Instructions for using GW444 soy wax:
Determine the amount of wax needed for your candle project. Typically you can fill your containers with water and measure the fluid ounces to determine what your container will hold when filled with soy wax. There are 16 ounces in one pound.
Melt your soy wax in a pouring pot that has been set into a double boiler or in a Presto fry daddy. You may also melt the soy wax flakes directly in a Presto pot. This will allow you to adjust the temperature control more accurately. Either way will work fine, it is up to you and what items you have available. Do not heat wax directly in a pan on the stove or in a microwave.
Heat the soy wax to 155-160 degrees. Going above this temperature may ruin your wax. This temperature will allow the fragrance oil to blend fully with the soy wax. At this point I like to add my color to the wax. (If using color, it is fine to just leave the soy wax a natural color) Just shave small pieces of a color block in the melted wax and stir. Then add your fragrance oil. It is very important that you weighed your wax before starting, so that you know how much fragrance oil to add. To make the calculations easier, we will use 10% by weight. If you have one pound (16 ounces) of wax, you will need 1.6 ounces of fragrance oil. 16 (ounces of wax) x 10% (fragrance load) = 1.6 ounces (fragrance oil), or 16 x .10 = 1.6 ounces. This MUST all be measured by weight, NOT fluid ounces. Fragrance oils all have a different density, therefore different weights. The only way to reach an accurate measurement is to use this formula. Using fluid ounces, or “eyeballing” it will give you inaccurate results, in which you have just wasted your time and supplies, and possibly created an unsafe candle if too much fragrance oil was added.
Stir the fragrance oil in to the melted wax while still on the heat. Once you see it is blended you will need to let the wax cool down to the pour temperature of 125-145 degrees. Turn down the heat to this range on the Presto pot, or if you did not melt the soy wax inside a pouring pot, pour into one now. Keep checking with a thermometer until you reach the desired temperature. We poured at 145 degrees.
Pour the wax into your containers. I use Popsicle sticks with small holes drilled in them to thread the wick through to hold upright while the soy wax cools. Some soy candle makers find that it is necessary to “cure” soy candles for up to 2 weeks before burning. When we test fragrance oils we generally wait 4-5 days before burning. If we don't have a good scent throw, we will wait a few more days to burn again to see if there were any changes. It's a good idea to let your customers know that when ordering soy candles they may be waiting a little longer for their candles.
