Tiff

Ok thanks, Ive seen this term frosting.. what is that? Is that like white areas between the jar and the wax? Tiff

Those are lovely! I love the texture look and the fact they are square. just beautiful Tiff

I went back to the mod thread of FAQ and read the melt pool post. I was speaking incorrectly about melt pool. sorry about that. Tiff

Ive noticed you guys talking about adding beeswax to insure a smooth top. Is it necessary to add another wax to the soy? do you mix it all up together or just pour a little BW on top? Does climate matter. I live in Texas so we have hot.. and hotter Thank you! I've been talking with DH about the wealth of info I've found here and he is actually a bit excited to do this with me. Tiff

Maybe Im getting *melt pool* incorrect. I lit one today and timed it. it took about 35 minutes for the top to be almost melted but there is no depth to the melted wax yet. Is meltpool when the melted wax is deep enough to measure? That must be right because the jar is not so hot I can't pick it up and move it and these burn for about 30 hours. Sorry for the confusion, I'm just learnin Tiff

Do you make a batch of something and set them somewhere in a row with dates burned and results? Im reading that its a good idea to test a day/week after making and then again later to see if the wick still was appropriate (I dont understand what changes in that time.. the wax hardness affects the wick?) I have been taking a lot closer look at these I sell and my friend sure does do something right. there are NO wetspots, the tops are even and firm, she puts glitter on top.. what does that do i wonder. The melt pool is great.. about 30 mintues for a full melt pool (am i saying that right?) there is no hang up at all and only a slight residue. all the wax melts leaving nothing but the wick tab. Shes been doing this i think 3 yrs and has a store with all sorts of sizes, bath products, body sprays you name it! Oh off topic.. anyway so Im thinking i need a good work surface to test and burn and keep records but just how many of one batch should you test? I read once about a day later and once weeks later but then I read that some 6 months down the road turned out needing a different wick. Thanks! (again lol) Tiff PS: sorry if Im being pest with my questions.

You guys are so nice here and helpful!! Since they are so close, I think I might just use that as an excuse to leave the kids at home with dad and take a gander over for some sniff action. I know that foodtown has a canning section Im going to go look over there because our local super HEB only has regular jars and nothing else. no other supplies at all. I love walmart so I will check them out too. Anyway I feel armed with good knowlege and I feel if I plan this right I can make wise choices to minimize frustrations although I fully understand those are a given with testing ANYTHING new Tiff

it appears bcs does not carry widemouth mason jars. Does anyone use widemouth and if so, where can I find them decently priced? Tiff

budgie, yes its BCS Its in stafford Tx. Glad to know its the one you felt had good scents Tiff

Its a ease off my mind to know this is what seems to be, a reputable company. At least known Looking at shipping costs, Im glad i live close LOL I will need to go through their list. Im such a sucker for the spice scents but I guess in all fairness i should make something OTHER than cinnabun, pumpkin, apple lol. I also know they have tagged ones that they tested and deemed good for their soy waxes. Thanks ya'll! Ill check about their showroom... ok i looked and this is what it says: I guess ill have to go snif then come home to place the order then go back to pick it up. oh well still mucho cheaper than having it shipped We would like to welcome you to stop by our new showroom! Samples of all of our fragrances are on display for your sniffing pleasure! We also have a sample vial of each of the fragrances from Bitter Creek North in Wisconsin here for sniffing as well! See our assortment of Glassware, Tins, Molds. Labels, Closeouts and many other items on display! NOTE: This is not a store, it is only a showroom. We are a mail-order warehouse and cannot take walk-in orders! Please call in your order at least a day in advance, and we will contact you to let you know when it is ready for pick up. Thank You!

I have been pouring over these threads. I read the threads on testing results for wicks, other threads on the old boards..all the mods FAQ's and personal threads here. I think I have it down to what size i want, what 3 wicks i want to test. I have the soy material I want to buy (I want to try the EZsoy). Most my questions were answered among the pages but what Id like to know is this. Who buys from Bittercreek? I live 30 min from them and I would really rather not pay to have stuff shipped from all over the usa. Are their scents decent? which are favorable? from what I gather on their site, you have to call in an order. you cant GO there and order. Well I want to smell their scents lol. Now with that said.. I would be willing to pay to ship frangrance if its good. (fo is frangrance I gather? Im usually good at figuring abbrv but the o has me stumped) Thanks for your time. Tiff

Thank you for this post. It put my mind at ease, it really did! Thankfully, I know how to not bite off more than I can chew. I have a moto.. its boring but it keeps me safe Its *stick with what you know* I can never go wrong if I stick to what I know. Now granted in life sometimes its worthy to step out on a limb but there are 2 times I NEVER do this. When it comes to money or driving directions. LOL I know funny but hey keeps me from getting lost.. and food on the table. Im reading my heart out. I will do this and I will be prepared Thanks! Tiff

Wowsers is that an eye opener. I had no clue you could spend that much before selling. 18k for a machine? I thought you whiped the stuff up in a pot and poured it! I guess I have much to learn. In any case I wont be spending like that. Its not there to spend LOL. If it starts to go that route, I'll have to stop making them entirely and go back to wholesale/retail with my friend. Ya cant squeeze blood from a turnip In any case I do think I will enjoy the learning curve.. I mean people must or they wouldn't do it right? Someone posted there that they made one until it smelled like their friends them moved on. Thats somewhat where I fit in. Thanks for the link Vicky Tiff

I appreciate your feedback. A little more background.. I have an idea of what I want this to become. I shared with my husband that I wanted to keep this small.. the neighborhood, Church friends, Community friends and family that sort of thing. I won't be setting up a shed out back, I won't be buying a store front Adsoy, Im with ya girl (errr guy?) I have one size I offer now and I plan on keeping it. Its a 6oz widemouth mason. Mom and i printed labels that fit the jar so i figure thats a good thing to stick with lol. So I had the same idea in regards to wick.. I have one size in which to perfect. Later? who knows. I love the idea of testing more than one wick in a candle thats cleaver but I also understand I need to learn how candles behave first. I figure if I have one size candle and start with 6 fragrances (again on the same page adsoy LOL) this should not cost me thousands or years to perfect should it? My husband has a great outlook on this.. if they suck I dont have to buy my own candles lol I have plenty to burn HA! In any case I wont start for a while because I am earning enough yet to start up. I guess i have this in my favor.. I love candles. Just LOVE em! If I was lukewarm about it, I guess I wouldnt put as much heart into it. Off to read the thread vicky suggested. Thank you for sharing it.. and your expertise. Tiff

Right now I sell my friends candles but I am saving profits to start making my own. Im curious just how much did you spend in testing (time, materials etc..)? I know its important to test wick size so I suppose I will start out with sample packs to see whats appropriate. To start I will probably use either 6 or 8oz mason jars. I probably wont make anything else for a while. I found a local supplier that sells the soywax which is what I want to use. Im afraid of messing it all up and thus being out of what little money I can put into it right now. From what I can tell.. soy needs a little bit bigger wick? I had written down cd16 as it seemed to be recommended for that size jar with soy wax. I am also interested in the lead free wicks. Does that make a difference in what size to use? Thanks for reading and helping out a newbie Tiff