dgal

Snow, There are two types of silicone; one, which will never set up and the adhesive (sealant) type, which is what some chandlers use for their wicks. If yours is in a coffee can, it likely isn't the type you need. As far as using wick stickums, we use them with no problems as long as the glassware is clean. We have bought some "bargain" jelly jars which had some kind of film on them that caused the stickums to let go. We had to run every jar through the diswasher before we could use them. I know that silicone works well, but don't want to take the time to let them set up before pouring. When you're doing a big fund raiser, you just don't have the time or space to have to wait for the jars to set up. Don G.

I'm just doing a little catching up on reading the posts and have a thought about double wicking versus single wicking. The thought occurred to me that some might presume that a double or triple wicked candle will burn faster than a single wicked candle so choose singles for the economy. Honestly, I haven't tested to see whether there is an appreciable difference or not. Has anyone tested the difference and willing to share results? Don Galaway

How often have I wished for someone to do that. I can't wait to hear more about it. I mean, everyone else has one, why not chandlers? Don G.

Brodie, What a cool tradition you guys have going. A home made gift is so much more meaningful. We do a home made gift exchange at our family reunion, which is a big hit with everyone. I agree that a votive kit is a good way to begin. If you insist on container candles, I believe there are some container candle kits available as well. Candle making is a fascinating hobby/business. Be forewarned, you might get addicted. Don G.

First candle! Boy, does that bring back memories. What a catastraphe! But the bottom line is, I had a blast and still do to this day. Welcome to the world of candle making where you will be pulling your hair out at times and acting like a proud mama at other times. Just let go and have a ball, Benna. Don G.

I know this thread started a day or two ago, but wanted to throw out another thought. We purchased some cheap jelly jars once and the same wick stickums we had always used without any problem were pulling out when we tried to straighten the wick. It seems that there was some sort of a film on the jars that wouldn't let the stickums adhere like they should. We ended up having to run them all through the dishwasher. No problems after that. Don G.

Anna, I can sympathize with you. We love the one pour wax from IGI, but the downfall is the diffuculty in getting a vibrant color. My first failure came from a Red Hot Cinnamon. We wanted a bright red, but ended up having to put about 30 drops to even get close. OK, OK that was in my neophyte candle making days. Of course, we started having wick clogging problems. I tried J223 and was able to get the color I wanted, but there were other things I didn't like about it, so went back to the IGI. Now using the IGI 4630. We finally ended up swirling red dye into an uncolored (white) candle and calling it Cinnamon Swirl. I am still trying to perfect my swirling method. It isn't as consistent as I would like, but have an idea for trying another method. Don G.

Since I started making candles in my leisure time, I decided on Leisure Time Candles. duh.... Don G.

Ditto about the Glue dots. I have lost customers because of them. Once the candle would burn low and liquify, the wicks would slide to the edge of the container. Besides this being unsightly and blackening the side of the container, it is very unsafe. I too have a large roll lthat I use for other stuff once in a while. Wick Stickers are the way to go. Don G.

...we will not persue an impromptu gathering. It's probably just as well since we will be needing more than 24 hours in our days the next few months with the new product that will be hitting the market in a couple of weeks. So, we will look forward to hearing the announcement of the date for the postponed Texas Candlemaker's Conference. Thanks, Don G.

Hi folks, Like everyone else, we were very dissapointed to learn about the postponment of the Conference. As so many folks had already made plans to attend, I was wondering if there would be any interest in having a get together somewhere in the Houston area, hopefully on Sept. 10. We can do this, but at this late date we would need lots of help. Please understand, we are not trying to take over the Conference. As vendors, it might be considered a conflict of interest to host a regularly scheduled annual event. This is likely a one shot deal. That said, we would not be hosting as vendors, rather as candle makers. All vendors welcome. If you are interested in getting together, please post here so we will know how much interest is out there. We understand that our health must come first and wish JT a speedy recovery and look forward to the Conference in 2006. Thanks Don G.