tbowers8403 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 1) what can be used to measure your FO instead of a scale? 2) is there a measuring difference between essential oils and fragrance oils? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 A scale is the only way to correctly measure the weight of all your oils, FO's or EO's, or anything else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmc Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 ChrisR is right...fo's and eo's need to be measured by weight not volume because there are heavier and lighter oils. You can buy a decent digital scale at Walmart for $20...hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 And remember, measuring by grams is more accurate than by ounces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 You can use a laboratory glass graduated cylinder. But be aware that weight for weight you will be getting different amouts of different FOs unless you calculate the volume required based on the density of the FO. Weighing is much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertgibbens Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Measuring in grams is NOT more accurate than measuring in ounces. The precision of the scale determines the accuracy. There are scales that measure to the nearest 5 grams and scales that measure to the nearest .0001 ounces. In this case the ounce scale is far far more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I'll measure in grams. Thanks for your input. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I prefer grams too, makes for easier calculations (at least for me) and I am more familiar with it having worked in lab for 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Weighed ounces work fine for me as this is not as critical when making larger batches of wax. A 10th of an ounce one way or the other in several pounds of wax isn't going to make a discernible difference in the outcome. When making small batches of wax (less than 1 pound), however, it can matter a lot. So for little batches grams might be slightly more accurate, but honestly, the real issue is the accuracy of the scale more than the unit of measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I prefer grams too, makes for easier calculations (at least for me) and I am more familiar with it having worked in lab for 30 years.Not to mention the fact that if you're melting and pouring 10 or more pounds of wax and have a consistent repeat customer base, you need not only accuracy but consistency. Grams gives both accuracy and consistency on a far greater scale than ounces. I stopped measuring fo by ounces at least 10 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbowers8403 Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Oh my this is all making my head spin. I ordered a scale today that has a Tare (as I seen suggested) and I believe it weighs in ounces and grams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertgibbens Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Not to mention the fact that if you're melting and pouring 10 or more pounds of wax and have a consistent repeat customer base, you need not only accuracy but consistency. Grams gives both accuracy and consistency on a far greater scale than ounces. I stopped measuring fo by ounces at least 10 years ago.Do people not read other posts or are they often times incapable of logical thought? Grams are not more accurate then ounces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaftCandles Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Do people not read other posts or are they often times incapable of logical thought? Grams are not more accurate then ounces.When you compare any measurements weither it be Temperature, Pressure or weight the scale with the most increments are more accurate. When it comes to weight, 1 ounce equals 28.35 grams therefore grams are more accurate. I think Stella said it best, when making large batches it's what works best for you but when make really small batches most scales do not have accurate enough resolution to use ounces. I use a scale for small batches that has a resolution of .001 grams which is equal to 3.527396194958041e-5 ounces, Do the math for that one, I think I will stck with grams as well.A note: Hospitals and Pharmaceutical companies use the metric system because it's more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaftCandles Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 To correct my previous statement before someone else does.Accuracy is all in the scales you use and the resolution it is designed to display. Precision is the word in question. Grams are more precise than ounces due to its smaller incremental scale therefore giving you more accurate results when formulating a candle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Let's look at the numbers we're haggling over...Again, if I were making 1 lb. (16 oz., or 453.592 gms.) or less of wax, the margin of error between weighing ounces in tenths and grams could be significant. I'd probably flip my scale display between ounces (1) and grams (28.34952) to make sure I was adding the correct amount of FO to my wax, just for grins and posterity. However, when weighing 8 oz. (226.796 gms.) of FO to add to an 8 pound (3628.739 gms) batch of wax, 1/10th of an ounce (2.835 gms.) is NOT going to make a significant enough difference (0.078 %) in the properties of the candles made from that 8 pound batch to warrant using a tiny unit of weight just to satisfy my OCD little heart!Certainly, potentially wasting that extra 1/10 of an ounce (2.834952 gms.) would add up over time to a significant chunk of change I may have given away to my customers... I can live with that at the home chandler level of production. If I were a YankMe Candle sized operation, I might find that margin of error an unacceptable amount of materials wasted... of course, since they are probably using FO by the barrel (or tanker-load), I doubt they use a spatula to scrape every molecule from the inside of the barrels so as not to waste any... so it probably balances out.I think we're splitting hairs with microtomes here... We're not discussing making homemade explosives, drugs or cosmetics here - we're making candles. Most home chandlers are using relatively inexpensive low resolution scales. If truth be told, many folks spill that much, or waste it on the inside of the container used to weigh the wax (if not weighing directly into a pour pot). For those accustomed to weighing in grams and fractions of grams with ultra precise, accurate, high resolution scales, there's certainly no harm in continuing to do so; BUT, if one is less comfortable using the metric system of weight, or prefers avoirdupois just because they think french sounds cooler, there is no solid reason, other than when making very small batches of wax, to feel compelled to weigh in grams. You are NOT a child of a lesser god if you do so, IMHO. is it dead enough yet? Edited December 10, 2011 by Stella1952 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Do people not read other posts or are they often times incapable of logical thought? Grams are not more accurate then ounces.Just because you said it doesn't make it so.I could go into a long, detailed explanation where you would picture two identical scales, two identical measuring cups, two identical fragrances, one set to ounces, one set to grams, and what happens when you drizzle a few extra grams into both measuring cups. You would actually see the measurement indicator on the scale set to grams change, where the measurement indicator on the scale set to ounces would not change. As with so much in life, it's not rocket science.To correct my previous statement before someone else does.Accuracy is all in the scales you use and the resolution it is designed to display. Precision is the word in question. Grams are more precise than ounces due to its smaller incremental scale therefore giving you more accurate results when formulating a candle.What s/he said. Edited December 10, 2011 by SliverOfWax Not sure of gender, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Oh, and this:To correct my previous statement before someone else does.Accuracy is all in the scales you use and the resolution it is designed to display. Precision is the word in question. Grams are more precise than ounces due to its smaller incremental scale therefore giving you more accurate results when formulating a candle. Someone has to do it. From thesaurus.com:Main Entry: precisionPart of Speech: noun Definition: accuracy To add to the importance of ACCURACY and CONSISTENCY, the size of the batch is actually irrelevant. I suppose there are folks who would use a different measuring tool and not much care about measuring one way for a single test candle and then a totally different way for a batch of 100. I would not be one of those candlemakers. Edited December 10, 2011 by SliverOfWax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaftCandles Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Oh, and this:Someone has to do it. From thesaurus.com:Main Entry: precisionPart of Speech: noun Definition: accuracy To add to the importance of ACCURACY and CONSISTENCY, the size of the batch is actually irrelevant. I suppose there are folks who would use a different measuring tool and not much care about measuring one way for a single test candle and then a totally different way for a batch of 100. I would not be one of those candlemakers.Taken from Wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision"A measurement system can be accurate but not precise, precise but not accurate, neither, or both. For example, if an experiment contains a systematic error, then increasing the sample size generally increases precision but does not improve accuracy. The end result would be a consistent yet inaccurate string of results from the flawed experiment. Eliminating the systematic error improves accuracy but does not change precision."I agree Sliver, I was mearly pointing out that with a small batch your error can be substantial enough to throw off a quality burn of your candle and for some it woould give some really confusing test results. I measure accuratly no matter what size batch I make due to the consistancy and material loss pointed out by Stella. The original statement made by robertgibbens was that ounces is more accurate (precise) than grams and that is simply not true! Edited December 10, 2011 by CaftCandles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorseScentS Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) I recently switched to grams and I like it much better. My Walmart scale measures in 2-gram increments, so I have to use the 5 oz paper Dixie Cup to weigh my FO in, because it weighs 4 grams and registers on my scale, whereas the 3 oz paper Dixie Cups weigh less than 2 grams and doesn't register on my scale so I can't Tare them out. But, I love grams. Edited December 15, 2011 by HorsescentS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I use grams in soapmaking where it's supercritical but ounces in candles. Sometimes I bounce it back and forth and get pretty much the same results; by the way the kd-8000 scale is on sale at amazon for $39.95. HTHSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertgibbens Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 This is a stupid argument. If anyone out there wants to trade a gram scale I have which measures to the nearest 5 grams with an ounce scale that measures to the nearest .001 oz, I'm game because the .001 oz scale is far more accurate, and yes, far more precise (in other words has far more precision)!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaftCandles Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 This is a stupid argument. If anyone out there wants to trade a gram scale I have which measures to the nearest 5 grams with an ounce scale that measures to the nearest .001 oz, I'm game because the .001 oz scale is far more accurate, and yes, far more precise (in other words has far more precision)!!The intent is not "Stupid" or an "Argument". A statement was made by you that was incorrect and we were simply tring to correct it and help out. You are intitled to your opinion and to your own methods if that's what you wish to believe or use, but when you make a post in a public forum like you did it is our responsibility to correct it because there may be some people learning from poor information and spreading the illness. No matter what you or I think, grams is now and will always be more precise or accurate than ounces when you compare scales with the same resolution (meaning if one reads .001 then the other should as well). You cannont compare a scale that has a resolution of 5 grams to one that has a resolution of .001 oz, Apples & Oranges. Measuring in grams is NOT more accurate than measuring in ounces. The precision of the scale determines the accuracy. There are scales that measure to the nearest 5 grams and scales that measure to the nearest .0001 ounces. In this case the ounce scale is far far more accurate.Again! Apples & Oranges.Do people not read other posts or are they often times incapable of logical thought? Grams are not more accurate then ounces.This statement was just rude and totaly uncalled for! Logic is something for the moment has escaped you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.