New here :) soy candle questions

Hi there
I am from Australia and I am new to candle making. I am using a soy wax at the moment..

I am having a few issues with getting a good hot throw... cold throw is good

I am heating wax to 75' c and adding oil at 65'c allowing to cool and then pouring at 40ç.

I have ordered FO from "the scent works"3 weeks ago and I am still waiting on them. they have ignored all my attempts at contacting them. $520 worth I might add
any tips would be much appreciated.

Also what do you find better
CDN or HTP wicks? thanks
Mel xx

Make sure you are pouring at supplier's recommend temps., use the correct size wick and fragrance oils made especially for soy wax.

Hi melolicious

Gosh that's a lot of money to spend on FOs if you're not getting the results you'd like. What % are you adding? Try 9%??. I haven't used htp or cdn wicks but I hear CDN wicks work well.

You might want to try adding the FO at 80c instead as at that higher temperature the wax is more fluid (so more reactive) and so more likely to bind properly with the FO.

You also need to stir continually for 3 whole minutes to help the binding process. (Yes 3 mins is a pain but it does make a difference). Also stir just before pour too so the FO doesn't sink to the bottom.

Is your soy wax called "advanced"?? If so, advanced is known to be hit and miss with FOs. You might find CB135 better for hot throw.

Oh, and soy needs between 5-10 days cure time - so try and wait as long as you can before you do your test burn.

My FO Oils from USA finally arrived.. they are beautiful but I cant say I am
over the moon and will re order.. they just took toooooo long

Thank you for your replies.. I have started adding at a higher temp and the oil is blending much better.
I have tried a para/soy mix and the results seem to be a stronger candle in terms of hot throw.

I tested a few and all seemed ok.. wick size matched the recommended from the glass supplier etc... tested 3.... now I have lit one at home and it just went straight down the wick.... soooo frustrating..

Welcome to the wonderful world of Candles! I started my journey about three years ago and I have come very far. My husband calls me a mad scientist because I always have candles burning. I test scented wax tarts in my electric wax warmer upstairs, since I can leave it unattended, and I have unscented pillars testing in my dining room and scented candles get burned in 4 different locations to test for scent flow.

Along with this I keep countless log books and I write everything down. I currently have settled on a parasoy container wax for scented containers. Fragrances are always hit or miss. Sometimes I order a big batch and then really don't like half of them out of the bottle when they arrive. Some I love and then they throw the scent or they don't. It's a matter of finding the wax you like, and you like how it works/looks in the end and then finding fragrances to pair in your wax.

Wicks are a nightmare sometimes. I have found a happy medium and I have to accept that some fragrances just won't work with my chosen wicks. If I have the extra time and resources I will sometimes try a scent with different wicks to see if it will work. It all comes down to testing. Lots of testing.

I'm lucky to be in the U.S. and have a lot of suppliers to choose from. Shipping is always going to be the highest expense after the actual cost of the "ingredients".

The number one thing with soy is it is more fussy with fragrances and it needs a cure time before burning. When I have dabbled with 100% soy wax I have put the candles in the cupboard for 2 weeks and 4 weeks and then I take notes if there is a difference. Usually 2 weeks is good, I found a happy medium in the end using a parasoy blend.

If your wick burned straight down with little melt pool you may have an air pocket next to the wick. It's best to test the wicks yourself. It's tough to say exactly what size will work because waxes are different, the temperature of pouring can be different and every fragrance is different.

Good Luck.