How to Make Soy Container Candles
You will need: 100% Soy Container or Millennium Blend Wax, Candle Dye if you want color, Fragrance Oil for scent, Wicks and Wick Stickers, a Kitchen Scale to weigh the wax and fragrance (we like the electronic ones), a Thermometer, and wax paper, Kraft paper or old towels or newspaper to put down on your counters (it can get a little messy).
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FIRST, WEIGH YOUR WAX FOR THE BATCH; Please remember…all candle making ingredients are measured by weight… not volume. That means it's ounces OR pounds on a scale, not in a measuring cup or tablespoon. To weigh out the desired amount of soy CONTAINER wax (or MILLENNIUM which is also for containers), put your Pour Pot on the scale and then turn the scale "on". It should show zero weight (this is called TARE). I'm using 1 lb to keep it simple, so you would add the unmelted wax beads to the pour pot until the scale shows 1 lb. To figure out how much wax to melt for your containers please see HOW TO CALCULATE PERCENTAGES and other Math Like Stuff online.
DON'T BOIL YOUR WAX. Heat it in a pour pot placed in a pan of water (called a double boiler) or directly in a Presto Pot (kitchen kettle-made by Presto). This is like a crockpot only it has a thermostat control rather than just low- medium-high. I like melting wax directly in the Presto Pot best. It's quicker, you don't have to worry about drops of water getting in your wax, and you don't have all that steam in the house that a double boiler puts off.
THE BASICS; Heat 100% Soy CONTAINER WAX to 150 F, (or Soy MILLENNIUM CONTAINER wax to 160 degrees, remove from heat and add your dye (if desired) Let cool slowly to 125 F (130 F if Millennium Wax). Fold in fragrance (don’t stir too briskly or it adds oxygen, which is a no-no). Stir gently, and occasionally as it cools, until you begin to see a skin forming around the surface. Pour slowly into jars. Your temp should be no more than 105 degrees when you pour 100% Soy (115 F for Millennium). Also, the cooler you pour the smoother the tops and the best adhesion to jars. Test to see what tempurature works best for you.
THE DETAILS; (If you're melting wax directly in the Presto Pot you'll zero out your Pour Pot on the scale then add the desired amount of melted wax from the Presto Pot to your Pour Pot). For dye, either liquid candle dye or our new Flutter Dyes™ work great. Do NOT use food coloring or any dye not made specifically for candles. Mix the color in thoroughly but gently without adding air bubbles. For Fagrance Oil generally about 6-7% fragrance "load" is suggested for the wax. 6% of 1 lb is 0.96 oz of fragrance oil, 7% would be 1.12 ounces so we keep it simple by using 1 oz of fragrance oil to 1 pound of wax, but it will depend on the fragrance. When our melted wax inside the Pour Pot has cooled to the 125-130 F, We put our Pour Pot on the scale, turn the scale on (so it shows zero again) and add fragrance oil to 1 oz.
As you can see below in the glass jar on the left, the fragrance oil is not blended with the wax. Stir gently and slowly to combine, yet not incorporate air. Stir occasionally as it is cooling to keep the fragrance oil suspended in the wax and keep the temperature uniform throughout the batch, as in the glass jar on below, right.
Secure the wick using Wick Stickers in a clean and dry container. Be sure it is centered to prevent one side of container from getting too hot, and to be sure that the wax melts evenly while burning.
Allow your wax/dye/fragrance mix to cool in the pour pot, stir occasionally, until you see a skin starting to form around the edges. Below Center and Right is un-dyed wax cooling in a clear container. See the little floater things in the first picture? That's your wax starting to solidify. You know it is time to start watching the temperature closer.
With 100% Soy Container Wax, you will usually have the best success pouring at cooler temperatures around 95-105 F (100-115 F for Millennium). When at the slush stage, almost like gravy or apple sauce, pour into wicked container. Hold your pour pot down close to the container to reduce air. If you end up with lumpy tops try pouring a few degrees above the slush stage. It may take several pours to find the ideal pour temperature for you.
You can use a clothespin or pencil to keep your wick centered, you may not even need it if you pour very slushy. I even use Scotch tape in a cross pattern to keep the wick centered. When cooled and solid, trim wick to 1/2" length. Close jar and very patiently let set for 4 days prior to burning……yes, you can burn it right away (I know how hard it is with an awesome flavor), but you may not obtain the scent throw that you are looking for if you don't let it cure.
Additives are not required, but may be used to enhance soy container wax performance, please see our additives page.
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