sugarysweet95 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Hi Everyone, I'm hopefully gonna be able to start selling candles soon and so have done a lot of experimenting. The problem is, i'm not really sure what to test for and vary etc. I've been trying different wicks and looking at burn pools and flame, which i find do vary a lot. However a lot of threads i've seen talk about how much the candle varies with things like amount of scent, type of wax, scent and dye. However i've tried using a few different things, like different suppliers of wax, but i can't really notice much difference between them at all! Can anyone help pinpoint me in the right direction of what to experiment and what to look for, apart from types of wick?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Since this is basic candle making testing I moved it to the general section.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 You need to be able to make your product consistently good before you can offer it for sale. First we need to know what type of candles you are making, then we can tell you what to look for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarysweet95 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 Well i aim to mainly make pillar candles of varying size. I like chunk candles the best, but also like some with layers and liquid dyes. I dont intend to make container candles, as its really expensive in the UK to buy the containers!!!Anyway thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 You STILL need to be able to make your product consistently good before you can offer it for sale. It isn't slap some wax together, fragrance it and poke it with a wick. Seriously, if you aren't sure what to test for, you aren't ready to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarysweet95 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 Well i've made the same sort of candles a number of times and they all seem to work fine with the different waxes, scents and dyes, but what i want to know is how to make them even better! Like what types of tests to do, as i've tried a few, as mentioned in my other posts, but not noticed much difference! I've only got candles i've bought myself to compare them too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Well if you're buying them and then comparing yours against theirs that is one test. Testing for how long your candle burns, the type of throw you are getting with each of the scents, the way the wick burns are other ways. What criteria do you have for your candles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarysweet95 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 At the moment the only criteria i've got is whether it has good melt pool (so there's no big well in the centre), whether the flame doesn't smoke/jump, how good the colour looks, approximately how long it burns for (but found that new burn time calculator on here, which i think i'll try for next test) and just comparing how strong the smell is with one candle to anotherI was thinking though, in the US there seems to be zillions of different types of wax, but in the UK there just seems to be basic paraffin wax, either beaded and or blended. Maybe there just all very similar, so maybe that's why i'm not getting much difference yet. Not tried experimenting with additives much yet, except microcrystalline hard which i find wonderful for chunks. Maybe i'll get more variation then. Is there any other criteria i should be looking out for?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Strength of FO. Not sure what you've got for choices, but there are differences between companies. So if you are able, maybe compare one against the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Sounds like you are going about this in the correct manner. For pillars, you want to make sure that the wax does not spill over or tunnel and that the pillar is self consuming as it burns down with little effort on your part. Nothing wrong with straight paraffin, that's my wax of choice for pillars. Additives can do wonders.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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