Asher

I just use the Yaley Premium wax (aka Waxcellent Q19, imported from Iceland), which is what I've used for years now (I once tried a "votive wax" and I didn't like it very much). When I look at your photos that middle one has some bands on it that did show up on the bottom 1/3 of mine. I had the right idea, apparently. I don't know...I seem to be good at the mottle, so perhaps I need to stick with that. I currently don't have "zapping" capabilities. Perhaps there will be a shiny new heat gun showing up in a stocking a few weeks from now. P.S. Your wicks are curly...are these some kind of new "piglet tail" wicks I have yet to hear about?

Problem is...if I poured at 150 my wax would be partially solid. I don't think it is your typical votive wax, since I haven't heard about anyone on earth pouring votives at 200 degrees like me. If the 10 degree rule is a universal rule I can only go down to 158. Do you guys have photos of your frosted votives? I'd like to see what one is supposed to look like.

Wow...a pepper expert as well. Actually, the "white pepper" scent from Lone Star is apparently something that has nothing to do with any kind of pepper: "Top notes of orange, tangerine, and green ivy and middle notes of cinnamon bark, clove and jasmine blend into a base of birch wood, cedar, and musk." Regardless, it may very well be a wick clogger. "Vermont Maple Syrup" sounds like it could be a viscous fragrance oil...and it is. FP of >200 and it contains vanilla as well. Gotta be a correlation between FP and wick size....just gotta.

My molds tend to be naturally cool, owing to the fact that I keep the house on the cool side. I was actually wondering if I might need to warm them up a bit, though I may have to wait for a heat gun to arrive in the Christmas stocking this year.

Sounds like adhesion problems. I've had tops that looked like they were snapped into place...as if they weren't even part of the rest of the candle. I let my first pour sit for 60 minutes (or until I start seeing the first sign of mottling) and then do the second pour. I tend to do both pours at the same temperature (200 for my wax). For me, the problems arise when the first pour has cooled too much.

How do you guys make wax to look like desserts? These are very impressive to me, but you got me hungry for chocolate shakes now

The top of the candle was 'bubble city', so even if I could get the sides to look frosted the top might look pretty bad. Oh, well...I guess that's why we experiment. The nice thing with votives is that they don't take terribly long to make and can easily be recycled. Now that I have wick pins I don't need to destroy a wick in the process.

I know that vanilla tends to be a more viscous fragrance oil. Lone Star Candle Supply shows an FP of >200 for all of their vanilla-based scents. That supports your theory. Also, I found a scent called White Pepper that has a flash point of >212. If this requires wicking up then I'd say you certainly do have something there. P.S. What the heck is a white pepper, anyway?

So, I guess I did a "lukewarm pour" then. I think I just got too impatient waiting for the wax to cool last night I may attempt 158, though 165 was already giving me issues in such a small mold. Thanks a bunch!

I don't know if anyone here has tried a frosted votive. This tends to be a more pillar-friendly forum, so I'm not sure if there are some success stories about frosted votives. I usually pour votives at 200 (my wax has MP of 148). Last night, I poured a votive at 165. The bottom third came out looking somewhat frosted, but the top 2/3 was mottled and bubble-ridden. I don't have a photo, but I can tell you that votive will be returned to the pot and recycled.

Hi there... I noticed an e-mail on there now: bonnie@candlesupplyplace.com If they have any inventory left over you could get some good prices. Goodness, I could get some good prices, too I have tried fragrance oils from Lone Star and Peak's. I have also heard good things about Wick Your Wax scents. You may have to find a new favorite. There are many options, but I'm sure you'll find a worthy replacement. P.S. By the way, "Candle Supply Place" sure didn't try hard to come up with a name for their company, did they?

The original message was edited to include the part about burn victims and skin grafting. Initially, drskin mentioned eczema and other skin problems when topofmurrayhill posted his reply. I'm sure he wasn't intending to offend anyone or make light of anyone's infirmities. The link that was provided earlier spoke of a purely recreational oil candle, which is what invoked the response. I'm sorry drskin....I hope you can still find helpful information on your topic. Those of us who posted here have apparently not heard of this form of therapy before and were not aware of the applications of massage oil candles in the field of medicine. This tends to be a jovial bunch here, never short on laughs and joking around, but no one meant to detract from the seriousness of your inquiry.

I put a dish towel on my counter as a bit of cushioning and then lightly bang the top of the wick pin on it. That should knock the candle loose from the mold without doing damage to either the counter or the wick pin (or the candle). You only need to loosen the pin, and then you can grab the base and slowly guide it out. You will need to take care not to break off part of the votive lip. I have done this a few times

Actually, there is such a thing as a massage oil candle. If you do a search online for this you will find a few of them. The one I found was composed of soy and coconut oil. I'm not exactly sure about the application of such a product, but seems to generally be reserved for romantic evenings with the spouse.

I started using the Peaks liquid dyes for the first time a few weeks ago, but have had no issue with the other batches. I've gotten the "fuel" smell while using dye blocks as well. Who knows?

This color.......

They're supposed to relieve pressure build-up as the wax sets and they prevent air pockets from forming in the middle of your candles. Of course, I poked relief holes in a pillar once and it still collapsed as it was burning. So, I don't know the proper time to poke the relief holes and I'm not sure how often to do them.

Very seldom do I read one of your responses and not get tears in my eyes from laughing.

Hi Mrs. Grooms...I'm doing a lot of learning myself here these days. Can you tell me what in the world a grubby hurricane is? I assume a "hurricane" is a large pillar to be placed in a "hurricane lamp". Not sure what makes it "grubby". (SatinDucky, do YOU know what a grubby hurricane is? LOL) P.S. What part of Northern Indiana are you from, Mrs. Grooms? I lived in Valparaiso for 6 years (4 of those years as a student).

I was hoping you'd have that answer

Actually, from Trousdale County, TN...we don't even have running water here, so what do you expect? Silly, I haven't been living under a rock THAT long...LOL. I should have clarified. I've heard of soy wax...I just don't know what the constituents are. I'm not a vegetarian, so I've never touched anything with soy in it and don't quite understand how it is incorporated into wax. I guess I'm so partial to paraffin that I haven't taken the time to actually study soy wax. As for the quadruple-scented candles....sound interesting. I wonder if I should buy one from you and one from 'Victoria" and compare them P.S. Actually living in Chattanooga, TN...a bit more progressive than Trousdale County, but it's still Tennessee.

That's about 180°F. I don't know if you're trying to make a pillar or votives, but I tend to get pitted surfaces with votives if I pour too quickly. Sometimes, though, I'll get the bubbles even if everything else is constant. My molds tends to be quite cold at times, so that may congeal the wax on the outside more quickly and trap bubbles. You can always try to pour at a higher temp (by 5 to 10 degrees), which is 85°C to 88°C for you.

I had come across this site months ago and wonder if anyone has ever tried some of her candles: http://www.candlesbyvictoria.com/ They certainly sound impressive. She uses a Soy Paraffin wax and apparently just inundates each candle with scent (hence the description triple-scented). Heck, I don't even know what a soy wax is. I know that soy milk and soy burgers are supposed to taste like garbage, but I have no clue how there is such a thing as soy wax. Anyway, she's got some interesting reading on there about how she makes her candles...without giving away too much of course. I may decide to buy one for my mom, since I don't venture beyond making votives.

Thanks for your replies. I definitely know that more FO is not necessarily better...especially after coming out with those blueberry muffin votives that smelled like blueberries and kerosene Of course, everyone else who has smelled them immediately gets hungry and does not really notice the 'kerosene' smell. I guess that is the result of candle nose, but there was certainly a difference when I had tried 0.5 oz of the Lone Star blueberry cobbler. P.S. If you haven't tried the Peaks 'Home for the Holidays' you're missing out. It's some good stuff

Here's a description from Candle Science: http://www.candlescience.com/site/shop/wax/6006/ Apparently, it's quite popular since it looks to be out of stock.