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The Mod Team

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  1. There is no rule stating "oohs and ahhs permissible only" but there are rules about baiting and flaming. Constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged, but the baiting is not.
  2. http://soapcalc.com/calc/SoapCalc.asp The SoapCalc calculator is similar to the MMS calculator, but gives you more information on soap qualities. You need to enter your recipe in %s. Select an oil in the middle section, then click on the + in the oil/fat section on the right. Keep doing that for all your oils and butters, entering the correct % for each line. (If you only have actual amounts, not %s, you can either calculate the %s by hand, or enter the amounts in the MMS calculator and copy their %s to this one) If you want it to calculate your total amount of fragrance, enter your amount per pound in the Fragrance Ratio section in the bottom left. Change the Total Oil Weight to however big you want to make your recipe, top middle of the page. Click on the "compute recipe" at the bottom of the oil/fat section on the right to calculate all of your amounts. Your measuring guide will be at the bottom. of the page. It gives them to you in 3 different units, so you can select which column is easiest to use (ounces, probably, unless you like grams) You will get an error if the oils don't add up to 100%. Soap Qualities The first column shows the qualities for the oil selected in the center section of the page. Once you click calculate, you will see values in the second column. There aren't any "correct" numbers, but most people like to get their conditioning up over 50-60%, and the fluffy and stable numbers as high as they can for bubbles - 15s, 20s. The iodine value is an indication of hardness, try to keep that in the low 70s or lower. The smaller the iodine value, the harder the bar. Fatty Acid The fatty acid section shows how each oil is made up of different fatty acids. The first column shows the values for the selected oil in the center of the page. The second column shows the values for your total recipe. If you want to learn about the properties of fatty acids, you can check the following pages. http://www.naturesapprentice.com/oilchart.htm http://millersoap.com/oilproperties.htm If you want to change your lye discount You can change your discount at the top right. The calculator defaults to a 5% lye discount. If you want to do a water discount based on amount of oils If you want to do a water discount, you will need to change the "Water as % of Oils" value top right. If you are familiar with the MMS calculator, the range it usually shows for water is 25%-38%. Click the "compute recipe" to recalculate the amount of water. If you want to do a water discount based on amount of lye If you want to calculate your water based on the amount of lye (DWCP), you will still need to change the "Water as % of Oils" value, since the calculator doesn't let you change the "%lye" or "water:lye ratio" fields that you would normally use. Keep reducing the number from 38 down, and watch the %Lye or ratio numbers til you get where you want to go. Click the "compute recipe" to recalculate the amount of water. I'd say a nice discount would show the water:lye ratio somewhere around 2:1. A deeper discount would be somewhere around 1.8:1 or 1.5:1, but you really need to know how your FO and recipe will act this a discount that deep. General Notes You can also keep this calculator offline - in your browser, go to File-Save As, and save it to your hard drive.
  3. Gel wax is a mineral oil and a resin polymer that creates a jelly like clear wax. WAX What are the types of gel wax from Penreco? Penreco gel wax comes in 3 forms Versagel® C LP: Lowest density- most commonly used for plain gel candles. Not the best gel wax for suspending objects. Versagel® C MP: Medium density-used in plain gel candle but can also suspend lite to medium weight objects. Versagel® C HP:Heavy density- used mainly to suspend heavier objects. SCENTING What temperature should I mix my fragrance oils? 203-221° F What kind of fragrances can be used in gel wax? You should use a non polar fragrance with a flash point of 170 degrees or higher. Why do I have to use non polar Fragrances? Polar fragrance oils will separate from the gel wax leaving what is called a fragrance oil pocket. When the flame comes in contact with it you will have a flare up that could cause your glassware to get too hot and shatter. The resulting flare up could cause a fire if the flame comes into contact with anything above or around the candle. Testing for polarity: Here is a link to instruction on how to test for polarity. http://www.gelcandlemaking.com/section4.html How much fragrance can I use in gel wax? You should never go over the recommend fragrance load in gel wax. LP: 0 to 3% MP and HP 0 to 5% Can I use essential oils in gel candles? No unfortunately essential oils are not only not available in a non polar, but the flash points of the oils are way to low for use in gels. Can I use any fragrance oil if I mix another wax with the gel wax? No you still need to use non polar fragrance oils. HEATING What is the flash point of gel wax? 430°F What is the melt point of gel wax? 160 to 200 F How do I melt my gel wax? Gel wax needs direct heat to melt. The double boiler method just won’t get the job done. A Presto pot set about 200 to 250F is one way. Or in the oven set on warm in a metal pot, or Pyrex glass measuring cup. Last and possibly the worst way is directly on a burner set on the lowest setting but if you do it this way please never leave it unattended, not even for a second. At what temperature should I pour gel wax? 185-203° F WICKS What wicks should I use? Most prefer zinc cored wicks but other wicks such as HTP and LX can be used. Just make sure your wick stands straight while burning. What wick tab should I use? If you are making your gel candle in a glass container you should use a wick tab with at least a 9mm neck. How do I secure my wicks? You can secure it with a wick stick-um or a glue dot What is crimping? It is using certain items to stop the flame at the level you chose. Why do you need to crimp your wicks? You don’t need to do it to all your candles. If you use sand or other porous materials in your candles you want to stop the flame before it reaches them. Sand and other porous material will absorb the fragrance oil from your gel and become highly flammable. How do you crimp your wicks? Crimping is done by the use of certain items that will stop the flame at any given point. There are different methods and types of crimps used to achieve this. Some use a metal jewelry crimp which is squeezed tight with needle nosed pliers around the wick at the point we wish the flame to stop. Others use glass beads but they can shatter with the heat. It is difficult to find a glass bead that fits tight enough for the wicks we use. A cheaper alternative is cutting strips of tin from say your aluminum tea light cups and pinching it tight where needed. Just make sure you get it tight enough - any space will allow the flame to pass through. Embeds and Glassware. What are safe items to embed? Safe embeds are wax, glass, and stone. Porcelain too, if it is well sealed. Never place porcelain, glass or stone embeds too close to the wick as they can get hot and shatter. Other item such as plastics, resin, sea horse and starfish should only be used if you are double glassing to make a forever candle. What are safe containers for gel candles? When you select glassware to use in your gel candles you need to make sure it is thick and suitable for hot liquids. Anything too thin can possibly cause strain on the glassware and result in it breaking. Glassware like votive glasses, tumblers, ivy bowls, champagne flutes, mugs, brandy snifters, and candy dishes are generally suitable for gel candles. Make sure the opening is no less than 2" in diameter. Things like wood, pottery and clay are too porous and will absorb the fragrance oil and can become flammable. Plastic should never be used. Stay away from cut glassware or pre-painted glassware as both have already been stressed and is weakened. Dyes What kind of dyes can be used in gel wax? You can use liquid or block dyes. But using too much block dyes can cloud your candle. Misc. Can you mix gel and other waxes? Yes you can. Adding other waxes can give you candles real life appearances. What is a forever candle? A forever candle is a candle using the double glass method. What is double glassing? It a method that enables you to use almost any item in your candle, they are also called forever or eternity candles. Double glassing is done by having a glass container inside another glass container the outer glass is fill with gel wax and any items you want placed. The inter container is where the candle really and it separates your flame from all the items in you outer container. Double glassing is a safe way to have items like starfish, seahorses, silk roses and other flammable items in your candles. Can you use molds with gel wax? Yes but only flexible type molds. Can I use glitter in gel wax? Yes, but it needs to be cosmetic grade glitter. Troubleshooting How do I get rid off all these bubbles? If you already have the bubble there are a few things you can try to get rid of them. You can try putting your candle in the oven on warm for about and hour. Or you can place your candle in a window that faces the sun. Be careful, though, with colored gel candles when doing this as you might have a fading. You can also place your candles under a heat lamp. But make sure your heat lamp is at least 12” from the top of the candle. For surface bubbles you can use a heat gun, and can also do this for bubbles close to the glass. Make sure you keep your heat gun moving, you don’t want the glassware to get to hot in any one spot. How to prevent bubbles? There are several methods to decreasing/preventing the incident of bubbles. The best way is to stir as little as possible with a metal spoon before adding fragrance and then mix your fragrance slowly but thoroughly. Also let you gel wax rest after mixing so the bubbles will rise to the top. You can pour over the back of a warm spoon. It will help stop the bubbles. Pouring one layer at a time will help you get rid of the bubbles so pour layer by layer. This is also a good technique if you are suspending items. If you are using sand pour a thin layer over the sand and let set up. Then pour another thin layer let it set up this will keep the air trapped in the sand. Another option is to pour a layer over the sand put in the oven on warm and let the gel saturate the gel. Finally, make sure all you embeds are clean and dry. You can soak items such as sea shells and glass in mineral oil the will help prevent bubbles. Why is my gel candle cloudy? There can be several reasons why your gel is cloudy. - Using polar fragrances - Glassware and embeds may not have been clean - Too much fragrance oil - Too much wax on your wicks Urban Myth I have heard gel candles explode is it true? Yes and no. A properly made gel candle is just as safe as any other candle to burn. But if you will look at some gel candle books, the techniques suggested are not always safe. Improper or unsecured wicking using polar fragrances, adding flammable items to the gel candle, all of these go in to making a candle that can flare up and cause the glass container to break. Research, test and experiment your craft.
  4. One post edited because of copy/posting from another forum.
  5. Acorn Soap N Candle Supply - http://www.janessmallgifts.com A Garden Eastward - http://addy.com/brinkley Agbanga Karite http://www.agbangakarite.com/Other-S...er/catalog.htm Aromatic Mills- http://www.aromaticmills.com/ Atra Garden http://atragarden.com/ Aztec International http://www.buywax.com Bayousome - http://www.bayousome.com Between Friends Too - http://www.betweenfriendstoo.co Bitter Creek North & South - http://candlesupply.com Bulk Foods - http://www.bulkfoods.com Bramble Berry - http://brambleberry.com Camden-Gray - http://www.camdengrey.com Candles and Woodcrafts - http://www.candlesandwoodcrafts.com/...soapmolds.html Columbus Foods - http://www.columbusfoods.com Container and Packaging Supply - http://www.containerandpackaging.com Cotton Blossom Crafts - http://www.cottonblossomcrafts.com Crabapple Soap - http://www.crabapplesoap.com Craft Lobby http://www.craftlobby.com Discount School Supply - http://www.discountschoolsupply.com...ct.asp?sku=3114 Elements Bath and Body - http://www.elementsbathandbody.com/ Emporium Naturals- http://www.emporiumnaturals.com/ Essentials by Catalina - http://www.essentialsbycatalina.com Essential Wholesale http://www.essentialwholesale.com Factory Direct Craft Supplies - http://factorydirectcrafts.com/ For Soapmakers http://www.forsoapmakers.com/directo...ers.php?cat=10 Florida Soap Supplies - http://www.floridasoapsupplies.com/index.html FNWL - http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com Garden of Wisdom - http://www.gardenofwisdom.com Glory Bee Foods- http://www.glorybeefoods.com Kangaroo Blue - http://kangarooblue.com MillCreek - http://www.mcsoywax.com/ Moonglow Candles http://www.moonglowcandles.com Mountain Rose Herbs http://www.mountainroseherbs.com Mystify Your Senses http://mystifyyoursenses.com MMS - http://the-sage.com Nature's Garden Candles http://naturesgardencandles.com Oils by Nature - http://www.oilsbynature.com Olive Tree Soaps- http://www.olivetreesoaps.com/ Paw Made Soap Co. http://pawmadesoap.safeshopper.com/ Peak Candle (colors) http://tinyurl.com/dc94c Pine Meadows - http://www.pinemeadows.net Rustic Escentuals - http://www.rusticescentuals.com San Francisco Herb Co. - http://www.sfherb.com/default.asp Save on Crafts - http://www.save-on-crafts.com/fiberfix.html Scent Works - http://store.scent-works.com SFIC Corp - http://www.sficcorp.com Silicone molds- http://www.flexiblemolds.com Snow Drift Farms - http://www.snowdriftfarm.com Soap Crafters - http://www.soapcrafters.com Soap Dish - http://www.thesoapdish.com Soaper Index - http://soaperindex.tayon.com/oils.php Soap Saloon - http://www.soapsaloon.com Soapies Supplies - http://www.soapies-supplies.com Southern Belle - http://www.southernbellesoaps.com Spice Barn - http://www.spicebarn.com Spirit Crafts - http://www.spiritcrafts.net/info.html Starrville Soap & Candle Supplies - http://www.starrvillesoapsupplies.com/ Susanne's Crafty Corner Links - http://crafty.dyskolus.com/links__cosmetics.html Sweet Scents - http://www.sweetscents.com The Chemistry Store - http://www.chemistrystore.com The Soap Goat- http://www.thesoapgoat.com/ The Soap Studio - http://www.thesoapstudio.com TKB Trading - http://www.tkbtrading.com/default.htm To Die for - http://www.todieforsoap.com Tony's Fragrance - http://www.tonysfragranceoils.com Tropical Butters - http://www.tropicalbutters.com Wash Basin Wonders- http://www.washbasinwonders.com/ Wellington Fragrance - http://www.wellingtonfragrance.com Wholesale Bath Confetti - http://www.wholesalebathconfetti.com/ Wholesale Supplies Plus - http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com Packaging Specific Glerup - http://glerup.com Online Labels - http://onlinelabels.com Packco - http://www.packcoinc.com Paper Mart http://www.papermart.com Printing by Design - http://www.printingbydesign.net SKS Bottle http://www.sks-bottle.com Sun Burst Bottle - http://www.sunburstbottle.com
  6. MMS - http://the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php SoapCalc (Sooz) - http://soapcalc.com/calc/SoapCalc.asp RJs - http://recipes.herbalsoapsbyrj.com/calculators/ Summer Bee Meadow - http://www.summerbeemeadow.com/SitePages/SBMLyeCalculatorInput.html Other calculators : SoapMaker - 30 day trial - http://soapmaker.ca/ Soul Gazer Sundries Cream Soap Calc trial version - http://www.futureventuresonline.com/calculator.html
  7. Q. What recipe can I use with easy-to-find grocery store oils? A. Kathy Millers site has a bunch of good starting recipes. Castile type - lots of olive oil http://millersoap.com/castile.html Vegetable oils - http://millersoap.com/soapallveg.html Lard/Tallow - http://millersoap.com/soapanimal.html One suggestion - these are large recipes. Put them into the MMS lye calculator at http://the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php and on the second page bottom resize them to 36 or 48 oz recipes. 2 simple recipes: 90% olive 10% castor (at the pharmacy) OR 75% soy shortening 25% coconut Run these through a calculator to determine water and lye amounts. Recipe below contributed by CandyBee One of my favorites using all locally purchased oils from Walmart. This is my soap recipe for those summer blemish breakouts and it also helps acne: 45% olive oil 25% coconut oil 25% lard 5% castor oil (in the pharmacy section) Another Walmart oils recipe I use for an ultra creamy soap. Add coconut milk or goat milk as your liquid from extra creaminess: 40% olive oil 30% GV shortening (use the one made with animal fats made from tallow & palm oil) 25% coconut oil 5% castor oil 5% sweet almond oil My favorite bastile soap: 75% olive oil (infuse the oil with calendula petals a few days before you soap it for a milder soap - the calendula may be left in or strained out as you prefer using a simple strainer) 15% coconut oil 5% castor oil 5% sweet almond oil This post has been promoted to an article
  8. Q. What recipe can I use with easy-to-find grocery store oils? A. Kathy Millers site has a bunch of good starting recipes. Castile type - lots of olive oil http://millersoap.com/castile.html Vegetable oils - http://millersoap.com/soapallveg.html Lard/Tallow - http://millersoap.com/soapanimal.html One suggestion - these are large recipes. Put them into the MMS lye calculator at http://the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php and on the second page bottom resize them to 36 or 48 oz recipes. 2 simple recipes: 90% olive 10% castor (at the pharmacy) OR 75% soy shortening 25% coconut Run these through a calculator to determine water and lye amounts. Recipe below contributed by CandyBee One of my favorites using all locally purchased oils from Walmart. This is my soap recipe for those summer blemish breakouts and it also helps acne: 45% olive oil 25% coconut oil 25% lard 5% castor oil (in the pharmacy section) Another Walmart oils recipe I use for an ultra creamy soap. Add coconut milk or goat milk as your liquid from extra creaminess: 40% olive oil 30% GV shortening (use the one made with animal fats made from tallow & palm oil) 25% coconut oil 5% castor oil 5% sweet almond oil My favorite bastile soap: 75% olive oil (infuse the oil with calendula petals a few days before you soap it for a milder soap - the calendula may be left in or strained out as you prefer using a simple strainer) 15% coconut oil 5% castor oil 5% sweet almond oil
  9. Q. What is gel? A. As your oils are saponifying, heat is generated. The mix can get so hot that everything takes on a translucent quality. When you peek at it, you notice that kind of dark center? It all eventually fades back down to the normal opaque look. So gel just means your soap is saponifying properly.
  10. Q. How do I know how much oil I need to fill a mold? A. One way to estimate how much a mold will hold is to measure the internal dimensions of your mold - length x width x height x .4 will give you the ounces of oils that it should be in your recipe.. For example, a mold that is 18" long, 3.5" wide that is poured to 2.5" tall will hold 18 x 3.5 x 2.5 x .4 which is 63 oz. Which is close to 64 oz, 4 pounds. When someone talks about a 3 pound soap recipe, they are usually referring to the amount of oils.
  11. FDA cosmetic labeling manual: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-lab3.html Actual Title 21: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-cfr.html Legal Cosmetic Colors: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/script...cfm?CFRPart=82 Cosmetic Ingredient Review Safety Findings: http://www.cir-safety.org/findings.shtml Florida Cosmetic Regulations: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/pharmacy/...(JAN2004).html Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/person/cosmet/sale_e.html and http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/person/cosmet/faq_health_e.html
  12. Many wicks come tabbed and primed. A primed wick will have a wax coating on it. It is debated if it is necessary to prime wicks. Some say "yes" others say "no" - try both and you decide. We will assume it is better to do so. The advantages to priming wicks: they are stiffer / more rigid they light easier nearly impossible to thread an unprimed wick through a pillar's wick hole How do you prime a wick?I toss them in my pot of melted wax leaving a bit to hang over the side of the pot so I can easily pull it out. (usually I use pillar wax since it is less sticky than container wax, but you *can* use either) Wait for the air bubbles to rise to the surface. Then, I remove the wick from then run the back of my wooden spoon over them while pressing them on the edge of my pot to press the wax into the wick. Some use paper towels to run the wick through, instead of a spoon. And some people double dip them, coating them twice. You'll want to lay your wicks flat and straight on some paper towels or wax paper so they don't dry crooked. I usually hang mine. When they are cool and dry, voila - primed wicks.
  13. The MMS calculator does its water calculation based on the amount of oils. So for every 2 pound batch you do, it will give you a range of 8-12 ounces of water. A completely *different* way to calculate water is to do it off of the amount of lye you are using. You are actually determining the strength of the lye solution. You will see people saying "I used a 38% lye solution". Here is a table to help you calculate your solution strength. Multiply your lye amount * the factor to give you this strength: Amt of water to use = Lye x 1.0 = 50 % lye solution L x 1.15 = 46.5 % L x 1.2 = 45.45% L x 1.25 = 44.44% L x 1.3 = 43 % L x 1.4 = 41.66% L x 1.5 = 40 % L x 1.6 = 38 % L x 1.7 = 37 % L x 1.75 = 36 % L x 1.8 = 35.7 % L x 1.9 = 34.5 % L x 2 = 33 % L x 2.1 = 32 % L x 2.3 = 30 % Don't go stronger than a 50% solution, your lye might not dissolve. A good range is 33%-40% Typical problems with stronger solutions will be faster trace, more problems with fragrances seizing/ricing. Stronger solution benefits - faster cure time, less warping of bars due to less water. And the definition of discounted water cold process soapmaking http://www.aquasapone.com.au/recipes/discountedcp.html
  14. http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php is the addy for the calculator, it is a pretty standard one. It defaults to weighing oils and butters in ounces, but you can change it to grams if those are your normal measurement units. (Addition from Lizzy: These are all weight measurements, not fluid volume) Find a recipe you like (that's the hard part!) I feel that a 2 pound (approx 910 grams) batch is the smallest you should do when you are starting - weighing inaccuracies in smaller batches might mean you will get lye-heavy soap. By the way, when someone says they are doing a 2 pound recipe, that means 2 pounds of oils, not including all the water, fragrance, and other additives. If you find a recipe that is a lot larger (like the ones at the miller site) do not worry, you can resize it later. Enter the recipe into the appropriate columns. It has most everything you would want to saponify. You can either add your weights in ounces (or grams), or you can enter the percents if that is what the recipe is in (you can resize it later) Click the 'calculate lye' button. OK, now you have a table on the right, with different percentages listed, and lye amounts. "% excess fat" - this is also called the "lye discount". If you used the amount of lye that is on the 0% row, that would mean you are using enough lye to fully saponify ALL the fats in your recipe. This can be dangerous, because you run a real risk of having lye heavy soap. Scales are just not accurate enough to make sure your amounts are correct. Many soapers use the 5% discount row. This means that 5% of the fats remain in your soap, without being turned into soap by the lye. (Remember, the chemistry is fat+lye=soap+glycerin) This means you will have a safe, moisturizing bar. Some people go higher - 7-8%, to get extra moisturizing. The higher the discount, the less lye is used, the more oil is left in the bar. Some people use a lower discount if they are adding ingredients after trace, like heavy cream. They might go for a 4% discount, so that would leave 4% of the main oils intact, plus 4% of the additional fat from the cream. (It would probably work out to total 5-7% if you actually took the trouble to calculate the percent fat in heavy cream, or milks, and add them into the lye calculation.) But 5% is a good place to start. Water On the left size they give you a range for the amount of water to use when you dissolve the lye. This is based on the total weight of oils, so will be the same for same-sized batches no matter what the contents. When you are starting out, use the larger number or a little bit less. Your soap will take longer to harden up and cure, but it will give you plenty of time to work. MMS is usually high on the water, many soapers use less water than the largest amount given. This is called the "water discount". Now that MMS gives a range, a good value to use would be right in the midpoint. However, if you are using an unknown fragrance that might not be a behaving one (spices, florals), you might want to use the full amount of water to make the batch easier to work with. Resizing: You do not really want to start out with 7 pound batches - that's a lot of oils and $ to experiment with! Try for a 2 or 3 pound recipe - you usually get around 8 bars out of 2 pounds. At the bottom of the page with the lye chart, there are some resize options. If you entered your amounts in percents, this is currently a 100 ounce batch, a little over 6 pounds. Resize it to 32 ounces (2 pounds) or 48 ounces (3 pounds). Your lye, oil, and water amounts will change. Variations (these can get complicated): You can use just about any liquid in place of the water. Tea, goats milk, carrot juice.... All of those don't come into the lye calculations. You can also add things at trace that don't affect the lye amount. For example, I use 1 oz of heavy cream. I don't put that into a calculator. It just means I'm using more oils than the lye can convert. Some people even add oils after trace, like adding extra castor oil, without putting it into a calculator. That just means that you will have more oils in your final bar that the lye didn't saponify. This would have the same outcome as adding those oils into the calculator and taking a higher discount (using less oils). That sounded more complicated than it actually is. Just add all your oils up front, it's easier that way. If you are doing hot process, this technique works better.
  15. Cold Process Soap by Robin: http://watersgulch.com/howtocp.shtml Crock Pot Hot Process by Shannon: http://www.candletech.com/hpsoap/ Basic Melt & Pour by Sara: http://www.candletech.com/basicmeltpour/ Melt & Pour Chunks by Sara: http://www.candletech.com/mpchunky/ Other sites: http://teachsoap.com http://millersoap.com
  16. Notes from archive on abbreviations: A - Acceleration CP - Cold Process, Cold Processed. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is mixed and poured at room temperature (more or less). CPHP - Crock Pot Hot Soap. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is cooked in a crock pot. CPOP - Cold Process, Oven Process. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is poured into moulds, which are then placed into the oven and "baked" at very low temperature. CSDBHP - An HP method where the soap mixture is cooked in a Closed System Double Boiler. CSHP - An HP method where the soap mixture is cooked in a Closed System (for instance, a pressure cooker). D - Discoloration DH - Rather than Dear Husband, it's Direct Heat. Yet another of the many HP methods, where the soap mixture is cooked in a pot placed directly on the stove. DOS - Dreaded Orange Spots. Under certain conditions, yellow/orange spots appear on the surface of natural handmade soaps, and the soap develops a "stuffy" smell, which usually covers the original scent. DPG - Dipropylene Glycol ...a mild lubricant generally used to dilute fragrant oils. DW, DWCP - Discounted Water Cold Process - an "advanced" soapmaking method, suitable for those who are already familiar with Cold Process soap making. EO, EOs - Essential Oil(s). Conventionally, essential oils are natural essences. FO, FOs - Fragrance Oil(s). Conventionally, fragrance (or fragrant) oils are synthetic essences. GM (soap) - Goat's Milk soap. HP - Hot Process, Hot Processed. Soapmaking method where the soap is made as in CP, then cooked using one of the many HP methods. IPM - Isopropyl myristate, another solvent, like DPG, with slightly different properties. KOH - The chemical name of potassium hydroxide, which is the alkali used to make liquid soap. M&P - Melt & Pour, also called glycerin blocks or glycerine base. This is a special commercial base (which is not natural) that can be remoulded with the addition of fragrance and colour. MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet - An information sheet written and provided by the manufacturer of a material, containing information on the properties of the material, with particular attention to possible health hazards. This is because Material Safety Data Sheets are designed to be used as part of the workplace safety procedures, to protect workers who handle chemical or cosmetic materials from undesired side effects. MWHP - Micro Wave Hot Soap. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is cooked in a microwave oven. NaOH - Actually, this is the chemical name of sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda, aka lye. OHP - Oven Hot Process Rebatch, rebatching - A soapmaking method where a natural soap base is melted and remoulded after adding extra nutrients, essential or fragrance oils, colours etc. Handmade rebatching is also (improperly) called "remilling". Remilling, remilled soap - An industrial soapmaking method where the soap base is ground, remilled and extruded (that is, "moulded") using a mechanical process. Industrial remilling usually implies the addition of synthetic materials, such as, for instance, lubricants to allow the soap mass to "flow" through the machinery. SLSa - sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (bubbling surfactant) NaOH - sodium hydroxide ("lye" when mixed w/ water), AKA caustic soda. KOH - potassium hydroxide (cream/liquid soaps) Ingredient Acronyms CM, CMP: Coconut milk, coconut milk powder. CCO: Coconut Oil OO: Olive oil PKO: Palm Kernal Oil VCO: Virgin coconut oil FCO: fractionated coconut oil EVOO: extra virgin olive oil RBO: Rice Bran Oil SAO: Sweet almond oil AKO: apricot kernel oil PKO: palm kernel
  17. Q: What is a heat gun? A. Simple answer, it's a tool that looks similar to a hairdryer and blows very hot air. There are different manufactures and different features. Some have one setting (a set temperature, 6000 - 8000 degree average, and blow strength). Some have multiple settings, like different temperatures, how hard the blow, blowing with or without heat, etc. Usually, the more features and settings, the more expensive. You can pick up a heat gun for around $20 at Wal-mart in the paint section. Q: Are heat guns dangerous? A. Yes, they can burn you or objects very easily! The inside of the nozzle gets hot enough to glow and it can stay hot for hours afterwards. Use with caution! Don't touch the tip. Pay attention to where you set it. It can melt powers cords, plastic molds, etc. It can even melt the side of candles just sitting an inch or two away. However, there is no need to be afraid of using one, just respect it and use caution. Q: What can I use it for? A. The uses are untold. Some examples are: heating metal molds, heating glass containers, cleaning metal molds, leveling the wax in the top of molds or container candles, removing excess wax, warming layers between pours and heating tops before repours to help adhesion, helping to disperse air bubbles, shrink wrapping and more.
  18. Q: How do I get contaminates out of wax? A. Get some paint strainers from a hardware or home improvement store. Pour the wax in one, and it comes out clean.
  19. Q: What information must legally be on my candle labels before I can sell them? A. This link will give you the information for United States law: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/fpla.html http://www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/fplact.htm And for the Canadians: http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2003/20031122/html/regle6-e.html
  20. Q: What wick should I use? A: Cannot stress this point enough ...IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MUCH WAX YOUR CONTAINER OR MOLD CAN HOLD. In order to help you we need to know the diameter of said container or mold. "aroma-lite" (for candles w/ a high FO load) cotton (rigid wick) paper (wick more rigid than cotton) zinc (maximum rigidity; coolest burning wick) htp (rigidity close to that of paper; tough to burn recipies w/ multiple additives) square (mainly used in more viscous waxes - beeswax, veggie waxes) flat ply (from one source, suggested use is for dipped & extruded [what does that mean in candle terms? I know what it means in relation to volcanos] candles, but also referred to as "regular" wick, implying general purpose usage) "performa" (viscous waxes such as beeswax & veggie waxes) rrd (viscous waxes including soy & single pour blends) lx ( _________ ... haven't quite figured out best use, I'm sure it's just a matter of more reading, but if you'd like to fill in the blank, plz do! Smiley; flat braid, coreless)
  21. Q: Can I fill molds in my kitchen sink or use it as a water bath? A. Only if your spouse is a plumber. Murphy's Law says that sooner or later liquid wax will end up going down the drain, solidify before exiting your pipes and result in a major plumbing bill.
  22. Q: Do I need to buy a hold a mold? A. Hold a molds do not work for all molds. You can wear gardening gloves or an OveGlove to carefully move your mold to the water bath.
  23. Q: What kind of wax can I use for tarts/melts/clamshells? A. Pillar wax or votive wax. 25% container wax may be added if desired. More thank 25% may make if difficult to unmold. Q: What are Clamshells? A: The clamshell is a four or six cavity plastic container..most of them will hold 3 oz. of wax. This wax is used in tart melter the same as the conventional 'tarts' that we make. Q: What kind of wax can I use in Clamshells? A: The same blend you would when making regular tarts. Q:How do I make Clamshells? A: The same as you would make tarts, except usually with no repour. Just be careful not to pour too hot or you may melt the plastic.
  24. Q: What is hugging the candle and why do I need to? A. Hugging is gently cupping the wax of pillar inward while it is still soft, pressing it towards the flame. This helps the candle completely consume itself.
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