Jami Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I live in the Nashville, TN area and after spending a fortune buying candles over the years to find out 90% of them were "duds", I decided in October to make my own.Boy oh boy is it a challenge and I am going to conquer this if it kills me (and it just might lol)I am currently using KY125 soy but have tried others. I have spent MANY MANY hours researching, reading and testing what I have read. The wicks seem to be my worst nightmare. When I make a batch, I make a candle and pour tarts with my excess wax. My tarts are awesome, the throw is great hot and cold. Most of the candles I have made are very weak though. The only exception has been Banana Nut Bread and Caramel Pecan. I can't ruin those two fragrances no matter what I do lol. I have fragrances from several vendors. Yes, I am a FO addict.Today I made 10 different candles. I used the same size 8 oz jelly jar but several different wicks so I can determine which wick I can get to throw hot. I have 3 friends who "test" for me so its not just my nose. The biggest feedback is I can't smell them unless I am right over top of it but they all burn clean and the burn time is great.My goal is to have hair left when I finally find the right combination! lolThis board is AWESOME. I have spent the past 4 hours reading and I am sure I will be spending several more days reading.Thanks for the wealth of info on here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnhorsemom Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Jami, welcome to the board and the wonderful world of soy. I'm sure there are lots of other crazy soy users here, it seems to do that to a lot of people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candlebuddy Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 The information that you're giving us is a bit vague. It would be helpful to know what percentage of fo you use? What wicks have you tested in an 8oz jelly jar? If you can give an example of the jar, wick, and fo combination ... we'll be able to help. Also, what temp are you adding your fo? More detail is good. Since you use KY125, you can buy the wicks and fo's right from Vickey. Her stuff is awesome. Welcome aboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 I melt my wax on warm on my presto which is around 175-180. I measure out 14 oz of melted wax and then add my color. I usecolor crystals from makescents and I have also tried little slivers of color from a color block. Once the color is blended, I add my oil (tried 1 oz up to 1.5 oz)and stir for 3 -5 minutes. I let it sit til it cools to a tomato juice consistency mix again then pour. I have even tried to wait til the wax cooled a little before I added the oil (around 140 - 150).I have tried 8 oz jelly jars, mason jars and 8 oz wide mouth jars. I have used cd 10, 12 and 14 on the 8 oz jelly jars, HTP 105 and CD 16 on my 8 oz wide mouth, HTP 105 and CD 16 on mason jars. I have fragrances from KY candle, natures garden, ICS, candle source and alabaster. I don't have a problem with my melt pool, I can get the 8 oz wide mouth to burn clean with cd 16 and my jelly jars with the cd 12 or 14 depending on the oil.The fruity fragrances are what I can't get to throw in a candle. I have banana nut bread, caramel praline and creme brulee that I don't think anyone can mess up, it throws no matter what the combination lolAll of my tarts throw well there is just something about the candles that the fruit fragrances don't want to throw in. I poured some yesterday to test RRD wicks.I am sure I am leaving something out but this is the somewhat quick run down of what I have tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Welcome Jami. Now you get to spend a fortune making candles. But its worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patience Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 The wicks seem to be my worst nightmare. Welcome to the club!! Wicks are always a PITA. But you sound determined...you'll get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEP Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Hello fellow Tennessean. Glad to have you aboard. You will find a boatload of helpful people on this board, and they are hoot sometimes.The advise about Vic's (Ky) fo is right on. Every one of hers I use throws like crazy. Just keep on testing and it will all come in time. I've been at it for eight years now, and still need help now and then, especially with wicks I haven't used before. Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justcountry Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Hi I'm from Tn too , I hope you have fun ,:tiptoe: I am kinda new at this but have found several scents from ng that throw really well and great luck with cs scents don't have the wicks just right yet so not a lot of help there tho I was using cotton wicks and getting too much soot changed tried lxs and zinc zinc seems too working for me still testing tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsyjen Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Hi there, I also live in Nashville. I tried the KY125 and, for semi-local wax companies, I much preferred the Bluegrass soy for throw. It works well with the ECO wicks, you can also try those in the 125. Both the ECO and Premier series wicks seem to throw the best in soy wax, IMO.HTH and welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 I have ordered some Bluegrass soy and will give it a try. Thanks for the info. I am finding the "food scents" are throwing great, its the fruit scents I am working on now.I did get a digital scale and see how some of my measurements were off. Hopefully, this will help me fix the problem too!Jami Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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