Soy blend proportions?

[classiccandle]

I know there's a sticky regarding what soy and soy blends people use but I'm more interested in what percentages you use for your soy blend. For example, 70% soy, 30% paraffin. What mixture works best for you regarding frosting, wet spots, CT and HT, especially HT?

Thanks!

[Candybee]

The answer is gonna be different for many candle makers and types of soy/parrafin waxes. Not all waxes soy or parrafin are the same. Many come preblended ready to pour into your container while others are straight with no additives. Another factor is do you want it to be more soy or parrafin in the blend.

It would help if you told us what wax you are planning on using.

When I make parasoy candles I use a 80/20% or 75/25% soy to parrafin if I want more soy. My personal preference with the particular waxes I use is 50/50% of each.

[classiccandle]

Thanks Candybee. I'll try to clarify what I mean.

I have several 10lb samples of soy wax (GB444, GB464, C3, EcoSoya CB-Xcel) and a few samples of paraffin (IGI 2281 and IGI 1274) that I'd like to try blending for a better HT.

I guess I'm asking those of you who create your own blends what percentages you use. I know you'll probably use different waxes than I mentioned above but if you've used 90/10 and didn't get good results but instead got better results using 80/20, 75/25, or 50/50 that's what I'm looking for. Just a baseline on where to start without wasting a lot of time and/or wax.

Edit: I'm looking for the highest soy to paraffin ratio that works best.

Thanks again.

Edited December 15, 2010 by classiccandle

[chrisinpa]

Start with 80% 2 soy 20% para, you need to test on your own, there is really no way to avoid "wasting" as you say time or money. It is called research and development of your candle.

[Candybee]

Just a baseline on where to start without wasting a lot of time and/or wax.

Edit: I'm looking for the highest soy to paraffin ratio that works best.

Thanks again.

See my post above for the answer.

[IwantItgreen]

I have several 10lb samples of soy wax (GB444, GB464, C3, EcoSoya CB-Xcel) and a few samples of paraffin (IGI 2281 and IGI 1274) that I'd like to try blending for a better HT.

IGI 2281 is a scale wax. IGI 1274 is a pillar/votive wax. I'm not sure how either will work in a container blend. Just thought I'd point that out to the others who may have more experience with those waxes.

I really don't know what scale wax is used for. I do know that a pillar/votive wax is harder and has a higher melt-point than container waxes.

[classiccandle]

Thanks IWantItGreen! I didn't even notice the 1274 was a votive/pillar blend. What was I thinking when I bought that? Luckily it was only a sample.

I did make a few container candles using a 90/10 mix of 444 and 2281. The tops have craters and some have wet spots, neither of which I had when I used straight 444. I don't use dye in my candles and added 1oz of FO pp.

I may get some J50 tomorrow and try blending that with either the 444 or 464. I don't know that much about scale wax either other than it gives the candle a mottled look, unless you use additives such as vybar.

[jburke603]

On 12/15/2010 at 11:59 AM, Candybee said:

The answer is gonna be different for many candle makers and types of soy/parrafin waxes. Not all waxes soy or parrafin are the same. Many come preblended ready to pour into your container while others are straight with no additives. Another factor is do you want it to be more soy or parrafin in the blend.

It would help if you told us what wax you are planning on using.

When I make parasoy candles I use a 80/20% or 75/25% soy to parrafin if I want more soy. My personal preference with the particular waxes I use is 50/50% of each.

Can I ask which waxes you use, and why you chose 50/50? I'm trying to find my perfect blend and so far I've tried 70/30 and flip flopped 30/70 bit I'm not a fan of either, so maybe I'll try 50/50 next!

[Candybee]

6 hours ago, jburke603 said:

Can I ask which waxes you use, and why you chose 50/50? I'm trying to find my perfect blend and so far I've tried 70/30 and flip flopped 30/70 bit I'm not a fan of either, so maybe I'll try 50/50 next!

I posted that over 10 yrs ago and the waxes I used back then no longer exist. I switched to palm many years ago and no longer make a parasoy blend or use any soy or paraffin wax.

 

I can tell you that I preferred a 50/50% blend because of the nice glass adhesion, creamy consistency, and excellent hot throw I got. I can't vouch for today's soy or paraffin waxes as I don't use them. Plus I am not sure which wicks I used. Even a perfect blend can burn like crap if you don't have the right wick. I think I used zincs back then but I don't remember for sure.

 

The best thing you can do is know the characteristics of each of the waxes you use individually. If you know the waxes inside and out and have become an expert on them then you can decide what characteristics you want to retain in your candle and which you want to soften. Focus on those characteristics and that will be how you learn to put together your blend percentage.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Candybee

[jburke603]

26 minutes ago, Candybee said:

I posted that over 10 yrs ago and the waxes I used back then no longer exist. I switched to palm many years ago and no longer make a parasoy blend or use any soy or paraffin wax.

 

I can tell you that I preferred a 50/50% blend because of the nice glass adhesion, creamy consistency, and excellent hot throw I got. I can't vouch for today's soy or paraffin waxes as I don't use them. Plus I am not sure which wicks I used. Even a perfect blend can burn like crap if you don't have the right wick. I think I used zincs back then but I don't remember for sure.

 

The best thing you can do is know the characteristics of each of the waxes you use individually. If you know the waxes inside and out and have become an expert on them then you can decide what characteristics you want to retain in your candle and which you want to soften. Focus on those characteristics and that will be how you learn to put together your blend percentage.

Wow it's been 10 years!? Sorry I didn't realize that. But you're still making candles! You must be a total expert by now.

[Candybee]

On 2/4/2021 at 5:21 PM, jburke603 said:

Wow it's been 10 years!? Sorry I didn't realize that. But you're still making candles! You must be a total expert by now.

LOL, I wouldn't call myself an expert. I just worked hard on creating the best candle that I know how. I know a lot about palm wax now and precious little about the new soy and parasoy waxes on the marktet. One day I want to play around with mottling paraffin wax for containers. Means when I do I have to do what all newbies due and learn how to work with a new wax just like everyone else!! So no, I don't think I am a candle expert!😉

[NightLight]

No quick answers and no instant candles. Make 4 ounce tester and you will learn a lot about your waxes.

There are a million types of paraffin and soy candle waxes. Candlemakers work years to get their own blend, no offense but part of becoming good at candles is doing your own research and development. 

[TallTayl]

I start with a line blend to see what changes different blends make. A line blend is several candles with slightly different proportions such as 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, etc where the first number is the first wax, the colon is the word “to” and then the second wax. This helps visually compare the different blends to see if your choice of paraffin helps or harms the soy portion. You can jump 10% at a time, or 1% at a time depending on how granular you want your tests to be. 
 

not all paraffin play well with all soy, so perhaps start with three of each you already have in 10%, 20% and 30% proportions. 
 

so much depends on what you seek to improve with the ingredients you have. 
 

small candles won’t use too much wax, but will yield very nice comparison candles fairly quickly.