OOOOOO boy, nothing makes a Chandler happier than wax and fragrances coming in the mail! I am adding, and testing, soy wax in my paraffin candles beginning today! Why? Well. If you did your research, you know that soy candles burn longer than paraffin. So, adding 10-20% soy to my paraffin should increase the burn time of my candles. Exciting much?! Oh yes. Today, I am going to share with you my process for testing my candles to see how they perform. So let’s get to it!

The Wax

My favorite paraffin is MP-117, right now anyhow. I have used IGI 4627 comfort blend, which I also like but hate to wick, IGI 4630, IGI 4633 (J-223), IGI 4636, and IGI 4786. Whew… but MP-117 has my heart right now. It is a beautiful wax… creamy white all its own. Holds color and fragrance like a badass. This wax has a very low melt-point of 117 degrees… which is one reason I love it! Low melt-point waxes create a melt-pool faster which makes the fragrance display itself sooner than higher melt-point waxes.

As I mentioned, I will be adding 10-20% of Golden Brands 464 Soy wax to my MP-117 to create the best-smelling, longest-burning, most badass candle that I can create! Now to wick this BAMF candle.

The Wick

Wicking MP-117 has been challenging. On it’s own, this wax melts easily but getting a good HT (hot throw) without soot has been a challenge. So, I have gotten several different Wick series to try out! I got LX wicks, CD wicks, and Wood wicks to give a whirl, aside from my fav Zinc Core wicks. As I mentioned, Zinc Core is my fav but I am trying the others to see if I get a better hot throw, and less mushrooming, while minimizing soot. I have learned that each candle scent can take its own sized wick, whichever works best with that fragrance/wax combo. Nobody says you have to use the same wick series for every candle you make, in fact you should use whichever wick series and size works for that scent/wax combo. Wicks are not a one-size-fits-all type of thing. So… I am giving LX wicks and CD wicks a run for their money and see which, if either, will work with my MP-117/Soy combo. If this combo doesn’t do it for me, I will try IGI 4627 with MP-117 and Soy combined together. One way or another, I am going to make one of these waxes work for me!

For testing purposes, I use a few different containers. A container with a 2.6-inch diameter, one just over 3 inches in diameter, and a larger container with a 4.5-inch diameter to test a special wood wick. Today I am pouring all the same containers. Three 2.6inch diameter containers… with three different wick series!

• 2.6-inch diameter- 44-32-18 zinc
• 2.6-inch diameter- cd10
• 2.6-inch diameter- lx12

Testing For Hot Throw

Hot throw is subjective and there are different types of HT. Some are light scents but with a powerhouse throw, like the Coconut Milk and Lavender I use. Some are just powerhouses, like Coffee With Santa, made with a coffee scent and peppermint mocha combined to make a heavenly powerhouse thrower.

Whether a light HT or strong HT, as long as the fragrance does its job and lingers, I am happy. I believe the fragrance of a candle should tell a story. It should illicit a feeling in you, whether a memory or a feeling. Or it should imprint a new memory for you. So, HT is very important to me.

To test for HT, I start by making the fragrance into a wax melt and test that first. My logic is: If it has a good HT as a melt, I should be able to bring the fragrance out in a wicked candle. Make sense?? So, if I love it as a melt, then I will attempt to make it into a container candle. (Or votive candle but we will get into that later.) On the flip side, if I can’t get it to throw as a melt, it will likely not throw as a candle so it isn’t worth wasting the wax to try it. At least that’s been my experience.

Remember, a test burn can be started 24 hours after pouring, but when testing for hot throw (HT), let it cure the number of days the manufacturer of your wax recommends.

Muse

Test Burn

Once made into a container candle, let it set for 24 hours before starting a test burn. Remember, a test burn can be started 24 hours after pouring, but when testing for hot throw (HT), let it cure the number of days the manufacturer of your wax recommends. Label your candle with the type of wick, wax info, the diameter of the container, and fragrance name (once testing fragrance oils). This will help you to keep track of your test-burn notes. Trim your wick to 1/4 of an inch (6 mm) in length and light your candle! Let it burn an entire burn cycle (which is 4-hours long), and watch for these things:

• Flame: How big is it? Does it dance about or is it nice and steady?
• Melt-Pool: Does the wick create a full melt-pool in the appropriate timeframe? (If your candle is 2 inches in diameter, it should reach a full melt pool in 2 hours. A 3-inch diameter candle should reach a full melt pool in 3 hours. Yep, one hour per inch of the diameter is the basic rule of thumb. Keep in mind that depth matters too though and the taller your container, the more trapped heat your candle will produce. With that in mind, you may not need a full melt-pool the first couple of burns because it will get hotter as it burns down. If you get a full melt-pool on the first burn, your candle may turn into a flame thrower once halfway down the container. That is why testing the entire candle is important.)
• Soot: Is soot developing on your candle container? This could mean you need to wick down.
• Tunneling: Is your candle tunneling down, leaving a “wall” or “hang-up” on the sides of your container? In subsequent burns, it should catch up. If not, this is an indication you need to wick up.
• Container Temp: Does your container get hot to the touch? Sometimes when the wick isn’t centered, it can cause one side of your container to heat up, causing it to feel warm to the touch. Warm is okay, hot is something else entirely. Hot containers can lead to fires, and nobody wants that.

Wait until at least the fourth burn cycle before making any decisions about your wick choice. Candles burn very different halfway down the jar than they did at the top. Always test-burn your candles to the very bottom. Know your craftmanship inside and out.

Muse

It can be exciting to start a new test burn, but be sure to test your candles to the very bottom of the container. Know your craftmanship inside and out and wait until the fourth burn cycle before making any decisions about your wick choice, even then, be cautious and test to the bottom of your candle. You will see that a candle burns very differently at the top compared to how it burns halfway down.

Testing Results

• 2.6-inch diameter- lx12- 1st burn: Great! Almost a full meltpool. 2nd burn: some tunneling 3rd burn: it’s starting to “catch-up” (this means the wax left on the container wall in previous burns, starts to melt away, thereby “catching up”. 4th burn: reaching melt-pool faster, HT is great too! Container is perfect temp.
• 2.6-inch diameter- 44-32-18 zinc- 1st burn: beautiful. Flame is steady- reached a full meltpool in just over 2 hours. 2nd burn: It did some tunneling. 3rd burn: almost caught up. Not centered enough so one side of jar gets warm to the touch. Too warm. 4th burn: Still catching up but one side of the jar is too hot, will try wicking down to 44-24-18 to test that.
• 2.6-inch diameter- CD6- 1st burn: awesomeness, almost a full meltpool in time, just a bit of hangup! Nice steady flame, flame biggest of all. 2nd burn: Tunneling still 3rd burn: Catching up, but still a ways to go. Centered nicely and the container doesn’t get hot at all. 4th burn: Hangup is still catching up. Nice melt-pool and wonderful HT. If it doesn’t “catch-up” in subsequent burns, here shortly, I will consider wicking up to a CD8 wick.

In Conclusion

I am super stoked with these results so far! The MP117 is a wonderful wax all its own and I wouldn’t change a thing if I could get it to last just a little bit longer. Adding just 10% soy (Golden Brands 464) did change my candles visually speaking, just a hair. It caused my candle tops to slightly “dip” or dimple. To help with this, I heated my containers before pouring the wax combo, and I have a heat gun on hand to zap the tops if needed.

Do you dabble in wax for your sanity? I would love to hear about your candle-making adventures! Comment below and don’t forget to sign up to be notified about future posts.

Also check out this post, “Candle Making- My Fav Self-Care Hobby” for more candle info like wick guides and links to my fav suppliers.

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