So I decided to stay up and do some candle experimenting a few nights ago (like….after midnight….). I did a review on the Golden Brands 464 soy wax quite awhile ago.
It didn’t turn out very well, so I decided, since it has so many great reviews, that I would try buying it from a different supplier and try again. I purchased 10lbs of 464 soy wax from Candlescience and I made a couple candles right away which turned out much, much better than when I did my original review.
This time I decided to make 2 candles and try pouring them at different temps, just to show how the pour temp can affect the wax once it’s cooled. Some soy waxes do best poured at a very low temperature, and some do better poured at a higher temp.
Here’s what I found with the Golden Brands 464 wax the other night when I poured at 2 different temps.
I used 1lb of wax to make two 8oz candles and 0.7oz Sweet Potato Pecan Pie (Candlesoylutions.com) fragrance oil (There wasn’t quite 1oz left in the bottle, or I would have done 1oz. ) and 4 drops of brown dye. The wick I used in both candles is Eco 14.
I heated the soy wax…..
to 185°F , added fragrance oil and dye, stirred for a couple minutes and let cool to 165°F, then stirred, and poured the first candle. Then I let the rest of the wax cool to 135°F, stirred, and poured the second candle. As you can see, I didn’t fill the first one up quite enough, so the second candle is filled more than I anticipated.
And here’s what they looked like the next morning after they had set.
As you can see, the candle I poured at the cooler temperature has a slight sinkhole, but no frost on either candle, and neither one had any wet spots (pulling away from the jar in spots on the sides, instead of adhering to the jar)
You can see by comparing this test to my first time using the Golden Brands 464 soy wax, that this time turned out a lot better so far. I still need to test burn these of course, but I’m going to wait a few more days so it should be about a week or so cure time.
The candle that I poured at 165 definitely turned out the best with no sink holes at all and very smooth. Like I said, no wet spots the next day, or the day after that, but I did notice on the 3rd day that they both had pulled away from the jar a bit. It’s not bad, and it’s a larger area that has pulled away so you don’t really notice it much. I think this is because it is getting colder overnight in my house now, and room temperature can definitely affect soy candles. The one I poured at 135 also had just a few very small spots of frost on the sides, but also not real noticeable.
I plan on doing a couple more temperature tests with this wax. I want to try a higher temp and a very low temp, so I’ll be sure to post about that down the road.
Now I can’t wait to test burn these and let you know how they do! I LOVE the smell of the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie fragrance, and the cold throw is great. I’m hoping that, even though I didn’t get to use a whole 1oz like I normally would, it will still throw well. We shall see!
That’s it for now. I’ll post an update once I start test burning them!
I have been experimenting too. I have been pouring around 140 and I do find some pulling away from the jar. But just a few. My house is also getting cooler at night. So the optimum temp is around 65 or 70 is that correct? Thanks for your experiments. I am not consistent.
Yes, around 60-70 or so is a good room temp 🙂
According to Candlescience you need to add 2 oz of FO per 1 lb of 464. This info is on their website.
2oz is the max amount you can use with this wax. I usually use less in my candles unless the fragrance is really light. 1oz usually works fine for me, and with really strong fragrances, even a bit less.
Great to see that you have tried the 464 again! I use that wax for all of my container candles. i have never had issues with sink holes. i heat mine to 85 degrees celcius, put the fragrance in and then wait for the wax to cool down to 70 degrees celcius & my candles always turn out beautiful. im also lucky enough to live in a part of Australia that is hot all year so when i leave my candles to set, they dont set too quickly – hence not having any problems 🙂 (except the small couple here and there of course – it is hand craft after all!)
I’ve been using 464 from Candlescience for over a year. I won’t use anything else, not even GB 444 which is supposed to be similar! I heat to 185, add dye and FO, then let it cool to about 135 degrees before pouring. I also heat my jars prior to filling them with the wax. About 95% of the time, my candles turn out looking like your test candle that was poured at 165 degrees. It is still warm where I live, and the temperature in my home is around 78 degrees. The only issue I see is sometimes frosting occurs about 2 to 3 weeks after curing, which is driving me crazy.
Thanks for the tips! Wondering…do you have experience with using essential oils? Do you need to use as much? I know they are more $$$, so wondering about the amount.
I will like to know your test burn experience with 464 soy wax. What about hot throw? I cannot get a hot throw. I pour the fragrance at 185 degrees then pour into jars at 135 degrees and let them cure for about four days. Any suggestion?
You’re adding the fragrance at too high a temperature, so it’s getting burnt off before it even becomes a candle. Add the fragrance at a temp that’s lower than the flashpoint of that fragrance. I usually add mine at around 60-65 degrees Celsius and they’re amazing
Try adding your fragrance oil at a lower temperature. I add my FO at 120 degrees Fahrenheit stir and pour and candles get a good hot throw cure time 3-5 days
I just made some candles with 464, FO and a couple of drops of dye and I got a lot of frosting on the sides..ugh! I’m having a hard time with dye..
Read your article above and discovered you never gave us your final hot throw review. We’re on a cliff hanger here. 🙂
What companies have the best fragrance for cold and hot throw?
Nature’s Garden has good fragrances
I’m new at candle making and I’m struggling with my hot throw! All of them have a great cold throw but I go to burn them, and I don’t get much. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m using GB 464 and have recently started mixing GB 464 with GB 415 to see if it would help with scent retention. I heat to 185, add 7% FO, cool to 140-150, and pour. I have some frosting and the tops are starting to have sink holes and such (I’m thinking it’s due to the temp in my house at night). I’ve tried ECO wicks and CSN wicks. I’ve tried Candlescience FO and Lebermuth FO (purchased from Bulk Apothecary). I’ve let them cure for 7 days, minimum. Any suggestions??? Thanks!
Hello,
I know that this thread is old, but hopefully I will get a response. 🙂 I have read all of your reviews about GB 464, however, I am interested in buying the GB 444 from Candle Science. I live in AZ, and I am hoping since the melt point for the 444 is higher that when I ship my candles there will be no chance of melting. Have you tried the GB 444? If so, would you pour the melted wax at the same temperature that you would the GB 464? There are so many different opinions out there on when to pour the 444 that it can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. Thank you for your awesome blog with so much great information!
Or would you just recommend using the GB 415 and pour at around 100 degrees? Does the 444 with the 2% additives added to it give off a better hot throw than the GB 415?
I’ve been experimenting with GB 464 wax. So far, they turn out beautifully. Every now and again I get a small crater, but I just top it off a tiny bit, and the problem is solved.
I am having a hard time with the hot throw though. One of them turned out amazing, but it was one that actually cooled a lot faster than I could add the scent, so I think maybe that’s it? This last batch I made, I decided to add the FO at 15° above the melting point (which ended up being 135°). They’re curing now, but we’ll see what happens.
I’ve also been playing with pour temps. I find the higher the temp, the more cratering I have. For me, around the 100-110 mark seems to be best.
I’ve been struggling with finding the right wicks, and I keep having to go higher and higher up the list. I finally found the ECO 8 works best with my 4oz jars, but I’m trying ECO 12 for my 8oz jars at this point.
I’m curious to know what your hot throw results are. Mine is a little too subtle. I’ve only been using 1oz of FO per 16oz of wax, so I’ll probably start bumping that up to see if that corrects the problem once I’ve found the correct size wick.