Dustpuuppy

First off. Note that I'm not trying to be argumentative, here. You always seem to know what you're talking about. At the same time my experience seems different from what you're saying. I wanted to find out why the discrepancy. I think I did. Second comment, below.

I'm really concerned about people reading this not getting the idea. I have seen countless tests (and other people confirm this) where a pillar made with a wick tab ends up with a flaming wick sitting directly on whatever surface held the pillar. Without a candle holder, the best case scenario is an indelible stain.

I totally agree with that but some people just don't know any better.

...for people using wick pins I think the most simple and straightforward advice is just not to use a tabbed wick.If the hole at the bottom allows wax through, it will burn until every drop of wax is sucked up.

OK. I just had an epiphany on that one. I couldn't figure out quite what you were talking about. Mine always quit burning pretty much when they hit the top of the tab (at the top of the neck/shank/barrel/whatever you call it). They just went out.

Thinking back, I always ran the wick about halfway down the barrel and crimped the hell out of it. Again I was using the type that had about a 1/4 or 1/2 inch height. Kinda like the center ones, here. Maybe a little taller. Once the wick burned down to the tab, it went out.

Due to your comment, here, I'm thinking that I just stumbled into that out of pure dumb luck?

As I recall, I didn't want the wick sticking out the bottom of the tab because it might have gotten in the way when leveling the candle.

Nothing in candles is foolproof, but I don't quite understand why you had difficulties. Normal pillars with the wick molded in have never really been a problem. If they burn near the bottom, the wick tips over and drowns. It certainly has worked in every case I've seen.

I never understood it either. I know that it's SUPPOSED to work just as you say. What appeared to happen was that the wick fell over and kind of floated on top of the melt pool for a split second. This gave the effect of having a wick that was about an inch wide, or some such. I got one big POOF and there wasn't much left to analyze. First time I was just looking for the lid to the stock pot, rather than paying attention to the problem. ( At one stage of testing I always burned them inside a large stock pot, in the floor, up on a concrete block. If anything went wrong I could just put the lid on and smother it.)

The second time I caught a glimpse of what looked like the wick laying sideways on top of the melt pool. The whole flare up only lasted a second and it's kinda hard to be sure what I was seeing as I was looking through the flame. And the flame got really bright, then went out. No time for the eyes to adjust.

I never did figure it out and it's always kinda bugged the crap out of me, so if you have any ideas ?

It's kind of surprising, when you think about it, that a small candlemaker with a product for sale would make a pillar that way. You would think the marketing angle is all about handcrafting, but the technique says factory or cheap labor. And it doesn't even save time. You still have to seal the wick hole. You still have to center the other end.

My original reason for using the wick pins, themselves, was that almost all my candles had chunks in them. Using the traditional method, I always wound up with curvatures in the wick, when I put the chunks in. I was pulling the wicks so tight that I was breaking some of them. I'd still get curves in them. The chunks are what gave me the swirl effect that was what I was selling the most of. Like these.

As for selling points, 'hand crafted' wasn't my main thing. My main selling point was that mine were different. Mine pretty much burned better and smelled better than anything you could find at the local mall, plus they were unique in appearance. A lot of my sales were people that wanted a certain scent but in a different color. They'd want a rose scent but they wanted it in blue, so it would match their drapes. Things of that nature. Ever tried finding a vanilla candle in purple?

In short, I found a niche. You've got a million people out there screaming 'hand crafted'. A small percentage of those were probably at least as high in quality as what I had. Some were probably better. Most I've seen were worse crap than Wally World has.

I had something that was above average in quality and totally different in appearance.

I think our 'argument', on this point, is just an ideological difference.

Found this.

"Design-Pro 5 just uses any of the fonts installed on your machine-- just ask your IT person/people to install it (if within company policy).

As for unzipping file- you can easily do that at home with a program like 7-zip (but installing it may be a question for the IT people--- if there are any company policies/"safeguards" in place).

You don't mention OS- but any Windows versions I can think of just copy font files to Windows> Fonts on your C drive (or you can "install them" under Contraol Panel> Fonts)."

If this guy is correct, just adding the fonts to windows should add them to Avery as well.

Wicks that are molded into pillars just fall over and go out while there's still a good amount of wax at the bottom of the candle. Tabbed wicks can go on burning until nothing but the outer rim of the pillar is left.

Well...

The problem is that I've had 2 wicks fall over and NOT go out. I suddenly found myself front row at a Kiss concert, for all I could tell.

Now understand that I've never had a NORMAL problem in my life...

That's why I started with the tabs.

The ones I used had the half inch tall shank ( or there about).

I mainly started to bury them below the wax on the bottom, so they could still be leveled. Thus the tab is below the surface of the wax on the bottom. They can seldom be seen, even before the safety label is put on.

Even before using the tabs, I'd buried the wicks below the surface due to leveling and due to concerns that some fool would burn them on a bare table, without a holder under them, maybe catching the table on fire.

You're right that they're a bit cheaper, faster and easier to make with the wick pins. I don't have a problem making a few extra $$ on something when there's no real difference.

That said, I can certainly relate to being a bit of a purist and wanting to do things in a more traditional way. I like to do that with wood working... hand cut dovetails and such. But people are seldom willing to pay for it.

And I think I've taken this thread WAY off topic. Apologies to the OP.

Dangerous ? I fail to see any danger as the candle will simply extinguish it's self, when it reaches the top of the tab. Leaves a disk about a half inch thick. Never had a problem in any of my testing. Certainly safer than having a loose wick fall over into the melt pool with results that can't be predicted, IMO. I did have a problem with that, at one point.

Also, wick assemblies are too expensive and they never came stock in the lengths I wanted or wick size...etc. I just made my own.

As for what constitutes a "classy product", that's rather a mater of opinion, isn't it ?

Don't get me started again on wick tabs in pillars. Wick tabs are for containers, not for exposed candles that someone might burn to the bottom.

That's another bad thing about wick pins. It encourages people to use wick assemblies that not only make a less classy product, but a potentially dangerous one.

I always put a huge gob between the mold and the baes of the pin. Then used a ruler to center it and the putty held it there.

When I did the repour, I'd leave a little bit of room. Once the repour was cooled I removed the wick pin, then insert the wick with a tab on it, then pour just enough wax on top to cover the tab. Some of that would seep down the wick hole, sealing it from top to bottom.

I would just kick him in the jimmy, or withhold sex....those both generally work....j/k

My ex tried the witholding sex thing one time. She held out for 3 weeks.

I held out for 6 weeks.

She didn't do that any more.

A commercial plumbing supply store should have what you need, including that odd sized drill bit, if you can't find it, elsewhere.

What I'm scratching my head over is your statement that the paraffin is yellowish. That would explain the off-color candle, right? The larger the candle, the more the color will be off.

Same here.

Maybe she DID get the wax too hot in a presto pot?

I was working on the assumption that it was some tint from the FO or some color the mold had picked up.

Left over dye contamination in the pour pot ? With that thickness and the stearic it wouldn't take much.

Also, I've seen wax turn yellow with age. A little far fetched but...

That's all I can think of, right now.

The handles are riveted in. The rivets have gotten loose. A little JB Weld or Liquid steel around the rivets on the inside will probably work if your present solution doesn't.

Keep an eye on them. The rivets will eventually tear out completly. Probably when you have 4 pounds of hot wax in the pots.

Did you use putty over the wick hole ?

Sounds like a guy post. hehehehehe.

Nope. I didn't start this one.

You'll have to blame Island Wench for this one.

The reason i ask is because i saw a reciepe for crockpot liquid soap and it calls for potassium choloride.The lady says that when you add the pottasium chloride to the distilled water in the crock pot it forms pottasium hydroxide while the soap is cooking.Ever heard of this? Thanks:)

There's something wrong, there.

Like Top said, you'd have chlorine gas as a by product. If a lot of people were trying to do this, there'd be a lot fewer people making soap. The chlorine gas is deadly even in small amounts. It was used as a weapon in WWI. It turns the moisture in your lungs into hydrochloric acid.

This link verifies what Top was saying about electrolysis.

So if you short circuit your crock pot, it might work. And if you have a gas mask, you might actually survive it.

Stearic adds opacity. That's one thing that could push the color toward a kind of yellowish hue. That hue would tend to be exaggerated due to the thickness making it even more opaque.

Many FOs can have a yellow tint.

Also, if it's a silicon mold, it could have picked up some dye from a previous pour.

A touch of titanium dioxide might push the color back toward white and kill some of the yellow.

And I used to check my colors by pouring about a quarter inch or so of the wax into a votive cup. It gives me a more accurate representation of what the color will be than using a paper plate. Especially with with light , pale, pastel type colors, when I want to get it just so.

You might glue some type of fabric to some really crappy shelves.

I like felt. You might find something suitable in the discount rack at the local fabric store.

Seams and joints can be covered with cord type stuff... like they use for drapery tie backs, only the smaller version. Or maybe some type of velvet ribbon. Whatever you can find cheap.

I did this with some shelves I screwed together, made from some really cheap plywood. I put a tassel at each top corner.

Looks a lot better than it sounds like it would. And when you've just tied up your life's savings in materials for products...:rolleyes2

Just throwing out ideas.

The ones I've been too as a retailer, are quite strict in not allowing people to purchase off the floor. I'll have to contact the director to see if that is the case as well, I assume they are so I've been planning on allowing my stock to run low over Christmas.

There's a PDF of the guidelines in that link you posted. That info might be in there.

If you're not allowed to sell there, just ignore my other 2 cents above.

Just thinking out loud, here... I mentioned finding some DVD shelves in another thread that I thought would be good for a store display. They're $27 each. Maybe you could offer to give them that for a certain size order?

You could have one set up like you would set it up for a store.

I was mainly thinking it would take up some space, if you don't have enough product and display to make your area look full. You could stick a couple of stickers on it and call it a candle display and charge $50 for it... $30 with a minimum order... or some such.

Just a thought.

Always take twice as much as you think you can sell. More if possible.

You want your display as full at the end of the day, as at the beginning. People don't buy anything from half empty shelves.

If you start having bare shelves half way through the day, you might as well pack up and go home.

Plus I doubt this type of disclaimer would hold water in court if someone is suing you...

Instructions and warning labels on proper use of candles yes, and yes, liability insurance is a must...anyone selling candles without it is a fool as far as I am concerned.

It's a legal trick. By posting that disclaimer you lower your liability. If you actually get a judgment against you, it might get you a discount on the amount of the damages.

If everything else is equal, that disclaimer might be the one thing that saves your butt. It gives you a chance to say that you did everything you could to warn the idiots.

Jane, when you do the contract, if you don't feel like a bit of an asshole, either you're not a very nice person or you're not doing it right.

You have to cover your ass, in writing. Like I said before, you can always make exceptions if you feel the need, later. But you don't want to leave them in a position to take advantage of you.

Also, with everything laid out like that, nobody gets any surprises. Everything is clear going in, so there's no misunderstandings later. You're not expecting one thing and them another. Everybody is on the same page. No guess work, no assumptions.

Altitude could have an effect.

I'm guessing that the smaller the candle, the greater the effect. Or maybe more noticeable would be a better term.

It could also be a fluke.

I'd make sure before spending a year trying to re-wick everything in your line.

I do consignment with 3 and have very good luck with them. I give them 25% and they are happy with that. I don't leave to much at a time, just a good selection for time of year usually.

I used to like doing consignment. I was about to think I was the only one here that did. If you're getting a decent turnover, the money is better than with wholesale. Plus the consignment can lead to wholesale, if you'd prefer to do that.

If your products move well, the consignee will naturally want to get the extra money they'd make from buying wholesale.

Make sure to address who's responsibility it is, if your merchandise gets damaged or stolen.

To me broken candles equals sold candles but some shop owners don't see it that way.

If some kid comes in and turns over your display, dumping 100 candles in the floor and breaking them, I'd expect to be paid for 100 candles. Same for shoplifting. You can always soften your position later, if there's a situation that warrants it. But you don't want to come in and find all your stuff gone and the shopkeeper refusing to pay you for any of it. Take the hard line up front. You can do them a favor later, if need be.

I think I'd avoid the % on credit cards, too. Maybe you could up the base % to 26% or 27% ? Personally, I'd let them worry about the credit cards.

Make sure you have an understanding about product placement.

You have to remember that you have your time and materials sitting there and the shop owner really has no incentive to promote them. They have nothing invested. They make more money off of merchandise they've bought and they have their own money tied up in those products. This sometimes gets your stuff shoved into the back corner.

Until you can get the base problem sorted out, you can just hit the top of the candles once over lightly with a heat gun.

I'm not up to speed on J50 but my first guess would be that you had let the candle cool too much before the re-pour ?

Others may be more helpful.

SOunds as though you guys have to pay heaps for your insurance. We have recently taken our poilcy out for both public liability & product liability and it cam in at $275 for the year to cover us for 10 million. Cant complain about that cost for peace of mind.

Its a real sad world when you have to insure yourself against other peoples stupidity!

10 Million ?

I could burn the whole state of Alabama and not do that much damage.

When Katrina came through, it did $5 million worth of improvements, here.

DUSTPUPPY-

Size does not matter as long as you know how to use it!!!

Didn't ever learn anything!!!

Quality is always important, of course. However if the wick isn't large enough, you won't achieve satisfaction in the result. By putting in the proper time and care and using a large enough wick, satisfaction is almost certainly to be achieved for all involved.

Oh, Dustpuppy, that was funny!!! Someone is feeling feisty these days, isn't he?

It's all your fault. It's that picture of you in Cabo that got me thinking naughty things.