livelaughlovejs Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 How do I find out the amount of wax to use for a container? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottlecrafters Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Fill it with water, then dump it in a measuring cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livelaughlovejs Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 I love it! Its so simple!!!! Thank you!! I have been thinking about this for days.. lol Thanks You! Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottlecrafters Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Don't forget to account for the oz(s). of fragrance oil you will add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksranch Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 And remember, if you are weighing out your wax - 8 oz of fluid in a measuring cup won't equal 8oz (weighed) of wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Fill it with water, then dump it in a measuring cup.Using a measuring cup which gives volume rather than weight is a bad habit to get into. IMO For me, I find it best to keep the mind-set on the WEIGHT of everything that goes into the making of a candle.Set container on scale, tare the weight of the jar then fill with water. Take that measurement and multiply by .86 - that will tell you how much wax you need by weight. Working with the weight of the wax helps in determining how much FO is will be needed - again by weight. Edited February 22, 2012 by Pam W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottlecrafters Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Using a measuring cup which gives volume rather than weight is a bad habit to get into. IMO For me, I find it best to keep the mind-set on the WEIGHT of everything that goes into the making of a candle.Set container on scale, tare the weight of the jar then fill with water. Take that measurement and multiply by .86 - that will tell you how much wax you need by weight. Working with the weight of the wax helps in determining how much FO is will be needed - again by weight.Interesting...So then my FO calculations are wrong it appears.I have been weighing 15 oz. wax. Melting then adding 1 oz. of fragrance oil for what I thought was 6.6%But if I do your method, I tare out the scale, add 15 oz. of water x .86 = 12.9 oz. So would I add 12.9 oz of wax and 1 oz of FO? Edited February 22, 2012 by Bottlecrafters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 You would add whatever 6% times 12.9 would equal. Just weigh out 8 oz of your wax and add .5 oz of fragrance oil and then place your container with the wick attached on the scale and fill until you reach a height on the container that you like. Weigh how much left over wax you have and more than likely its not enough to make much difference. Pam is saying that you need to get in the habit of weighing wax and fragrance oil. Most jars are only going to hold about 85-90% (8 oz may only hold 6-7 oz) and fos are going to be different volumes per weight of an ounce. This is why sometimes you have exactly enough or a little too much because of the difference in volume. Write down your formula and when you test, write down how the candle behaved, looked or any other observations and adjust until you are satisfied. Good science will cut down on failure IMHO. Good advise Pam.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Interesting...So then my FO calculations are wrong it appears.I have been weighing 15 oz. wax. Melting then adding 1 oz. of fragrance oil for what I thought was 6.6%But if I do your method, I tare out the scale, add 15 oz. of water x .86 = 12.9 oz. So would I add 12.9 oz of wax and 1 oz of FO? Not exactly. The .86 factor is to account for the weight difference between wax and water. The specific gravity (density) of most common candle wax is between .82 and .96 (between 82% and 96% the weight of an equal volume of water). So an 8 oz glass of water (fluid measure or by weight since the specific gravity of water is 1) would hold 6.56 - 7.68 oz of wax. To figure out your particular wax, melt enough wax to fill a fluid cup, then weigh what that volume comes to (taring the scale of course). You will then know exactly what factor to use when weighing your choice of wax. For most people the average of .86 is close enough.Now - your formula of 15 oz wax and 1 oz FO makes approximately 6.25% fragrance load. (1 oz FO / 16 total oz wax plus FO = 6.25%). That blend would amount to roughly 18.6 FLUID ounces of melted wax plus fragrance (16 oz by weight / .86).Fragrances have varying specific gravities also, which is why we weigh everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladysj Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I always use scales & measure by weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camay Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Here is a nice calculator:http://www.candletech.com/calculator/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Pam is saying that you need to get in the habit of weighing wax and fragrance oil. SteveI have such a habit of thinking in lbs & oz, the other day I ask my son to measure a room in anticipation of purchasing some new furniture. He gave me one wall in inches and I immediately divided that by 16 to see how many feet it was - 16" to the foot? .. I don't think so :-{ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksranch Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 He gave me one wall in inches and I immediately divided that by 16 to see how many feet it was - 16" to the foot? .. I don't think so :-{:laugh2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 The the best way I know to figure out exactly how much weighed wax I need to fill a container is to fill it with melted wax and weigh it. Melt the wax first; weigh the container; tare; then pour in the melted wax to your desired fill line. Then just pour the melted wax right back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Poor Pam, I know just how you feel. LOLSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottlecrafters Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Not exactly. The .86 factor is to account for the weight difference between wax and water. The specific gravity (density) of most common candle wax is between .82 and .96 (between 82% and 96% the weight of an equal volume of water). So an 8 oz glass of water (fluid measure or by weight since the specific gravity of water is 1) would hold 6.56 - 7.68 oz of wax. To figure out your particular wax, melt enough wax to fill a fluid cup, then weigh what that volume comes to (taring the scale of course). You will then know exactly what factor to use when weighing your choice of wax. For most people the average of .86 is close enough.Now - your formula of 15 oz wax and 1 oz FO makes approximately 6.25% fragrance load. (1 oz FO / 16 total oz wax plus FO = 6.25%). That blend would amount to roughly 18.6 FLUID ounces of melted wax plus fragrance (16 oz by weight / .86).Fragrances have varying specific gravities also, which is why we weigh everything.OK, now I am even more confused ...let me see if I can get my feeble math challenged brain around this.I have been adding 15 oz. (flakes) and 1 oz. of FO. You are stating that this equates to 18.6 Fluid oz. So am I really only adding 5.37% FO (1/18.6)?If I am trying to fill a 16oz. container, I take my old basic formula (15 oz + 1 oz=16 oz.)...So (15 x .86)=12.9. 12.9 x6%(FO)=.774 oz. This gives me 12.9 + .774=13.67 oz.I know I am making this more complicated than it is, but the coffee hasn't kicked in yet...I guess my questions is, what is a simple formula for filling containers by weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 @bottlecrafters... When figuring out the FO to add, the formula is simply by the weight of the wax and FO without any other volume calculations.15 oz wax plus 1 oz FO = 16 oz. That calculates to a fragrance load of roughly 6.25%. For adding fragrance that's the only calculation you need. Ignore the .86 factor altogether when figuring how much fragrance for your pre-figured weight of wax.The .86 factor is used when trying to figure out how much wax by weight will fill a given container that was measured in fluid ounces. If your container holds 8 fluid ounces of water, then it will require approximately 6.88 ounces of wax (and fragrance) by weight to fill the container (+/- fractions of an ounce depending on the wax and fragrance you use). Wax is less dense than water, so it takes less to fill an equivalent fluid volume. My best advice for starting out is to learn your wax using your familiar whole ounce measurements (15 oz wax plus 1 oz Fragrance is AOK), using any excess wax to make melts, tea lights, layered "special" candles, etc. Keep notes on how much wax/fo is left over after filling your containers, then in future batches reduce the total amount melted to not have any leftover. You will quickly learn your magic numbers to completely fill your containers with little or no leftover. Become familiar with the calculators other people have provided to help check your math. Learning the long hand math seems confusing and tedious at first, but quickly becomes second nature with practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I have such a habit of thinking in lbs & oz, the other day I ask my son to measure a room in anticipation of purchasing some new furniture. He gave me one wall in inches and I immediately divided that by 16 to see how many feet it was - 16" to the foot? .. I don't think so :-{ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy, USMC Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 (edited) The the best way I know to figure out exactly how much weighed wax I need to fill a container is to fill it with melted wax and weigh it. Melt the wax first; weigh the container; tare; then pour in the melted wax to your desired fill line. Then just pour the melted wax right back out.THAT WILL NOT WORK if you are using a 2 pour paraffin like 4786. That wax shrinks as it sets up and you may need an additional 15-20% to top it off.ETA: Check your suppliers site. There is usually a disclaimer somewhere on the site that typically says "Filled by weight and not by volume." So 1oz of FO is 1oz by weight. Naturally you should weigh your wax (on a scale) before melting. So all your measurements should be done by weight.Please let us know what wax you are using ... or pm me and I can walk you through how to get the answer to your original question. Edited February 23, 2012 by Judy, USMC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 THAT WILL NOT WORK if you are using a 2 pour paraffin like 4786. That wax shrinks as it sets up and you may need an additional 15-20% to top it off.Yep. I don't use waxes that shrink or require second pours so that's not a factor for me. Your mileage may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 THAT WILL NOT WORK if you are using a 2 pour paraffin like 4786. That wax shrinks as it sets up and you may need an additional 15-20% to top it off.True. Or Palm container if you are wrecking the tops which will require a repour as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Or Palm container if you are wrecking the tops which will require a repour as well. I do not do a second pour when I wreck the tops of palm container candles. I use a heat gun to melt the top. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie353 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I do not do a second pour when I wreck the tops of palm container candles. I use a heat gun to melt the top. HTHAnd this means what for those who do a 2nd pour and need extra wax initially weighed out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 If you're using a wax that tends toward sink holes, poking relief holes and then doing a second pour gives the best results. Heat guns just hide poorly made candles. Just because you can't see the problem doesn't mean it isn't still there.I've never used a heat gun in my life (for candles). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Apparently you haven't made many palm wax container candles, SoW.And this means what for those who do a 2nd pour and need extra wax initially weighed out? If you CHOOSE to do a second pour for palm wax container candles, you will have to figure that out for yourself. I know I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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