Teach Soap

Hi there
Perhaps a stupid question, sorry just starting and I have been having a problem with scent throw, the diameter of my container is 70mm, I am using a wick with a burn diameter up to 75mm
The candles smell fantastic cold, but when I light them there is no scent throw?
However last night, the one with Rose FO worked?
Is the FO flashpoint in candlemaking relevant? Does the wick have to burn hotter for some FO's than others?

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Diane

Candles need a little curing, kind of like soap does. 3+ days of curing is beneficial.
Flashpoint is relevant in candles. The higher the flashpoint, the better the scent throw I get.
Some fragrance do not have as strong of a scent throw, whether hot or cold.
Are you using the vendor's recommended % ?
Some fragrances do burn hotter, so a different wick might be required. You will need to experiment as there is no one size wick fits all.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks Irena!

I am using about 10%
I have some scents from BB
and some scents from Natures Garden

The manufacturers of eco soy, say 8 to 10% FO ?

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Diane

Bittercreek has some instructions on their site. http://www.bittercreeksouth.com/instructions.htm
Are you pouring at no less than 135°F (57.2°C)?
Not all fragrances can be used at the same rate. 10% scent load sounds high to me.
Where did you get that %?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Hi Irena

Sorry for the delay in replying, and thank you for replying!
I got the information from the soy wax suppliers fact sheet:
Many fragrances work in CB-Advanced Soy. Due to its advanced technology, it is important to work with the fragrance manufacturer to use fragrances specifically designed for CB-Advanced Soy. Recommended maximum scent load is about 12%. To minimize scent loss, add scent prior to pouring but at a wax temperature no less than 135°F (57.2°C). Accommodate for temperature drop due to the addition of the cooler scent when targeting the pour temperature. Optimum hot scent throw is achieved with a full diameter burn pool at a depth of ¼ to ½ inch (0.6 to 1.3 cm).

I have been melting the wax to 80c then letting it cool down (not sure where I read this though!)
Then letting it cool down to about 70c adding the FO, and then pouring at about 60?

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Diane

Some fragrances simply do not work with soy wax. Have you tried another manufacturer? I presume you are letting the candle cure for at least a couple of days?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I am trying to use ones with good reviews, BB's Hot Cocoa & Citrus Sorbet had good reviews, but some of the ones from Australian suppliers, don't have reviews, trial and error I guess, they also don't have flash points, and when I asked the supplier, she said that:

"The wax may have different scent throws, I have never tested that.
Don't worry about flash point - the fragrance is diluted to such a level that it becomes an insignificant part of the candle.
Rather use the right wick for the jar and wax type"

I cured the candles for 48hrs, I have some that are over 7 days old, will try those!

thanks Irena

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Diane

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Hi SB!! I started making candles. They look great next to my crystal / rock collection at night.


I just whooped up a whole bunch more soap this wknd and got my first lye burn trying to mix 54 oz of potash into some glycerin and my pot was a little too small. Adding witch hazel to vinegar solution in spray bottle really helps clean up a volcano spill. Thank God I had some chemica-resistant gloves and fire extinguisher handy, which luckily I didn't have to use. I'm going to start being more careful from now on. I made 20 lbs of bar soap too.

Flash point IS important!

I found that if I add mostly a base note (patchouli, cedarwood, litsea, frankincense, clary sage) then the flashpoint of the EO is too high to get a good burn. The candle burns weakly. But if I add some top note then that's like pouring kerosene on the fire bc of the low flashpoint. Then I get a nice good flame.

It's an ounce of EOs to a lb of beeswax at 175 degrees. Anything above 30% base note hurts my flame. But luckily top notes are usually quite a bit less expensive than base notes so 70% citrus or tea tree / peppermint / lavender, which are top/middle notes in my book.

When my first base note candles wouldn't burn I just cut the wax out of the 2 oz mason jars and dropped it straight back in my melt bucket.

After I made a candle scented with citrus one day, it smelled like burning fuel when the candle was lit. Never used citrus with candles again.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I used a touch of the base notes atlas cedarwood, patch, or frank.

It was 90%+ citrus tho. Lemon, lime, tangerine. Oh, and some orange. A lot of lemon.

Everything almost always needs a few drops of base notes.

Beeswax candles dont really need fragrance, but a few drops od EOs are very nice.

I tried to make a few candles w mostly base notes once and they didnt burn well. It must increase the flash point too much for a proper burn.