Wax Calculator

[burnt_fingers]

This weekend my kids want to make container candles. Does anyone have the formula for determining the amount of wax needed to fill a container based on it's dimensions? I had one somewhere, but I cannot locate it.

[RedLady]

http://www.candletech.com/calculator/container.php

go here and follow the directions. i use this and it gives me the perfect amount every time.

Edited January 5, 2010 by RedLady

[burnt_fingers]

Thanks RedLady!

[chuck_35550]

The easiest thing to do is to take the container and place it on your scale and hit the tare button. Fill the container with water to the fill line of the container and you have the amount of wax needed. Easy peasy.

HTH.

Steve

[burnt_fingers]

Steve,

Thanks for the suggestion. I think that is the way I will go for this weekend project with the kids.

[Carriegsxr6]

The easiest thing to do is to take the container and place it on your scale and hit the tare button. Fill the container with water to the fill line of the container and you have the amount of wax needed. Easy peasy.

HTH.

Steve

This is NOT true. Wax weighs different than water. Please do not use this suggestion

[burnt_fingers]

This is NOT true. Wax weighs different than water. Please do not use this suggestion

Okay, back to the calculator link given by RedLady.

[RedLady]

the link i gave does have you do this but the weight it tells you takes into account the difference in weight between wax and water. i've used this calculator for every type of container and i get a wax fill exactly to where i wanted it to be.

[Stella1952]

amount of wax needed to fill a container based on it's dimensions

That depends on where you consider the fill line to be...

Calculating EXACT amounts is also difficult because no one takes into account the wax that clings to tools, that we spill, etc. It's best to slightly overestimate than to underestimate the amount needed. I find it easier to simply make a pound or half-pound (16 oz. + 1 oz. FO = 17 oz. or 8 oz. wax + 1/2 oz. FO = 8.5 oz.). Anything left over becomes a tart, or votive.

Steve's method is a very reasonable, tried & true way to quesstimate, especially if you are only making a few containers with the kids. Just remember that water is heavier than wax (wax floats, right?), so adjust for that.

Do whatever feels right to you. It's not like making homemade dynamite in the kitchen so if you have a little extra, the sun will still rise in the east.

[chuck_35550]

I manage to get the exact amount I need without waste. Of course you add in the fo amount as part of the weight. The kids are going to make a couple of candles for pity's sake. God some of you people need to get a life. If you wanted exact amounts, you would need to figure in the rotational axis of the planet and the alignment of the stars. Don't use or maybe try it and see if that works. Or maybe get Carrie to come over and set up her computer and a seismograph.