rusticwax

getting a lot of bubble on our carved candles after dipping in the glaze. What could be causing this? We dip in the basement - probably around 65 degrees or so air temp.

forgot to add...we screwed up quite a few when first starting; I bought a presto pot and melted all of these down (consistent ugly bland color!). I added some tarts we had lying around, some wood chips, and cupcake paper and we have a nice collection of fire starters now. Those did garner interest!

thanks for the replies!!

Good reads...thanks for the replies. We did our first show, and the wife had about 35-40 traditional carved, while I had around 15 lighthouses. the only interest was in the Easter bunny carvings. I did sell six lighthouses to one fellow at a yard sale of all places.

I have been visiting here for a few months, have learned a lot from you all just by reading, and really enjoy the posts - you all love your craft,aren't afraid to help others, and it shows! I have noticed that there are not too many candle carvers on here, though. I was wondering if there was any specific reason, or maybe not? Also, has anyone tried carving candles as a business, and if so, how was it? We have our first show this weekend, and hope to start building relationships. Thank all of you for the learning opportunities!

We came up with ours after beating around for something that fit us...we live in a small town, love the outdoors, and "Rustic Wax" came about.

Thanks...getting ready to carve some more....

Here are a few of our first candles. what do you think? It certainly isn't as easy as Youtube has you think...

we are having an issue with hand carving candles - after carving, we put a layer of clear wax on (same temp as the carving wax), then dip in the glaze. It seems that the clear is setting up much too quickly and leaving runs in the finished piece. I thought it was the glaze at first but it is the final dip of clear. Any suggestions? Our little adventure is on it's way and we are preparing for our first show, but I want to solve this problem before I get too frustrated. Any help is appreciated.

We are just getting started with cut and curl, and we have a 10 vat melter we just purchased. Before putting in new wax, what is the best way to ensure the vats are clean? I don't want to use chemicals because it would mess up the wax, would it not?

just started in this hobby and our mainstay is hand carved candles; I also want to make so container candles in an 8 oz tin. what wax would you recommend? we will have the parrifin for the cut and curl - 4045 EP - will this work well for fragrance throw? any and all, please chime in.

How do you know how much FO to put in a candle? If I use an 8 oz tin, how much FO would I use, on average? Also, how do you measure the FO? Thanks and the site is a godsend for people new to this great hobby/business.

Hi... My wife and I are new to the candle making hobby and I have been spending quite a bit of time reviewing posts on the site. We will be making cut and curl candles (thanks, Candles by Jean!) and probably some scented as well. We are in Southern Illinois, and are looking at turning this into a full time business in the future, but for now it will be shows and festivals. Our little hobby has a name: Rustic Wax. Hope to post some pics soon as we learn how to cut and curl. Chris and Nicole