beaconterraone

I am sorry I misjudged the nature of the majority of this forum. I wrongly assumed most would be holistic- and nature-minded. One of our aims is to introduce certified organic candles in the near future. Without disclosure, there is no genuine organic certification. And that is exactly as it should be. Refusal to disclose components and sources has, far more often than not, been done to conceal inferior and/or hazardous ingredients. "OMG! OMG! They'll copy me!" is nothing but a cop-out. No one - including I - is suggesting that one provide recipes. Those who have suggested this have insulted the intelligence of those in favor of honest disclosure of ingredients and sources.

I've heard this exact "thinking" from cigarette smokers, aiming to justify their pollution of indoor air. For those of us who live in the mountains of the coast, where the air is almost as pure as God intended, I can tell the difference between paraffin- and fragrance-oil-polluted indoor air, and the outside air. This is just utter paranoia, and possibly conceit, period.

I'm honestly mystified by this. How is it rude? Not everyone is asking in order to copy you; they're curious for edification, or possibly even health concerns. I'd bet not 1 out of 100 is actually trying to get intel on your "super-duper magic formula" to duplicate your product. I just don't understand this thinking.

This thread is amazing. It can easily be a study in effective marketing. Namely, the primary lesson is that chandlers who respect their customers by explaining what is in the product and where it comes from will have better sales for a comparable product. Wouldn't you, as a customer, choose disclosure or over non-disclosure? I'd never have a Yankee in my house. Or a Partylite. Or anything else like them. Are we trying to imitate the major corporate candlemakers, or are we trying to be something better? Speaking for myself, as I/we expand into candles for others, I want to offer a high-quality, fully-trustworthy product, and, an experience they can appreciate. "Mystery" is for school lunch meat, not candles. What harm is there to disclose composition and sourcing? "They'll copy me"? Doubtful. Especially if you have a great product at fair prices.

Why, exactly, do you think it's funny? Is the laughter an attitude of contempt for your customers?

The NCA is comprised of numerous corporations whose business models would disintegrate overnight if paraffin were accepted as hazardous. Paraffin is easily replaced, but not cheaply. "Big Candle" uses paraffin, and charges as much as we little folk charge for palm, soy, or beeswax candles, and enjoys the differences as profit. The tobacco companies said the same thing for decades. The proof is readily available in the medical literature. And, most importantly to me, my lungs tells me paraffin is burning...even unscented paraffin tapers. Holding on to paraffin is a matter of money. Not just to candlemaking corporations, but to food & HABA corporations, as well. Modern media use hype as a standard operating procedure. However, the risks of metal-core wicks are reality. And not just lead. I call into question zinc-core, as well. Look up "Metal Fume Fever" and "Zinc Shakes." Please, please, please, really ponder here what you just said! For your own health, and that of your customers! If you need to wear a respirator, isn't that telling you something? I'm highly sensitive to vaporized or aerosolized toxins. I have no problems around melted palm or beeswax, or in the presence of most essential oils. Intuition and so-called "anecdotal evidence" is the key to the development of good science. If I had the funds and lab, I would provide all the evidence needed.

The N95s aren't good enough. And supplied air (SCBA - SCUBA without "u" for underwater) equipment is exorbitant. That big elephant is something the food & HABA (health & beauty aid) industries would rather ignore for as long as possible. Paraffin is easily replaced, but not cheaply. Paraffin's risks and dangers are NOT fearmongering. My lungs told me that long ago. Some people are resistant, but like the canary in the coal mine, I'm an early warning type who is affected early.

If I may offer this advice: if you're considering using a respirator to protect yourself from your products components, perhaps you should re-evaluate what you're making your products with? Fragrance oils are synthetic volatile solvents, and as such, would require the "monster" cartridges, specifically, NIOSH-certified respirator, such as the 3M 6000 series, to purify your respiration intake. Paper-based won't do it.

Any local college laboratory can do such testing for you. Especially if they have MS/GC (mass spectrometry/gas chromatography) equipment. If the soy wax is free of anything but soybean oil-derived wax, you should have "clean" results. With all due respect, hydrogen cyanide, too, is a "natural substance," and just because the Faster Death Administration (FDA) claims paraffin is "GRAS" ("Generally" Recognized As Safe) does not mean it is safe. Petroleum has driven America's foreign policy for many decades, and likewise, it drives domestic policy, including "health" policy. Think of it this way: paraffin is a light petroleum product, akin to kerosene, which itself is akin to diesel. Would you burn a diesel lamp in your home? If not, why not? Paraffin is "purer," but nonetheless, still petroleum. I'm not trying to be smarmy, but many assumptions about mainstream candle components (read: paraffin) are dangerous assumptions.

All fragrance oils are compositions of various synthetic chemicals, mostly petroleum-sourced. Ask for MSDSs ("Material Safety Data Sheets" - disclosure required by Federal law) for all products you use. If they won't provide them, stop using the product. If the products are "safe," there should be nothing to hide. Refusal to provide you an MSDS because "details about our products are 'trade secrets'" is obfuscation, and illegal.

Lisa & I decided when we started making candles that we would keep things as natural as possible. No paraffin, no fragrance oils. Both of us are very sensitive to certain smells and all toxins. I know various industry players insist paraffin, for example, is "safe," but so does Monsanto about its products. We have no health reaction to palm or beeswax. We will be trying pure bayberry soon. We've been hesitant to try soy due to the fact 100% of soy is either genetically-engineered or contaminated with GMO product. Soy wax itself is, I believe, not toxic when used for candles, even if GMO - but we don't want to encourage the industry. I am a certified aromatherapist, so any aromas in our candles will be 100% essential oils.

I got a similar effect with palm votives after a repour and only in the area where the repour contacted the metal. Metal is clean & seasoned. Wax from first pour is beautiful white. I will have to investigate the cause further.

That is correct; Stabilo KST supersedes CDN, and most people haven't adopted the new name yet. I'm quite happy with them; I've got a palm votive with a CDN successfully testing about three feet from me right now!

Anyone with basic understanding of physics knows it ain't happening. Hint: calculate the BTU output of the tealights and compare to the volume of the space. Most of the heat in his space is from the computer CPU - he even admits it indirectly.

We've pondered the possible health impact of burning metal vaporized into the household environment, and after discussion, we've decided to not use zinc core. There's been an effective ban on lead-core for many years, after extensive analysis of its dangers. However, while zinc is nowhere near as toxic as lead, does zinc-core wick present any impact to those inhaling its fumes, especially those with respiratory ailments? I'm aware of "Metal Fume Fever," which is caused by, among other things, extensive exposure to Zinc Oxide fumes. An older name for those working extensively with zinc casting, welding or galvanizing is "Zinc Shakes." Hence, we're focusing on all-cotton, cotton-hemp, and cotton-paper, in accordance with the Precautionary Principle. Good results have come for us with the ECO, CSN, & CDN series, and square braid & hemp-core.

I believe a customer has a right to full disclosure. I say that as both a customer, and as a producer of items for others' consumption. If someone wants to try to copy me, I appreciate the flattery. But they may also very well just want to know what they're exposing themselves to. All of us as customers expect to know what is in a package of food; the same should go for craft products. If you make a quality product with your unique artistry of design & composition, you should have no concern about imitation.

The beeswax I used for my batch of votives I'm having quite the time wicking is "old" - it sat as a block in a paper bag for at least a decade, though inside our home. "Age" came to my mind as a possible cause of my wicking difficulties. I don't know if this is an erroneous assumption, or not. Perhaps its moisture content changed, or it just wasn't filtered well by the producer. I would imagine most waxes, if kept tightly sealed (in plastic or an airtight container) and not exposed to environmental extremes (i.e., kept inside your home), will last years if not decades.

I have a fresh bag of CS-sourced yellow BW pellets, and I like the smell. Haven't done anything with it yet, though.

I have found that this current batch are very particular, and I've had to go up significantly in size. I will be trying beeswax sourced elsewhere soon, and will try 3/0 then, as well. Thanks!

If at all possible, get yourself a "sample" kit of square braid, as I've found that my beeswax votives are very particular, and don't work well with the size wicks others have had good success with.

Thank you all, for your comments & recommendations. I'll get some 2/0 and try it.

American retail culture emphasizes brand image over substance. Most of the garden-variety candles you'll see in corporate retail stores fit this; cheap-quality wax, cheap-quality additives, machine-made and untouched by human hands, with fancy packaging. Unfortunately, the American consumer has fallen for the brand image allure and sometimes fails to notice the lack of value inherent.

Many good ideas/recommendations, but ultimately it must be a combination of how you like it and how your actual customers like it. I have no objections to your original labels, but "play" around with them with some of the suggestions side-by-side.

I'll second that. Any of the My Weigh products are great...and OWK offers great customer service!

Hello all, a newbie to both candlemaking and the forum here! We are having quite the time with our yellow Beeswax votives. We've tried ECO-2, ECO-4, and Hemp 838, but all of them tunnel, and two of them extinguish themselves. I've seen all three "recommended," but they just aren't working for us. We've let our test candles burn for a couple of hours, with no change. Do y'all have any recommendations for us? Perhaps there is something wrong with the wax? I presume we need a hotter/thicker wick if the wax is OK. A larger ECO or Hemp wick, or perhaps something different altogether. Thank you much!