nuriadc8 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Hi! As you may now I'm starting on making jar candles. I have a very good variety of FO'S . I do have the recipe for diferent mixing ideas. But I wanted to try mixing ideas before I start selling them.But don't want to make a jar out of every mix idea. In what containers or how can I test this fragrances before choosing what I'm going to sell? (sorry for my english!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annareeb Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 why dont you test the single scents before you start blending.. you can guage how each indivual Fo behaves and throws before you test the blends.. and dont go overboard with too many at first... a lot of product in a few choices is better than fewer amounts in many many choices..it will be very difficult to keep up with and test soo many in the short time period you have..test in the containers you intend to sell them in.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMeeks Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Try taking a Qtip and dipping it into each fragrance you want to mix. Put it in a ziploc bag and let it sit for a while. This will give you a good idea as to what your candle will smell like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If you are asking how you can test the fragrance mixes outside of wax..I wouldn't bother, simply because it may smell vastly different on a Q-tip, than it does when you put it in a candle. I'm sure you do NOT want to make a jar out of each mixed scent, but you're eventually going to have to do it anyway (probably more than once) to see what kind of wick is going to work etc...so ya might as well resign yourself to the fact that it's not gonna be cheap, and dive right in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuriadc8 Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 Thanks so much for all the hints. I think the Q-tip one is a good option. I was also wondering. I know that per one pond of wax you should add from 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce. When you mix fragrances does the whole mix be that same amount of FO ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annareeb Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 if i get what you are asking.. you want to know if your blended Fo should be equal to 1/2 oz -1 oz FO... yes.. try your wax.. see how much FO your wax can/will handle.. then adjust your FOs to equal that amount.. some waxes hold more Fo than others... I can use 10% or 1.5 oz in the one I use for containers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Pardon me for saying this, but I have been watching your questions for the past few weeks. It's great that you are learning to make candles but you are not ready to sell candles. Only a few days ago you were trying to secure your wicks in the jar with mold sealer. At this point, trying to sell candles would be a danger to your customers and well as yourself in terms of legal liability. If even one thing goes wrong it could destroy your life. Just something to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuriadc8 Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 Topofmurrayhill, Thanks so much for your advice.With all your respect I tough this message board was for the purpose I'm using it. Maybe some day one of you will learn something for me. The ski is the limit. If you don't question you don't get answers. I have all my energy put into this and I don't see how I'm gonna fail. I have nurture myself with books and other sources. Remember that one day you where in my position (with all respect). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 There is nothing wrong with learning and asking questions. It's just to early to go into business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I really don't think Top was trying to discourage from making candles. Any and all questions are welcome here and we all learn from them. I believe he was simply suggesting that you to prepare for much testing before planning on selling.But I wanted to try mixing ideas before I start selling them.But don't want to make a jar out of every mix idea. There is no way to know how a FO will smell definitely in a candle until you mix it in wax. Some smell identical, some are completely different. Any candle you plan on selling you should make a couple extra to test burn under different conditions... and that's after the ones you made and burned finding the best wick. It's really best to do one FO at a time, thoroughly test it, then move on to the next. Of course, there's also the possibilty of confusion about intent. If English isn't your first language sometimes meaning get mixed in conversion. I don't mean anything negative by that and all people are welcome here! It's just I've seen some mix-ups in understanding when languages are involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaiiansun Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I agree with Top it's great that you ask questions, cause that's how we learn, but selling? oooo there are so many things that need to tested, wicks, throws, fos not to mention safety etc. I've being doing candles for over a year and only now do I feel comfortable enough to know that some of the candles that I have tested over and over , have passed all the tests I've done and are ready to be sold. We're all here to learn so ask away but make sure you do your testing. When I started before finding this board, I thought making candles was just melting the wax pouring in fo and wicking and burning. I found out real fast that it ain't so Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtngrl Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 why dont you test the single scents before you start blending.. you can guage how each indivual Fo behaves and throws before you test the blends.. and dont go overboard with too many at first... a lot of product in a few choices is better than fewer amounts in many many choices..it will be very difficult to keep up with and test soo many in the short time period you have..test in the containers you intend to sell them in..I totally agree with Anna. I'd take it one step further. Make your test candles. Put candle-making aside for awhile. Maybe a month, just so your nose can go back to normal. Then start testing the softer scents first & work your way up to the heavier/stronger FOs. If you start w/ heavy/strong 1st, you'll ruin your nose for the softer stuff. At least, that's been my experience. Just one idea of many ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyl55 Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If your intent is to succeed as a candlemaker I strongly suggest you start by going to the old board. Go to the bottom right of this screen, under Forum Jump select Access the Archives. Read everything under Basic Instructions and General Information. Then click on Candletech at the top of this screen. Under Tips and FAQ Database select Candlemaking. And read through those questions and answers. Here you will find the answer to many of your questions and more importantly the answers to questions you haven't thought to ask yet.What everyone is trying to tactfully suggest is that making a safe, good candle requires a significant amount of testing. After you figure out the basics you need to test every wax, FO, container, dye, and wick combination. That means if you want to make 8 oz JJ candles in 15 scents you have to make a minimum of 2 test candles of each scent. One test candle to figure out the right wick. Then one test candle with that wick that you burn all the way to the bottom of the jar. You need to test the candles doing normal burns of 3 to 4 hours each and marathon burns simulating what some customers might do. Now you want to buy your FO from a different supplier. You have to test that FO all over again. Now you want to do a different container. You have to test everything all over again.All this assumes you want to make a quality, safe product. After you have successfully tested all the variables, you can consider safely selling your creations.We are all willing to help you out. I am still a newbie myself so I know how challenging the whole process can be. But you have to do your part too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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