TFCbrooke Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 This is probably an obvious answer, but...If I was going to make 4oz jelly jar candles and had a recipe that had a total weight of 16oz, would that then make four 4oz candles?I guess another way to put it...does 16oz of "dry" ingredients (by weight) turn out to be 16oz of "melted down" ingredients (by volume).Does that make sense? I know what I'm thinking in my head...hard time making it sound the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcbrook Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 If I am understanding what you are saying, yes, dry wax will weigh the same as liquid but the volume will be different.I am sure there are less scientifically challenged people on here that can explain it better but this is what I have found to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFCbrooke Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share Posted December 8, 2009 but the volume will be different.that's what I wondered.I am just starting out on candles (well, waiting on my supplies) and wanted to only make a couple small ones to test, rather than a whole pound of wax and it be all wrong.so learning how much weight of wax needed to make a 4 oz candle is part of the process! HEHEHE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 We use weight when making candles and not volume. Volume is how much space something takes up - weight is how much the stuff actually weighs and is more accurate. Liquid or dry - it doesn't matter. A pound of wax weighs the same whether liquid or solid. A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of gold, but the volume of a pound of feathers is far greater than the volume (or space taken up) of a pound of gold. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy, USMC Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Yes, it does get a little tricky. Generally you will need less wax by weight than the advertised volume of the glass.For example, I have 8 oz jelly jars but if I fill them to the brim with my wax it would only hold 7oz by weight.If you have 4 oz containers - and you melt 4 oz of wax do not be suprised if you have a full container & left-over wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFCbrooke Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share Posted December 8, 2009 Yes, it does get a little tricky. Generally you will need less wax by weight than the advertised volume of the glass.For example, I have 8 oz jelly jars but if I fill them to the brim with my wax it would only hold 7oz by weight.If you have 4 oz containers - and you melt 4 oz of wax do not be suprised if you have a full container & left-over wax.THANK YOU! This is EXACTLY the kind of answer I was looking for! I'm glad someone was able to understand my clear as mud question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 One 4 oz container isn't the same as another 4 oz container. The best way to solve your dilemma is to actually measure how much wax you need. Weigh the container empty, then add water to your desired fill level and weigh it again. Subtract the empty weight to get the weight of the water and multiply by 0.86. That's the approximate weight of the wax to fill the container. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFCbrooke Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 hmmm...interesting. thanks...i'll try that tomorrow. my stuff came today!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Good luck with your candlemaking.It might also be a good time to remind people about this nice CraftServer resource for figuring out how much wax you need:http://www.candletech.com/general-information/handy-calculators/When you buy a candle mold the measurements are usually exact and you can simply use the calculators based on the size of a round or square mold. The water method is helpful in dealing with the matter of glass containers and odd-shaped molds.Manufacturers only give you a rough estimate of container capacity. For instance, I have 8 and 9 oz tumblers that I like. You would think it would only take 1/8 more to fill the 9 oz glass to a level comparable to the 8 oz glass, but in reality it's significantly more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy, USMC Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 A word of caution about using the calculator. Each wax weighs diferently when compared to water. (The factor for the container soy wax I use is actually .894.) So the calculator is good for a first attempt/best guess. Back to your original question TFCbrooke:I use 4oz jelly jars from Candle Science. If I use my CB-135 and fill it to the glass ridge just below the cap threads it takes 3 oz of melted wax. So I can get 5 candles filled to that line and still have a little left. If you want you can take whatever is left and pour a little in each to use it all up.When I first started out I did everything in 1 pound increments. It is so much easier. Calculating how much you will need for certain size containers will come with experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsbennis Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Did you know that if you fill a 12oz soda can with material from a black hole it would weigh 7 trillion tons! I guess that is an extreme example of weight vs volume! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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