Fo's ... measure,pour or drip?

[Solclaim]

So i'v been making candles for about 5 years and when it comes to dispencing my Fo's i cringe. I have done the .. ok that looks like i poured enough method that gave me sludge in the bottom, i have doen the tespoon to oz measure method. i'v even gone as far to count how many drips are in a oz and let me tell u i wanted to shoot myself after that one. FINALY i found a catheter irrigation syringe that has oz measurements on it, it worked great till i went to use some of them a second time .. the rubber had degraded or swolen up so i had to toss it and start again.http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM4096342301P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM215612105

So i kept searching and i found this type of cathether irrigation syringe with bulb 60 cc(2 oz of liquid) ... no rubber to rot or get stuck ... the only problem i have had is after i remove it from the FO's it drips a little if i move too fast ... solution is to bring the jar close to the rim of my pour pot then bam no waist... this is the link http://www.amazon.com/Foley-Catheter-Irrigation-Tray-Syringe/dp/B000C4MBBU

my questions ... what does everyone else use? how much are they and where can i get them. how long have you used it and how much waist do you have with it ?

thanks guys and gals ....i have a bit of ocd when it comes to my fo's where each one gets it's own dispencer, so before i order 30 of the bulb syringe i wanted to know what everyone else used or am i right on track with the stuff i have found..

thanks have a great night

jason

[Stella1952]

I put my pour pot on the scale and tare. Then I open the bottle of FO (or flip the top or chew it off), pour the desired weighed amount into the pour pot. Close the top. Voila.

[ChandlerWicks]

I put a shot glass on scale, tare it, put in FO to weigh. When I find a better scale to buy I'll do as Stella suggested. Makes sense the less containers you put the FO the more gets in the candle. Heres the best helper ever ( again from Stella) www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm My ocd would not let me calculate anything & I was screeching until I found it in the threads!

[carol k]

Fo is measured by weight. You can get a postal scale at walmart for around $30.00, use a glass container to put your fo in, fo will eat plastic, styrofoam & rubber.

[Candybee]

Before I even make my candles I first calculate the percentages of wax and FO I will be using. I even made a wall chart for myself with my wax weights and FO weights that I use so I can glance at it to remind myself what my ingredient weights are for the candles I am making.

I have an Escali scale that accurately weighs in pounds, ounces, and grams. I place my pour pot on it and tare the scale. Then add the amount of wax I am using to make candles. I use a seperate container to weigh out my FO. I put the container on the scale and tare it. Then pour FO in the container until I have the exact weight of FO I will be using in my wax.

[ksranch]

I even made a wall chart for myself with my wax weights and FO weights that I use so I can glance at it to remind myself what my ingredient weights are for the candles I am making.

QUOTE]

I use an Escali scale as well - using the tare makes it so easy - Candybee, I love the chart idea - sure would beat figuring it every time like I am now! lol

[SliverOfWax]

I use Tupperware measuring cups that I bought at least 10 years ago. I don't know what they're made of but FO doesn't harm them. I weigh FO in grams.

My cups are white.

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/tup_show_item.show_item_detail?fv_item_category_code=10004&fv_item_number=P10068227000

[IwantItgreen]

I weigh my FO into the pour pot using grams. I find it is much more accurate.

[rjdaines]

Shot glass on scale, tare, pour into shot glass, weigh using grams.

[chuck_35550]

I have a pyrex shot glass that holds 2 oz of fo and keep it warmed in my toaster oven (just in cased there are any crystals and to keep the temp from fluctuating in the wax) and that works just great, unless I look over and see it sitting there after having poured the candles, lol. I weigh just like everyone else does on the scale. Accuracy with fo is a must IMHO. HTH

Steve

Edited August 2, 2011 by chuck_35550

[Stella1952]

i have a bit of ocd when it comes to my fo's where each one gets it's own dispencer

Unless you are buying in quantities greater than 1 pound, I see no need to do anything to the bottles in which they ship. If you purchase a larger quantity, I can see how you might want to transfer some to a smaller, more easily handled bottle. In that case, it sounds like you are asking how other folks transfer their FO from a large container to a smaller one (or if they even do)? Is that correct? What size batches are you making and how much FO are you using at a time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The reason I use my 2# pour pot and not the measuring shot glass I have is that once I tipped over the shot glass. That was so traumatizing, I never weighed FO that way again!

If it's in the pour pot (with dye added if I am using it) it's far safer from my graceless hands! Before I started premixing my FO with dye and prewarming it, I would just pour it directly into the wax in the pour pot. If one adds too much, though, ya can't take it back out, so to me, it's far better to weigh it before the wax is added. I also think it initially mixes in much better when the wax is added to the FO/dye and not the other way around.

So throw your syringes away!! Stop dripping, dropping and suctioning. Just weigh, add wax and pour.

Unless, of course, you are trying to get it out of a 5 gallon container or barrel... THEN we need to revise that procedure a little!!

[TraciS]

I pour 77 oz batches or I pour a sample - no variances. I just fill the pot with wax, tare and pour in the FO to the proper weight. Easy peasy

[Solclaim]

Well thanks for all the responses.. the reason i asked as i have said before i figured out candle making all by my self, no ever did i think there was a forum like this to help me along the way. The stuff i read had me measuring out FO in fluid oz's and then adding right before i poured so that what i did and focused on. to all those of you who weigh out your oils... what do you do when different oils are more dense than others ? how do you make sure you are using the correct amount ? I still have questions on stearic acid and vybar and other chems

thanks all

[deb426]

to all those of you who weigh out your oils... what do you do when different oils are more dense than others ? how do you make sure you are using the correct amount ?

An ounce is an ounce so it doesn't matter if the oil is dense or light. Figure out how much oil you want to use per pound of wax. For example, if you want to use one ounce per pound, weigh out your oil and then add your wax (or vice versa).

[tamese]

I use the same method as Stella.

[Stella1952]

what do you do when different oils are more dense than others

That's the beauty of weighing instead of measuring by volume - as Deb said, an ounce is an ounce, whether it's feathers or gold.

[Solclaim]

hmm that changes everything i do towards scenting my candles .....so as a expl. .. if i am scenting 2 pounds and my ratio is 1/2 oz per pound i just just weigh it it out on my scale in my glass beaker then add it to the wax ... i shale try tonight!!!

[EricofAZ]

I pretty much make small quantities. I have what I think was a 3 oz shot glass. Anyway, it takes 2 oz FO to the brim and I marked it in ml. Not all FO weighs the same by volume, but they are pretty close so I just fill to the markings. 30 ml is one ounce.

Scales with tare are great. Sometimes I do that too, add what I want to the pour pot and then add the FO and mix. Great way to mix up exactly what I want. I pour one ounce under what my intended target is and let it all cool, then heat the pour pot and top off the container.

[Stella1952]

if i am scenting 2 pounds and my ratio is 1/2 oz per pound i just just weigh it it out on my scale in my glass beaker then add it to the wax

Sure. If you are using a pour pot, there's no need to dirty up the beaker. Just put it on the scale, tare (or write down the weight) and add 1 oz. at your dose rate of .5 oz PP. Add your colorant to the FO, stir well, then add your wax, stir well and pour. Easy Peasy.

Are you sure that .5 oz. is enough?

I pretty much make small quantities...but they are pretty close so I just fill to the markings

Just remember, Eric, that with small quantities a little bit over is a higher percentage than the same little bit over with a larger quantity. Weighing takes the "fudge factor" out of the equation.

Edited August 3, 2011 by Stella1952

[chuck_35550]

The reasoning for accuracy is not only cost but your candle configuration. If the wax and wick burn most efficiently and fragrance the best at 6% load; then you change the configuration when you pour too much or too little and some waxes are not forgiving. Most of us try to stay at 6% and buy oils that will throw (even though they may cost more) and have fewer problems like mushrooms or sooting. Yes, some oils are heavier and may contain lots of vanilla or other ingredients that will require you to adjust your wick accordingly. If I am pouring 16 oz of wax I remove one ounce of wax and add 1 ounce of fo to have a 6% ratio. Simply multiply whatever load you plan to use times 16 and subtract that amount for your fo amount. Easy peasy. HTH

Steve

Edited August 3, 2011 by chuck_35550

[chuck_35550]

Vybar™ is a polymer. A polymer is a high molecular weight organic compound, natural or synthetic, whose structure can be represented by a repeated small unit, the monomer (eg, polyethylene, rubber, cellulose). Synthetic polymers are formed by addition or condensation polymerization of monomers.

In candlemaking, Vybar™ is mainly used to "bind" fragrance oil and paraffin.

To add scent to a candle (this is explained in details in the article about Candle scents), you add a certain amount of fragrance oil (FO) to the wax. Paraffin, due to its chemical composition, only allows for a limited amount of additional oil. The classic proportion of FO is 1 oz (28,35 grams) per pound (453 grams) of paraffin but, as 1 oz is considered by the industry as "double-scented", the actual "basic" proportion is 1/2 oz per pound.

When you visit the website of a candle vendor and they describe their creations as being "double-scented" or "triple-scented", what they actually mean is their wax contains respectively 1 oz and 1 1/2 oz per pound of paraffin.

To bind such a quantity of fragrance oil to the paraffin, it is necessary to add a binding agent. This is where Vybar™ plays an important part.

But caution is required: too much of this additive and the scented oil will become binded so tightly to the paraffin that the scent will be neutralised, literally imprisoned into the wax (which is not what you are looking for). If you have trouble achieving a strongly scented candle, try and decrease the proportion of Vybar™. 1% is a good starting point. To find the ideal proportion, a little trial and error is unavoidable!

[chuck_35550]

Stearic acid (also called stearin or, to keep it simple, octadecanoic acid) is one of the saturated fatty acids present in animal (and vegetal) fats and oils.

Where candlemaking is concerned, the terms

stearine

and

stearic acid

are interchangeable and indicate the same product.

Chemically speaking, stearic acid is a component of stearine.

In the Nineteenth century, a chemist named Michel Eugène Chevreul discovered that animal tallow (in this time still used to make candles) wasn't a single substance but a coumpound of two fatty acids, stearic acid oleic acid, combined with glycerin to form a neutral, non flammable substance.

By removing glycerin from the tallow compound, Chrµevreul invented a new substance named stearin (from the Greek "stear", which means tallow).

[chuck_35550]

Ok and finally, buy a pre-blended wax and then you won't have to worry about using vybar or any other additive. There are a number of great pre-blended waxes that are available and will be just as cheap in the long run and won't require you to be ocd about making your candles. Candle making should be fun and eventually easy. HTH

Steve