Cissy

Kentucky (KY) Candles and Candle Science both have great mulberry FO's.

There is no doubt about it, they will be much faster for me because I have always shriink-wrapped them individually. I am so burned out with this, spending more time packaging them than pouring them....not enough profit to even pay minumum wage to myself, if I were to write myself a paycheck. The cups certainly won't look as professional and I hope it doesn't hurt sales so that I have to start shrink-wrapping again. One thing that concerns me is that customers can't just pick up the tart and smell it. Now, even with having scented candle jars nearby, many of them will still want to take the lids off the oval cups to smell every scent. Everyone wants to feel, touch and smell (and hopefully not drop) everything before buying. I think one advantage for the customer, though, is that all they will have to do now is to snap off the lid and plop the tart in their warmer (easier than taking the shrink wrap from around the tart). Kforbes126..I forgot to mention that the soy wax I put in the clear oval cup was one with no color. I haven't tried one with dye yet, so not sure if it will leave a "frosted look" on the cup where the wax releases. I suspect it will, especially with darker colors. This is something to consider for anyone planning to use the clear cups. Next time I pour, later this week, I'll check this out and post results.

Vicky, you're probably right. After today, they will probably get even more orders than before of the #5 black ovals. I might better stock up before they're all gone. I don't make soy tarts, but decided to melt some GB 415 I'm playing with and put in these cups. I had to put in freezer for only a very short time and it popped right out. I haven't left it in a hot room to see if it would re-adhere to the sides of cup, though. Kforbs126....will pm you.

Not sure, just noticed on their site today. Give them a call tomorrow.

I mentioned it on another thread as being my most favorite pumpkin scent. It is incredibly strong and as mentioned, you might have to cut back on the amount. I've tested in tarts only so far. I did find that it doesn't seem to "hang in there" as long as I want my tarts to last, so I think I'll try some tarts in a different wax to see if it makes a difference. When I added more FO to try to make my tarts last longer, then it was just way too strong (even for me). I have it curing in a (paraffin) container now, thinking it will last longer in a jar candle. It is so yummy, one of the few FO's OOB that I could just drink, and it smells just as great in my tarts. It has a sweet ginger scent, not a harsh ginger scent like some I've smelled. Just wish it would last longer in tarts. Maybe it's my nose. Do any of you find that on some fragrances that you get candlenose quicker than with other FO's? For me, it's usually the FO's I love the most. BTW, on JBN's site today, they are out of stock on the Gingered Pumpkin. (I must have cleaned them out last week. (LOL)

Update on Recycle # for black oval souffle cups: As posted earlier, Webstaurant emailed me that these cups have a #6 on them. I ordered the clear and decided to order the black to test out also. Unless they have changed, the manufacturer misinformed Webstaurant. You could easily see the #5 on the clear cups, but the black ones (not see-thru), were much more difficult to read, so I, with my magnifying glass and a flashlight thought it read #5. Just to be sure, I asked a friend who sells jewelry to look at it with his magnifier (whatever the thing is called), and tell me what # he saw in the triangle. He saw the #5, also. Just wanted to correct this for those interested in ordering these. I ordered the 1 oz size. They will hold only 20 grams of wax. More than this and you would have a problem with the lid closing properly without touching the wax. The lids are clear for the clear and black cups. There is a #3 on the lid, but not in a triangle, so apparently is not the recycle #, so I'm not sure how well the lids will hold in the scent....will see in time. The lids are much better quality, though, and more durable that the Dixie solo type cups. The cups are slanted, so are bigger at the top than the bottom. The 1 oz cups are approximately 1-1/4" high. I have always made the 1 oz size tarts, so I have ordered the 2 oz cups also (on the way). to see how they will look with 1 oz of wax. I don't really want to change my formulas, make them any larger, nor go up on prices. I'm quessing the 2 oz ones will hold 40 grams and I'm not "giving away" 10 extra grams of highly scented wax for the same price. I will probably use the 1 oz.(20g) ones for smaller sampler sizes. Another tip: Webstaurant was not too quick about getting orders out, so don't wait to the last minute to order. Both orders took about a week before they were actually shipped out of their warehouse. HTH

Good Job! Great variety and very colorful.

I do cure my candles for a couple of days, but my tarts never need curing. May be because I put more FO in my tarts.

I use a paraffin blend and have never cured them on purpose. I do try to make them ahead of time because of shrink-wrapping. It takes some time for some fragrances to saturate thru the wrapping so that you can smell it well. Many times I have made a batch of tarts and immediately tested one out in my warmer and it threw great. I make mine strong, though. When I want to try out a new FO real quick, just to see if I like the scent, I will melt plain wax in my warmer, add a few grams of FO, and never have a problem smelling it, unless it's just a weak FO to begin with. I haven't made any soy tarts, so can't comment on those. I just checked some leftover tarts from last Christmas and can still smell them (cold throw) just as well. I had them stored in a #5 container. I will have to test a couple in my warmer, though, before I put them out to sell this Christmas.

This is not a close-up picture that really shows the clamshell well enough, but I bought one somewhere made by this company GANZ "Time and Again". It holds 1.6 oz., the top just fits over base, but is not attached. To hold together, the card-type label surrounds the clamshell and slides on and off. The plastic clamshell does not have any mfgr. info on it. Believe me, I looked carefully for it, even with my magnifying glass. It was probably intentionally not imprinted with info. http://www.timeandagain.com/candles/simmering/art-simmer.php Sorry, this link won't bring up the page it should, but you can click on the Home page link on the screen it brings up, to locate the Waffle Bars. The only disadvantage I can see in using these, is that customers will take off labels to smell, might not put them back on, or get labels mixed up. (and any retailer knows some customers just do not care what they mess up). I sometimes find tarts put back into the wrong container (even purple colored tarts mixed with my white colored ones). I don't think that many people are color-blind. I have even found lids put back on the wrong candle jars. The big companies usually have the plastics manufacturers design their own packaging (for a hefty sum) and those are sold to them exculsively. I wish these were in-stock items available for us to purchase. I also wish one of our suppliers could work out a deal with the mfgrs. and offer this type clamshell. Actually, I wish we could get smaller 1 oz. clamshells, for a reasonable price, to make 1 oz tarts, and cut out so much shrink wrapping labor. The clamshells look so much more professional than souffle/portion cups IMO and I like the little break-away blocks. I think the 1 oz. would sell much better for me. My personal experience is that some customers prefer a smaller size/price than the usual clamshells us tartmakers use, unless it's a scent they have purchased before and know they will like.

Those at Kentucky are the hinged lid clamshells (not ones with a separate lid) The hinged ones are readily available through many candle suppliers and Impact Mfg. You are looking for separate lids that just fit over the base, right Alharbolt?

Where did you see this type clamshell? Did you buy tarts in a package like this? If so, if you give us the name of the candle company, or if we can see a picture, someone on the board might be able to help you figure out where to get them, if they are available to us small-time candlemakers. Are they smaller than the attached lid type clamshells many tartmakers are using and how much is the net wt of the pkg you saw?

Maybe it has more to do with how much you stir your wax, how carefully you stir it, and what you stir it with. I don't have a spigot and can't imagine what a spigot would have to do with causing or not causing black bits unless there's boogies crawling up the spout. (LOL) I've been using mine for 2 yrs, blending 2 paraffin waxes, so I have to stir before pouring into Pyrex. I use wooden spoons. I started occasionally seeing black specks in my wax, so now I weigh out my wax as close as possible for what I'm pouring and usually don't have much left in the pot. (It is definitely Teflon, because I can see a few tiny Teflon-free spots in bottom of pot). The small amount of wax left in pot, I pour into paper cup(s), check for black bits and remelt later, then wipe my pot out well after each batch with a paper towel. I guess it's about time to buy another Presto and take better care of the next one. To Add: I always check my wax carefully when I take it out the box before putting into Presto to make sure there's no specs of cardboard or pieces of trash on it. When you use the slabs, you will see pcs. of trash, on the corners especially, sometimes.

Thank you so very much, Vicky.

Vicky I would like to put oval labels on these lids. If you don't mind, since you have one on hand, will you measure the inside flat area that oval labels could be applied to. Then I can see if I can find oval labels that will fit. I'd like to get my labeling possibilities lined up before I order the cups. TIA Thanks for the imput on the #6.

I don't use soy, but a paraffin blend for my tarts. Wouldn't soy be too difficult to pop out, unless you use a soy blend or a soy tart type wax, or put them in the freezer first? I've never made a soy or soy blend tart. I poured my wax at 150*. Keep in mind, though, the clear cups I poured mine into (just for testing, haven't sold any of these yet). are not the same cups we are discussing. These were polypropylene #5. I suppose the "frosted" look is not extremely important, since most customers won't pop them out until ready for use anyway, unless they just want to smell them from the bottom. I'm just wondering when using the clear ones, if over a period of time during shipping or moving them around, even without popping them out, if the wax might pull away and leave this "frosted", messy look. Guess I'll have to pour a couple and let them sit and move around for a while to see. I am eager to order some of these from Webstaurant Store, but am afraid of the clear ones, and they told me the black ones are #6, so I'm still unsure which to order. I am just so tired of shrink wrapping, although they do look so much more professional. It is so time consuming that you really don't make enough money for all the labor involved, and time is worth money.

Vicky, I emailed the Webstaurant Store regarding the black oval #E1001B souffle cups. They emailed me back saying they had called the manufacturer and mfgr. said they have a #6 on cup, nothing on lid. So you are saying the clear ones have a #5 on cup, right? I would prefer the black ones. I have some #5 polypropelene clear cups and when I pop the tart out, it then leaves a frosted look (for lack of better description), on the cup which I don't like, so I would prefer the black, but I'm not sure if the #6 (polystyrene) will hold the scent as well and be as durable. What is your, or anyone else's opinion on the #6?

And, stir, stir, stir. It might not be necessary, but I stir my wax/FO each time I pour 8 to 10 tarts....just to be sure. As mentioned above, you want to make sure the FO is incorporated or you might have some tarts in your batch highly scented and some not.

BTW: We, including myself, have always liked to slam "Yankme" a little (OK, a lot), but I will have to say something in their defense. I've heard my own customers talk about how Yankme has gone up in price (tarts are currently $1.79 in many stores and on their website, unless on sale) and gone down in quality. While this might be true, one thing I have learned which never occurred to me before, is that many of Yankee's retailers will let their tarts sit on their shelves indefinitely, under fluorescent lights, losing scent. Then they will put the "old" tarts on sale to clear them out. Yankee has no control over this, and it damages their reputation greatly. For this reason, I would never want to wholesale to stores unless I was in control of rotating and pulling tarts from their shelves so they don't lose some of their quality.

I sell mine for $1.25 each (1 oz size) and should raise my price, based on cost of supplies and my labor. I could sell mine for $1.00 or much less and make a nice profit, if I put only one ounce FO per lb. didn't spend money and time in packaging individually and always threw in every FO I ordered whether it smelled great or threw great or didn't worry about how long it lasted. Many people don't package their tarts at all, just throw them in a bag with no labels and probably use up all their FO's. I'm too much of a perfectionist, I suppose for my own good. I'm sure Yankee didn't get where they "used" to be without being picky about their product. There can be so many hidden costs in trying to make your tarts the best, costs that many people don't even think about. You can save money by making the labels yourself, but you can spend quite a bit of money and time getting to that point, if you've never make labels before. Initially, you have to buy equipment, melter, pouring pots, thermometers, molds, whatever you store your tarts in......many hidden costs. I forget to mention one of the possible largest hidden cost.........Income tax... April 15th Then your electric bill will be higher. I know there's more costs that don't even come to mind at this time. Then there's testing, testing, testing, costs. You need to think this all thru before you set your price in stone, because once you do so, it's difficult to raise your prices, even though the costs of your supplies and shipping keep rising. Customers don't know and don't care that your costs are rising, they just don't want you to raise their prices. I'm still charging the same price I did a year ago, even tho shipping and the cost of my wax has increased. I'm having to absorb those costs to keep from increasing my price as long as possible. It's much easier for our suppliers and shippers to increase their prices than it is for us candlemakers to increase ours. If you make one of the best tarts out there, people will come back for yours when they compare to other cheaper ones they have bought.

Aroma Haven uses the clear hard plastic PET (polyethlyene) with #1 on the bottle. I have wondered if the #1 will retain the scent over a period of time even though they don't "suck in". (They ship these in the 16 oz size)

How about "Amish Oatmeal Crunch" or "Harvest Oatmeal Crunch"? I'm not very good at renaming, as you can tell.

I have seen a few plastic bottles start "sucking in", but the worse one I've seen do this is Freshly Squeezed Oranges" from NG. I had let (2) bottles sit unopened for 9 months (overstocked on this one..the crazy things I do to save on shipping...anyone out there give me an amen! (LOL). If shipping was free, I would never overbuy. I know it was a full 16 oz. when I received it and last week when I checked them and weighed the bottles, almost 100 grams of FO had disappeared (sucked out) both of them. I couldn't believe it!. Other FO's from them have never evaporated like this one. So, yes, definitely, some FO's do this much more than others. If NG or other suppliers "cut" their FO's any, I am just wondering which part is actually evaporating. I can still smell the orange juice, though, but don't have a fresh bottle to compare to, so I am going to make a few tarts with this to find out how long they last.

If I started "speaking in tongues" just smelling a candle, I would have to wonder what kind of "spirit" jumped on me. (LOL) I think it takes more to genuinely speak in tongues than that.

I would have added the direct link to the "Blend Recipe" page when I edited, but I wanted to make sure I hadn't posted info I shouldn't have to late to delete it. Thanks Robin