scentlady

I've never made a pillar so I can't answer your question about the burn but I wanted to say how great it looks.

Well Top I know I haven't been able to find the perfect wick for this jar and I think mine is overwicked somewhat but everything smaller that I've tried has tunnelled and not caught up. Right now my 8 oz square mason burns 40 hours. But the wick does need to be kept trimmed. Do you think 40 hours is good or should I be shooting for something longer?

I don't use the same soy or additives as you so this may not help much but I know some people like the htp 105 for the 8 oz sq mason. I thought 62C was kinda big for that jar(it mushroomed a lot) and yet 60C didn't work for me either. Is the wax hanging up on the side of the jar or is it just that you think the meltpool should be deeper? Did you trim the wick each time? Cottons do tend to mushroom more. Peronally I'd move on to another wick. Not all scents work in soy. Mango papaya wouldn't throw for me at all so I don't use it.

I use CB135 and I haven't had much problem with frosting. I don't use dye blocks. I use liquid or chips or a combo of both. Reds and blues seem to frost more than other colors. Pryme colors are supposed to frost less but you have to weigh those. Thinking about trying them. There is also a product called Frostop. What temp are you pouring at? Been experimenting with pour temps and adding a tiny bit of pillar wax to get a smoother top but I don't know how that's going to affect frost issues yet. I have a batch right now that is frosting like yours. The ones I poured in warmer weather didn't frost at all so maybe room temp affects frosting.

Actually I started out makiing wax dipped bears. Thought I could make a few bucks. Just happened to pick a supplier using soy wax and thought hey I can do candles too. And now I'm hooked lol.

Oh I'll have to get one of those! I don't have anything right now.

You can go either way as long as you keep records. I have done both but prefer to charge tax separately. I agree the lower price sounds better and I put plus tax on my prices so no one is surprised.

Cinnamon gives me a headache, black cherry is overpowering, so is lavender. In the dead of winter I open the windows to air out it's so bad.

I have a bag of wax that I took out of the original box but foolishly didn't label. Short of making a candle is there an easy way to tell if it is container or pillar wax? I use ecosoya.

I never had much luck with glue dots. Have used hot glue but now I use silicone and I like that the best.

well 2 of them have wet spots which I never get but they really don't look too bad the tops came out so nice that I did another batch with a little pillar wax (way less than I know went in the first) and they came out really great looking too with no shrinkage so far.

Has anyone seen a scale that will weigh several lbs but still have a .1g resolution that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars? The capacity seems very small on scales that are .1g resolution.

I'm in the kitchen too with a spare bedroom for storage. But I'm not neat and sometimes it gets out of hand. Too cold in the basement. Wish I had a better spot to work.

Does anyone know if the dye chips that candle cocoon carries are the Reddi-glo?

Don't cook in it, they're not made for that. The Presto people would be out of business if they didn't have us.

I was weighing up 4 lbs of wax (CB135) for a batch of container candles and threw in a an ounce or two of leftover flakes from my scooper from a previous batch as part of the 4 lbs. After I poured the candles I realized that the flakes in my scooper was pillar wax. Well my candles have never looked so good and came out with perfect smooth tops. Do you think these candles will be ok? Right now they look great. I could do this all of the time and have great candles.

I ordered the pryme colors in red. I have the scale from Wal-mart. Am I going to need a different scale to use these colors? What scale do you all buy to use with pryme

I agree you should slow down. Start with one kind of wax, one jar thats easier to wick like a straight sided round jar and test each combo of fragrance and wick until you're satisfied with the burn and throw. Take good notes for future reference. For each of my jars I have one size wick that works and if I can't get a good hot throw or burn with a particular fo I just won't use that fo. Then read, read, read cause there's a wealth of info on this site and everyone is very helpful when you ask questions. Above all have fun!

I also use the 18-342T from Canwax

I notice that lotion bar recipes don't have a preservative. Do they need one? If I decide to make these how should I store them and how long can I keep them. How long do the butters keep in the fridge

I do try to keep track of inventory so I don't run out. I kinda watch whats selling and keep track of how many candles I've made so I know how much wax is left. It's fairly easy for me cause my business is small. For year end I did a complete inventory in case my tax person needs it.

I think it's sweet almond oil. Welcome to the board.

I don't use that wax but I've got a couple of general tips. If you're just starting out try to pick one type of jar and master that first. A round straight up and down jar is probably the easiest to start with. When you decide what type of wick you want buy a sample pack of different sizes for testing. Wick-It will send you a free sample pack of their Premier series if you ask. To test and not waste wax make a candle without a wick. Then poke a hole with a skewer and put in a length of wick without the tab for testing. If that wick doesn't work just pull it out when it cools and try another size. The surface of your candle must be level when you start burning the next wick so you may need to heat gun it. Keep notes so you know what works with each combo of wax, dye and fo and container. Everyone is very helpful but you'll still need to test for yourself. It's funny how what works for one person doesn't work for the next. As people say around here, welcome to your newest addiction!

Thanks for the input. Think I'll give them a try. And thanks Top, I knew the smaller sizes had to be somewhere.

Well I know soy burns cooler than paraffin but I've never measured the temp. I also think the kind of wax, thickness of the jar and size of wick used will affect how hot it gets. The only paint I used on my jars was enamel which I baked on before I poured the candle. You'll probably have to do some testing.