Jump to content

katinka

Registered Users Plus
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    282

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by katinka

    Ever tried Candle Science?

    in Fragrance Discussion

    Posted

    I have to agree with everyone that Dan at CandleScience is great. I have NEVER had a problem with them and they ship really fast - and I am all the way in South Africa. Also, they have some of the best prices on molds that I have seen around and they are really excellent quality!

    HTH:smiley2:

    Katinka

    Engineering Project.

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    I was just wondering - what if the presto were still inexpensive, or only about $5 more than a regular presto with spigot on ebay?

    Thanks for taking the time to read this.

    About $5 or so more sounds great, because sometimes you don't have somebody around that can drill the hole and fit the accessories and the ones I've seen on ebay are about $50.

    :smiley2:

    Katinka

    More muted color dyes

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I use a colour system called Kaiser Lacke. It's from Germany and basically works on 8 basic colours, a software programme and a file thicker than my arm with all the colour combinations, anything from very light, to pastels, to very intense colours. Why don't you email them and see if they have an agent in the US. I can't imagine that they don't. The website is www.kaiser-lacke.de. You need to look at the pigments for dye through.

    It is really a brilliant system, and I only pay for the pigment - the file and programme is free.

    HTH

    Katinka:smiley2:

    Engineering Project.

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    1. How long have you been making candles? About 4 months seriously.

    2. Do you do it professionally or on an amateur scale? Still very amateur, planning to go professional at some point.

    3. What equipment (ex. presto pot, professional melter) do you use to melt your wax? No presto pots here. I use something similar and about half the size though.

    4. Does your melter have a spigot on it? Yes

    5. If so, is it manually or electrically operated? Manual

    6. If it is manual, do yo uthink it would be an improvement to have an electrically operated spigot instead? Meaning you press a button and the wax comes out like with a coffee machine? Can't hurt but not absolutely needed.

    7. Have you ever burned your hand on it? Not on the spigot, the tap is insulated. On the pot yes.

    8. If so, is it made of brass? The spigot, yes. With an insulated handle.

    9. If so, would it be an improvement if the spigot were made of a material that did not get as hot? On handles that are not insulated I would imagine it could be useful. All boils down to what spigot you use.

    If you really want my opinion, what would be a great project is focussing on making a more affordable melting pot for chandlers that can melt bigger amounts of wax quickly without having to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. Something simple like a presto, but bigger. The spigot is really not that much of a hassle if installed properly. Hope the above answers help.:smiley2:

    Katinka Bezuidenhout, South Africa (for your project).

    aromacandle@telkomsa.net

    Yankee coming to South Africa!!!

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    So, now that I know that they are out of her area in Maine..I can knowingly tell her where they went...South Africa!

    Yuck, now I have to sit with them...:rolleyes2

    Anyhow, from what I understand it is an independant distributor that is going to sub distribute from the UK. I actually got one of their catalogues and it seems she is going to charge about 3 times more than what I charge for my candles (import duties alone is 20%). So I am at this point quite happy that she is coming, because it means she can help me open the market for candles a bit and then hopefully with education, a good quality candle and a variety of scents I'll still have a fair market share.

    Thanks for all the imput everyone, you've really put my mind at ease!

    Katinka

    Lowering Melting Point of Paraffin

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Ok, so here's the problem. No container wax (or blends), soywax or low melting point paraffin commercially available in this country (yip, it sucks!!). So what do I do if I want to make containers? Does anyone know of anything I can add to straight paraffin (melting point 135F) that will make a reasonable container wax to experiment with?

    ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Katinka:smiley2:

    Yankee coming to South Africa!!!

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Hi all.

    I just found out Yankee will be starting distribution in South Africa soon! I have read a couple of things about them on this board, but my question is this: In your opinion, what is their strengths / weaknesses? I know this might sound silly to some, but I'd like to get a better idea about what I would be up against. Any comments would be appreciated, TIA!:smiley2:

    Katinka

    j-s sale need help picking f/o

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Hi

    I've tested the following and all of them has a strong hot and cold throw in straight paraffin:

    Creme de la Creme

    Caramel Cinnamon Latte (stong coffee)

    Hyacinth Chula Orchid (very nice floral)

    Raspberry Vanilla Creme (more raspberry with just the right amount of vanilla)

    Citrus Linen H20 (not my personal favourite)

    Perfect Pear (not a straight pear, more sophisticated)

    Mojito Cocktail (very complex, still can't decide if I like it or not)

    HTH

    Katinka

    Impromptu paraffin bath for my hands!

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Hi all,

    I am a beauty therapist by training. The wax used for salon treatments have a relatively low melting point, but it still gets damn hot if you overheat it. As a treatment in the salon we normally do the following: scrub and clean with soap, exfoliate (any scrub would do, even salt with oil), shape nails, rub some oil into the cuticles, do massage with any emolient cream (or shea butter or oil), apply wax, wrap hands in plastic bags and then put either in a mitten or wrap with a towel to keep the heat in. This is so easy you could do it at home!! I would probably only apply the wax only when it gets slushy and make sure that my hands is preheated by rubbing them together so that the wax does not feel too hot, but since soy has a lower melting point than paraffin, maybe that is a better option.

    Fern, definitely try using a thick barrier cream (a little shea butter would be perfect), wrap them in plastic and then a towel and leave on for about 20 minutes. After doing this a couple of nights (if your hands are really dry), you should have no problem at all.

    HTH, sorry for the long post...:rolleyes2

    Wax is a sponge right?

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    O, this is very interesting - I've wondered about the same things. Along the same lines, what about adding something a bit more solid, say like avocado butter or shea butter? I checked the MP - it is about 10* (celcius) lower than that of soy. Wouldn't this mix better than oil with the wax?

    Just wondering...

    Katinka

    Does no one have good customer service anymore? LONG RANT!

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Hi all

    I just wanted to say thank you for the feedback on supplier service. I realise it is sometimes difficult and people are sometimes hesitant to name companies, but to put it in perspective for you guys (girls...) there are some of us in other countries who order from the US and the only thing we have to go by is recommendations (good or bad). Because our shipping doubles our cost, just one mistake with a supplier ends up costing a heck of a lot. So mainly, I just wanted to say thanks for the feedback - it has alot of value.:smiley2:

    Katinka

    Wick has big black stuff on top

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    Hi

    Like Michael said, if your using zinc cored wicks or even paper core - this is the nature of the beast. Some also say that it is an indication that the wick needs trimming, or could even be an incorrect ratio of additives. If you are sure that you are doing everything right, and it still does it, then you'll have to decide if you really want to use them. The frustrating thing is that sometime they do it, and sometimes not. I've used it in containers and it looked like an alien sitting on top of my wick, but I've also used smaller sizes in votives and no mushroom. If you are doing pillars, a flat wick is a good suggestion - I've only had one mushroom on me so far (and very small). By the way, I use the LX's for pillars.:smiley2:

    HTH

    Katinka

×
×
  • Create New...