tart burners vs oil burners

[NewInTheBiz]

Are these one the same? Or, is one supposed to get hotter than the other? Which one gets hotter?

I am all new to this. Is a tart made like a scented candle except that it is shaped differently and has no wick? I assume that the tart burner causes the wax to melt slowly and thus give off the fragrance. Am I right?

Lastly, does burning a tart produce any different result than burning oil? Is one method more popular than the other?

[LadyJo]

you really need to buy some and test them for yourself to see how each one works.

Edited September 29, 2011 by LadyJo

[AlwaysWondering]

The difference between an oil warmer and a tart warmer/burner/melter is usually the size of the "bowl" on top. Most oils burner have smaller bowls on top. This does not effect the quality of melting a tart in it but the tart might need to be cut in half to fit if it is a big tart. Also, because the diameter of the bowl is smaller, the melt pool will be smaller and that could mean less throw. Finally, the type of bulb and bulb wattage could be different. That is also true if comparing a tart warmer to another tart warmer. If an oil warmer and a tart melter have the same bulb and the same size bowl, they would pretty much be equal.

[NewInTheBiz]

Thanks AlwaysWondering. That pretty much tells me what I wanted to know. When comparing a tar warmer to an oil burner, which one do you think would require more wattage?

And speaking of wattage, I have been fooling around with an oil burner with a 15w bulb. I don't think 15 watts is going to cut it. I am imaging 25 would be more like it. I can't get any smoke at all out of 15w and the throw is weak.

Lastly, I am also always wondering

[Ring of Fire]

you really need to buy some and test them for yourself to see how each one works.

That wasn't necessary. If you didn't know the answer to her question why bother posting?

[carol k]

You really don't want them to smoke. I have used the oil burners to melt tarts. Most of the time only 1/2 of a tart will fill the bowl. I've not noticed any difference in throw, but they do not last as long as a full tart would.

[Lorelei]

Make sure you aren't seeing vapor instead of true smoke. That can get confusing.

[LadyJo]

Originally Posted by

LadyJo

you really need to buy some and test them for yourself to see how each one works.

That wasn't necessary. If you didn't know the answer to her question why bother posting?

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

If telling people to test for themselves is wrong then there's a LOT of people on this board that are out of line and should stop telling people to test things. I personally don't believe they ARE wrong to tell people to test so we'll move on .....

Now .... having said that .... I was not wrong.... telling her to test WAS necessary and that is exactly what she needs to do. TEST for herself so she can SEE for herself the difference between the burners !

Edited October 3, 2011 by LadyJo

[NewInTheBiz]

Jo, why are you assuming I do not test? I do indeed buy things and test. But before spending money on the wrong stuff, why not ask people who already know the ropes first? I cannot tell you how much money I have wasted on testing stuff. Not just this industry. I still have the $6,000 plotter I bought a few years ago for another industry, collecting dust in my office because I did not take the time to first find out more about it.

If it was a matter of just going out and buying all kinds of junk, why even have a board to begin with?

Why does the board assume I am female? How do women feel when people assume they are male? Please do not jump to conclusions and assume things about people you don't know. It is discriminatory and is one of the major shortfalls of internet forums.

Thanks to those who offered suggestions.

[NewInTheBiz]

Make sure you aren't seeing vapor instead of true smoke. That can get confusing.

Lorelei, thanks for this. But I think you mean 'Make sure you ARE seeing vapor instead of true smoke.' I think what we want is vapor and not smoke. By 'vapor' I mean that the fragrance and its carrier oil is vaporizing from the heat. By 'smoke' I mean that the heat is actually burning the oil in the true sense of the word. Is that what you meant?

And yes, I agree, it can be confusing.

[LadyJo]

Ring of Fire said HER in regards to you. I was going by what they called you. I can't answer for the rest of the board in regards to whether you are male or female.

And as for why anyone is assuming you aren't testing anything .... it's because of the many questions you have been asking that suggests you are NOT testing but looking for quick answers so you don't have to do the testing yourself. If I was wrong about that then I apologize.

[NewInTheBiz]

I am asking many questions because I am new to the fragrance business and do indeed need to learn quick before I take a wrong turn and do my business damage as well as my customers a disservice. I ask questions because I am eager and serious to learn. That is why I choose the user name "NewInTheBiz."

Testing is very time consuming. I have a small lab with test equipment like volumetric cylinders, beakers, micro pipettes, analytical balance, etc. I do a lot of testing. So much that I almost don't have time to properly run a business. But why spend all this time, actually wasting time, doing a test that someone else on the board may have done and would be willing to share with me.

But, I am not in this all for myself. There are some other posts I have made where I did share the results with the board. Please Jo, do cut me a little slack. Lastly, thank you for your appology. Accepted!

[NewInTheBiz]

Speaking of oil burners, I have found that temperature has a really big effect on scent throw, burn rate, smoke, etc. and would like to find some sort of variable burner. Does anyone know of an electric burner with a dimmer, variable resister, or rheostat? Or perhaps a two-postion switch/light.

I can also imagine a tea light burner with a dish in which you can adjust the hight, closer to or further from the flame.

[carol k]

http://www.wholesalecentral.com/merchamartcorp/store.cfm?event=showcatalog&catid=88966

Most all these warmers have dimmers. I've ordered from them twice with no problems. Their cart doesn't figure shipping. Minimum order $50.00, you have to have a TID number. Love their warmers.

[Stella1952]

I have a small lab with test equipment like volumetric cylinders, beakers, micro pipettes, analytical balance, etc. I do a lot of testing.

You're miles ahead of most of us... which is why testing is a good idea. I've been making candles and tarts for many years and I don't have a small lab like yours...

I agree with Lady Jo - If you are interested in either tartmaking or formulating oils for oil burners, it behooves you to buy one of each and see what YOU think... Can't imagine making candles without having bought at least one first... or tarts or oil burners...

Lampe Bergers are another fragrancing product that might interest you... HTH :smiley2:

Edited October 3, 2011 by Stella1952

[deb426]

Some of this is personal preference so trying different methods for yourself will be helpful in that regard. You can read someone else's results but until you actually see (or smell, in this case) it for yourself, you won't really know what you prefer.

[NewInTheBiz]

Most all these warmers have dimmers. I've ordered from them twice with no problems. Their cart doesn't figure shipping. Minimum order $50.00, you have to have a TID number. Love their warmers.

Carol, thanks for the link. Do you find their warmers get hot enough? I think the ideal warmer should get hot enough to smoke and then have the dimmer to back off to the prefered burn rate.

[AlwaysWondering]

Thanks AlwaysWondering. That pretty much tells me what I wanted to know. When comparing a tar warmer to an oil burner, which one do you think would require more wattage?

And speaking of wattage, I have been fooling around with an oil burner with a 15w bulb. I don't think 15 watts is going to cut it. I am imaging 25 would be more like it. I can't get any smoke at all out of 15w and the throw is weak.

Lastly, I am also always wondering

I think you need at least 25 watts for decent throw with a tart. Some of the plug in wall style are only 15 watt. I've tried them and can't get a throw. Personallly, I like the kind of tart warmers that use the warmer plate at 18 or 24 watts. I have been know to up the bulb from 25 watts t 40 watts. That's up to you!

[carol k]

Carol, thanks for the link. Do you find their warmers get hot enough? I think the ideal warmer should get hot enough to smoke and then have the dimmer to back off to the prefered burn rate.

Yes, they definately get hot enough. I have to turn them down alittle.

[NewInTheBiz]

I think you need at least 25 watts for decent throw with a tart. Some of the plug in wall style are only 15 watt. I've tried them and can't get a throw. Personallly, I like the kind of tart warmers that use the warmer plate at 18 or 24 watts. I have been know to up the bulb from 25 watts to 40 watts. That's up to you!

Thanks again AlwaysWondering. That helps a lot. I have have yet to try tarts but for oil, it seems to me that 15w does not do very much. I put in a 20w blub and that helped some. I have a feeling at least 25w is needed for a decent throw for oil too.