% Fo

[Lightning Bug]

I have finally found a wax with a melt pool and throw. Now maybe I will quit complaining. One question. How do you figure your FO. One wax site says for instance if you want 1 1/2 oz. per lb. to measure 14.5 oz. wax and 1.5 oz. FO. Another says use 16 oz. wax and 1.5 oz. FO. Obviously the % is different, so which way do most of you go when figuring? TIA. Beth

[topofmurrayhill]

If you figure "per pound" formulas then you normally add your measure to a pound of wax. The method where you go by the total weight is for percentage formulas.

16 oz wax + 1.5 oz pp = 17.5 oz (8.6% FO)

Alternatively if you wanted 1 lb of candlestuff with 9% FO it would be:

9% * 16 = 1.44 oz FO

91% * 16 = 14.56 oz wax

[Lightning Bug]

Yes, that is what I mean, only you said it better! So, which % (this is how I figure out my pours) are most of you using? I just poured 4 more sq. masons but not sure which % I want to try for. I realize this may have to be altered some depending on color and wick, but I want them to smell as good as they do when I make them. Thanks again. Beth

[topofmurrayhill]

So you're asking what percentage FO to use? It sounds like you want to max it out. If you mention the wax you're using maybe people can contribute their experiences about how much scent it might hold. The manufacturer might also offer a rough idea.

As far as those two alternatives you were mentioning, people do it both ways but either way is considered a very highly scented candle. It may not make a huge difference. If you want to give that a go I guess I'd suggest the slightly more conservative approach and add your 1.5 oz to the full pound of wax.

[Candlegurl]

I use 9% FO per pound...so say you have 4-8 oz. continers you want to fill, you need a total of 32 oz. of wax. So I figure it this way:

32 oz. x .09 = FO Amount

32 oz. x .91 = Wax Amount

Sorry I am not near my calculator...or I would have given you the totals. But hopefully you'll understand what I was getting at. hth

Stacy

[Lightning Bug]

Hey thanks. I guess what I am wondering is how much does everyone use? Do most go 6%, 7%, 8%, 9% for most of your FO. Some waxes say 6% and others say up to 10%. One post said they can use about 9% in a wax that suggests 6 or 7%. Do you just go by how strong the FO smells in the bottle or do you all test each scent at different %s? I am getting convinced that it isn't needed to go max and perhaps get a better burn and thus a better throw. Just figured if 90% of the makers go X%, that is probably the best place to start. Thanks again. Beth

[topofmurrayhill]

To the extent there's a "rule of thumb" I guess you could say it's 1 oz per lb or somewhere around 6% but it's common to go higher, especially for container candles. Ultimately it's just your decision as a candlemaker about what you want to make. You can base it on the amount of scent you want, what works best with your wax, the strength of the FO, the cost of the candle, etc. Just pick your "standard" amount, make sure it works well with your wax, and be prepared to adjust it as you try different scents.