The Candlemaker's Store Natural Soy Wax, 10 lb. Bag

I wanted a large three-wick container candle for use on my patio. I don't like most candle scents, so I wanted to stick with an unscented product. After realizing such a thing was going to be very hard to find (or insanely expensive), I read a little bit about making my own, and decided it was worth a shot. I ordered this and a bag of fifty "medium" wicks. I melted this wax in a double boiler made from a saucepan and cereal bowl, and ladled it into a cheap flowerpot from the dollar store. I am absolutely thrilled with the results. The wax melts fast and clean, with a very mild, slightly savory scent. It's yellowish when melted, but it hardens to a perfect snowy white. I made a test candle with some Gulf paraffin from Walmart and had some serious contraction problems as it hardened (leaving a big divot in the center), but the soy wax didn't seem to contract nearly as much. The surface finish was smooth and attractive. But the real test came when I lit it for the first time. I get three perfect, clean, uniform flames from the three wicks spaced 2-3 inches apart. They make great melt pools, which eventually grow together after 30-45 minutes of burning. The flames are stable and strong even in windy conditions. The success was probably partly attributable to the good wicks, but the wax is definitely doing its job. The candle doesn't put off any appreciable scent (unless you put your face right down in it), which is exactly what I wanted. Misc. notes: The wax flakes came shipped in two separate non-resealable five-pound bags. The bags were inside another bag, which was inside the shipping box. I didn't have any of the open-package problems people are experiencing. The price for the 10lb quantity is amazing at the time of this writing. It's just about the cheapest wax you can find, so the quality was an extremely pleasant surprise. I figure I can make nice candles for my family for Christmas, since they would all appreciate lack of scent. All told, I have enough supplies to make probably five large three-wick container candles, for less than $30. Echoing what others have said, this stuff is probably too soft for freestanding candle types. Forgive the artsy picture, it was the only one I had at the time.

I read about the benefits of using soy candles instead of paraffin wax. But buying soy candles is incredibly expensive. Maybe because it's a fad right now? Making my own was the better solution. You get a whopping 10lbs of shaved soy wax. Each flake is the size of a penny or smaller, so it's easy to scoop with a plastic spoon. And because they are flaked, you don't need a double boiler to melt the wax. I just took mason jars, filled them with wax flakes, and simmered them in a pot over water over the stove. The wax chips slowly melted, and I kept topping them off with more wax until the jars were full. Piece of cake! I was able to make 12 candles in total (1 quart jars). They burn beautifully and smell good on their own. I don't like scented candles. The soy wax doesn't really smell like anything. Slightly like fresh beeswax. Very non offensive. Make sure you use all natural wicks as well to match the soy wax! You don't want paraffin wicks if avoiding carcinogens is your goal. I'll buy from this company again once I go through my candles!

It was delayed but great product

I just started making candles and I love this soy blend rather than the regular soy wax with no additives. I couldn't seem to get it right with the regular 100% soy. But with the GW 444, I was able to get smooth tops without a 2nd poor with a great scent throw. Not saying I got perfect smooth tops every time , but 4 out of 5 candles I did. Also this wax is good for making whipped cream wax once it cools. I heated the wax up to about 190 to 200 using a candy thermometer. Took it out of the boiler and poured into a Pyrex measuring cup which cools it faster. I add my color if needed. I add my fragrance at 180 degrees. (If it cooled down below 180, heat it up again in the microwave in 30 sec increments until it reaches 180. 180 is the temp that the fragrance will mesh with the wax and maintain it's scent. Use a digital thermometer for quick readings for the fragrance pour and container pour) Mix well with a wooden skewer. Pour at 145 degrees exactly for good results. And it comes out great if you don't touch or move the container after it's poured. I've learned, messing with it or moving it after pouring could cause some issues on the surface when it cools. So pour in a place where it's out of the way and it can sit still. This wax says it can take up to 15% fragrance. I misread that when I started using it only using 12%. But it still throws great. But for sure I will try 15% now. lol Over all, I see people having all kinds of problems like I was. My advice is to use this 444 soy wax, get a digital thermometer, get good concentrated fragrances that are really potent and get a scale that weighs in ounces and and can "tear" (Zero out the weight of the pot or measuring cup on the scale so that it will only weigh the new liquid being poured in). Guessing the wax to fragrance ratio can mess up a potentially good candle. So, calculate everything!! You will be glad you did cause you will get the most out of the wax and fragrance. If your candle container holds 8 oz, measure out 7 oz of wax on the scale. The 1 ounce is your fragrance which will make it 8oz for your container plus that little .05 that the wax allows itself to hold. 7 oz (wax) x 0.15% (fragrance) = 1.05. 1.05 is the fragrance that you will measure into your 7 oz of wax at 180 degrees. if you want to use a full 8 oz of wax then times that to .15%. (1.20) Just make sure your container can hold over 9 oz. If not, have a "left overs" wicked candle container to pour in. Once you fill it with left over wax, you go a new mult-iscented candle for the house. :) I hope this helps point you in the right direction. It took a lot of researching and messed up candles to get decent looking ones. I too am still perfecting this craft. I just wanted to pass on what I learned. Happy Candle Making.

Just wanted to let everyone know this is 444 soy wax and not 464 It requires a larger wick so consider that when making your candles.

I use this wax for candlemaking pretty much exclusively. It's easy to work with, melts quickly, and has a nice rich white color when used without dye and is yellowish when melted. This is also one of the best brands and quality for the price, especially for the amount you get (10 lbs). The smell is very mild on its own, but is a fantastic carrier for adding in essential oils. The wax arrives in two separate 5 pound bags containing the soy wax chips, and was packaged perfectly. Each 5 pound bag can make approximately 40oz worth of candles. Please note that especially with soy wax, it's important to not move the candles for at least 12-24 hours after making them! You cannot rush this. Putting them in the fridge to rush the process will make your candles end up cracked and brittle on the top, so let them rest at room temperature. Additionally, if you end up with cracks on the top of your wax, you can either heat up a small amount of wax and pour it over the top after its cooled to about 110 degrees, or melt the top layer with a hairdryer. To prevent cracks, make sure you're adding your fragrance and pouring your wax at as low of a temperature as possible (usually 100-120 degrees) into a slightly warmed container. Room temperature matters too - ideally, you want the room to be warm as well (around 70 degrees). This is not a wax suitable for freestanding candles; use this with a container only! It's far too soft otherwise.

The perfect soy-melts well and solidifies perfectly-fool proof

I got this wax and was going through reviews had some worries because this was my first time making homemade candles. I did lots of researching on how to make candles and seeing other's experiences with the different types of candle wax and which would be best for me and my projects. I made a bunch of candles testing out different temperatures and different amounts of color and essential oil added. I discovered on accident that due to maybe elevation and weather or some other factors I needed to raise the temperature higher than recommended in most candle making instructions online for soy wax. I had done what was recommended with a lower temperature and my candle wax looked cracked on the top, some also came out looking like bowls of ice cream which just gives me more candle making ideas. I had added very little of the color and scent in one and added a lot more in another. Then I raised the temperature on another and added even more of the color and scent versus the cracked candle with a lot already. Temperature was the big factor for me. Nothing wrong with the quality of the wax itself. Also pouring temperature was another factor, I needed it higher to get a smoother top. Lower temp made a lip around the edge of candle holder higher. So all in all this wax is perfect! I didn't have any issues with the candle not working like a store bought candle or scent and color. It came in a resealable bag making it easy to store. Good price.