Wax blends

[Steve85569]

Okay I'm "new" to candle making.
I made candles as a hobby many, many years ago but gave away all my equipment 20 years ago.
Starting over at the old hobby I have found out that there are LOTS of waxes out there that either weren't available 30 years ago or I just wasn't aware of.
Bottom line is this - what blends of soy, palm and paraffin do YOU use and for what results?

Thanks in advance for the replies and help.
Steve

 

[Steve85569]

Looks like it's a bit the same as asking which oils and what blend for soap making.

Off to the lab to do some experiments. who HA, Ha HA....( slinking off down stairs...)

 

[NsMar42111]

LOL-I don't do candles but it probably is the same. Just a thought as a consumer, I avoid paraffin now because it makes a lot of soot -I try to just burn beeswax (unscented) or soy (scented).

 

[Steve85569]

I am thinking along the lines of blending soy, palm and bees wax.
Mostly because I've had a few pounds of beeswax laying about for a few years.

The combination should be fairly hard and absorb fragrance oils too.
I wonder if there's a "candle calc" like soapcalc?

 

[Alice Gamewell]

I was recently given about 50 lbs of soy was and other candle making supplies so I am getting ready to take up candle making. I personally cannot answer your question, but check with candlescience.com They sell blends and also answer questions.

 

[Steve85569]

I am experienced in weights and measures and will keep records as I go.
I'll share what I learn so I remember better and don't have to repeat the same "experiments".
From what I've been able to find so far soy by it's self is best suited for containers, blends of soy and either palm or paraffin can be used as molded or pillars.
The trick is that those blends that are being sold are proprietary so no one wants to share the blend data. Since the different soy waxes that are available have such different melt points the blends can't be deduced mathematically ( reverse engineered).
Beeswax can be used to either soften paraffin or harden soy. Also makes excellent candles all by its self. What I have is raw so all I have to do is open the zip locks it's in and the house smells like honey.

 

[jcandleattic]

Looks like it's a bit the same as asking which oils and what blend for soap making.
Off to the lab to do some experiments. who HA, Ha HA....( slinking off down stairs...)

Not really the same. It's just there aren't a lot of candle makers on this board.

I use palm waxes - glass glow for containers, the last of my starburst for pillars, and feather wax for pillars.

I do still use J-50, or what is now IGI 4636 for my paraffin containers, and I use either IGI 4625 for pillars OR candles and supplies has what is called "pre-production" pillar blend that is granulated and makes a beautifully creamy smooth paraffin pillar. I love it.

For votives I use IGI 4794 with vybar and stearic added.

LOL-I don't do candles but it probably is the same. Just a thought as a consumer, I avoid paraffin now because it makes a lot of soot -I try to just burn beeswax (unscented) or soy (scented).

Soot in a candle is more from poor wick selection than the type of wax. I use paraffin mostly, and have little to no soot. And when I do get soot from the paraffin, it's because of FO.
All waxes will "soot" because all will give off emisions, it's just that with the natural waxes (soy, palm, beeswax, etc.,) if seems like there is no soot because it's not black soot, it's very light colored soot.

 

[KristaY]

One thing I've learned is candle making takes A LOT of experimentation, just like soap making! I had an absolute favorite blend of waxes (2 types of soy) I used, figured out the % of scent it would hold, then color, and I was pleased as could be. I probably made about 800 wax melts with it then the FDA came along and changed the regs on hydrogenated oils so I've had to start over...from scratch. I'm SO annoyed since it took me about a year to go through the process the first time! In recent batches I've noticed seeping after about a 2 week cure so I'm back to the drawing board. Since I just gave you no useful info whatsoever, good luck Steve!

 

[jcandleattic]

One thing I've learned is candle making takes A LOT of experimentation,

Candle making definitely has a bigger learning curve IMO that soap making. Soap making is "easy" compared to candles. Soap making is much more forgiving when small errors are made, and are more easily remedied when the mistake occurs than in candle making.
While neither craft was an instant for me, I was able to get a great soap bar to market in a much faster time frame than I was a great candle.
With that being said, candle making is my first love when it comes to crafting. I just love it. And with all the soy problems that EVERYONE is seeming to be dealing with, I am so so glad I never jumped on that soy wagon. I hated working with soy the first time I tried it - it was way too picky for my taste.

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm lucky enough to have a candle supplier down the road from me. One difficulty with candle making is that the type of wick, size of wick, type of wax and size of container all work together. So I really like that they do the experimenting and tell me what combos will work.

 

[jcandleattic]

I'm lucky enough to have a candle supplier down the road from me. One difficulty with candle making is that the type of wick, size of wick, type of wax and size of container all work together. So I really like that they do the experimenting and tell me what combos will work.

That's great.
In my experience with almost every supplier I've dealt with, is they will usually only suggest wicks/wax combos with what they carry only, and usually will suggest a wick that is too large.

 

[beckster51]

That's interesting. The last time I bought supplies, they suggested a wick that was too small. It burned up before the candle did, just straight down into the candle. I am going back to the drawing board on wax and wicks. Do you have a supplier you recommend? I used Candle Science.

 

[jcandleattic]

just straight down into the candle.

Tunneling can be a cause of a wick that is too big also. It's variable. That's why testing is so important.

Do you have a supplier you recommend? I used Candle Science.

I use so many suppliers! My main wax suppliers are Candles and Supplies, and Lonestar. For everthing else, well, there are too many of them to name them all.

 

[beckster51]

Thanks, jcandleattic. I appreciate the reply.

 

[jcandleattic]

Thanks, jcandleattic. I appreciate the reply.

You're welcome. I am not expert by any means, but I have been doing this a very long time (almost 25 years now) and try to help where I can.

 

[I_like_melts]

I make melts, but I love Pillar of Bliss, which is a soy-paraffin blend. I also use starburst and feather palm waxes on occasion.

 

[MKLonestar]

I was recently given about 50 lbs of soy was and other candle making supplies so I am getting ready to take up candle making. I personally cannot answer your question, but check with candlescience.com They sell blends and also answer questions.

Natures Garden is another great source for questions and answers, along with a ton of free recipes. They have also been extremely helpful when I have called asking questions in the very beginning of my candlemaking quest.

 

[msunnerstood]

I make wax tarts and I use 1 oz of beeswax in every 8oz of soy. it helps harden the tarts so i can get them out of the molds easier and also seems to stave off the soy dust.

 

[Withney]

Hi,

I am currently using Soy wax to make scented candles but I am having a poor hot throw, I have read that the reason might be the wax. I have just discovered Rapeseed wax which I heard that this is better to add scents to.

Does anyone know if Soy and Rapeseed wax can be mixed together please?

Thank you very much!

 

[jcandleattic]

Does anyone know if Soy and Rapeseed wax can be mixed together please?

All waxes can be mixed, it just depends on the application you want and/or the outcome it gives as to whether it's a good mix or not.
Best advice is try a mix and see how you like it for your application.

Poor hot throw can be a symptom of a multitude of problems, the least of which is the wax.
What type of soy are you using? what type of jars are you using? how much fragrance, type and from where did you purchase your fo? Is it compatible with soy? What wicks are you using and what size for the sized jar you are using? All of that and much more will play into the the type of throw you will get.
We can help you diagnose if we have a little more information about your application