Testing FO percentage

[Babyv]

First, I want to thank many on this board who come here and share their knowledge with those of us just starting out.

I started my candle making journey about two yrs ago. I started with the idea that I could make some extra cash if I just invested a bit. Well about a few months and a few hundrend dollars later, I gave up. I ordered three types of wax, tons of FOs and wicks. When one didn't work I gave up and tried something else. That lead me no where.

This time around. I read, researched and read some more before I took the leap again. After a few months I finally have the para/soy blend and wicks I want to use and THREE scents down. Yes - three and I'm happy.

I have been using 1.5 oz of FO per lb but just this morning I tested with 1 oz per lb to see if there was a difference with my Twilight Woods scent. Call my crazy or just mad about testing but have any of you also tested different percentages of FO when you test?

PS - I usually let the candles cure for at least 24 hrs. I will be testing tomorrow morning.

[TxSioux]

Absolutely! Seems like everyone wants to use the most amount of fo they can when trying to create the strongest throw. After all, isn't that the reason most people give for why they ventured into candle making!? I set a 'go to' amount of fo I want to work w/ & used to test up & down the % scale if I wasn't happy w/ the throw. I've now come to a point where a fo needs to throw at my fixed % level, or I consider it a failure. There's a theory that less is more, once you get all the other variables in place. Once you exceed a proper balance the final result is ruined - just like a food recipe. Consider this ... salt tastes good ... it enhances the flavor, we love it, we want more of what we love, but too much salt ruins the final result. There's a limit before good becomes bad. Too many people try to max out fo & just can't figure out why the candle isn't right. The recipe has to be in balance.

Keep working on what you feel is most important & keep testing till you hit the balance that you're happy with. Look how many recipes there are for the 'perfect' chocolate chip cookie!

Susan.

[marcuset]

Only a few hundred dollars? Don't feel too bad...so many have stuck in many thousands still learning:tiptoe:

[Candybee]

I think we've all been there so don't get discouraged. Took me a year to get a good parasoy blend together then another year to tweak it to make it great. That was after a couple years of working with paraffin alone and then another couple of years working with soy alone. Knowing the characteristics of both types of wax helped me build a parasoy blend I am happy with. Total time about about 5-6 yrs. Then I switched and am now working with palm!

[SliverOfWax]

I have a standard starting %. I've had to cut back on several oils, but I never go over 8%. If an oil won't work at 8%, it's not worth having.

[Babyv]

@TxSioux - I like your reference on the salt. Makes sense.

@Candybee - you must be like me and like to test. Everytime I think I have it, I sit up at night and think "how can I make it better?". lol.

@SliverofWax - thank for the info. I was using 10% but thought if it would still work at 6% or 8%. Trying to save some money but not cut corners on a good candle.

**TESTING: so far the 8% fo candle I poured is giving the same HT as the 10%. I don't really notice much of a difference. Huh?

[SliverOfWax]

**TESTING: so far the 8% fo candle I poured is giving the same HT as the 10%. I don't really notice much of a difference. Huh?

When you decrease oil %, you might have to wick down, too. It's possible you're burning off the scent if you used the same wick with the 8% as you did with the 10%.

[Pam W]

i have a standard starting %. I've had to cut back on several oils, but i never go over 8%. If an oil won't work at 8%, it's not worth having.

ditto