LauraAndrews

The CDN's have a special coating designed to help with burning in natural waxes like soy and palm. Not sure about the sizes though. HTH Laura

Thanks for all the advice. As I should have known, it started out burning okay with the one wick, but after a few hours it still had "almost" gotten to the edge of the jar, and I couldn't smell anything worth squat, so I changed it back to the 2 wicks of 44-24-18 Z and now it's burning great again (like cleaning the edges of the jar off completely) and what a huge different with the scent throw the 2 wicks make! I am definitely going to stick with the 2, even though these little jars do seem to burn up pretty fast. Laura

Could somebody tell me what this smells like? Their description sounds interesting but is not really specific. Like, is it woodsy, spicy, vanilla, amberish? Is is a pleasant scent? Strong? TIA if you can help. Laura

Do any of you find that J223 burns really quickly? I made up some Christmas candles using J223, 1.5 oz. Christmas Cedar FO, in 8 oz. tureens. At first I double wicked them with 2 44-24-18 Z's. Burned very nicely and smelled awesome, but did not last very long. After testing this I thought maybe I could cut back and try just one wick. This next time I also put some imbeds on the top, and then I was not sure it would go real well, thought that's probably too small of a wick for a 4" diameter container. Oh, also I used 3 butterscotch color chips per pound of wax (still turned out a pretty light color). So as I have been testing it--it's been burning for 1 hour now--it has about a 1 inch meltpool and is almost all the way out to the edges. I was hoping that by 4 hours of the first burn it would reach the edges! I'm not sure if it's the FO (the amount, the type), the wax, or what. I'm thrilled with the way it smells and happy with the way it burns, but would like it if it could last a little longer. Any ideas? I do tend to burn them about 4 hours at a time. Laura

What scents do you think are the strongest and best smelling from Indiana Candle Supply? (to use in J223) TIA for sharing! Laura :smiley2:

"These Fragrances are used and tested by us in our own candles. We use between 9 - 12 percent by weight in our candles, this alone should tell you about the quality. Less quality Fragrance oils would kick out or bleed out from a candle at this percent. " I read this at the Taylored Concepts website. I have heard they have very good fragrance oils, but 12%? Is that really going to make a stronger, better fragranced candle? I thought that the least you can get away with the better. Also, I always have thought that if there's a problem with the fragrance oil bleeding it's an issue with the wax, not the oil itself. Do high quality fragrance oils actually bind to the wax better? I never thought about that before. Laura :smiley2:

I second Gold Canyon...these are awesome. The scent is always very strong, they burn really clean all the way to the bottom of the jar, and they do not soot much at all, IF you trim the wicks!! Laura

Have any of you used WYW in soy? Then how much does it take to get a great throw? Laura

Does anyone know why Peak's does not have their own blends of waxes listed on their site (wasn't it called Peak Performance Blend or something like that, and their 50/50 blend?). I saw before Christmas they were out of stock but now I do not see them listed anywhere. Laura

For those of you who make wickless candles, what type of wax do you think works best and why? Thanks! Laura

Well, I know this is an old post but was just reading through some and found this. Those are sooooo neat!! My question is though, how do you get the fish to stay in the middle of the candle? Laura

From my point of view, have used both soy and J223... Con-- It's a little "persnickety" or touchy to work with (have to get just right pouring temp, etc). Con-- It can be ugly (frosting, cauliflower tops, etc) and is harder to get a really nice-looking candle with. Con-- It doesn't take color as easily usually, is harder to get darker or brighter colors with in general. Con-- I think usually you end up having to use more fragrance for a good throw than with paraffin. Pro-- It burns very clean and people say it lasts longer (although I have not noticed a huge difference in either soot OR burn times). Pro-- Some people consider it to be more "natural" or "healthier" (probably true for the most part but debatable to some). Pro-- Is somewhat easier to work with if you want to melt your wax in the microwave or if you want something that cleans up easily with soap and water. Pro-- Usually comes in flakes instead of slabs. Laura :-)

I sell lots of romantic gifts on my gift basket website and have considered adding candles, so just today was looking through some scents that I thought might be good and here's some ideas I came up with that have not been mentioned already: Vanilla Amber - Peak's Dark Chocolate Solstice - FO Heaven Rose Jasmine - BCN Tiger Eyes - BCN Cherish - JS Raspberry Chocolate Truffle - JS Romantic - JS Sensual - JS Passionate Purple (maybe?) - JS Choc. Covered Strawberries - FO Heaven Pure Indulgence - Daystar Raspberry and White Roses - Daystar Ambra de Nepal - Daystar Amour de Cocoa - Daystar Arabie - Daystar Secrets of India - Daystar Also Daystar Serendipitous, Shampure, Thai-Tini, Un Bois Vanille There are so many to choose from...I would be interested in knowing some of people's favorites or best sellers! Laura

I feel kind of stupid asking about this but I'm new, have seen stupider questions, so will just ask! Do you have any tips for cleaning up pour pots when using paraffin? I have only used soy, and cleanup was so simple and easy, just wash it out with soap and water. Is it a lot messier or difficult to clean things up when using wax that's not water soluble like soy is? Thanks.

Well, actually I was hoping it was a nice mixture of the scents described and not heavy on the cedar, so sounds great. Thanks for your opinion! I just ordered it yesterday, and it's supposed to get here tomorrow! I didn't expect it to get here so fast. This will be my first time using J223 too...have only tried soy but have not found one I especially like so hope this might be a little simpler. We'll see! Laura

Oh, also I thought of something else. Do you find you can you get by with using 1 oz. per pound of wax? I'm using J223.

I'm glad to hear somebody likes it. I'm using mine for Christmas presents so hopefully most will like! I wanted to order everything from one place so had to choose one from CandleScience. It sounds like a really nice scent and something a little different. Would you say you smell the fruits and berries more or the cedar? What color did you make yours? I chose a butterscotch color. Laura

Thanks! Well, I did not want to test something new on my Christmas presents so I just bought some J223 and will go with something more goof-proof. The icicle wax will be my next experiment. Hope you can post some pics! Laura

Have any of you ever smelled this? It's new. Laura

What size wicks (double wicks preferred) would you recommend as the best to start testing with for an 8 oz. tureen jar using IGI 4630 Harmony Blend with an Apple Jack 'n Peel scent? Also with this type of jar, if what I want is a very strong scent throw, do you think it might be better to choose J223 or J50? (like would the Harmony Blend tend to smoke or soot?) I was thinking that in a wide mouth jar like that it might be less likely. I have not used any of these yet so am not exactly sure where to start. I was thinking either 44-32-18 zinc? or possibly 44-24-18? Thanks if you can offer any suggestions! Laura

Chickie, Did you ever get to test your crystal/icicle wax yet? I asked the supplier about this wax, and she said it is definitely just a one pour wax, and she also said it will hold up to 2 oz. of FO per pound and has an awesome scent throw. That sounds great! But I was wondering about how the melt pool would be with such a hard wax, and she recommended 5" 60-44-18" zinc wicks for 8 oz. jelly jars so it sounds like it hard to burn. Guess the only way to find out is to try it but I always appreciate being able to read about other people's experiences first! Laura

Hmmm...I don't know if this is the same or not, but that candle sure is pretty! That's another I think I'm going to have to try!

Are any of you familiar with this new wax from IGI, "EZ Veg/Palm Wax, Glass Glow Blend R2322A Candle Wax"? http://www.igiwax.com/R2322A%20TIS.pdf It sounds interesting but I have not been able to find anything else about it except the very little that is at their website, basically a container wax that mimics the look of marble and turns translucent when it is burning, "resulting in a glowing effect."

Yes, that's another thing too. The kit is expensive. $250--yikes! Like I mentioned previously, I've been trying to make up my mind about joining. I guess I see this more as that you're paying this extra cost because you are "buying a business package" and joining the company--for example, it includes your website for 6 months, business materials, etc. also. I think also a good portion of the startup cost goes to pay the bonuses of the people above you. A waste of money if you do not want to build a business, worth it most likely if in turn you can do the same thing and earn bonuses of your own, and if the people above you take you by the hand and help train, mentor, and teach you. If you just want to get a kit to make candles as a hobby, I agree, that would be not be the cheapest way to go. But after that the products do not seem overly expensive.

I am considering joining CandleWealth but am not 100% sure about it yet...I signed up as a free associate for a month, but need to decide if I can order what I would need to monthly. I've been reading here at Candle Tech and am learning so much! I'm disappointed to read mostly negative comments about CW so far and it makes me have second thoughts. The big negatives seem to be 1) MLM is a big turn-off to some people, and 2) they go way overboard on bashing paraffin, and 3) you have to commit to buying about $50 worth of stuff every month (but that might be a motivation to keep busy too). Here are the aspects about it that really appeal to me, and I'm just wondering if anyone has any other comments about this? I would like to make a good decision and not just jump on the bandwagon because they make it sound so great and profitable and fun. 1. I have tried their NV soy wax and some of their fragrance oils and thought my candles turned out really great (smelled awesome, looked really nice, and burned very clean). It holds up to 1-1/2 oz. of fragrance oil well, seems to be easy to work. Have any of you tried their wax? I would be curious to know how it compares to some others. 2. Their prices are not outrageous, really pretty average for good quality supplies I thought as I've compared. About 1.50/lb for wax and 7.25-8.00 for 4 oz. fragrance oil. 3. For me, MLM seems to be something that people either absolutely detest or they love. I see it as a positive because it gives you an opportunity to earn residual income and multiple streams of it. I like the aspect of helping others succeed and teaching others to be successful, and in turn being more successful yourself. 4. I don't like that they don't have many choices for FOs, but I do believe their scents are soy based and they seem to be very high quality. 5. The supplies they offer have already been extensively tested as far as the combination of wicks, wax, fragrance oils, etc. It makes sense to me this could really help to save a lot of time and expense for people just starting out in candlemaking. 6. They really spend a lot of time teaching their people how to effectively market the candles they learn to make through craft shows, home parties, fundraisers for example. You have a chance to learn a lot from people who are out there successfully doing these things--what mistakes not to make, pointers, tips, helpful advice, etc. 7. As far as "why train people to make candles who are going to be your competitors?", I see their emphasis being that there is room for everyone to have "a little piece of the pie." Their program gives people room to have creativity and not just make the exact same products. I've read negative things about their "InstaCandles" and am not sure what to think about that. They do tell you to microwave the wax, but lots of other soy candle kits from reputable companies give you that as an option as well. Actually making one of these InstaCandles what what got me interested in candlemaking in the first place. The candle I made was was so nice...it was really fun to make...seemed to have good quality ingredients and clear directions for making it. It made me REALLY interested in wanting to learn more and make more of them! So then I went and bought from other soy candle kits from other companies to compare (at Wix End and on eBay). The InstaCandles are just like mini soy candle kits to get people interested, which I think is a neat idea. So those are my thoughts...will be having to make up my mind...are these worthwhile positive aspects to this company or am I being naive? Thanks!