Soy / Coconut Oil

[TxSioux]

OK, after doing this for 6yrs I'm kinda embarrassed about this question -- but I've never seen it mentioned before & haven't had any feedback from another group.

I'm in the process of testing EZ Soy & Coconut oil. I'm also testing new fo's. I have Grapefruit Watermelon from Greenleaf & Rosemary Mint from Flicker's that have set for 2 wks. Both smell wonderful oob & have good cold throw, but I'm getting almost no hot throw from either. Both are tested & recommended in soy. I started at the low end of recommended usage w/ 1/2 T. CO, but have since made a new test batch w/ a full T. of CO. That has set up beautifully, but I've not tested for hot throw yet.

Since the 1st two batches are a total loss (as far as hot throw), can I remelt the wax & add the other 1/2 T. CO to see if that will help? Well, I know I can do it ... but will the added CO bind properly? Also, can I come right back & test the hot throw, or should I let it set up for a couple days?

I can say the CO is producing a beautiful candle. I have no jumplines & I purposely poured in layers to see if they would appear. No pulling around the wick, but that may change when the temps drop. The tops are smooth & have a pretty low shine. All I'm missing is the added boost to the hot throw. BTW, since I'm working w/ new fo's, I've revisited some of my old fo's that didn't throw well, but I haven't tested them yet. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Susan.

[racolvin]

Susan:

I can't think of a reason you can't melt out the wax, put it in a pour pot on a hotplate, add CO and stir. You'd want to go through your heating up/cooling down tempering ritual as normal but other than that I can't see why not.

Ronnie

[Stella1952]

To my knowledge, coconut oil has no bearing on hot/cold scent throw. It is for reducing frosting and helping to smooth out the wax for better tops. For throw, the only additive of which I am aware that has a bearing is Universal Soy Additive. I mostly use it to "smooth" out the wax (has emulsifiers in it), but it is touted to help with scent throw.

If I were having trouble with a good hot throw, I would look first at the temperature at which I am adding the FO and how well I am stirring it into the wax.

Then, I'd look at the wicking for solutions.

If the temperature and the wicking are both all good, then I would look at the particular oil I was using. Just because a supplier recommends an oil for soy wax (which one?!) and rates it highly does not insure that YOU will have the same results! I think a better solution would be to find someone here who uses the same wax and additives that you do and select the same FO from the SAME source as they recommend for your testing. If someone tells me they are using C3 with USA and don't get a throw from the same FO I am using from the SAME supplier, THEN I know it has to do with wicking OR the temperature they are adding their oils to the wax!

Some folks pour soy very cool and add the FO at cooler temps as well. Many chandlers have reported that adding FO at too low a temp will not allow the FO to incorporate into the wax properly.

Searching this site for hot throw and EZ soy may net you more information - it's been discussed a lot.

As far as adding MORE coconut oil, remember that there is a maximum amount of added oil that your wax will hold! Sure, you can melt down the old stuff and add more - so long as you go through the same dance as you do when making any candles, it should turn out fine.

HTH

[hexie]

i don't know if it was the weather or what but i tried coconut oil back when the thread was huge and i got super crummy tops and fixing them was a total pia. i was not happy. i won't waste my time on the co cause i don't know if it really helps or not. coincidence? don't know.m:)

[Dragonfly]

Hi Ronnie

I am new- what is the tempering ritual? Why is it done?

Just curious.

Thanks

Dragonfly

[TxSioux]

Thanks for the help, yall. We're working on a huge job right now, so I took the only spare minute I had to remelt the Grapefruit Watermelon. I think I'll burn it tomorrow night to see what happens, so I'll post my results.

Stella -- you offered wonderful suggestions, but all of those were checked off my list. BTW, you can't find a bigger advocate of adding fo at higher temps & stirring like crazy! I obviously haven't tested enough to offer any valuable advise on this combo (yet), but I've read reviews that include scent throw as a plus for adding CO. Just By Nature states that added throw is a benefit for CO w/ Soy Wax. I love UA & kept that in my new mix. I'm trying to replace beeswax, so I have a LOT of testing ahead of me. I have over 40 samples & a lot of 'old' fo's in front of me, so I'll be a busy girl till Silly Season!

Susan.

[Stella1952]

Dragonfly, if you search the forums for "tempering," you will find there has been a lot of discussion about it and various ways people go about it. HTH

[SherriLynn]

I've read where many feel beeswax has boosted fruit and sweet smells as the beeswax has a natural sweetness to it.

Are you changing from beeswax because of the cost factor??

[Dragonfly]

Thank you, Stella. I will do that.

Dragonfly

[TxSioux]

Are you changing from beeswax because of the cost factor??

That's probably the least important reason - the cost breakdown isn't that bad for the amount I use pp/wax, but I became concerned about the bees dying off in large numbers & thought it might be best to give CO a try. I can get beeswax in slab form locally, but it's too time consuming & messy to melt down. Time & frustration is my biggest gripe.

UPDATE: I've only had time to remelt the test batch of Grapefruit Watermelon. I added another 1 1/2 t (making a full T) & let the candles set 3 days. The 'new' candles poured up much better then the 1st. They're absolutely smooth/creamy, no jumplines & have a pretty low shine. Yesterday I burned a 10oz Libbey cube in a large utility room & a 4oz flower pot votive in a full bathroom - the house has 12' ceilings. The hot thrown could be smelled past a large hall & into the kitchen.

So, I definitely think I have a ratio that's worth more testing & am very pleased w/ the results. I have a scent setting up that never had any ht in the past, so that will be a good test for a fo I'm familiar with. I'll keep yall posted!

Susan.

[grama]

I don't do soy but I saw this and hopefully it is ok to suggest another forum, if not I am sorry and you can remove it! Greenleaf's forum has a lot of info on using coconut oil with soy. This is the link http://www.greenleaf.invisionzone.com/inviboard/

[Stella1952]

Thanks for the link - we have a lot of discussion about coconut here too, but people just don't search the forums to locate the information that is already here. Here's a link to the BIG coconut oil thread...

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52565&highlight=coconut+oil