brendanmarie Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I've been making candles and doing craft fairs and markets for a couple of years now. I use 7oz glass jars with GW464, ECO 10 wicks, and CS fragrance oils (at usually about 1oz/lb) with no dye. I've done burn tests on these candles on several occasions, and I've calculated the burn time to be about 40 hours. Recently, while browsing at other markets and talking to other soy candle makers, I've been told that their candles burn much longer. Two of the vendors with whom I spoke stated that their candles (basically the same size as mine) burn for about 80 hours, and another vendor said hers burn for about 60. How is this possible? Have I been doing something wrong all this time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) Do you double wick your candles? Do they?How did you determine your rate of wax consumption for your candle? Do you test? Did they test theirs?Did you take into account the leftover wax in the jar bottom due to the neck height of your wick tab? Did they?Did they actually do a test burn to determine their rate of wax consumption or did they just 'read' it somewhere and apply it for the amount of poured wax?Which wax are they using? Any additives? What wick?Do they use the same jars and pour the same amount of wax? and FO?Did you actually burn a test candle from start to finish to see how many hours it really burns? Did they?There are so many factors that may determine the rate of wax consumption and the total hours of burn time for your candles. Lots of questions you could ask them to find out how they determined theirs. I know a lot of candlemakers that don't bother to even test their candles let alone test for the rate of wax consumption. I would tend be a little skeptical. Edited June 1, 2011 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendanmarie Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) Neither I nor they double-wick. I used an online burn time calculator as well as an old fashioned hand-calculated formula when I did each candle and burned each one all the way through. There's not much left at the bottom of the jar when I'm done. When I asked them what wax they were using, they just said "soy", and seemed reluctanct to give any additional information. Though their jars are not the exact same ones as mine, they were all very similarly shaped and sized. It seems even with different, wax, wicks, and FO that though there would be some variation I would think it shouldn't be as much as that. I too was skeptical. That's why I wanted to ask. I try to be completely honest with my customers and give them the best product I can. I just wasn't sure if I was missing something that could extend my burn time, or if these vendors are being less than honest for the sake of attempting to make a sale. Edited June 1, 2011 by brendanmarie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I have an 8 oz apothecary with GW464, Peaks FO and Peaks dye (usually 2 drops per pound) and mine burn for 40 hours. I can't imagine an 80 hour burn unless it is a single wick with a real small flame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendanmarie Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 I appreciate y'all's responses. It gives me a little reassurance to hear that I'm not the only one who found it hard to believe those claims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EccoLights Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 As the others have said, there are so many variables here that its a mystery... The one thing we all know is many candlers will make any "claim" they can to make the sale. I would almost have to buy one of them and do a competitive test =) *evil grin* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 There are alot of people who just guesstimate because they do not test. There are also alot of people who just outright lie. I recently say a seller claiming that soy wax candles last 50 times longer that paraffin. That is just an outright lie. These people are just looking for a sale, and not repeat customers. Be honest with your customers and it will serve you best in the long run.Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendanmarie Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 LOL, EccoLights. I was actually very tempted to do that, and I just may have to in the future. And, Steve, thanks for your reply as well. The more feedback I get, the better I feel - that all my work hasn't gone into making some terribly inferior product, but that there are just some dishonest candlers out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EccoLights Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 LOL, EccoLights. I was actually very tempted to do that, and I just may have to in the future. And, Steve, thanks for your reply as well. The more feedback I get, the better I feel - that all my work hasn't gone into making some terribly inferior product, but that there are just some dishonest candlers out there.*Looking for that "like" button* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I always have a few customers that ask for the burn time. It is on my candle label but they ask anyway. Those are the ones that really care about the burn time and trust me if you got it wrong on the label or said it wrong to that customer they will call you out on it. Happened to me when I used to go by the burn rate I calculated for 3 hour tests. The burn time may be correct but didn't account for the wax that actually burns. I also discovered that using a rate chart or calculator does not give me the actual burn time for the whole candle but more of an estimate that could be anywhere from very close to off several hours.So now I do several tests. I do a couple of 3 hr test burns just to determine the rate of consumption for the wax burning. Then I test burn an entire candle and log the total hours of burn time. I also weigh the finished candle to determine how much wax was left in the bottom. I test all my candles this way. So now the burn hours on my label indicate the actual range of the burn hours I got testing the whole candle instead of an 'estimate.'Like others have said just be honest with your customers. They will notice and come back as repeat customers. Those are the ones you want because they tend to spend more knowing that you have an honest product! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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