geekrunner

Almost forgot your vybar question. Vybar was not made to work in soy, like Meredith said. It works mainly to add opacity to paraffin and help bind FO to it. If too much is used, it can bind too much FO and then the candle does not smell at all. It could possibly be binding the FO in the soy. Now beeswax has been known to aid hot throw, but not necessarily to allow the wax to hold more FO. geek

I am shocked not only that these ladies would sell something they didn't thoroughly test, but they sold 16 oz jars for a fundraiser for just $7! They certainly weren't making very much money that way. We once had a local school do a fundraier for their band, and they sold candles they got from a professional chandler who specialized in fundraising. Nice literature and order sheets. Their basic candle was a 4 oz scented paraffin and it was $12! Chandlers typically will wholesale their candles at twice their cost. Usually kids selling stuff for fundraising will double the price again so they can keep half the money, but that works if you're selling stuff like candy. I'm not sure what the standard markup is for a jar candle sold that way. Maybe someone here who sells to fundraisers can chime in? geek

Your groveling has not gone unnoticed It looks like you are gearing up for Christmas/Thanksgiving holiday scents. I don't know much about the other waxes, although I believe that the KY Pure soy is Golden Brand's 415 which is a very good all-purpose soy, but for best results needs to be poured no hotter than 105-110, and works really well with 2-3% beeswax. I predict your candles will smell great! I"m not familiar with the ECO wicking, so I can't really say how those sizes will work in that jar. You are alot farther along than most noobs, you are to be highly commended! Let us know how they turn out. geek

Thank you ma'am! I'll be here all week, and don't forget to tip your waitress. geek

Aside from making $15 gross profit on a pound of soy flakes, I really can't think of anything else! Apparently he's not real confident that his candle sales will keep him afloat, and is relying on his customer's ignorance to make easy money. geek

BTW welcome to the board! Usually if you try to search and don't find what you are looking for, and we can gather that you made an effort to find it, we are pretty helpful. We have had noobs in the past pump us for a bunch of information in their first post, and practically want information spoon-fed to them. One in particular came right out and said in his/her first post that he knew the search function was there, but thought it would take too much of his valuable time and just wanted us to tell him what to do! BTW he was a particularly tasty morsel Believe me, you are OK asking for help! geek

I know what you mean about old eyeballs :rolleyes2 geek

3/4" to 1" is fine, you won't want to go further apart than that or you risk getting the glass too hot. I have an EZ Wick Setter and the EZ wick centering tools, and the narrowest setting is 3/4", then it jumps to 1 1/2" for much wider jars with wider openings, such as tureens. geek

I'm not familiar with ECOs but if you have any HTPs or CDs you could try single wicking with HTP1312 or CD22, thos two will come closer to working in a single wick configuration. 3" is just about the widest you can go before really needing to double wick. geek

Everyone so far has provided great info, so there's not much I can add. I have had some experience with the 444, and found the cold throw not suitable for me, but then again it could just need a longer cure time. If you can get some 464, give it a try, it works really well for alot of people. geek

Currently using round kraft, but will be moving to oval transparent and oval kraft. geek

Here is a link to today's Washington Times editorial, it is a reprint of the Declaration of Independence: http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20060703-102558-7068r.htm Happy 4th to all! geek

I used to get my wicks from MC and they don't carry the 93s. If the 104 is too big and the 83s drown, then the 93s may work. Also if the 83s are drowning you definitely should not wick down. Double check and make certain you are trimming the 83s to 1/4 inch. Check for a PM from me! geek

I've had that happen with HTPs in 415, but it happened when the candle was about half consumed and the odd air currents in the jar caused the flames to dance around somewhat, which can cause the sooting. Perhaps the downdraft is forcing the sooting down into the MP. geek

So the two differences between this batch and your first tester is the extra FO and the addition of Frostop (assuming your other variables were the same). From the look of the candles and your description of the remainder in the pour pot, I don't think the extra FO was enough to cause that much separation. It could be the Frostop. I would suggest making another tester, with all variables the same, using the 8% FO load but no Frostop. If it turns out looking OK then the Frostop was the culprit. This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you, but... Fifty lashes with a wet noodle for pouring a batch after changing a variable without testing it first! geek

Sorry I didn't see the pics in the first post! Maybe there was something in the FO that separated out? Could your FO be a new bottle you just cracked open? geek

I went to the store and bought one, but she wanted me to go there to see some of those purses she saw on Despearate Housewives. She's trolling for an anniversary present, our 10th anniversary is on the 13th. She told me she really wants a new storm door for the front porch, but you and I both know she wants something else too! geek

Mrs geek saw some of their candles in a store in Avon, IN and was intrigued by the fine leaded crystal tumblers used as containers. It was advertised to run the tumbler through the dishwasher when candle is used up to have a usable drinking vessel. Of course one can buy more candles and have an entire set! http://clarkvalleysoy.com geek

How did the poured candles set up? geek

If you could make one, you could call it "Pull My Finger" geek

The perfect soy wax blend would be called: Unobtainium geek (BTW I'll be here all week, and don't forget to tip your waitress)

Hi VickiB, Since your blend is majority 415, with BW, and in a 4" jar, I would suggest (as a starting point) double wicking with HTP73 or LX14, and moving up or down as necessary. You definitely won't be able to single wick that jar/wax combo. Good luck and let us know what happens! geek

There was a Dudley Moore movie called Crazy People where his character was an advertising executive who went bonkers and ran an ad campaign that was painfully truthful. Paul Reiser's character had a line in the movie: "We're supposed to lie, we're in advertising!" We had a thread about three weeks ago about an over the top candlemaker's website and the outrageous claims made on it. The conclusion we seemed to draw from the discussion was that most of the site content was truthful, but it was meant for the uneducated candle user, and we as experienced chandlers could see through the spin and BS. Who really knows what the industry standard is? Don't we count as the "industry?" What is the meaning of life? Why do birds eat mulberrys from my neighbor's tree and crap down the side of my house?? I DEMAND TO KNOW!!! geek

...so you can buy paper towels in bulk! You will go through alot of them wiping up spills, pour pots, cleaning molds, etc. Also Band-Aids, for when you cut yourself cleaning a votive mold :rolleyes2 Welcome noob! geek

That is probably sufficient, but what I use for pillar molds, and my pour pots, is the mold cleaner from Michael's. It is about $9 for an 8 oz bottle, but it does clean pretty well, and you use it sparingly. It cuts through paraffin well, and has a nice citrusy smell But more than likely heat gun and wipe out will do the job too geek