You keep saying matches and I'll keep saying candles.
November 15, 2011 3:16 PM   Subscribe

What can you tell me to help me make great candles?

I've been googling and bookmarking and youtubing, and I'm also armed with my notes from last year. Now I'm looking for any feedback from people who have made candles.

I'm making candles for myself, not for gifts. I have 45 lbs. of soy wax. I have several different fragrance scents which are made specifically for candles (not essential oils). I'm using soy wax exclusively, wood wicks, and various glass jars. No pillars or dipped, in other words.

I made candles last year and they were good...nice scent throw, burned pretty well. This year I want great, not good. Reading around, I find every number from 2% to 18% fragrance load. I don't want to waste time every year experimenting anew, I just want a number which will give me lots of scent and also still keep that good wax set up and burn. What do you find to be the idea scent load to wax ratio? And any other tips for the types of candles I'm making would also be very appreciated. For example, why does wax sometimes cling to the sides of the jar and not burn down? Does the wax cure better if I warm up the jar first? How large does a candle have to be before I need more than one wick? Flame on!
posted by iconomy to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Okay! First off, what brand of wax are you using? That affects scent throw and adhesion to the jar. Some are better at one, some are better at the other. It does tend to be either/or.

Soy wax fragrance load standard is 6%-9%. Any more than that and you're wasting fragrance oil, is the general wisdom.

Wood wicks can be touchy to get good, consistent results from - as well they're often considered a fire hazard. If you don't want to do too much experimenting, you may be better off with standard wicks.

Wax clings to the sides of the jar because the wick is not the right wick for that size of jar, that type of wax, etc. Standard formula for knowing you have the right size of wick is that after three hours' burn, you have an even & complete melt to the sides of the jar. A wick that is too weak won't burn to the sides in that time, it will "tunnel" down. A wick that is too strong will have a high flame and melt to the sides too fast.

Warming up the jar, specifically, isn't supposed to make a difference in how well it cures (I assume you mean for a nice smooth adhesion?) though you don't want to pour in cold jars (and you don't want them to cool down too fast once you pour - I put mine in boxes and covered them with towels to hold in the heat for a slower cooling). Cleanliness of the jar will, though. I cleaned mine with Sunlight dish detergent and then ran them through a hot cycle in the dishwasher before pouring.

You probably don't need more than one wick (if you're using the right size of wick) on jars 12 oz. and smaller. But that depends on the shape of the jar. Square jars, for instance, often won't give a full even melt to the edges without two wicks at smaller sizes than round ones will.

Craftserver's candle making forums are a goldmine of information. I found a lot of judicious searching would often yield plenty of other people's experience to judge mine against. Candlemaking is like cooking, in my opinion - you've got to do a lot of experimenting, develop your own recipes; there's so many factors that affect how well it all comes together that you can't really give someone else a foolproof recipe. Some brands of wax are easier to work with than others, though.
posted by flex at 4:29 PM on November 15, 2011 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: I never realized the brand would make a difference. You're a goldmine yourself, flex ;)

Ok I'm going to go with 8%..thanks!

I get everything from candlewic.com because it's 10 miles away and I can go pick it up. So my wax just says candlewic.com on it. Have you ever used theirs?
posted by iconomy at 4:59 PM on November 15, 2011


Best answer: Thanks! I like the chance to be helpful =)

I have not used Candlewic's wax, myself. It's good to search for what other people say who working with the type of wax you're using, see what their experiences are - it can save you a lot of time and frustration, and give you tips on optimizing your candles. For instance, some waxes do better poured hotter, and some cooler; some do better if you add the fragrance oil hot, and some cooler; some do better with certain types of wicks... Knowing stuff like that is going to really boost your chances of getting a nice scent throw, the right burn, and good-looking candles.

Are your fragrance oils sold as tested in and good for soy wax? You can't use just any FOs in soy. Also certain kinds of scents just don't do well in soy - straight citrus scents are quite tricky.

Anything else you'd like to pick my brains about, feel free.
posted by flex at 5:35 PM on November 15, 2011


Response by poster: Such good ideas, and things that never occurred to me! Yes, all of the scents I bought have been tested and found to work well with soy. Do you sell candles too, or just make them? If you sell them please let me know where. I buy just as many as I make ;) Ok, I'm going to research candlewic soy wax specifically and see what the buzz is. And I may take you up on your offer to pick your brains. Thanks again, flex!
posted by iconomy at 6:09 PM on November 15, 2011


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