hellkat

I don't know where my 2nd burn pics are but this was the 3rd burn - I blew it out to get the side pic then relit it for a power burn and the sides cleaned up really nice. I think the ECO 10 was a good size but I don't like that it would split into a Y once it was snuffed out. But aside of the fraying wick I'm 'assuming' this is a good melt pool? It did get a bit deeper during the power burn but it never reached the 1/2 inch mark like the 14's did.

So I melted down 6 candles of the JMC in the oven and added some vanilla since that seems to give a good scent when lit. I rewicked with an ECO 10 (still haven't reordered to try others). This is the 1st burn at 2 hrs. Can someone tell me how it looks? I know now it's around the 2nd or 3rd burn before you know if the wick is too big/small but I'm still not sure about how the 1st burn should look. Any feedback would be appreciated!

following this with great interest. Thanks for posting your tests and notes!

I took your advice and got a really nice throw from the melter. I'm in my living room and it's in the kitchen and I can smell it! So along with changing wick sizes I need to rethink the jars I use as well, seems short and squat really isn't the way to go. Until I get it all figured out I'll just hit the craft store and pick up some clamshell/tart containers, no need for all that good smell to go to waste! Thanks everyone for all the tips - I'm sure I'll be back with more questions once I start making them again!

Sorry the pics are so huge. Also this is the JMC - this was burned 1/2 down over a few days and the top looks like glass almost?

This is a pic of one that I lit not quite 2hrs ago using the Eco 14 - I wish I had more better pics. but it hasn't quite reached the edges of the jar yet. On the 2nd burn the pool can get pretty deep, more than 1/2 inch deep easy.

I took a pic next to the 8oz tins that I 1st started with to help give a size reference.

Thanks for all the tips! I'll have to go pick up a melter and try it out. TallTayl - I actually started out with the ECO 10's but the meltpool never seems to reach the edges and it ends up tunneling. Also the 8oz jars I use are the wide mouth and are more fat or square. Does that make any difference? Trappeur - I normally order all my supplies from CS and they don't carry the CD wicks. I do need to reorder both wax and wicks, can you recommend a good supplier for both? I normally order about 10lbs at a time and even that little bit will last me forever. When I 1st started I was so excited I was going to order 50lbs and then someone here mentioned that it was an awful lot of wax for a newbie. Sooooo glad I listened. KandleKrazy - right now I do make just for me and to give as gifts but one day I'd love to be good enough to be able to sell. That one day seems far away at the moment, but that's ok, we all learn to crawl before we walk and I do have a lot of fun making them in the meantime!

I have about 12 candles that have sat for months and while they smell so good cold I can not get a HT to save my life. I'm using 464 wax, 8oz mason jars and the ECO 14 wick. At 1st I thought it may be the wick but I have other FO's that throw like mad using the same jar/wick and FO load . 1oz FO to 1lb wax and since it's still just a hobby for me I'm only making 1lb at a time. The ones that I cant seem to get a throw from are the ones that seem more 'coconut based' type scents - pina colada & jamacian me crazy. My BF loves everything tropical smelling so I'm disappointed I cant get anything from these even after sitting forever. I've thought about doing a water bath on just 3 jars to see if I could melt them down add a 1/2 oz more FO repour and then let cure again but I don't know if adding more FO will just end up clogging the wicks or should I just chalk them up as duds and ditch those FO's (or use them in soaps) and just use the candles if the power ever goes out?

I did get hacked a few weeks ago for the 1st time but did not use this site. I had assumed it was a supplier because it was right around the same time I made an order, but it turned out to be more local. So for safety I now use the pre-paid CC's to order online. It sucks but getting hacked sucks worse.

I also use the 464. I haven't had any soot issues but they will curl at a certain point or start to fray apart like a wire. Like Delle, I just have a ton on hand but next time I'll order the CD's. This thread has answered a lot of my questions as well. Everybody is so helpful. As far as getting a good HT - so far it's only been the few scents I've mentioned and only using the 16oz jars. I have some 8oz that have cured for more than a month and it seems I get nothing.

Thank you Birdcharm! I tell you I have had so much fun with the M&P! So far that is the only layered loaf mold that hasn't had the bottom or top fall off ! That was big clue for me to slow it down and start with the individual bars using the 6 pack bar mold and work my way back up to the loafs. So far I've made 12 honey lavender lemon zest with the triple butter base and 12 coconut coffee scrub type using goats milk and 12 bars of the clear tinted pink and added some curl embeds and cherry blossom FO's. I then took the extras to give to my coworkers so they could give me feedback - one girl just sat there huffing the honey lavender one and I kept telling her 'it's not glue, stop it!' lol - I wish I would have taken a picture. But it was funny because a few of the managers had a walk through that day and saw all these soaps and were smelling them and asking where we got them. I didn't want to fess up because I'm not all that confident yet, but when they found out that I made them they wanted to know if I had a website or how they could buy them. I just sat there stuttering like a moron going uhhhh well I don't, I'm just, it's a hobby, I'm not that good at yet and just playing around with it and gave them each a bar to try. Apparently I did something really right with those because today after lunch I get back to my desk and there is a blank thank you note that said 'keep it up' and a $25 visa card! No one will fess up as to who left it and it made me feel really guilty inside - I don't know why but it just didn't seem right - who pays $25 for a few bars of soap?? So I went to my boss saying I cant take this and he told me that he couldn't take it and his assistant started laughing and said they really loved the soaps to just take it and put it back into my supplies and to think of it as an investment from them to me to keep the goodies coming. Now I'm not going to lie to myself and think I'm that good because I'm not and I know it, I've got a long way to go before I'd even think about selling anything - BUT it did set me off on a nice daydream for a bit thinking maybe one day.......

So far with the FO's the best HT's I've got were from the Sea Salt and Orchid, Drops of Rain and Black Sea from Candlescience. The other one is called Ocean and I picked that up at the soap shoppe near me. The other FO's I have are more muskier I guess would be the word? So those are still curing. As a newbie myself I'm still learning the whole wicking size thing, I think the poke the hole and dropping in different wicks is a great idea - being new I would have never thought of that. For the pint size mason jars (the fat square looking ones) I double wicked with 2 eco 10's (per the wick guide) but the melt pool within an hour is at least a 1/2 inch deep and from what I understand that's too much too soon? It smelled good all the way down though. I'll try the 2 ECO 6 next time and see how that works. I also use the 4" 8oz squat looking jars and used 1 ECO 16 (again going by the wick guide) and just lit one after reading this post to see how that works. If it gets too deep to fast I'll try the eco 14 and go from there. Or maybe I should get away from the ECO's?

I ordered 15 - I have no idea why because I have 20 that I haven't even used yet, but for .99 I just couldn't help myself! I have become so addicted to this hobby of candles and soap it's not even funny. But it is fun and stress relieving for me!

Thank you! I put the top layer on a bit too soon, but at least it stuck. The second mold I made I poured the top to late and when I cut into it the top slid right off. I need to work on finding the 'right moment' for the last layer. The kit came with Pistachio Green and Ocean Blue so I just mixed together to get the different colors. Thanks Sarah! I've definitely caught the bug. I did pick up some gold mica to put in a honey base, I made a small golden honey oatmeal loaf but that is the one the top fell off of. And I might have gone a bit over board on the mica if that's possible. I figured I'd let my BF try it 1st to see if he comes out of the shower sparkling like glitter! I'd really like to find a nice recipe for psoriasis for both my mom and son for my next batch so if anyone has a link or one of their own that would be great!

I worked on my 1st loaf today - I tried to copy the ocean layered soap Hawaiian Breeze layered design. While my colors are off and I still need to work on my swirls at least I learned how to layer. Hopefully the pic didn't come out huge....

I buy my candle wax from them and never had an issue. I love their FO's!! But comparing the new soap bases I picked up today they look totally different then the one from CS however none were the goats milk. The CS one came in a Tupperware like container (handy for now storing my EO's and dyes) but after seeing these I would have to say it looked like the CS one had melted some at one point and had a bit of a dry but frothy look on top? Or is that the nature of goats milk? It didn't seem rubbery at all and cut really nice both before and after. The ones I picked up today were nice and solid and in a shrink wrap smooth as glass. I was surprised when I walked inside expecting to see more soaps for sale or something along the lines of a candle shop. Instead it seems to be more of a processing/supply store but very few ready to sell soaps like they have set up at the markets. But they carry a supply of everything possible for soaps and B&B stuff, shaving creams, sugar scrubs, bath bombs, lotions, EO's and FO's etc. And in the very back were rows and rows of racks of premade soaps. So I assume they make to order and then for the markets and the rest is wholesale to the public. She did give me a sample of their oatmeal CP soap and it looked and smelled so nice! One day when I have more space to work with I'll try my hand at the CP. She does offer a 4 hour CP class where you make 4 different loaves and teaches you how to do the imbeds etc. So if I cant get the MP down I may try the CP later down the line.

This was the Stephenson's Goat milk base. Even though working with it was a pain I did use some last night and in spite of all the skinning and clumping - it lathered really nice, felt smooth and smelled great. So at least it works, I was worried it would dissolve as soon as it hit the water but it held it's shape. So now I'm wondering if it has to do with the way I'm melting it? Could it be done in a crock pot I assume without the lid so water doesn't drip in? I know that I have 2 large ones and one small that we never use so that would be perfect. Since I found a local supplier I ordered 4 different MP bases: glycerin clear, cocoa butter, honey and white. Looking at their website I think they make their own bases. I know they make their own CP and MP soaps they sell and have seen them at our local markets. But I ordered enough to play around with and hopefully make something that will actually turn out a nice design when cut vs just a plain looking soap. The biggest plus for me is not having to pay for shipping. I always cringe and feel guilty when I look at the shipping costs since it's more of a hobby. When I ordered the started kit the shipping was either $15-$18 - so this way I get more bang for the buck. Unless it turns out I just suck at soap lol.

I used Candle Science. I did find a local supplier the Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe which is only 20 min from me so I can pick up directly from there with no shipping costs and be able to have it by Wednesday. The prices were about $1-$2 more per 2lb base but sill worked out better $$ wise not having to pay shipping so I was able to buy a variety of bases to test. Wish I could find something that close for my candle supplies.

I've watched a lot of his videos and love the designs! I imagine that mold he uses holds about 3-4lbs? I've already been looking at several vendors to see which has the better shipping option since I'll be ordering a few different bases this time and a loaf mold.

Tried the 2nd batch this morning using the double boil method. Didn't try anything fancy, used their mold and tried for a 2 layer soap using what they sent. Ocean Blue dye with Caribbean Teakwood FO. It melted a lot nice this time and I was able to watch the temp making sure it didn't go above 165. But as I was pouring the 1st color by the time I got to the 3rd square the skin started forming and clumping. I set it back in the water to let it warm up a bit and stir back to all liquid before trying to finish the rest off. I was really disappointed and just finished the top by zig zagging the cream colored part so it would look like it had some sort of character. I just don't get it. I've watched videos and it seems they just let the melted soap sit right there in the pot with no clumping or skinning as they make their designs. Of course they are making huge loaves compared to just 4 bars, so how does that happen when it's only been sitting for a minute? I'd like to give it another go and try a different supplier and different bases to see if that makes a difference. I see Brambleberry (I thing is the name?) mentioned a lot but if anyone has had success with a few suppliers any info would be appreciated. Oh and I was looking at my pringle can disaster, I mean design this morning and I swear there's one that looked like an atomic mushroom cloud....maybe that's a sign this craft may not be for me lol.

Thanks Candybee! I'll try the double boil melt on the next go round and watch the temp to see if that makes a difference. I have no clue as to how the base is other than it was goats milk base in a plastic tub - just cut and melt. It did set up and cut nice - but that ying/yang pattern I was going for was no where to be seen . The pattern ended up a merge/blend with just blobs of color all the way through ha-ha . At least it's still usable...I think?? I'll try again but aim for something more basic until I figure out what I'm doing. Either way it was still fun.

So I had my 1st go at any type of soap making this morning. I decided to start with just the basic M&P starter kit that comes with everything needed. After seeing all the different designs that could be done with soap I knew I was going to ditch the last steps and risk trying the ying/yang design in the pringles can. When I pulled the center out there it was dripping and smeared the top so I have no idea how the center turned out. Since it's just for me I won't be too upset if it doesn't work, I'll just do the next batch in the mold it came with and maybe try the swirl. But since I made it early this AM I will cut it later tonight after dinner. There a few thing I don't like about the M&P. It's possibly user error or I'm using the wrong type of soap for the effects that I like. The 1st thing I didn't like was using the microwave. I use the double boil method when and make my candles and it seems much easier than zapping and stirring, zapping and stirring. I also noticed it would skin up very quick during each step even though I had everything prepared and right at my finger tips. I don't know if that's just the nature of M&P or I possibly under/over zapped it. There was no mention constant skinning in the directions except at the very in and it was in regards to cleaning the skin out of the pitcher. So on my 2nd go I'll use the double boil method so I can get a nice melt. I'd like to try a CP batch but my space and time for that space is very limited. I normally have to do my candles at the end of the night or in the early mornings so nothing is in my way and the dogs are in bed rather then at my feet constantly. If they turn out I'll post a pic. if not I'll see how the next batch goes!

I have 7 FO's just sitting here staring at me, begging me to use them....but I used my what was left of the wax last night to make a mixed batch. I had just enough to make the last 3 tins plus a small jelly jar. Definitely switching to the jars! I was going to put in an order for 20lbs until I peeked in the soap forum.....that was a huge mistake lol. So this time I just ordered 10lbs of the wax and a starter kit for the soap so I could give that a try. No reason I cant alternate both right!

Smellywax I'm in Jacksonville. Scented - I've just started my quest on FO's. I had 5 that arrived today and another 5 that should be here Monday . I was going to order 20lbs of wax this time but under estimated how much 10lbs will make since it's just for personal use. I assumed I had maybe 3lbs left but turns out I had 5lbs left! So I made 4 batches of 8oz tins. I had to stop myself so when the other FO's arrive I'll at least be able to make a batch. And now I'll let those sit for a few weeks (if I can stop myself).