geekrunner

Candlenose bites especially when you have a light FO. I've been tryin to test Amber Romance from GL, and it is not throwing well for me in any soy blend or parasoy. At least, I'm not smelling it! Mrs geek smells it but it's still not real strong. I may wind up trying a different supplier of that dupe scent. I really like it, too. Nice and girly smelling for romantic times geek

City, country, it matters not. I do prefer free-range noobs though, quite tasty geek BTW Welcome to the board, and happy testing!

Mostly mine are gifts for friends and family, and testing keeps me busy when I can't ride my mountain bikes or if the weather is bad. What I do sell right now is confined to holidays to three different groups of customers, and it helps defray the cost of supplies. I wouldd say I'm beyond the hobby stage, but far from making a living at it. One of my goals is to make enough to pay for my supplies and have a little extra for supporting my other expensive hobby, mountain bike riding/racing! geek

You are correct, though I'm not real sure if too much of the USA will inhibit throw. I'll bet that too much USA probably would be a waste of money, reaching a point of diminishing return. You definitely don't want to add more USA to the 464. I had lots of frosting issues with 464, and didn't care for how soft it was, but it did set up nice and smooth and saved time by pouring hot. geek

I primarily use soy with a veggie modifier, but also have been playing with the KY Parasoy (which is in the neighborhood of 50/50) for a line of upscale candle$$ . I like the soy for it's ease of measuring, and cleanup of test jars and messes, but I do like the better colors and appearance of a parasoy candle. And in some cases, certain FOs throw better in a parasoy. It's a challenge to make a good looking soy candle, and in some ways it's more fun to play around and experiment, but in the end we want to find the right wax tha makes candlemaking easy, less time consuming, and profitable. geek

I wasn't trying to characterize anyone's advice as being petty or wanting to pick a fight, but I thought that telling someone, even a noob, to just give up making candles because of a mistake in judgement was a little over the top. It's not like heavenbound was trying to get all the collective wisdom from this board spoon-fed to her, like some previous noobs have tried. She was just wanting to get some advice on wicking. We have chewed up and spit out noobs that definitely needed it (and had lots of fun doing it), but heavenbound neither warrants it nor deserves it. I think most of us saw that and responded appropriately. geek

Since I just noticed you are a noob, I must also let you know that noobs taste like chicken geek

I'm not going to adminish you about testing, since everyone else has (and some more harshly than others :undecided ). I can understand and appreciate your enthusiasm, I went through a similar experience during Christmas of '05, but had a month to test four FOs in two jars. I was up late every night and at it early in the morning testing, but I got 'er done. Others have given you the best advice on this particular situation, but IN GENERAL you won't be able to use the 62-52-18z wick in that jar in MC soy 415, the zincs don't burn hot enough to single wick that size of jar unless you double wick with 44-20-18 or 44-24-18. That jar is probably 3 1/2 to 4 inches corner to corner, and if you want to single wick you'll need to start out with either HTP1312, HTP1212, or HTP126. The thing about that jar is that it tapers downward, so if you wick it to clean the jar early, it will be overwicked when it burns down beyond halfway. You'll need to wick it down some, so it leaves a little hangup that will erode as it burns down lower in the jar. This will take you quite a bit of time to test properly, at least a couple months. But look at this as a learning experience. We all have made mistakes and decisions we shouldn't have, so don't be so hard on yourself. Just correct the situation, and move on to other adventures. However, I cannot let you go unpunished. Therefore, fifty lashes with a wet noodle! geek

We love noobs! Just ask anyone why I can recommend my personal favorite supplier, the Candlemaker's Store, in Hamilton, OH. They are closer to Cincinnati but shipping to you shouldn't be too bad. Welcome to the board and don't be afraid to act nutty once in awhile! geek

Daria, I made some marbled pillars too, and they are really fun to do, and turned out nice. I used liquid dye in mine, too. The big trick with liquid dye is not stirring the wax goop too much before pouring it into the mold. If you are wanting to try dye block shavings, it might give you a little different effect, and may allow you to stir the wax goop a little longer. You'll just have to try it and see. I would try to get the shavings as thin as possible. Another thought is to melt a very small amount of paraffin, maybe a tablespoon or two, then add some dye block shavings to it, allow to melt, then use it as you would a liquid dye. Or maybe just melt some dye block in a metal tablespoon, like a heroin addict would do to shoot up (I've seen that on TV, I'm not a heroin addict ) HTH! geek

You probably will not totally avoid the post-burn frosting ring, that will require educating your customers (if you choose to sell) on soy's little quirks. In the computer world, this would be documenting a bug and calling it a "feature." From some informal surveys I've conducted, and they are highly unscientific, a candle's looks are not nearly as important as smelling good, lasting a long time, and is reasonably priced. Most of us here at the CT board are perfectionists, and want the best looking and performing candle we can make, but we also know that some things cannot be avoided or prevented. We have to weigh the advantage that maybe gained by achieving perfection aganst the time it takes to achieve it. Also, we cannot control how the candle is used, and the environment in which it is burned. We can make the best looking candles, with no frost, but if the candle is stored in a cold area, it may frost up and look unattractive, but still burn OK. All we can do is document those little quirks and educate our customers on them. IMO if someone is going to take issue with the cosmetics of a candle after they buy it and burn it, they probably are not going to be happy with much of anything, and I would refund their money and get the candle back. I'm rambling, sorry! :embarasse geek

You can burn it right away if you're just wick testing, but to test for throw, you should wait at least one week. That worked for me when I tested it. geek

Good work there mod! geek

Noobs are our lifeblood! Welcome to soy, it can be very aggravating to work with in some ways, but in other ways it is easier. You will enjoy it more when you figure out the right combinations of FO/dye/pour temp/wicks, and then it will seem a little easier. You will find alot of info and get good help here. We also like to have fun geek

I've got KY Parasoy in one pot, and my Mad Scientist soy blend in the other! I'm testing five FOs in soy: Cucumber Melon, French Vanilla, Coconut Lime Verbena, Key Lime Pie, and Niagra Falls Mist. For Valentine's Day, I'm testing GL Amber Romance in KY parasoy in melting pot jars. Wish me luck, I've been having nearly unresolvable wicking issues with this jar! geek

You have performed a true service, showing us how the wood wick is simply a fad, that will soon pass. Thank you for sharing your test results! geek

Experts??? I'm no expert, but here goes: How long have you been making candles and what type do you do? Two years, played around with pillars at first, but now focus on containers. Why did you choose soy over parafin? Easier to measure, easier to clean up test jars, less black soot thrown when burning How long was your testing process? Testing process never ends, but prior to my first sales, I tested for three months. What was your first experience selling? Sold to mrs. geek's former and current coworkers after I gave them candles as gifts. What was your biggest "nightmare" with candle making? A customer gave me feedback that her candle I sold her was getting too hot, the glass was too hot to touch, and she worried her child might touch it and burn her hands. I retested with different wicking and replaced the candle with one that was much cooler to the touch. What is your best advice for those of us who want to be just like you??? Be patient. Don't let anyone talk you into selling before you are ready, and have total confidence in the quality of your candles prior to selling. Make sure your candle making area is warm, and has good circulation. Drink a little. Buy a good candle making kit to see if you really like it, then buy sample sizes of wicks/FO/Wax for initial testing and playing around. Candlemaking can be an expensive hobby, but if you are smart and don't get too obsessed, you can keep your costs down. geek

Hi kbelle, I have worked with LXs, and have not had that trouble with the 21s or 22s. Have you tried cutting a piece of the 21 from a different wick? As far as the mushrooming goes, in general it indicates that you need to wick down, but if you are getting a 1/4 inch MP after three hours, that is just right and you would not want to wick down. You can tolerate the mushrooming if it's not too bad, or try another wick type like HTP, RRD, cotton or zinc. It just depends on how anal and obsessive you want to get, and there is alot of it here HTH! geek

You'll have air bubbles coming up when the melted wax fills in the air pockets and displaces the air. The wax also may be generally porous in the area surrounding the wick, so there may be several little air bubbles after you heat gun the tops. What I do is wait till the tops set up a little after you heat gun them, then give them just enough extra heat gun to blister the bubbles and smooth them out. Repeat if necessary. geek

Sorry to hear you're having trouble, it can get frustrating at times, but when you get it right, it is all worth it! Sounds like you tried a bunch of different things. What size jar do you have? Maybe you have some candlenose going. It may help to get a fresh nose involved, and to offer an honest opinion on your burning candle's hot throw. Unfortunately, I can't comment on Joy wax, although I gather its a parasoy or some wacky soy blend geek

I have the single wick model, too. Also have pint Masons. They have the same width opening as 8 oz jelly jars. The third setting is a little loose on the JJ and pint Mason, but if you want you can wrap some electrician's tape three times around the right level, and it fits just right. Might save you some time with sending it back to get it adjusted. HTH! geek

I agree wholeheartedly on pour temp and room temp. The tops are easier to fix than wet spots or frosting. My basement is generally 10 deg cooler than my upstairs, so I pour my candles, and after they set up a little, move them into boxes and take them to my computer room, which is much warmer due to normal furnace running, and the computer pumping more hot air into the room. They set up nice, no frosting, and adhering completely! I just poke and heat gun, and I'm done! geek

Well, it looks like alot of cherry pie filling surrounding a candle! It looks tasty. Hopefully your experiment will hold up. geek

I didn't realize you had been gone, till I saw the reply on changing shifts. Then it all came back to me! Guess you have a good excuse to buy new FOs, since they are foaming up on you Welcome back and be sure and visit us over in the veggie wax section! geek

What size jar do you use, what wick are you using, and do you double or single wick? I had trouble with double wicking 3 1/2 inch jars with LXs and HTPs. Either too deep a MP or drowning wicks. I finally have gotten good results with zinc cores wicks using 2 x 44-20-18 or 2 x 44-24-18. If I have a FO that throws really well, I can single wick with Premier 700s 795 or 798. BTW I use 415/402 blend. geek