Asher

Boy, I've never had my own thread before. I'm not sure what to say :rolleyes2 I forgot to include in my note that I am also as useful as chopped liver when it comes to questions about soap. As for your question, though, I'd say you're better off with n&q soap from VTR.

That's them for sure. Okay, so I guess I have paraflint and didn't even know it

I have never used Candlewic, so I didn't contribute to the thread that was titled, "Candlewic is bad". I guess the general rule is to find a company you like and stick with them. Forgive me for not being hip, but what is a "phone peep"?

Up here in Tennessee we call it, "I'm joking with you" You thought I was serious??? Oh, come on, now...I'm not like that.

Gotta get me one of those presto pots. And a heat gun. Seems like I'm missing out on a lot by not having either of these. I ordered some stearic acid recently and that seems to work just fine for me. Honestly, I'm not even sure that what I got at the craft store was in fact a bag of translucent crystals. They resemble something like tiny pearls. The bag didn't actually say what they were (just something generic like, "wax additive"), but they sure looked like the stuff in other nearby bags that was labelled "translucent crystals".

Oh....I thought I was just special.

Why do you get a special thread? Out of all the people on the board you were singled out to answer the question. I guess the rest of us are chopped liver (NOTE: Well, when it comes to questions about pillars or hurricanes or soaked bears or taper candles or beeswax candles or dessert candles I really am no more useful than a pile of chopped liver )

I picked up a bag of translucent crystals at the craft store thinking it was stearic acid. Michael's had them in the wrong place, and I didn't know any better. From what I can tell the crystals are useless. I can't even melt the stupid things...even in 210-degree wax. The instructions say to melt them at 180, but they just sit at the bottom of the wax.

Tell it like it is However, I'm guessing we'd get in trouble for expressing any negative experiences about Peaks, since they are helping to sponsor this very site. I used them once before and they gave me a free jar of fragrance oil. Before I came to this site I had never heard of them. So many candle supply companies out there.

Well, they sure berated the stuffing out of Candlewic on this board. I didn't see what the original post said now that is has been edited, but I have used Lone Star, Peaks and Early American Candle Supply...and I have had positive experiences with them.

Actually, I have considered selling my candles at church as a fundraiser. I certainly wouldn't consider it a waste of time or resources if I can help someone with the proceeds. The issue here is that you've got some ad on e-bay, and it's difficult to figure out if it is legitimate (from what I gather, that particular ad may not be).

So, I'm guessing 1/2 pound of stearic acid per pound of wax, then? That should make 'em REALLY frosty.

For those who will ask this question.... 82°C = 180°F 85°C = 185°F

It seems the pillar turf is already very crowded. I don't think you'd miss me. However, the votive turf is kind of lonely these days. Come on over...the water's fine.

Unfortunately, at least for me, the color of the liquid wax has looked exactly how I wanted it many times....and then when it sets the color is off. I only recently started using the liquid dyes. At least with those you can control the amounts better and it's easy to repeat the colors (i.e. just count out the drops, instead of trying to figure out how much dye block was used). I don't own a scale of any kind so I can't even weigh the amounts. P.S. 7Angela7 - Your Chargers are on a roll, but they're in that tough AFC West division (not counting the Raiders, of course). I'm hoping Peyton and the Colts can go 16-0.

I mixed red and brown for some cedar candles. I didn't use a whole lot of either color, but probably added a bit more brown than red. It was a lighter version of the sides of the chest....actually, the top here is almost the identical color of the candles:

You could go with the color of the McDonald's hot apple pie I guess that's tan.

Being partial to mottling myself, these are certainly very nice. This is one of the many reasons I stick to the votives. You guys have the pillars covered...no need for me to even attempt them By the way, your camera actually takes close-ups in focus (unlike a particular camera with which I am well acquainted ). Looks like you also have a candle photography studio there as well. Is that a gray cloth draped in the background? It certainly brings out the color of the candles nicely. Heck, I take candle photos on my desk with papers and pens laying around. Not nearly as elegant or photogenic. I'll have to send you some candles just so you can take the photos for me.

Thank you...I think the second one is a tad less fuzzy. This camera just doesn't like to focus on objects that are less than 3 feet away. The surface of that candle is actually quite smooth despite the plethora of imperfections. However, the dark area near the bottom is rough. Does anyone know why the "frosting" stayed in the bottom half of the candle? In the first two failed attempts there was just a thin layer of frost near the bottom. Now, if I could just get the frost to cover the entire candle...I wonder if it's possible with votives.

Thanks guys...here is a slightly better photo (this is the second incarnation of the initial 'complete failure', by the way): I used burning tires FO from O'Hurleys.

Gee, I hope you aren't referring to any of mine:p I tend to heat up and wipe out. The other option is to use some citrus-based wax remover. Or, I combine these steps together to make it REALLY clean.

Problem is, I only did that one. Normally, I'll do a batch of 8 votives at one time. Because I was so close to the MP I was afraid that by the time I got to the 8th one the wax would be congealing like crazy. Is this an issue for anyone? Is there a general rule for how quickly wax cools? All in all, I think the one above came out relatively fine. Thanks for the comment.

No one has been able to answer your question yet. I don't work with jars so I can't help, but I wanted to bump up the topic for you

Well, this was my third try at making a frosted votive and it actually doesn't look like absolute garbage (or does it?). Granted, there is always room for improvement. I poured at 160 (12 degrees above MP) and did not cool the mold. Sorry for the fuzzy picture. My digital camera is ancient and apparently doesn't like close-ups.

Ahh, we tried TCM. Back to the drawing board I suppose. Good analytical thinking, though. Maybe chemistry is your thing....a candle-making chemist at that.