Justjasen

I have never actually seen that... How long are you stirring your FO? At what temp are you pouring? Makes me wonder if it's some type of residue in the clamshell. Have you poured into a different container (I see the little cups in the picture)...if so do you get the film in the other containers?

I do not nor would I tell a customer HOW I make my candles, but in all fairness I will tell them who I use as an FO supplier. This is the only "trade secret" question I have ever truly been asked; where my scents come from. I have had people ask if it is hard to make candles; to which I always reply...it is a lot of testing and practice to find what YOU like as some people prefer Soy..Paraffin...or a combination thereof...I then tell them that's JUST the wax...then you have to go into wicks..and scents and...containers..and.... they just look at me - smile...and say "that sounds so time consuming." I then tell them it is time consuming, but fun for me..and it helps ensure that I produce the best product...for them At one point I considered making YouTube tutorial videos for free...and then I reconsidered as I thought that would be revealing too much. The reason I thought of doing it though is I see some pretty horrible How-To videos for candles on YouTube that literally make me cringe. I can see both sides of the coin... but as a chandler I also ask other chandlers (at craft shows etc) where their scents come from etc... out of curiosity and to see if they are knowledgeable about the craft and safety of making candles. The last craft show I went to I met a great new friend who is a parasoy chandler...we now tell each other lil tidbits (and she may be reading this as she is a lurker and not a poster of these forums). I say to each their own because even if you knew what wax, wicks, and FOs I use - you will never know my exact process or formulas... THOSE are my secrets more so than the ingredients...the recipe

I have no issues telling them who my supplier is...as I am proud to use an exclusive supplier for my all my fragrances. I do tell them that there are numerous suppliers out there and that through a year of testing various wax/wick/fo combinations is how I came to utilize the suppliers I do (unfortunately my fo supplier does not carry the wax or wicks that I need). I never divulge the specific recipes I use nor which blend of wax I use.

I did significant testing for approx 6 months and could find no benefit to using coconut oil.

I tried wood wicks during my year long testing and was severely unimpressed. Some of the people I had testing for me actually loathed the noise they make; they kept thinking something bad was happening. The wood wicks are/were too expensive imo and I gave up testing them after about 20-25 candles.

It is hard to see, but the only other thought I had was maybe something was/is in your wax?? I use Eco PB and have never had an issue like this I know sometimes there is debris in the wax (which is why I am switching to Presto Pots..so the debris falls to the bottom of the pot and doesn't get in the candle). Wish I had a definitive answer for you

Silly question...have you cleaned your mold recently? Is it a new mold? Reason I ask is they can get rather dirty if left unused for awhile. Also sometimes new molds have a grease like substance on them from the factory and need to be cleaned before they are first used.

International Guild of Candle Artisans (IGCA) - Does anyone here belong to this organization? Have you ever been to one of their seminars/workshops? What are some of the advantages to being a member? I have been looking into it and it seems like a good organization but just looking for more information; hopefully from some members.

I don't add anything to my portion cups...I'm all for decorating candles but seems silly to me to do it in portion cups. Mine sell just fine without glamming them up any with glitter etc.

I thought the 135 looked nice and creamy...with very little need for cleaning the tops, BUT in my experience the HT was horrible. I tested 50 pounds of 135 with many FOs and never found that I could get a decent HT. I used ECO wicks when I did my testing. I exclusively use GB 464 now and have very little issues.

I don't heat my jars. My candle shop is always around 70-75 degrees and my jars are stored in my shop. When I was testing I noted that if I poured ON the wick my tops needed more attention and occasionally I would get what I think you are calling sink holes. I make sure when I pour that I never pour on the actual wick and have not had near as many issues as if I poured and was hitting the wick with the pouring wax.

I use tongue depressors that I have drilled a hole into. I think I paid like 5 bucks for 100 of them and it took me like 30 minutes to drill the holes.

My craft room is an 8x12 foot shed that I had converted into my candle shop I built two desks for my work areas, loads of shelves to store scents, jars, dyes, molds, and cleaning supplies. I installed a sink with a little 2.5 gallon hot water heater. I have bluetooth speakers so I can play music from my phone while I create. I installed a little window for ventilation. I have an air conditioner that keeps it at 70 degrees in the summer and a lil heater that keeps it around 65 in the winter. I also put on a screen door so when it's nice and cool out I can just open the door for a nice breeze. I am actually getting ready to install a new work area that will hold my 3 presto pots. I love my candle shop; it is private and organized so I can go in and make what I need/want to and relax while doing it I plan on purchasing a new house in 3 years and when I do that I plan on upgrading my candle shop into a 12x24 foot space

I have yet to find a liquid dye that can truly give me a black candle...which is somewhat frustrating. I can get really dark grey, but not black. Not that I am making a bunch of black candles, but generally when someone orders a Black Ice candle from me they want me to swirl black/white or do half black/half white. Right now I am only dealing with two suppliers (LoneStar and AAA) as I can actually go to those every few months and get what I need. Truth be told I wish I only had to go to AAA as I find them very personable and knowledgeable, but alas they do not carry Soy products...something I am continually convincing them they must do LOL!

I am a die hard 464 user. I did extensive testing over a year of all the EcoSoya blends, Nature Wax, and GB blends and found 464 to be the best overall. I will say that all my testing centered around allowing the candle to cure for a minimum of 4 days. I use ECO wicks in my container candles. I used to add a small amount of coconut oil but have found no difference in CT or HT with/without the coconut oil. I heat to 180...add dye/fo..cool to 140 and pour. I occasionally get some rough tops, but I have yet to find any soy wax that is perfect hehe.

None. I only take my products: container candles, 1oz tarts, pillar candles. I barely have enough room for that stuff in my booth...couldn't imagine finding space for other products

I use liquid (from AAA) and I use soy wax When I first began testing candles I was using blocks, but I was never good at figuring how to get the exact color I wanted. With drops I made myself a color chart that is very accurate so I always get the desired color.

Wicking can be tricky ECO wicks are good for soy candles. I use GW 464 and use ECO wicks as well. Ideally you would want a jar with a max diameter of 3 to 3.5" for the ECO 10 & 12 wicks. I am not sure where you are getting your jars (WalMart??) but you could take a little tape measure with you to make sure the jars you are buying are around 3" diameter and you should be fine to use those wicks. Unfortunately/Fortunately (depending on how you look at it) testing is key. Before I even sold one candle I tested for approx 12 months. To this day I still test.... It is always important to know for throw and safety purposes what exactly each candle/scent/jar/wick will do for you and your potential customer.

My favorite Christmas tree scent is from AAA - Christmas Wreath. It is the one I finally decided on after much testing. So far everyone who buys it from me loves it.

Christmas Wreath and Dicken's Christmas (AAA Candle Supply). Those are two of my favs...and sell quite well

It depends on what your name is on whether it will make someone think of your product. So without knowing your name I have no idea on whether it conveys the right message.

I add my scents at 180...stir them in for approx two minutes. I then let temp fall to my pour temp (140 generally) and stir for approx 10 seconds. I use GW 464 which states to heat 185 then add fragrance/dye.

I sell mine (I call them Whiffs) for $1.50 each or 3 for $4.00 at shows. I am making mine this weekend for a show on Nov 2...I have to make around 500 or so (divided between 18 scents).

I color my tarts/whiffs - I find people tend to react to the color and smell. Very rarely do I not color my candles/tarts/whiffs...unless I think white corresponds with the scent (Sweet Snow for example). When people order candles from me I let them pick their own container/scent/color (My slogan is "Hand Crafted Candles...Designed By You...Created For You."); and I have never had someone order a white candle. I tend to get some "weird" color requests too; like teal for Strawberries & Cream but I know this person orders them to match her decor. I personally think a well made candle that is white can be just as attractive as a colored candle. Generally the candles I make for myself are either white or pink...I find them the best for my decor LOL!

I am prepping for an arts/craft show on Nov 2-3 so I have been in hyper-drive mode. Last weekend I made 198 container candles to finish up my containers for the show. This weekend I have tarts/whiffs to make... 18 scents total so I am going to be quite busy. Next weekend I need to finish up my pillar and ice candles... This will be my last arts/craft show of the year though so I can relax after Nov 3rd