the combination to a fragrance house and have them create a single fragrance oil to duplicate the scent.

[BruceCarvesWax]

oops never mind top got it

[CandleCouture]

Woops. Thought it was one FO (with both notes), not two.

And, yes, 1 ounce per pound of wax is 5.9% (1 ounce per 17 ounces total weight), however, for all intents and purposes, percentages, for whatever reason, in candle land, are measured in their ratio, which I know is incorrect, however, it's grown to become the standard, pretty much. When someone says they are using 6.25% fo, they mean 1 ounce per pound of wax, despite the fact that, in reality, that is just under 6%.

[Crowded House]

And of course if 1/16th of your 16 oz candle is FO that is also 6.25%.

[topofmurrayhill]

Woops. Thought it was one FO (with both notes), not two.

And, yes, 1 ounce per pound of wax is 5.9% (1 ounce per 17 ounces total weight), however, for all intents and purposes, percentages, for whatever reason, in candle land, are measured in their ratio, which I know is incorrect, however, it's grown to become the standard, pretty much. When someone says they are using 6.25% fo, they mean 1 ounce per pound of wax, despite the fact that, in reality, that is just under 6%.

With respect, I don't agree with that.

There are multiple conventions for calculating amounts of ingredients. Ratios per pound of wax are very popular, especially among small producers and hobbyists, and that's a perfectly good way of doing things.

Percentage formulas are also a lingua franca in certain parts of candle land. There is a specific way that those are done by people who use them. The worksheet provided by Barnloft for their color system is a handy public example.

There are also standard equivalencies between the two, such as 6% = 1 oz pp and 9% = 1.5 oz pp. Those are useful and conveniently simple approximations between one system and the other.

However, when you try to actually do the math and get 1 oz pp = 6.25%, that's not a convenient approximation -- it's just the wrong calculation. If someone is actually making candles using percentage formulas, your results won't agree with theirs.

[topofmurrayhill]

And of course if 1/16th of your 16 oz candle is FO that is also 6.25%.

You're exactly right. Similarly, if you add 1 oz fragrance to 16 oz of wax, 1/17th of your candle will be FO (regardless actually of what size or how many jars you fill).

[CandleCouture]

With respect, I don't agree with that.

There are multiple conventions for calculating amounts of ingredients. Ratios per pound of wax are very popular, especially among small producers and hobbyists, and that's a perfectly good way of doing things.

Percentage formulas are also a lingua franca in certain parts of candle land. There is a specific way that those are done by people who use them. The worksheet provided by Barnloft for their color system is a handy public example.

There are also standard equivalencies between the two, such as 6% = 1 oz pp and 9% = 1.5 oz pp. Those are useful and conveniently simple approximations between one system and the other.

However, when you try to actually do the math and get 1 oz pp = 6.25%, that's not a convenient approximation -- it's just the wrong calculation. If someone is actually making candles using percentage formulas, your results won't agree with theirs.

You are right, as usual. I don't know what on earth I was thinking. Of course you are used to being right.

:yay:

[Candlewitch]

Could of been one of those pesty math teachers in a former life? :rolleyes2

[BruceCarvesWax]

You all should see my chart for mixing percents. I have it broken all the way down to one jar and up to 18 jars. Then I have the oil percents from 5% up to about 10% and any combination in between by quarter % changes. The same chart can even break down my oil I need to make one test candle in DWT weight on my balance scale so I can be 100% exact on my oil on the tester. Anal, VERY anal, but it works for me. Bruce

[eugenia]

Anal, VERY anal, but it works for me. Bruce

Another anal one here, but mine goes from 6%-8% only. Never go higher. It does give me ounces or grams so I can choose, depending on my mood. My stuff is all in spreadsheets, B&B too.