12oz jar but really 8oz?

[jcristan]

ok, I have the 12 oz hex squat jar, but when i measured my wax, the jar is really only 8 oz. why is it called 12 oz when its only really 8 oz?!

I've been putting 1 oz of FO in because i thought it was 12 oz of wax. But ive been really putting 1 oz of FO into 8oz of wax. Am I putting in too much FO?

oh, and ive been adding up my cost of supplies wrong cause I thought it was 12 oz of wax.

[tootie04]

You need to be using a scale. what I do is weigh the jar empty, then melt 1lb wax and add 1oz FO to that and THEN pour into the jar. Then weigh the full jar after the candle has cooled and you will see how many oz wax a single jar holds.

My 8oz sq masons hold 7oz wax, and my 6oz tins hold 3.5 oz wax.

But use really need to use a scale weight measurement is what you use not volume.

tootie

[Louie]

The jars size is based on what they were originally made for. A 12oz. hex was made for honey and will hold 12oz of honey. An 8oz. Jelly jar holds 7oz. of wax.

Remember you are melting the wax by weight and filling by volume.

You melt 16oz. of parifin wax by weight and you get 20oz. of wax by volume. You melt 16oz. of Soy by weight and you get 18oz. by volume. You then have to account for fragrance you add.

It's like when you get 1lb. of fragrance and all the bottles are filled to different levels because they all have different density to them.

[Stella1952]

Remember you are melting the wax by weight and filling by volume.

You should also be filling the container by weight. Simply tare and fill on the scale. The label should have a net WEIGHT on it, so why bounce back and forth between volume (an inaccurate measure) to weight (an accurate measure)? Forget liquid/volume measure. Weigh everything.

[tootie04]

You should also be filling the container by weight. Simply tare and fill on the scale. The label should have a net WEIGHT on it, so why bounce back and forth between volume (an inaccurate measure) to weight (an accurate measure)? Forget liquid/volume measure. Weigh everything.

That is what I was trying to say....sometimes trying to explain things by typing is hard!!

tootie

[jcristan]

Yea i weight the wax out on a scale. So I use 8.35 oz of wax for the jar. I fill the jar up to the widest part and have some wax left over after I pour, (enough to make 2 tealight candles) and I use those to give out as samples.

[debscent]

1 lb. of wax (melted) and 1 ounce of FO is enough for me to pour two 12 ounce hex jars.

Also, 1 lb. of wax (melted) and 1 ounce of FO is enough to pour two 10 ounce salsa jars.

[sudsnwicks]

It is called a 12 oz jar because that's its capacity in terms of volume. Depending on what you fill it with, the weight of the contents will differ. You may get 8 ounces weight in wax but if you filled it with feathers it would weigh a lot less! As for your fragrance load, 1 oz of FO in 8 oz of wax works out to be 12.5%. You might want to check your wax to see if it is able to hold so much FO. If not, you may find the FO seeping out after a while. Even if the wax can hold so much FO, it's wasteful using so much. You should be able to use half of that (or even less) if the FO is from a quality supplier.

[jcristan]

It is called a 12 oz jar because that's its capacity in terms of volume. Depending on what you fill it with, the weight of the contents will differ. You may get 8 ounces weight in wax but if you filled it with feathers it would weigh a lot less! As for your fragrance load, 1 oz of FO in 8 oz of wax works out to be 12.5%. You might want to check your wax to see if it is able to hold so much FO. If not, you may find the FO seeping out after a while. Even if the wax can hold so much FO, it's wasteful using so much. You should be able to use half of that (or even less) if the FO is from a quality supplier.

Makes sense. I use IGI 4630 which holds 6%-10% FO. Ive been using 1 oz FO in 8 oz wax and its been fine for me, I dont see any oils seeping out. It does give me a really strong scent thow.

[debscent]

Makes sense. I use IGI 4630 which holds 6%-10% FO. Ive been using 1 oz FO in 8 oz wax and its been fine for me, I dont see any oils seeping out. It does give me a really strong scent thow.

Try cutting it down to 6% and see if the throw is comparable, no sense in wasting good money on twice the amount of oil if you don't have too. If an oil doesn't throw at 6% for me, I don't carry it, and I like a strong throw. (I use 50/50).

[jcristan]

so is half oz equal to 10% in 8oz of wax? should i be using only half FO?

if i use half of what im using now, i can cut down on my cost. but worried it will make a difference in how the scent throws.

[debscent]

1/2 ounce of FO to 8 oz. of wax = 6%

(1 oz FO to 1 lb. of wax = 6%).

I would suggest that you find FOs that can keep you in a strong scent throw at 6-8% to keep your costs down. In an earlier thread I noticed your cost per candle is a bit high and you want to only charge $10.00. Bottom line is, you want a good quality candle at a decent profit that is still affordable to your customers.

I wish when I started out I knew about the suppliers I know about now, that's for sure.

To help get you in the right ball park, what type of jar, wick, wax and what FO (supplier) are you using? Everyone here has opinions on quality FOs but it will help to know if you are at a good starting place.

[jcristan]

1/2 ounce of FO to 8 oz. of wax = 6%

(1 oz FO to 1 lb. of wax = 6%).

I would suggest that you find FOs that can keep you in a strong scent throw at 6-8% to keep your costs down. In an earlier thread I noticed your cost per candle is a bit high and you want to only charge $10.00. Bottom line is, you want a good quality candle at a decent profit that is still affordable to your customers.

I wish when I started out I knew about the suppliers I know about now, that's for sure.

To help get you in the right ball park, what type of jar, wick, wax and what FO (supplier) are you using? Everyone here has opinions on quality FOs but it will help to know if you are at a good starting place.

Im using 12 oz squat jar, lx, igi 4630 all my supplies are from lone star candle, because they are only 10 mins away from me.

Wax - $1.18/lb divide by 2 cause its only 8oz i use

wick - .7 each

scent - 1oz bottle $2.00

jar - .90 each

dye - .5 about

[tootie04]

I base my FO at $20.00 a pd. some are higher but most are lower..so that is 1.25 oz. that is .63 a candle for you. You will be buying your FO by the pd or 1/2 lb at least. Buying by the oz other than to test is a waste.

Your jars are kinda high....I can get my 8oz sq masons for .67 each including shipping. But it is all in the look you want.

So anyway you can shave some of your cost by calculating your FO by the pound.

tootie

[tootie04]

Im using 12 oz squat jar, lx, igi 4630 all my supplies are from lone star candle, because they are only 10 mins away from me.

Wax - $1.18/lb divide by 2 cause its only 8oz i use

wick - .7 each

scent - 1oz bottle $2.00

jar - .90 each

dye - .5 about

your forgot your lable or hangtag...

[SatinDucky]

just curious... how long did you say you've been making candles (on a regular basis)?

[sudsnwicks]

Your jars are kinda high....I can get my 8oz sq masons for .67 each including shipping. But it is all in the look you want.

Would you mind sharing where you get your jars from? I get mine locally thinking it'd be cheaper than having such heavy things shipped. But if you can get them for .67 each including shipping that's pretty good.

[tootie04]

Sure.... candlesoylutions.com they are in Eugene. If you get 11 cases they are 5.88 a case. that is .49 each then add shipping if you are in OR it is not too bad. The 11 cases fit in one box for shipping.

tootie

[debscent]

Im using 12 oz squat jar, lx, igi 4630 all my supplies are from lone star candle, because they are only 10 mins away from me.

Wax - $1.18/lb divide by 2 cause its only 8oz i use

wick - .7 each

scent - 1oz bottle $2.00

jar - .90 each

dye - .5 about

Jars could be cheaper, but I'm seeing that your costs are high because you aren't buying in bulk. FOs may not seem worth it to buy in 8 oz. or 16 oz increments now, but trust me it is. Do NOT base your price of your candle on the cost it takes to test. Sounds like you are clearly in the testing phase of your candlemaking hobby/business.

[sudsnwicks]

Thanks Tootie! I hadn't thought to check them for jars as I don't use their wax. I've been paying .75 per jar locally thinking it'd be more if I have them shipped in. Actually it is even more than that now as they raised their price last week.

[tootie04]

Thanks Tootie! I hadn't thought to check them for jars as I don't use their wax. I've been paying .75 per jar locally thinking it'd be more if I have them shipped in. Actually it is even more than that now as they raised their price last week.

Your welcome! I wish they would carry the IGI6006 or some GOOD parasoy blend I am using their soy though. I am only about 150 miles from them so it would be worth it to make the trip to pick up a large order. It costs me 15.00 to go 150 miles in the car. I can do it in the summer but in the winter I have to have stuff shipped....no way am I going over the pass and have to chain up!!

tootie

[jcristan]

Jars could be cheaper, but I'm seeing that your costs are high because you aren't buying in bulk. FOs may not seem worth it to buy in 8 oz. or 16 oz increments now, but trust me it is. Do NOT base your price of your candle on the cost it takes to test. Sounds like you are clearly in the testing phase of your candlemaking hobby/business.

yea I dont buy in bulks because I only pour my candles when people order them. I advertise them as freshly poured candles.

Ive been doing this for a year mainly for friends and family. i also used to work at a candle supply place and have knowledge of candles.

[tootie04]

Then your cost wont come down much. If you want a business instead of a hobby then you will have to buy in bulk or go broke.

tootie

[SatinDucky]

yea I dont buy in bulks because I only pour my candles when people order them. I advertise them as freshly poured candles.

Ive been doing this for a year mainly for friends and family. i also used to work at a candle supply place and have knowledge of candles.

Just because you make the "fresh to order" doesn't mean you have to buy the supplies in very small quantities. You will just flush your money down the toilet that way. I only make to order as well, but I buy my wax by the cases and FOs by the lbs (which some here still consider small quantities). Continually buying FOs in a 1oz bottle will likely equate to business suicide.

You say you've been doing it a year, but how often in that year? I can't help but wonder how it took a year for you to realize that a 12 fluid ounce jar doesn't hold 12 oz of wax...and the entire time you've been calculating your FO load wrong because of the inaccurate wax measurement.

Honestly, working is a supply warehouse doesn't mean squat. You could read every post on this and every other forum and even pick every chandlers brain that you know, but until you really study all the aspects, do the testing for yourself AND continually test and gain experience in actually making them, you shouldn't be concerned with selling any. I don't mean to sound harsh but you've missed out on some real basics in your first year. In the long run, it will not only hurt the reputation of ALL handpoured candles, it will hurt YOUR future business reputation and have a real good chance of making sure most of you beginning customers never give you return business :undecided

JMHO

[MissMary]

I think you need to spend ALOT more time reading here. Not to sound like the piddle in the bucket of rose water, but you've posted ALOT of different projects and have inquired a bit about money and selling.

This post shows me you haven't even read manufacturer's instructions or utilized the candle calculators and those two are life and death (literally). FO, overloaded in a candle could not necessarily seep out where you can see, but can go to the sides or even under a layer and a flame to the FO at too high of loads beyond instruction can poof into flames.

Granted, I'm all for people going for it... I'm one of them, I've taken my hits for jumping in feet first. BUT I also spent hours and hours and hours of reading before pouring my first "real" candle, was using calculators, recommendations from manufacturer's AND searching posts when I wasn't sure or wanted to double check. (I swear Top, Stella and SatinDucky have helped me in more ways than they could ever know, just from old posts.) Plus, I started out with only one type of candle at first, even though it was several scents and I never did master pillars.

If it was a math error, then this may not be the thing for you. Everything you do, every time you do it is math. Simple miscalculations, consistently without doubling back is a huge liability. Everyone makes mistakes I know, but there's a difference in making a mistake and not caring.

ETA: And SatinDucky hit the nail on the head a few times - the year to realize how much wax you've been pouring? I'd think it was obvious when you made up 12oz. and only 8 fit.... AND working in the supply warehouse. I could work making forklifts - don't mean I know how they work or even how to drive them. Inventory and handing out stuff is a lot different than testing over 500 kinds of wicks, 200 kinds of wax, literally millions of FO's with at least 50 variations from each manufacturer on scents, AND then figuring dyes and adds like UVI....