VAwaxman Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm looking to start making candles. So far I'm leaning towards soy wax. I currently make soft plastic baits for bass fishing. My plan is to sell the candles. I have a few questions for everyone.How much $ does it take to start up small usually?Which company all round makes the best/potent fragrances?What's the rule of thumb for how many ounces of fragrance per pound of wax?What is a must " know " for the business of candle making?Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottlecrafters Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 How much $ does it take to start up small usually?I'm in for nearly $1000 and haven't even started selling yet.Which company all round makes the best/potent fragrances?I use Candle Science and Peak. I use GW464 Soy, and find that probably less than 50% of the fragrances I test throw well, so you will need to do a TON of testing to see what works for you.What's the rule of thumb for how many ounces of fragrance per pound of wax?I start with 1 oz./lb. and go up to about 8% max. Anything more than that, and I try to find another scent, or come back to that scent with another supplier.What is a must " know " for the business of candle making?Spend a lot of time reading these forums. There is a wealth of info. When I first started last December, I read this forum religiously for several hours per night (until my brain was mush). I lurked and read for over a month before I started testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Welcome. The cost of starting up is not in the supplies or regular business things, though those things are important. The cost is in testing and learning. I sell now but it took about 8K before I was comfortable doing that. Granted I am more cautious than others in general, and it was more of a hobby than a business start up, the cost to learn is a bit nebulous. Read a lot. Test. Develop one type of candle you do well and then start adding to your line.New size, new wax, new FO, all requires testing and sometimes the test goes bad so you have to rebuild the unit and start over with a new wick or different mix ratios. Soy is difficult to start with because it does not always take well to FO's. Many here have made soy candles throw like no tomorrow. Personally, I found it a frustrating place to start. Paraffin is the easier, but if you do your research well and get the help you need then soy could be OK.Best wishes. Please don't short cut. Do your testing. Get your formulas stable before selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorseScentS Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 This is an excellent starter kit from the outstanding supplier, who owns this board: http://www.peakcandle.com/products/Scented-Container-Candle-Starter-Kit__K1003.aspx Personally, I think you'll be much happier with your scent throw, much less frustrated, and spend a lot less money on testing if you start with paraffin. None of the bad stuff you read about paraffin in the "soy vs. paraffin" webpages is true, it's just a sales pitch. At first I had my heart set on soy, but the more I read the more I realized it's not a better wax. If I was going to try a veggie wax, I'd use the beautiful Glass Glow palm wax. I plan to work with it in the future, but I'm still learning with my paraffin blend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenscandlebakery Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 How much $ does it take to start up small usually?It really depends on how long it takes you to find *the* wax, fragrance oils, container, etc that works best for you. I'm on my second wax, which I think is a keeper, but I played with and put a lot of money into the first wax. You can do what I did; slowly, over time, order more supplies as you can afford them until you get it right. I've been testing since early December and I just opened up for business at the beginning of April!Which company all round makes the best/potent fragrances?You're going to hear a lot of different answers to this. Simply because what works for one person doesn't work for the next and some people prefer local suppliers to save on shipping. Also, many of us order from multiple suppliers for fragrance oils. I use Lonestar, Millcreek, Peak, and Candle Science.What's the rule of thumb for how many ounces of fragrance per pound of wax?Most people say 1 oz of FO per pound of wax. I tend to use a little more than that. I use about 8%.What is a must " know " for the business of candle making?01) Weigh your fragrance oils, don't measure them. Its much more precise.02) Don't assume that just because something worked for somebody else that it will work for you. You'll drive yourself crazy like I did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I'm looking to start making candles. So far I'm leaning towards soy wax. I currently make soft plastic baits for bass fishing. My plan is to sell the candles. I have a few questions for everyone.How much $ does it take to start up small usually?Which company all round makes the best/potent fragrances?What's the rule of thumb for how many ounces of fragrance per pound of wax?What is a must " know " for the business of candle making?Thanks everyone!Welcome to your new addiction! Candle making can be fun but it is also not cheap. Most people have already spent several thousand before even selling one candle. Also, not everyone is a good salesman or business person and lots try but don't do well in the business. So you need deep pockets, a lot of luck, and lots of testing until you have a well made and safe candle. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singleyellowrose Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Candle making can be fun but it is also not cheap!! Sometimes it's not fun either!My version:Give up after months and months of testing and $$$ and buy what I like from friends!I do make wax melts but that is my extent with wax.I'm a soapmaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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