Problem mixing fo into wax....just don't get it!

[sawyer's moon]

Grrrrrr.

I poured some J50 testers last night (haven't poured J50 in awhile) and had a tough time incorporating some of the fos into the wax. First ran into a problem with TCS Warm Orange Gingerbread (or whatever it is) - it's a heavy orange fo and it continued from there. I poured mostly TCS fos last night (Cinnamon Frosting, etc) which was my first experience with them (but I don't think that's necessarily the problem). I also had problems with NG's Hot Orange Danish and RE's Celtic Moonspice. I just couldn't get things to incorporate!

My procedure is to heat wax in Presto and decant into warmed (in an 180 degree oven) Pyrex cups. The temp once decanted is about 198. Normally, I add my fo at 185, stir to incorporate, and pour into heated jars at 165. Ran into the first problem so then tried incorporating at 190 - still had problems, and tried at 195 and STILL had problems. This is the first time in two years that I've run into a problem like this and I've poured many a heavy vanilla and/or spicy fo.

I could chalk it up to fos I haven't tested before but I have poured Celtic Moonspice before, albeit in GL 70/30, and have not experienced a problem.

So - any suggestions? I'm kind of confused on this one... Looked at the jars this morning and fo is definitely not incorporated. I'm going to try one of my tried and true later today and see if I have problems but this kind of sucks right now .

Any help appreciated!

Thanks - Jen

[pennipom@yahoo.com]

I started using a hand mixer I picked up at a thrift store. This seems to help me get my wax and fo incorporated.

[BruceCarvesWax]

How much FO are you using per pound of wax? That might be part of the problem, j50 isnt the greatest for holding a large % of oil.

Your wax temp if anything sounds too high so I dont think thats the problem.

Some people swear that warming the oils before adding will help them mix the "problem" scents that just dont want to mix well.

I pour from a melter to a pouring pitcher and the pitchers sit on a double hotplate warmer. (gets real hot if need be) I mix up a batch then mix a 2nd batch and have both sitting on the warmer plates. When I come back to the first batch it has been sitting there for maybe 5 to 10 minutes on the warmer with scent and wax so it has time to mix and warm up. Each batch has that 5 + minutes time that it takes me to pour the one before, straighten wicks and get more wax and scent ready. Works like a charm for me.

Bruce

[topofmurrayhill]

Those heavy FOs seem to mix into veggie wax without a problem, so it doesn't seem surprising the problem would kick in with J-50 versus the parasoy blend.

Everyone hassles with this and I don't have a definite solution, but maybe you wanna try a little experiment? See if a metal pouring pot versus Pyrex makes a difference. It takes a pretty long time to heat up heavy glass. Even if your wax is extra hot, the glass is probably cooler as the FO is settling onto it.

One thing I've been noticing is that if the FO heats up quickly enough it can incorporate almost instantly, almost like an average FO (maybe that's why people find that warming it helps). But one wrong move and the solvent seems to separate into the wax and leave the heavy stuff at the bottom of the pot. Once that happens you can mix for ages and maybe still have a little residue left at the bottom.

I got the hot plate idea from Bruce and it has the side effect of helping with the difficult FOs. With the wax at the right temperature and the hot plate on a low setting, the bottom of the pot is guaranteed warm and the FO mixes right in.

[sawyer's moon]

Thanks you guys! I typically use 7.5% fo load with J50. I know, I know..but I've tested J50 a ton and have tested all my faves from 6%, 7.5%, to 9% and am always disappointed at 6% (throw - again - fo dependent) and very happy at 7.5% so 7.5% is my norm to begin testing an fo (9% was way back when - don't ever go that high anymore (with J50)).

Had a helpful pm that mentioned holding my wax at a higher temp longer (which is in keeping with what you're saying) and I do agree that the Pyrex is cooling down too quick so will try my metal pour pot (like being able to see the wax which is why I've used Pyrex to this point). I've also heard of switching to coffee pots and warming on a griddle - makes sense as I can still see the wax and the glass is thinner so shouldn't cool as quickly as the Pyrex. Or - just do as most and use the metal pour pots .

And thanks for the J50 vs parasoy blend info - I was befuddled on that one.

Again grrr....of the hundreds of fos tested over the past two years (and most in J50), this is the worst run I've had. I tend to lean towards heavy vanillas and spicy scents so am quite surprised that I haven't had this happen before but hey - that's what testing is all about!

Thank you! Jen

[sugarysweet95]

I've had a few difficult scents (particularly the christmas scents i've been using lately) and i find adding a bit of stearine works wonders!!! I just added a few teaspoons until the scent dissolved. I left it to heat a bit (in a double boiler so temp didn't rise too much) til the stearing melted. Anyway it took up the scent really well. I stir it really fast in one direction which causes any un-mixed in scent to form a puddle at the bottom, so you can tell if it's all melted. I suppose i am using extra stearine without extra testing, but it's only a small amount and i've heard you don't have to be that accurate with stearine amounts anyway. It's worked great for me so far!!!!

[Di_in_AZ]

I use J50 and have found that certain dyes will cause this to happen. Cinnabon, buttercream and lilac have been the worse ones for me, but when I went with a lighter shade of dye, or used a different color, these blended well. I use 6% and was even warming the fos. I realized this when I switched the color I use for apple jack and then that started seeping. As soon as I used the color I had been using, no seepage and all the other factors were the same.

[Candle Man]

To me, it looks like those FO's are heavy with spice and some have Vanilla in them which makes them harder to incorporate into the wax.

Like others have said a little more time on the heat and more stirring should help, also stir the pot in between pouring into jars. ie pour a jar then stir pot, pour a jar then stir pot etc.

[Tess]

Yeah it seems like it is the FO's themselves. You could try knocking the FO% down just to see if you can get it to incorporate. If the FO is that heavy, you might have good throw with smaller amounts. That just happens sometime. I have a few oils thatI could NEVER get to incorporate. Just try another supplier. I hope you did not buy a whole pound.

[7 Pawz]

To me, it looks like those FO's are heavy with spice and some have Vanilla in them which makes them harder to incorporate into the wax.

Like others have said a little more time on the heat and more stirring should help, also stir the pot in between pouring into jars. ie pour a jar then stir pot, pour a jar then stir pot etc.

DITTO:D

[sawyer's moon]

Thanks, everyone! You all have given some excellent ideas! I'll be testing more this week and am certain it's going to go smoother .

Jen