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What is the MOST FO you can put per lbs of wax?


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What is the MOST FO you can put per lbs of wax and is there a FO best brand or company to order from? I'm new to making candles. I find the stuff at the craft store (HobbyLobby, etc..) is about along the lines of the wally world of candle scents!!! I'm guessing those brands are cut with something. So far the candles I've made are very pretty but stink and smell like wax. I'm having the same problem with the die chips/blocks. Not much color at all so I'm guessing there has to be something way better!!

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Welcome to your new obsession. It's all about test, test, testing your products. Your best bet starting out is to find a supplier that is close to where you live. The farther away, the more you will pay for shipping. If you can pick up wax, jars, scent, etc., you will save mucho denero when you start figuring your costs.

As far as how much fragrance can be added to wax, it will all depend on what wax you choose. There are some out there that will only let you use 3-6 percent fragrance. Others will hold up to 20 percent but that is pretty rare. Find a reputable supplier and order a starter kit. Figure out if you want to start out with votives or do you want to do jar candles? Wax will be the biggest determination. Soy, palm or paraffin? Or a soy-paraffin blend?

If you'd like, just pm me here and I'll help you figure out who is the closest supplier to you so that you can get started.

I remember in the beginning just scouring suppliers sites and marveling at all of the products that you could make. Heck, I still do! I just try to hold back and not break the bank!

I must stress again, test, test, test all your creations.

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There is a sticky at the top of this page "supplier by state" you can see who is closest to you. That is important with shipping costs being so high.

Then read read read!! Read all you can here. You will learn ALOT!! Then decide if you are gonna play with paraffin or soy or a mix of both OR palm!!:grin2:

Start with one size jar...an easy one like the jelly jar. Just get a few FO's to start with and a couple sample packs of wicks (what kind depends on your wax)

Most important other than testing your creations is MONEY you will spend ALOT of it!!:wink2:

tootie

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Quick! Get out now while you can.

Take up something with a more secure future, like Russian Roulette.

Having said that, there are no "Best" places to buy oils. Every candle supply company has some oils that are better than others, and some that are less good. In order to get the "Best", you will have to buy different ones from different companies.

As far as how much oil will wax hold, you will have to test your wax to find out. Once you settle in on a wax, you'll have to test it's holding capacity for each oil. A good starting point would be the standard 1 oz/lb. However, with my blend, there are a few oils I have to reduce to 7/8 oz/lb, and one (hot buttered rum) that I have to reduce to 3/4 oz/lb.

Good luck,

Fredron

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A good way to test a variety of different suppliers is to look in the classified ads. What works for some doesn't always work for others. For instance, Just Scent works for many, but the few scents I have tried, doesn't work for me. Some like Daystar, others don't. I live on the east coast, and Peak is one of my largest suppliers. Candle Science, Tennessee and Kentucky are all suppliers that I love.

There's a lot to read here, and terms that may not mean a lot at first. But stick it out. It's fun, but not a money maker, that's for sure.

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What is the MOST FO you can put per lbs of wax

You got some good advice about testing and where to buy stuff from, but let me just elaborate on this part of the question a little.

How does the candle look? How does it burn? How does it smell? These are the questions you ask yourself when you're testing a candle design. The answers will depend on your choice of wax, wick (type and size), fragrance (type and amount), maybe additives, and the size and shape of the candle or container. You test and fiddle with these things in order to get the best overall appearance, burn and fragrance throw.

The amount of fragrance you can or should use depends on the results of those experiments. The only right answer is the one that works best. No wax automatically holds a certain amount of fragrance. For one thing, it depends on the particular fragrance oil you're using. For another thing, just because it doesn't seep out into a puddle doesn't mean the candle will burn well or smell good. Sometimes less is more.

As a general guideline, you can start by testing a plain paraffin candle with 3-4% FO per lb (1/2 oz or a little more). If you put in certain additives, you may be able to achieve up to 6% (1 oz per lb). Using the pre-blended container waxes on the market, you can try testing at 6% and you may be able to achieve 7-9% (up to 1 1/2 oz per lb) depending on the wax and fragrance.

But again there is no hard and fast rule except testing. The FO amounts you hear other people using may not work well for you and the amounts that manufacturers and suppliers say you can put in a certain wax may not work either. Keep an open mind and try to avoid starting with the absolute most you think you might get away with.

As you've noticed, Hobby Lobby probably shouldn't be on your list of fragrance suppliers; their stuff is notoriously bad. However, even the best suppliers have strong and weak fragrances. Each fragrance oil is a unique blend of chemicals that varies in the way it reacts with wax and how strong it smells. You might have to pick and choose the FOs that work well for your particular designs. If you use the amount that burns well in your candle and it doesn't smell strong enough, try a different fragrance from the same supplier or the same fragrance from a different supplier and you might get a completely different result.

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The question should be what is the least amount of FO you can put in a candle and still get a great smelling candle, that burns great. More FO does not necessarily mean a better or stronger candle. I have migrated to the thought that if it doesn't throw at 1 oz pp or less, I don't keep it.

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The question should be what is the least amount of FO you can put in a candle and still get a great smelling candle, that burns great. More FO does not necessarily mean a better or stronger candle. I have migrated to the thought that if it doesn't throw at 1 oz pp or less, I don't keep it.

This is my thought also. Some of our FO's are good at 1 oz per lb, but we do have several that we have to put more in. We had the same mindset as you do - the more the better - not thinking about the cost. I love the fragrances and they are popular, so I don't want to stop using them, but I think we would have been better off if we had continued to test until we found these fragrances that would work using less. Anything that "hikes" up the cost of the candle is not a good thing if you can avoid it. We are selling now and I can't see how we can wholesale since it costs us so much to make - but that's another story....:rolleyes2

This is just my opinion - I am certainly no expert!

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The question should be what is the least amount of FO you can put in a candle and still get a great smelling candle, that burns great. More FO does not necessarily mean a better or stronger candle. I have migrated to the thought that if it doesn't throw at 1 oz pp or less, I don't keep it.

I do this also. It seems a waste of money to me if I have to add more than 1oz pp.

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