What works best

[briggscandle]

I am currently using a parrafin blend by igi. I noticed alot of people talking about soy and soy/parafin blends. I was wondering beside the health advantage of soy candles. Do soy candle provide more consistent candles when you recreate the same candle over again. Basically what works best, parafin, soy, or a soy/parafin blend.

[Rob in tx]

You'll have several different answers for this question. Everyone likes the wax they use.

We use straight paraffin w/ additives use zinc core wicks and have consistent candles, because we have done our homework and found what works for us.

Everyone has different tastes.

[briggscandle]

I understand doing your homework take tons of notes and continue to test for consistency. It just is more of a question of what people have found works best for them as i am still experimenting with it being new and am trying to find out as much information on the waxes as possible. I propbably have spent more time going through the old and new forums then I have at work over the last month doing research but it all seems to be out there.

By the way thanks for the input on what you use.

[mad]

There isn't a better; there is only personal preference. You need to work with each to see which suits you. I generally prefer paraffin and get very consistant results, but I'm working with a soy that I think may be suitable for blending with paraffin to get a look and burn that I want. I don't care for straight soy. It doesn't work for me; I end up working for it. Not happening! But it's my choice as to what wax I use. To make an intellegent choice you just have to work with the product and draw your own conclusions

Mad

[silverm00n]

So far the only wax that I like is palm and coconut oil for pillars and votives from MillCreek.

[Everito Bandito]

Soy seems to smoke less - Pariffin looks better. Just a couple of my thoughts on it. Someone else might see it differently. It still boils down to whatever you decide on. You can order some smaller samples and play around with it. Order a bit of soy. Then order a small amount of parasoy blend or blend some yourself. (I did)

Read the "Vegetable wax candle making" forum and get some ideas of what waxes you might want to order samples of. Do searches of the wax and find out all that you can about it. Play around with them and above all, Have Fun.

I like my blend best because it looks decent, burns well, doesn't smoke much at all and has a pretty decent hot and cold throw. It is 50% ecosoya pure blended with 50% J223. I have some other 10 lb. blocks of paraffin and some GB 464 than I plan to blend soon. I will also test them seperately. I might like that even better, who knows.

Just my opinion but, the only real advantage that I can currently see that soy has over paraffin is that it smokes less. I suppose that if I were selling candles and customers wanted the all soy candles then that would be another adavantage. As for pillar candles, I'm a paraffin only user, but may try some palm in the future.

[Candlewitch]

Yo. I assume that a big cost advantage wouldnt count as a advantage on the soy part?

[Henryk]

Since I'm a new paraffin container tester, I'd like to ask on this thread:

Is it not possible to make a paraffin container that burns just as clean as a soy container (all things being equal - like same FO and dye)?

[Crafty1_AJ]

I make both types of candles, mostly containers. In my experience, paraffin has excellent scent throw, both hot & cold, and is a smooth-looking, creamy wax. Soy candles have a nice clean burn (assuming the candle's wicked correctly and burned correctly) and features a rustic look with some frosting and interesting texture to it.

Of course any candle can give off soot and nasty stuff if burned in a draft and/or when the wick isn't trimmed. But I do both kinds so my customers can choose whatever they prefer. If they are unsure about which to choose, I just give them the benefits and drawbacks of both types of wax. If they still can't decide, I sell 'em both kinds and make them report back to me in essay form. OK, just kidding about that last sentence -- the essay part, anyway!

[Dixie]

I think a blend is the best of both worlds.

Dixie

[Scented]

There isn't a better; there is only personal preference.

Mad

Ditto. THere's no health issue. If you need to sort that out, visit the National Candle Association. As in read here: http://www.candles.org/elements_wax.html

Henry, yeah it's possible. Wicking. It's all in the wick.

[silverm00n]

I tried pure soy once, and it didn't even end up being a candle. I don't know if I added too much vybar, I did 1tsp per pound, but when I poured into my jar it had all kinds of craziness going on. There were bubbles, I think it mottling, I don't know, but I remelted and poured back into the pot and haven't tried since. I'll have to jump on the experiment wagon with that one again. As far as parafin, imo, so far I can't stand it. I don't get a nice look at all, it always has bubbles on my pillars and jars, but I also didn't add anything to it. The only thing that came out decent for with parafin were my chunks, but the overpour sucked. But a lot of you guys speak highly of parafin, so it must just be me. Anywho, I have yet to mess with both of those waxes and throw in some additives and see if I can't figure it out. I've also tried golden blend 444 and so far it's ok, but not as nice as I would like it to be yet. Maybe if I blend some of these together I can create a new monster! lol, HTH.

[Georgia]

Both waxes have their advantages and disadvantages. It is possible to make a clean burning paraffin candle. (I agree with the "no health issue".) Paraffin, I think, is more versatile. Soy (usually) doesn't emit black soot - it still soots. Soy cleans up easier. Soy is made by refining crude vegetable oils. Paraffin is made by refining crude mineral oils.

I am currently testing blends to get the best of both worlds.

[Everito Bandito]

Yo. I assume that a big cost advantage wouldnt count as a advantage on the soy part?

Good point - My mind just wasn't on it. I suppose that since I am just a hobbiest and don't make very many candles, the cost difference just isn't a real strong reference point for me. However, from your and other's perspective I can certainly see how it would be.