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Cetacea

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Posts posted by Cetacea

    Frosted Boxes

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Bittercreek and Sunshine carry them.

    I'm not sure but check papermart look for a frosted box that is 8 X 1 5/8 X 1 5/8, its a side tuck box that holds 12 tealights..6 long stacked 2 high and is MUCH cheaper than BCN or Sunshine. I know they have the clear ones, but I didn't look for frosted.

    HTH

    Wholesale votives

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    I explained to her how much money and time goes into testing, but she didn't seem to understand. I have run across SOOOO many people over the 2 years that I have been doing this that look at me crosseyed when I talk about testing, wick size, etc... I can't remember what I thought before I made candles myself, but I can be pretty certain I had a little bit of a clue (at least I would like to think so!).

    Actually I think its because of shows like Martha and craft shows on DIY and the like where all they show is a person melting wax from leftover candles, sticking in a wick and waiting to light it. People have no idea the experimentation and testing involved in a properly made candle.

    And not to bring up a bad subject, but companies that profess that candlemaking is an easy and get rich endeavour with very little time and effort involved screw it up for those of us that started from scratch. JMO.

    Probably because there are no factory rental costs, equipment/machinery costs, employee wages to pay, etc.

    You'd think people would understand that it costs more instead of less because of the limited quantity that can be produced at one time. Like I said before, some people are just weird...LOL.

    How do you display votives & tarts at shows?

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    First off Tess...LOVE the tart display!! I finally switched to clamshells and have been wondering how I was going to display them...thanks for the idea!

    Votive boxes. I use the votive display boxes that hold 18 (although I want clear ones that hold 12) and no I don't break them down after each show. I simply close the top and leave the votives in the boxes. Then stack the boxes into a plastic bin. I don't have a problem with scent leakage (the scent going away). HTH

    Wholesale votives

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    UPDATE to all who PM'd about this: Angie contacted me yesterday and stated that she has decided to go with the .33 Walmart votives. I advised her against this and explained to her how much a handmade votive would increase the value of her business (evidently she is going to sell baby shower gifts, and include pink or blue votives). She said she didn't think it would matter all that much, and she thought it would be CHEAPER to purchase a handmade one:shocked2:.

    This whole ordeal has made me realize that people in general don't really care all that much about quality. They just look at how cheap something is, regardless if it is actually a good item or not. Oh well. Has anyone else ever experienced something like this?

    Many times sad to say....if she is really going for cheap, tell her Walgreens has a better price than Walmart....LOL!

    Why would she think a handmade candle would be cheaper than a mass produced one? I still don't understand that one.....I see customers like that all the time...they think because its hand-made it should be cheaper for some reason. LOL. People are just weird.

    Votive & Tea Light Boxes

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Might be a little late but Papermart has boxes that will fit tealights. Its 8 X 1 5/8 X 1 5/8 clear acetate tuck box. You get 50 for $14.50 or something like that.....the box will hold 12 tealights.

    I got the dimensions off a different site that wanted over $100 for 100 of the same boxes that papermart has for wayyyyyy cheaper. And MUCH cheaper than Sunshine.

    HTH.

    votives

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    I "hear" everyone talking about how the got their free wax samples. Could someone please tell me how that's possible? As someone new to candle making it would be a great way for me to try out different waxes (w/o the hubby strangling me for spending money). :P

    I know Candlewic will send you free samples if you call them and ask. You might have to pay shipping, but I never do..LOL.

    I could be wrong but I think most places will send you a sample if you call....

    HTH

    Wax is a sponge right?

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Yes wax is a sponge.

    It will absorb anything that is oil based...that means that yes it will absorb olive oil, Crisco, Veggie Oil....etc...as long as it is incorporated while the wax is in a liquid state and the oil is in a liquid state.

    I seriously doubt that it will incorporate mustard as it is mostly water. That goes for food dyes too.

    I realize this is theoretical, but considering that if you add Olive Oil, Veggie Oil and even Crisco, the eventual result will change the burning characteristics. So even though it is just theory....there doesn't seem to be a point if it will change the burning to the point where the candle will smoke like a chimney.

    Soy vs paraffin

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    NVsoy and Candle Wealth are linked together. Its a scam for candle wealth. Don't bother.

    Sorry but these people piss me off by telling new candlemakers that they are choosing everything wrong and by promoting candle wealth. Drives me nuts. I've seen posts that have nothing to do with wax and there are responses from the candle wealth people pointing them to the site. They are a pyramid scheme and are giving soy a bad name....so steer clear.

    HTH.

    Is this normal

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    I am new to candle making and I was interested in finding out whether my tests are what everyone else experiences.

    I have rewick the same filled votive holder numerous times, and I am finding that the eventual wix that I use can be wicked up three or four times up from the original suggested wick size. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong.

    Example 1: parafin wax, 1.5% vybar, 10% F & M, 1 chip colour, RRD 40, votive 2, same as before but wicked with LX 18. Votive container size 2"

    Example 2: same as above but spiced pomegranite.

    The F & M seems to be burning well with the RRD 40, but the LX 18 seems to be drowning although melting to the edge.

    The S/Pom again is burning well with the RRD 40, but unfortunately not quite out to the sides, and the LX seems to be drowned again.

    If I rewick these, this will be the fifth time I have rewicked them up. Is this normal for the final wick to be so much larger than recommended.

    Curious,

    Tracey

    More than normal. Remember that wicking charts are just suggestions to start, not absolutes.

    10% FO is quite a bit, you might try cutting back to 8% then 6% if you are not sacrificing scent throw and see how that does with your wicking. If you want to stay at 10% and you don't have seepage, then you might try a different kind of wick if you've exhausted RRD and LX's...like HTP. If you do have seepage (either an oil slick at the bottom of your pour pot or your container) then try just cutting back the amount of FO with the same size wicks, and you might get the burn you want.

    Remember also that some oils are heavier than others so that will also throw off the burning qualities.

    Its really nice to see someone new asking about testing like this. Good Luck! HTH

    Test burning tapers?

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Ok getting back on track, I roll beeswax tapers. Use 2/0 wicking and test burn from start to finish. I first measure how long the taper is, then time the burn and find out exactly how many minutes for each inch. You want to look for dripping (if its dripping decrease your wick size). If you aren't getting what you want time wise, roll tighter....LOL.

    What is important to remember with beeswax sheets is that each color batch burns differently, so you need to test for each color and each batch...unfortunately. I have NO idea why, but purple, navy, dark red and forest green burn differently from lighter colors AND burn differently from each other.

    HTH, good luck!

    More Info on Wood Wicks

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Interesting if not a "new" concept.

    I don't like the $1.5 million dollar chick's website though..gave me a headache and I couldn't get into the shopping area as it kept redirecting me to the "collections". I can only imagine how much she spent on marketing and the photo session with that model. Jeez.

    I still don't know what video you are talking about where you can hear what the wood wick sounds like.

    I have some veneer in the basement I could try....hmmmmmm......LOL.

    TeaLight Wick Issue

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Not too sure on your wax but I use J223/beeswax mix for my tealights and use LX-10 for the wick. I've tried just about every kind of tealight wick out there and got the same thing you did...either not enough burn or too much. LX's seem to work really well and I get a nice even burn on all the FO's I've tested so far.

    HTH, good luck

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