The Batch Record

Everything in Act 2 collapses if you do not write it down. I have watched more talented makers than me reformulate the same recipe three times because they lost the notes on the version that worked. Do not be that maker.

The seven fields that matter

Date, wax lot number, fragrance and load percent, pour temperature, vessel and wick, room temperature, and one free-text line for anything unusual. That is the whole record. Anything more and you will stop filling it in.

The wax lot number is the field beginners always skip and always regret. Wax from the same supplier varies batch to batch. When a recipe suddenly stops working after twelve perfect pours, the lot number is where the answer lives.

Paper first, then the twin

Fill in the paper worksheet on this spread while your hands are already dirty. Transcribe it to the digital twin in the maker log on the same day. The paper copy is the truth if the two ever disagree.

The digital twin at /my-log/recipes lets you compare batches side by side and flags recipes that drift over time. It is also what you hand a wholesaler when they ask for consistency evidence. A photograph of a handwritten notebook does not carry the same weight as an exported PDF from a dated ledger.

The batch record is boring. The batch record is also the reason candle number ten smells like candle number two.

That closes Act 2. You have a wick you trust, a recipe you can defend, and a paper trail that proves both. Act 3 turns that trust into a price a customer will pay.