emilyspoppy

Sometimes I'm at my "stupidist" when I think I'm at my "funniest" I was trying to poke a little humor into here while using myself as a target. The doc's all claim, that once I get past my temporary health issues, I should regain some of the stregnth in my legs. I was blessed to have kept both of my legs and their associated tootsies following a mistake I made many years ago when I OOP'S and set off a booby trap in "that crazy Asian war". I had a really great home therapist get me to a point, where I was able to haul my butt up and down stairs and to be able to get myself into our mini-van. I was on the road to recovery. Unfortunately; I got very sick with an unrelated illnesses and all of my hard-earned progress was wiped out. I do plan on coming back though. As far as a helper, I suggested that to my DW, but she just glared at me when I showed her the photo of some young lady I would like her to look like! PLEASE; Pity me not! I'm cool! Stupid ol' me

Imagine this! You're stuck in a wheelchair, that's too wide to go through the three 32" (actually a 30" gap) interior doorways you would need to go through, just to open the front door. You hear "Brown" pull up. The big door opens. Package(s) placed on your front step. The door bell rings! The big door closes! "Brown" drives away. You wait a few minutes and begin checking on your computer the shipping status of all outstanding orders you are waiting on. OH! There it is! "Left on front porch." You now wait about four or five hours for DW to come home, cursing as she carries your big box(s) to you. You have your knife in your hand! DW thinks it's to defend yourself, but you take it to the box(s) and slice open the tops, just to find a blizzard of shipping peanuts has created a mess in your multi-tasking room. IE; Bedroom, bathroom, dining room, living room, computer room and now order receiving room. "What do you want for dinner? . . . I see you did do the dishes! . . . Good thimg! . . We're even!. . .I'll be right back after I change my clothes. . . . You do know you are cleaning up that mess yourself, don't you?"" Ain't life great! Another mini-Christmas day in the life of a cripple. Gotta love it! Dave

Even an old dummy like me can help with this one; As far as fragrance strength goes; 1.) "OOB" How a fragrance oil (FO) smells in the bottle. Not sure who came up with "out of bottle". Maybe that's how some folks like to sniff it. 2.) "CT" This is how strongly a fragrance appears to be or "throws" when added to wax in a concentration that the chandler is using to make their products. The wax is cool when this is determined or measured in the opinion of the chandler and/or "testers". 3.) "HT" You were right! "Hot Throw" is how strongly a frangrance smells or throws" once a "melt pool" (for candles) or a tart becomes liquid when heated. I had been making candles for years before I learned some of this terminology and what the abbreviations all meant when I joined my first candle board. I hate to admit this, but I'm still learning, too! JMO/HTH (OOPS! "Just my opinion. Hope this helps" Happy Candle Making! Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Thanks for replying. Jeanie. I have you confused with another member at BC. She is (was) a fairly active contributor. Thanls for being nice to this newbie! Have a great weekend. Dave

I've thought about it a bit and I believe my uneasiness and anxiety on this board is due more to my situation than anything that's happened here. I am stuck in a darn wheelchair all day long while my wife is away and I need the companionship that this venue allows me. I have candles that need to be made, but since it is much harder for me now to make candles than to type, I am spending far too much time here. I need to find a better balance for myself. In about 5 years on another candle board I posted less than 700 times. At the rate I'm going here, I'll surpass that by the end of the month! I hope for myself and everyone else that my recovery comes soon. Thanks! Dave

Thanks! I'm think "I'm good" with "my friend". It's snowing like crazy here! I have the flu and now a blizzard! Our shop will remain closed for the week! My wife just yelled "Dinner's ready!" You never saw a guy feel better so quickly! A nice friendly comment and chow too! Dave

Dear Moonshine; I never tried CS "HC", due to the reviews as mentioned, but I did find Peak's "Wild Mountain Honey" to be very strong and true to real. I have mentioned in other posts that my dad was a hobbiest beekeeper. Peak's "WMH" brings back memories for me that most other supplies don't. JMO/HTH Dave

Jeanie; Unless you'd rather not say, I was wondering if you were the same Jeanie from the BC board even though the avatars are not the same, you write in the same style. I'm an old soldier on that board, but I failed to realize that I'm just a "boot" on this board and don't know my way around here as much as I thought I should. One of the first "faces" I recognized here was "Flickers". I even posted one of my first posts on CS that I recognized her behind her Foster Grants! I already saw that she was known to this board as a member of the BC staff, so I wasn't implying she was some sort of spy or something. I like Jennifer and feel she is a vary talented chandler and B&B producer. I have even been considering buying some of her wholesale products to sell in our shop. The reason, I posted that I felt she was really not the "appropriate" person to contact for a shipping issue is mentioned in my other post. As soon as I hit the submit button and read the other posts which had arrived as quickly as in a chat room, I realized I fouled up again. If Jennifer doesn't feel she is the right "go to guru" for any issue at BC it's her right and place to say so and not mine. Maybe being the link between this board and BC is her job and or enjoyable chore. It's not for me to say. I think I'll take a break from posting for awhile. I'm feeling very off-balance here for some reason. On the BC board any posting was appreciated, because they had become so infrequent. I don't see any need for a 'chatty joker" like me here. SHHH! I'll be "lurking" though. It's like a blizzard right now here in beauiful Southern Maryland. Having the flu, during a blizzard and knowing your shop will be closed for the week, can make anybody feel a bit "off balance", I guess. Take care all! Dave

Wow! I feel like I just arrived from Mars! You "guy's" are some serious chandlers. Do you remember in the movie "ET" When the dude wearing glasses is on the organ making the tunes with the lights and stuff, when the "mother ship" arrives and states 'They're playing way over my head!" ? Well! That's how I felt reading this thread. I'm sticking to good old IGI-4630. I'm too dumb to go searching for a better one. Yikes! Have a great weekend! It will be a snowy one for us. I now HATE snow! Dave

I told you I was as "dumb as a donut". Maybe Flicker is the main "go to guru" for everything. The other posts came in while I was composing. I think I'll just crawl back into my cave and hibernate! Dave the Bear

Can I chime in a here? Many of you guys said it was OK! Jennifer, "Flicker" is a key staff member of BC, as you all know, and she is the "go to guru" with advice on their products or technical information. The last time I spoke to her by phone, her "office" was at her home. That may have changed since; I don't know. If I were having ordering or shipping problems, I would either open up an online chat with them, where most likely, Elya will reply or call the office and ask to speak with Amber, who is the office manager. "Flicker" might be able to make things move better for you there, but I think she might be just adding another hurdle to climb over if it is an operational issue that you have. I was going to post that I didn't think there was any incompetance or indifference on Jen's part that some of the FO descriptions hadn't changed when the Fed's changed the standards, but since I've never been to BC to see their operation, I didn't or still don't know exactly how their business is structured. Pretty much I'm as dumb as a donut, but I wouldn't expect Jen to solve a shipping or ordering issue for me at BC. I am sorry to hear that their shipping and invoicing is delayed again. There have been times when I was invoiced less than the quoted amount and since the invoice that I received by email was not itemized, I emailed and requested a copy that showed the items I was to expect. It made me quite happy to find I was getting everything I ordered and it was the shipping that was actually cheaper than the quote. Two other things I've noticed; 1.) Due to being close to the end of the fiscal year, BC was not accepting PayPal payments. I had to pay by CC. I noticed that paying by CC speeded up the shipping, even at a busy period for them. 2.) I also noticed that when I stuck an item (closeouts) in my shopping cart it showed the item as "sold out" on their site. I hadn't even placed the order yet. I found this interesting. As far as BCN VS. BCS, it's a bit annoying for me that, at least, their best selling fragrances are not available at both sites. I make most of my BC purchases through BCN, but I really like BCS' "Sissy's Sugar Cookie", "Citrus Splash" and "Pumpkin Cheesecake". I've always felt it would be in BC's best interest to open a warehouse closer to the East coast that at least stocked their hottest sellers, including the heaviest items, but that's not for me to say. I hate paying shipping. I would rather let a good supplier have my money or better yet keep it in my pocket than to blow it on a "non-tangible" as shipping. When I buy from BCS, I try to get everything I will need for a year. When I mess up and run out, I go without! JMO/HTH Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Naw! They won't allow me to post in the "Off Topic" forum yet. That's where most of my scribble should go. It's OK, though! My 30 days (I feel like I'm on "Home Detention") are almost up! Thanks, though! Dave

Thanks, Tam! I appreciate your kind permission to stomp all over your great thread. It's due to my resticted probationary/rookie membership that I have no option other than to steal threads or just "shut up". I buy from three PA candle supply stores. Candlewic / Candles & Supplies / Fillmore Containers I recommend them all for what each does best. I'm too scared to say what each does best, though. I hate making waves and it's too easy to make a mistake with so many eyes and other opinions as there are on this board. HTH "Ol' Chicken Dave"

I think Moonshine is right! I almost bought their "HC" until I read the reviews. In respect to CS, I'm glad too see them pull products that they and others are not happy with. I've bought "T&B" from both CS and BCN. I don't have the best nose on the board, but I buy my "T&B" from BCN. Does Peak stock that FO? I forget! I only use "T&B" in a couple of my own blends. JMO/HTH Dave

THANKS AGAIN! I didn't quite make it back to bed, when your reply came in. I do appreciate the kindness. I do feel that I need to clarify that the comment was offerred by a friend in a friendly way. This member made some very good points. I made some very bad mistakes. I did appreciate the advice offerred to me. ALL IS WELL! Please accept any misconception my words may have caused. Sometimes (maybe like now) I need to just keep "mum". Really guys! THANKS! Have a great week! Happy candle making! Dave

I wasn't planning to discuss this any more; At least at this time; But not to provide a timely reply to such kind comments would be rude. I belive; "I hate rudeness more than obstinance, but about the same as intolerance." (Not a bad original statement from a sick man, huh! Even, if I have to say so myself!) I think I will use this as my quote when I feel like editing my profile. Thanks, guys! I'm really "off-balance" right now with another "bug". I need to get back to bed. I do appreciate the nice replies. They make me feel better than Tylenol !!! Dave

TKS for replying! I know your area too! My parents built a summer waterfront home and bought a summertime only snack bar in Maryland prior to my teen years. My elder brother who was the first of us to leave PA for MD when he moved to near where our maternal grandparents lived was also the first to move back to PA. He owns a small horse farm near Wellsboro. I should mention that the farm is small. The horses are full-sized Arabians. I'm learning here that you have to be very careful, how you choose your words. (lol) I remember that we always had a lot more snow in Chadds Ford than we do down here. As a kid, that would have been a disapointment, but now it's a blessing. We just had our first snowfall last night, and are expecting another 4 to 6 more inches. I HATE WINTER! I have the flue, so I'm back to bed. I hope that I will be off probation shortly, but promise this is the last time I will steal a thread. (I hope!) Take care! Dave

It makes me what a big slice of cake!

OH, MY! I just reread my previous post and it comes off to me that I think I some kind of wizard candle maker or something. NOTHING could be less true. I would really appreciate it if every member who has read it would take a moment and read this apology to all on the board. I'm very "small potatoes" to most of the highly accomplished members of this very talented group of professional chandlers and crafters. I was just lucky to have found a solution to the goopy wax mystery and wanted to share in the spirit of what I feel the founders and sponsor had intended for this board. Please believe me when I state that; What I wrote was just my opinion and not meant in anyway to come off as a "know it all's" statement of undeniable fact. I would also like to mention that the reason I "imply" that Gemlite is the only source for DPM is because I have not found it during other supplier searches over the years. There may be many sources for this useful product. Thank you for understanding, that sometimes I forget I'm posting to a very large audience when I hit that submit button, and not just chatting with a few well known and close friends. I will try to be a better member in the future. I will also avoid posting when I'm not tired or feeling poorly. Thanks again! Dave

Thank you so much! I received some friendly advice today by PM, suggesting that I should curtail my posting a bit, because not everyone on the board is "getting" me, so reading this picks up my spirit a bit. Hope you have a great day! Dave

OK, my new dear friends; It's late and I'm tired, but I do have know the cause and the solution to this problem. PLEASE do not critisize my spelling or composition. I'm not feeling well right now. I've never had water in my wax, (Yikes!) so I can't comment on that. I did work for an oil company and I can tell you how you can get water in your gasoline; (Remember this; If you see a tanker off-loading or just finished off-loading, buy your gasoline somewhere else.) Now back to the fragrances; I bought some fragrances over the years that simply made me insane. I've had as much as a half/inch of "goop" wind up in the bottom of a candle jar that eventualy seeped like mad to the top. This happened with several fragrances from several suppliers. It made me check everything I was doing. Nothing changed but whenever I poured these certain fragrances, the problem would re-appear. I'm not a big fan of throwing away bottles of FO that smell and look good, even though they don't work good. Unlike most men, I asked for directions. I called a supplier who had sold me three bottles of fragrance that were doing this for me. 1.) French Vanilla 2.) Mulberry 3.) Christmas Spice I was sorta peeved, but he had an answer; Some fragrances are made with natural ingredients that have been processed by what is known as a "steam distillation process". These fragrances are often vanilla based or berry type fragrances and cinnamon-types. Vanilla is the biggest offender since it is used in many blends. Sometimes the manufacturer fails to acheive the right result in either water removal or proper blending of the fragrance. The fragrance may appear to be water free when viewed in the bottle, but it will seperate from the carrier oil in the fragrance when added to the hot wax. This watery goop, which is heavier than wax hides in the bottom of the pour pot which usually winds up in the last jar poured, but may be present enough in the whole batch to continue to seperate until the next big asteroid hits our planet. Most chandlers think that this candle is a fire hazard, but my test results show the candle will usually self-extinquish when the "goop" hits the wick. The candle is useless, though and she not be used or for God's sake sold. Don't worry though! There is a solution; Robin Cheng, owner of "Gemlite Fragrances", Mass; sells a product known as Dowanol. (DPM). It sells for (I think) $5.00 a pound. It's a clear liquid that he recommends you add at the rate of about one to three ounces per pound of offending fragrance and shake, shake, shake and shake. (I only added one ounce per pound and acheived good results.) Let the bubbles disperse and use your fragrance in your normal concentrations according to your recipe. BTW; I like to give all of my FO bottles a swirl or two just before pouring into the pour pot. It's an old habit for me. "DPM" (NOT "DPG" Which is used for dilluting fragrances to create air freshener products and sprays.) makes oil "miscible" with water. IE; Combines them through the magic of chemestry. No! I am not a chemist, nor an expert at anything except firing rifles and handguns. (Do you hate me now! I hope not! I only shoot paper! I've become a pacifist in my antique years!) This does work. I have two bottles of DPM in my inventory and no more problems with ol' "watery vanilla and the berry boys". OH; Right now Robin is having problems with his website. If you cannot open his item's lists give him a call. I think he likes the company. Tell him Dave Hill said "Hello"! Robin likes to let you know he's been in business for over 37 years. I believe he's a one man show. I like the guy! He's an old f*rt like me. Trust me on this one. I was really happy when I solved the "watery goopy candle mystery" for my shop. Dowanol / DiPropylene Glycol Methyl Ether (DPM) HTH Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Dear New Friends; I just saw this thread and I felt the need to chime in here and share. I ONLY use Candlewic wicks, except for a large spool of 2/0 flat braid purchased over 30 years ago in at the Tarpley Shop in Colonial Williamsburg for making HD tapers. I have many large spools of assorted wicks and many thousand assorted metal wick tabs that I got from Candlewic at closeout or sale pricing over the years. I've had Candlewic make over 10,000 6" wick assemblies to my exact specifications. I have been delighted with them. They did them up in large plastic bags of 2000 in each bag. I had 4 bags in one size and one bag in another size. I also have several quite large rolls of both sizes (that I use) of this wick in my inventory. I used to make my own assemblies, until I decided to try the factory made version. Bill Binder and his brother David are second generation chandlers and suppliers. I've never spoken with David, but Bill is a very nice guy! I've never met him , but we have called each other on the phone several times. Bill is a pretty busy guy and you may not be able to talk to him if you call, but they do offer a custom wick building service, which is often (maybe right now) at 50% off pricing. Since Candlewick has been in business for nearly 50 years, I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing. I don't want to take anything away from any other suppliers including Peak, but I have tested many wicks from good suppliers and I am sticking forever with what works very well for me. I switched from IGI-4627 to IGI-4630 several years ago. The 4627 was just a bit too messy for me and even though I'm a big guy, my arms grew tired chopping it up to melt. My wick works awesome in both waxes, though. I primed my bare wick with CW's high melt point "wicking wax" and they burned fine, but the overall appearance which was visible in the unburned candle was not attractive to me. I believe Candlewic also primes their wicks, but then adds a beautiful coat of beeswax. They look really nice. I supposed I could do a couple of over dips of BW to acheive the same look, but I'm too lazy to do it. Before I went into the hospital some time ago, Bill called me and asked me how things were going with my business. He asked my why I had stopped buying his wax, and I admitted I was using IGI wax and his wax was now propietary for CW and unfamiliar to me. He laughed and told me, I would be surprised to know how much wax he bought from IGI. He sent me three one pound samples of his CW-123 wax which I have to admit was right on with 4630. His "One-Pour/Para-Soy/Container Blend", which I bought many cases of, CHEAPLY, was, I'm now sure, IGI-6006. I didn't have the heart though to tell him I was getting my wax from another supplier at about $10.00 a case cheaper at that time. Something tells me if I had brought it up he might have matched their price. He seem's like that kind of guy to me. I really like him. I hope he does'nt read or hear about this, but if your're searching for really consistant and well constructed assemblies I would suggest you give tham a call. If you both might agree on the same wick you might share a batch or two and save some loot. I have bought loads of closeouts from Bill, including fragrances (awesome), molds, wicks, dyes, additives, waxes, jars, lids and accessories over the years. I forgot what the price was, but I bought 5000 clear poly-carbonate tea light molds the price was so good. I also bought a tractor trailer load (major exageration) of Lovespell when they had it on sale @ $11.00 a bottle. Four of his closeout fragrances are on my top twenty sales list. Their sales usually run for two weeks and are featured each month. They have a newsletter "The Enlightener" that you can subscribe to. I enjoy getting it. Shiipping is fast and properly priced by UPS. Now the "OUCH" part; My wick specifications are propietary (secret). It's the only aspect of candle-making I won't discuss on any board. Even my wife does not know the specs. I'm afraid she will slip in the shop where everyone asks where we buy our stuff and everyone in the neighborhood will making our candles. I never see them mentioned in the boards, though. Sorry! That's about all I can offer. We all (mostly) have a business to run. JMO/HTH Dave

I could only get a buck apiece! Guess who no longer sells those seriously PITA to produce, yet nice to burn at home (mine) suckers! Wow; Wasn't that a fun sentence?

Thanks Moonshine for the notice and thanks for "stealing the blues" in the other post. Dave

COOL! My Seven year elder brother has a horsefarm in Wellsboro. You also live in the general vicinity of a very talented chandler and B&B maker who I have coaxed into joining the board. She'll be here shortly. I hate stealing threads like this, but I'm not allowed in the Off Topic forum yet. If your choice is beeswax, buy all you can as cheap as you can and as quickly as you can. (Phew!) My dad was a beekeeper and he would never allow me any beeswax. He gave me plenty of honey, but no wax. He always told me it was too stressfull for the colony to have to go into wax making mode, in order to get into honey mode, royal jelly mode and all of the things they do to serve their queen. I spent many hours working with him, totally covered with bees and often unprotected while he extracted honey and worked his hives. I was NEVER stung! He would put a great big glob of the waxy residue after an extraction on a table and the bees virtually cleaned the table completely clear while we drank a cold drink. It was amazing. He warned me about two decades ago, that our country's bees were in trouble. Allthough he was only a hobbiest, he was pretty "up" on his "pets". I recently corresponded with the owner of Bitter Creek who admitted that they are not stocking beeswax because wholesale prices have gotton so high that BC could not make a reasonable profit on it. Much of the BW I beleive now is imported from China. I found several large distributors from China, but they will only sell several pounds at a time. My two main sources of domestic BW have vanished from the internet. I'm afraid the same thing will happen to beeswax as did bayberry, another wonderful natural wax. I managed to buy 40 pounds at $10 a pound several years ago, and that was a steal IMO. It was found in a warehouse of an old candle making company that had gone out of business and an auction was held at the site. I know what it's worth and I only use a little bit each year. I'll never be able to afford to replace it when it's gone. Most of the 100% Natural Bayberry Tapers you find advertised at high prices on eBay or the internet are suspicious to me. I have some of "the real deal", and the illustrations I've seen of these tapers look to be a little too "Good to be true." I believe they are at best a blend and dyed at that. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are scented with FO too. I don't know for certain, but I know I could produce a fairly convincing "knock-off" of a natural bayberry taper and make some serious bucks. Of course, I wouldn't. I spent five years in the 70's working for the Maryland Department Of Environmental Health. (Health Inspector). I received quite a bit of formal training and although it was many years ago, I feel most of my training on many issues still applies. I should be, but I'm not a hard core environmentalist. I feel many who are may be ill-informed on some of the hot topics wich remain controversial to many. I do, however, have a serious concern for the undeniable and evolving plight of the common honey bee. It would be hard to overstate the role they play in our own survival. I have no answers, myself; just concerns. JMO/HTH Have a great week! Dave