"The En-Light-ener"
Candle Making Newsletter
Welcome to the En-light-ener, Candlewic's newsletter for the candle making community.

We wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to provide the positive feedback on our newsletter. As we have stressed, we look to better serve our customers and are always looking for ways to improve our communications. If you have any suggestions we do look forward to any comments you may have.

Candlewic wishes everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

CANDLE MAKING
AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
In the last issue we started a new feature entitled "Candle Making as a Second Language". We will continue with this theme in this edition. In future issues, this will become a regular feature.

Natural Wax At the present time there has not been a clear-cut definition assigned to this product as it relates to the candle industry. In general this is any wax that is a by-product of a plant, insect or other living creature can be considered a natural wax.

Soy While it is a natural wax it is further defined as a wax that is 100% Soy.

Polymers These products are used to increase the melt point of a wax, increase the vibrancy of the colors, improve opacity, or to "strengthen" the wax. Common polymers include AC-400 and C-15. Many blended waxes will contain polymers.

Needle Penetration This is commonly used to measure the hardness of the wax. While this is important when using waxes on high-speed equipment and hand carved applications it is difficult to access a wax on this merit only.

Melt Pool This term is use to describe the diameter of liquid wax that occurs during the burning of the wick. In a 4-inch diameter glass the ideal situation is to get a melt pool as close as possible to the side of the container.

Fully Refined Wax This is a wax that has been through the maximum refined process. A fully refined wax generally has a melt point of 125 degrees F or better and has a lower oil content. The exact oil content will vary depending on the melt point of the wax. Fully refined waxes are generally used to make pillars, votives and most candles other then container candles.

In future editions of the Englightner we will continue to provide additional definitions that should be helpful in understanding the "World of Candle Making."

P R O J E C T

Working with Natural F Wax using a 3-wick mold

F wax is a natural pillar wax that displays a feather design when completed. There is no need for any additives because the feather design occurs as a result of the crystallization process.

Please note that because the characteristics of natural waxes are different than paraffin waxes, procedures will change when you determine wick size and the amount of fragrance and color to add.

The mold for this project is Candlewic catalog #AM-16, a 6" X 6½" round aluminum mold with 3 wicks holes.

Melt the desired amount of the F wax to between 140-160 degrees F and add your color and fragrance. This wax will hold between 4% and 6% fragrance. Preheat the desired mold to 140 degrees F. Aluminum molds seem to work best with this wax. Pour the wax into the mold and as the wax begins to solidify re-pour at about 20 degrees F above your initial pouring temperature. It may be necessary to poke a hole on the top surface prior to re-pouring to ensure there are no air pockets in the candle.

For best performance results during burning, it is recommended you use the RRD wicks, HTP wicks or the CD wicks. All of these wicks are available from Candlewic.

November 2002

The Story of "Chandler" For those of you who are not aware, Candlewic recently introduced--or re-introduced--a friend to the candle making community and Candlewic's most senior employee, Chandler. Many of you may recognize Chandler from boxes used for shipping merchandise to seeing Chandler's picture on letterhead or in catalogs. Chandler now has a new assignment. Promoted to Assistant for Candle Making Education or ASCME, Chandler will be a guide and resource primarily for those new to candle making and those candle makers who may need help from time to time. Chandler's involvement in candle making dates back to the early seventies when the founders of Candlewic, Betty and Bill Binder, were traveling in California. Attending an art show, they met an unknown artist and cartoonist named Charles Schultz who had more than he could handle with a dog and a bunch of kids. Mr. Schultz suggested to Betty and Bill that they hire Chandler. After giving the suggestion some thought, Betty and Bill agreed because they new they would need help with their new company, Candlewic. Of course it was good for Mr. Schultz also, because it would free up his time so he could pay more attention to his dog and kids. Chandler wants to hear from you VIA email. He can be reached at info@candlewic.com. Please write: Att: Chandler in the subject line. Please, no phone calls. Candle Making Kits For Beginners Check out the first of our all-new candle making kits for beginners. This one is a kit to make pillars and votives.

FAQ Q: How do I conduct my burning test? A: The most effective way to conduct a burn test is in accordance with how your instructions are written. In general the instructions will be to burn the candle for four hours and then extinguish. Wait one hour, trim the wick and relight. This process should be done until the entire candle is consumed. By conducting the burn test in accordance with your instructions, you can help when problems arise with smoking and sooting. It is always best to start your testing with the smallest intended wick for the application and move up in size until you select the proper wick. Q: What do you mean when you say burn rate? A: The burn rate is the amount of wax that is consumed per hour. However, without something to measure this against, the burn rate is not an effective measurement. Where the burn rate can be effective is if you want to change something (such as the type of wick) in the makeup of your candle. For example the 60-44-18 zinc wick has a burn rate of 6.6 grams per hour. If you wanted to switch from zinc to cotton wicks, you would know to start your test burning with something like a 44-32-18 cotton wick, which has a burn rate of 6.4 grams per hour.

We hope you enjoyed this issue of the En-Light-ener.
Thank you for your continued interest and support.
Our goal is to make this newsletter as entertaining and educational as possible.
Let us know if you have any ideas on how we can improve.

Issue Index

July 2008 -- Sunscreen For Your Candles, How To Make Dipped Tapers, and more...

June 2008 -- Fall Candle Season Starts Now, Extraordinary Candle Making Project, and more...

May 2008 -- Green Candle Making, Green Candle Projects, and more...

April 2008 -- Recent Candle Industry Price Increases, Aluminum Mold Candle Project, and more...

March 2008 -- Straight Wax, Exciting New Candle Making Products, and more...

February 2008 -- Business Side of Candle Making, Ice Candle Project, and more...

January 2008 -- Basics of Blended Wax Candles, Rose Floater Candle Project, and more...

December 2007 -- 12 Days of Business, 2007 Candle Making Projects, and more...

November 2007 -- Show Time for Candle Making, Making Snow Candles, and more...

October 2007 -- Ready, Set, GO candle making, Candle Luminaries, and more...

September 2007 -- GREENING Your Product Line and Your Bottom Line…, One-Pour Candle Tins, and more...

August 2007 -- Candle Making's Center of Focus, Making Streak Candles, and more...

July 2007 -- The Latest in Candle Making Products, Votive Candle Project, and more...

June 2007 -- Setting Your Candles' Sale Price, Summer Candle Projects, and more...

May 2007 -- Determining Your Candle Making Costs, Using Extra Candle Wax, and more...

April 2007 -- Natural Wax Buzz Part 2, Layered natural candles, and more...

March 2007--Crucial details of candle making, Candle projects with no melting required, and more...

February 2007--How to choose a candle making mold, Making custom candle molds, and more...

January 2007--"Green" Candle Making, tri-color jar candle project, and more...

December 2006--Looking into the candle making future, 2006 candle projects, and more...

November 2006--Introducing...a candle making introduction, candle projects, and more...

October 2006--Prime time: candle wicks, taper candle projects, and more...

September 2006--Clearly still here:Gel candle making, one-pour tins, and more...

August 2006--Fragrance - the driving force of candle making, a new contest, and more...

July 2006--Planning your production, using granulated wax, and more...

June 2006--Our 35th Year, using aluminum candle molds, how much candle fragrance to use, and more...

May 2006--Summertime candle making, making natural lemon candles and more...

April 2006--Choose the candle wick, making tealight candles and more...

March 2006--Choose the right wick base, blending soy wax with paraffin, making palm wax candles and more...

February 2006--The roll of wax additives in a blended wax world, UV additives, making grubby candles and more...

January 2006--The secrets of soy wax candles, more ways to use candles, making soy wax container candles and more...

December 2005--Planning for the new year, announcing our new home, secrets about wicks, and more...

November 2005--Holiday candle making, ideas to sell more candles, making luminaries and more...

October 2005--Temperture issues when making candles, how to start making candles and more...

September 2005--Choose the right candle mold, ASTM safety standards, and more...

August 2005--Color and Fragrance trends, choosing the right candle making tools, and more...

July 2005--Planning for efficient production, Marketing your Candles, Making Swirl Candles, and more...

June 2005--New market trends in candle shapes and textures, Making Textured Candles, and more...

May 2005--The trends and science of candle fragrances, Making Mottled Candles, and more...

April 2005--How to select the proper candle wick, Top Colors, Making "Earthy" Chunk Candles, and more...

March 2005--Selecting the right wax Part III, Our Top Waxes, Making Floral Candles, Our History and more...

February 2005--Selecting the right wax Part II, Our Top Fragrances, Making Fruit Candles and more...

January 2005--Selecting the right wax, Using blended wax, Coloring wax, Making Layered Jar Candles and more...

December 2004--All about candle making fragrances, Making Grubby Candles and more...

November 2004--Choosing Color for your candle making, Making snowball candles and more...

October 2004--Candle Making Busy Season, Making Palm Wax Candles, Speeding Up Candle Production and more...

September 2004--Candle Wax Melters, Making Sense of your Candle Scents, Making Taper Candles and more...

August 2004--Getting Ready For The Season, Using Votive Pins To Make Votive Candles, No Melt Candle Making and more...

July 2004--Some History & What's New, Paraffin Myths, Making Golf Ball Candles and more...

June 2004--Choosing the Right Candle Wax for Your Needs, Making One-Pour Tins and more...

May 2004--Investigating New Products, Burn Testing, Making Freestanding Gel Pillars & Novelties and more...

April 2004--Candle Making Trends, Rolled Candles with Beeswax Sheets, Making Taper Candles and more...

March 2004--Color Theory & Techniques, Floating Candle Molds, Making Tealight Candles and more...

February 2004--Mold Techniques, Computers and Candlemaking, Making Easter Egg Chunk Candles and more...

January 2004--Marketing Natural Wax and Paraffin Candles, Layering Natural Wax Candles and more...

December 2003--Holiday Greetings, 2003 Year in Review, The 6 P's, Making Icicle Candles and more...

November 2003--Building Your Candle Product Line, Making Holiday Ornaments & Soap-on-a-Wick and more...

October 2003--Marketing Your Candles, Polyurethane Molds, Making Lemon Candles, and more...

September 2003--Packaging & Labeling, Essential Oils, Making Rolled Pillars with Beeswax Sheets, and more...

August 2003--Using Palm Wax, Increasing Your Profit Margins, Using Aluminum Molds, and more...

July 2003--Ultra Violet Light Absorbers, Reducing Shipping Costs, Dipping Techniques, and more...

June 2003--Choosing the Right Wick, Using a Wick Stick, Making Floater Candles, and more...

May 2003--New Products Review, Pouring Temperatures, Finishes For Your Candles, and more...

April 2003--Selecting Paraffin, Natural and “Hybrid” Waxes, Using Pillar Pins, and more...

March 2003--Selling & Marketing Candles, Making it Easier to Make Pillars, Wax Art Crystals and more...

February 2003--Pouring Temperatures, Votive Tips, Making Grubby Candles, and more...

January 2003--Candle Making Safety Tips, Instruction Labels, What To Do With Extra Wax and more...

December 2002--Polycarbonate Molds, Making Clear Snowball Candles, and more...

November 2002--Candle Making as a Second Language, The Story of Chandler, Natural F Wax, and more...

October 2002--Candle Making as a Second Language, Projects Review and more...

September 2002--Accessorizing Your Manufacturing, Making Clear Pillar Candles, and more...

July/August 2002--Making Cinnamon Roll Candles, Clear Pillar Base, New Products, and more...

May/June 2002--Back to Basics, Making F Wax Candles, and more...

April 2002--Making Streaked Candles, Wax 101 part 3: Natural Wax, and more...

March 2002--Making Crackled Candles, Wax 101 part 2: Gel Wax, and more...

February 2002--Making Easter Egg Candles, Wax 101: An Overview, and more...

January 2002 --Review of 2001, Frosty Snowman Candles, New Products, Safety Info and more...

December 2001--Botanical candles, making white candles white and more...

November 2001--Chunk candles, clearance sale!, candlemaking books and more...

October 2001--The new candle market, choosing gels, votive wicks and more...

August 2001--New products, new location , new web site and more...

July 2001--Selling & Marketing Candles (part 3), Candle Burn Times and more...

June 2001--Selling & Marketing Candles (part 2), UV Light Absorbers, Wax Additive Recommendations and more...

May 2001--Selling & Marketing Candles, Burning Instructions, Selecting Sustainer Bases and more...

April 2001--Natural Waxes, Candle Burn Times, Wax Pouring Temperatures and more...

March 2001--Making Wax Inserts, Blended vs. Non-Blended Waxes, Colors, Fragrances and more...

February 2001--Whipped Wax, Wax Art Crystal Wax, Gel Candles, Using Containers and more...