PhoenixFyre

I am so bummed for all the trouble you are going through and wish I could help, but I'm also thankful for your post. I decided to try out 4786 because of the many positive comments about it on this board and my closest option was Lonestar. I've never experienced what you did with the yellow discoloration or the condensation, but you are dead on when you say Lonestar's 4786 can't be used for tarts. I thought I was losing my mind and that this wax just didn't like me because for the life of me I could not get it to perform by itself or in a blend like I thought it would perform. I was about to give up on it and move on to something else. I never stopped to think that I should try a different vendor's 4786. Last I checked, Bulk Apothecary, Aztec, and Bitter Creek South all carry 4786, so maybe when Peak gets some back in stock I'll try Peak's and compare it to the other vendors as well.

I haven't been a part of this forum family for very long, but in the time I've been here, Vicky was one of the constants I loved. I echo what others have said...she truly seemed to be a woman who could do it all and do it amazingly well. I may not be able to pick out a favorite post of hers, as Scented suggested, but I do know that I always felt assured that any advice she gave was sound and that any project she posted would be wonderful.

My family will keep her family in our prayers, and since I never got a chance to thank Vicky for all her hard work with this board, I thank everyone in advance who will carry on her legacy.

16 minutes ago, Scented said:

Just whistle ... that one that men leering at women give ... that Early Grey Apple (is on top, right?) is beautiful beyond beauty. 

I really like the tops on your other and therefore ...

 

IS IT TIME TO CUT YET??? 

Lol...I know, right! Must see the cut, must see the cut!

3 hours ago, Moonstar said:

* Bonfire bliss : Not sure what I was expecting but I honestly don't get a bonfire smell in the least - weird - Im sure it'll change in wax ?? Its nice though OOB 

 

Sea Kelp ; Nice  clean - ocean -y scent  -

Bonfire Bliss threw me for a loop too. I also wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what it ended up being. I know the description mentions a sweet element to it, but I guess I was hoping for more of a "bonfire" note. All it smells to me OOB is sweet, and that sweet has been pretty prominent in the couple of mixes I've done with it. I got it because of great reviews but don't think I'll buy it again unless I can figure out a good blend for it.

I like Sea Kelp too. It smells green to me. I like it. Currently trying to figure out a good blend for it.

They've been out of Coconut Lime Verbena for some months now. I wanted CLV and Blackberry Sage a few months ago and both were out of stock. They told me they'd be in stock in two weeks. About 3-4 weeks later, I got an email that Blackberry Sage was back in stock but nothing yet for CLV.

To piggyback on this question about mushrooms, do those of you who are experienced and sell your candles find mushrooms acceptable at all? I have been testing for over a year (with different paraffins) and always end up with either soot or mushrooming (or both), depending on the wick I use. I have decided to continue working with the wicks that mushroom rather than the ones that soot excessively. But should I settle? Is it inevitable that there will be something "imperfect" about the candle...or do I need to just keep testing my system until I get it without mushrooms, soot, etc.? Is that even possible?

49 minutes ago, wthomas57 said:

So since we cant replicate the magic Yankee does with their burns somehow, I am trying my best to find the acceptable range of mushrooming for customers to be ok with for their average burn times.

I've never tried a Yankee candle so I don't know how they burn, but I feel stuck at this same point in my testing --- figuring out what people will be happy with. I feel like I'm only getting acceptable results when I'd rather be getting outstanding results.

So purty!

2 hours ago, Moonstar said:

PhoenixFyre ... so what your saying is that the Scentsy 25 watt bulb type with the glass cup is most optimal for testing tarts ? Glad you got this figured 

out . I guess I just never thought different melters yielded different results. Thanks for posting this  

Nope...I don't have a Scentsy warmer. Just saying I need to get one. I currently have a couple of ceramic tealight warmers and a bulb warmer with a metal dish that I test my melts in right now. I want to get a Scentsy warmer as well as other warmers just because it never hurts to see what melts do in each one.

I knew from reading this forum, though, that many people believe a 25w bulb to be good for bulb warmers because it won't burn off the scent as fast as a higher wattage...like in my case with a 60w, lol. I was saying I could see the difference in my bulb warmer with the 25w bulb versus the 60w bulb that I accidentally had in there.

8 hours ago, Darbla said:

Whew, I'm glad you didn't have a fire!  That's a lot of wattage on a small oil warmer.

 

 

I know! Trust me, my mind raced right after I discovered the wattage about what could have happened and my rear is bruised from how many times I kicked myself for being so careless and assuming the bulb was a lower wattage than it was. Glad God was looking out for my family.

I could definitely tell the difference today using a 25w bulb. Hopefully I can get on track now with my melt testing. Got to get a Scentsy warmer, too, to test my melts.

This was definitely a good shock to the system to remind me to be careful and to check EVERYTHING, lol.

I'm just slapping my forehead because I have read on this forum so many times about using a 25w bulb. When I first bought the warmer, I put in a little bulb I had around the house. I didn't realize little bulbs like that even came in 60w, lol. Lesson learned.

...me! So I've been going mad trying to figure out what in the world is wrong with my melts. I've tried so many combos, so many fragrance loads, pouring temps...you name it. No matter what I did, the scent would only last for 6 to 8 hours total in my light bulb warmer. In my tealight warmers, the melts would do a bit better, but not in my bulb warmer.

So today, I finally decided enough was enough. It had to be the warmer, so I go to pull it apart and see what's happening. Wouldn't you know it...there was a 60 watt bulb in the warmer! I didn't know whether to cry from having wasted so much time testing with that bulb or laugh because it might mean my melts were okay after all.

Good grief.

2 hours ago, debratant said:

I love it....I do see a winged creature though!!  This is how most of mine come out....my first one looked like a moth!  But...I see an exotic bird....if you look at the bar 

as an individual...I kinda see a peacock!

Oooo, peacock! Didn't see that until you said it. I drove myself crazy staring at it, hoping to see a butterfly...and it kept morphing into weird creatures. Then I felt like they were staring at me whenever I walked by the, so I gave up and just decided it was a swirled blob. It's cool, though. Motivates me to try again!

Thanks again all!

I had showed this soap to my husband when I first cut it, and he gave me one of those it-looks-nice-because-I-love-you smiles. Today, I showed him a butterfly-swirled soap I purchased from another soaper and he said, "Wow, that looks good!" Then I told him it wasn't mine...at least he had the decency to look sheepish. Time to practice more!

If you have extra sniffies, I'd love one sent with my Tonic package!

You make me want to get back in there and make more soap! Love them

Thank you!

My first attempt at making some swirls! This is the 8th batch of CP soap I've done and I finally said heck with it, I'm trying a swirl, lol. I've done a few in-the-pot swirls, but this was the first time trying something like a butterfly swirl (although no butterflies made an appearance in this loaf, ha-ha). I still think it came out interesting, though. Smells lov-er-ly...scented it with Elderflower from Mad Oils and Ylang Ylang from New Directions. The micas are all Mad Oils micas...Satin Penny, 3 Olive Martini, and Grape Nehi.

I'm also doing an extra happy dance over here because a soap supplier opened up just a few cities away from me! When Peak closed down their Colorado warehouse, costs for shipping of all my candle supplies went up for me, so I'm happy that I can now get soaping supplies locally to cushion that extra cost burden. Woot-woot.

7 hours ago, OldGlory said:

I make the large 6 oz clamshells for my wholesale client, and I had a few that the top layer lifted off. (I do not use the small size clamshell.)

I find that if I fill the cavities about half way, let them harden, then overpour to fill the rest of the way that I do not get the top layer lifting off. I do this because the wax sinks especially in the 2 middle cavities. It works well for me.

I'll have to try that. Mine sink in all the cavities and I'm using the smaller clamshell, but this may work! Thanks for the help!!

28 minutes ago, ChrisR said:

Are you heating the second pour 10 degrees higher than the first pour?  This will definitely help the 2 adhere. 

Yep, always have.

Well, you're not alone. This has all of a sudden started happening to me, too. I purposely don't overfill my clamshells because I know the wax combo I use will need a second pour. It's never happened before, even with this wax combo, but within the last month the second pour layer completely separates off the top when I go to break pieces out. I'm wondering if the change in temperature outside is messing with the process. I may just have to play with changing my mixture so I don't have to do the second pour or just embrace the dips in each cavity from the wax contracting.

I just got some new oils and butters delivered, so I'm going to play this weekend with CP. I've done six batches so far and am absolutely loving it. I also got in a 12-bar mold, so I'm going to experiment with doing single-oil and single-butter bars so I can learn what each oil/butter does, how they feel/look by themselves, etc.

Also got some new FOs to try out in wax. It's been over a year since I started candles and I'm STILL testing, lol, trying to figure out which combo for candles and melts I like the best. I can't seem to get my melts to last more than 8-9 hours before they fade, so still working on that. I finally bit the bullet and got some zinc wick sample packs. I've always liked HTPs and really wanted them to work, but no matter what I do I get soot and just can't stand it. However, I also can't stand the mushrooms from the zincs...so I feel like I'm going to have to decide which is the lesser of the two evils, lol.

And we're just going to try and stay cool here. Looks like we're headed for a weekend of temps around 113, so AC will definitely be on.

TAH -- You just did give back because, as a newbie soaper (6 batches of CP under my belt), I appreciate the tips and experience you just shared. I hope you have great love and joy in painting and enjoy your time doing that. And I second everything you said about this forum. The people here are wonderfully generous and I hope, like you, that I too can give back one day. Take care and be happy in all you do!

I have only made a few batches so far, but I make sure to carve out an ample amount of time for myself to soap...time when I know my kids and husband and pets won't be around my soaping area or need anything while I'm busy. I also make sure I have my recipe written down and double check my calculations before I start, both by hand (just because I like figuring out the math) and through a soap calculator online (to make sure my math was right ). I do goggles, a mask, and long sleeves/pants/footwear too.

I started with liquid dyes from Peak and Candlescience. Felt like trying something different, so I tried the dye chips from Maple Street. No matter what temp I added them or how long they melted in the wax, unfortunately they always left streaks and spots of color on the bottom of my candles and melts. Personally I didn't like the way it looked, so I've decided to stay with the liquid dyes from Peak and Candlescience. Never have had a problem with those liquid dyes, and as everyone has pointed out, they last a long time.

Those are so fabulous! I would have those all over my house...right up my alley. Just gorgeous!