Jane42

mmmm, cucumber melon is one of my favorite scents! I looks beautiful!

That explains what happened to my last test candle...and confirms it was over wicked....Thanks!

Oh, yes, I had the great idea of putting a votive candle in one of the rear cup holders of my van...and then forgot about it! Probably would have been a good idea of there had been no dye in it...... But it smelled WONDERFUL on a nice hot day!!!

OK - I have tried the corn cob....ready to add something to it! How did it work out for everyone? I have my list ready to pick up some rock salt and vermiculite!!

Oh, it HATE it when that happens! It has been happening constantly with the new votive wicks we bought - can't remember what there were, but they are cotton wicks and are popping out all the time! What a waste... It never happened when we were using the zinc wicks.

I have at least 40 Yankee tarts that I bought BEFORE I started making candles......I keep looking at them and wondering....should I? But it feels so WRONG... Of course, I am a newbie, and with the luck I am having making candles, I better just hold onto those babies a while longer...LOL

Hey, Sabrina...you are closest to her than I am now!!! LOL I know....you can get so attached to those sweet cats...and sometimes it is definitely a mystery! We had a cat that would "attack" visitors....just run out and wrap his furry legs around their ankle and bite them! (Not hard, just enough to show them who was boss) My brother-in-law from Arizona was known to walk through my dining room with his pj's on and cowboy boots...just to protect his ankles!! LOL What a site that was!! But we all loved "Yoshi" and were sad when he passed on. Anyway, they certainly have their personalities...good luck on the fundraiser!

Very nice...and for a wonderful cause. My sister lives in Italy now...has for the last 10 years...she was never a cat lover, so imagine my surprise when she told me she had "adopted" some neighborhood cats to care for!! When she moved, she was so worried about them....made sure they were in a safe place being cared for before she moved away - who knows, maybe she took them to the cat shelter you are doing this fundraiser for!

Beautiful....just beautiful!!

I never even thought of not coloring my candles....hmmm, one last thing for a newbie to think about....I LIKE IT!! Of course, I would then have to figure out why my non-colored test candles start turning brownish as they get to the bottom, and end up with a pure white bottom and a pukey brown top....and the tiny specks of wick that fall into it....and.........nahhhhh, it's already too complicated....LOL Back to my testers.....

"I don't know if any of you remember the commercial on TV where a group of people launched a web site and their first order came in and everyone was around the computer and cheered. Then more orders came in and they were very happy. And then the number counter started spinning and they all sat there stunned - that's us LOL!" It makes me laugh just thinking about it! Congratulations on your success....hope you get to take a breather soon! I will patiently wait for my sample...I am sure it will be worth the wait!

When I shop online, it only taxes me if the company I am doing business with is located in the same state.

So far the wicks are staying upright with no problem, and they seem to be spaced correctly - the jar is not getting "hot", just warm. I have had a little soot on one (HTP83 wicks). Thanks, everyone, for your advice. Using a smaller wick will be my next step. What depth melt pool do you look for in your candles?

Thanks for your response. I have been searching the old posts for any information...the information that I found was re: the width of the melt pool, not the depth. I was soooo thrilled that I had achieved the full melt pool, then a bit nervous when the whole thing liquified! I am not sure what depth I should be looking for, tho. I will try a smaller wick size and see how it goes. Thanks for your help.

I am testing two 12 oz apothecary jars with J223. One jar has two HTP83 wicks and the other has two LX18 wicks. At first, I thought I was going to have trouble getting a full melt pool but now, with a little less than 2 inches of wax left in the jars, the entire jar is liquid. Is that what I am looking for?

Welcome...I am a newbie also and I just have to say that you have at your fingertips a wealth of information. I learn so much by reading all the posts...new and old! The "search" feature can help tremendously - if I have a question, I search it out.....if that doesn't work, I ask! Everyone here is very friendly - ENJOY! Jane

I found this: http://www.yessupplyco.com/products/votives4.htm If you "Google" cobalt votive holder, there were a few different choices...seemed less expensive than $2 each.... Good Luck! Jane

Good point! Since these were just testers, I have not been cleaning the jars before pouring....I will definitely start doing that and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the help! I know you have been crazy busy, so I didn't want to be one more email for you to sort through!! I will definitely email you if I run into any questions....which I can pretty much guarantee will happen! :rolleyes2

I do have HTP 83's that I use in the apoth jars. We JUST received the jars and we are trying to double wick them with the HTP's and J223. If you hear from Brenda, please let me know. Thanks so much.

Uh, oh....I just realized that I probably don't have the correct wick for this wax! That means that when my sample of wax and fo arrive, I WILL NOT BE READY TO GO!!!! I will be trying this out in a 12 oz apothecary jar....any suggestions as to what wick I am going to need? I have never worked with soy...am I wicking for paraffin or soy? LOL I THINK I have been using LX18 in these jars. Can't tell I'm a newbie, can ya'?

We did a second batch today...decided we were not going to throw the towel in on it yet!! LOL Will let you all know how it works out. Now we just wait and see..... (Can you tell I can't stand WAITING! LOL) Thanks everyone!

Thanks for the info! Wonder if it is too soon to give up....maybe post it in the classifieds for someone else who has already figured out what to do with it...LOL.......:rolleyes2

I THOUGHT I had read here somewhere where a formula had changed with a wax and it was driving people CRAZY.....but could not remember which wax it was......leave it to me to buy it!!! Just what a newbie needs to deal with....like I am not confused enough!! LOL Thanks for letting me know about your experience with it. It helps me alot. Debbie - I am also anxious to try the new wax from Greenleaf - maybe I will have better luck with it! Thanks.

Ok - the testing continues.....and I am more confused than ever!! :embarasse I ordered Honeywell J223 from Candles and Supplies a few months ago....worked well, except I did not have the candle wicked up enough so I had "hang-up" on the jars. I did get wet spots AFTER the second pour. Now I have Astorlite J223 from Peaks (which, if I understand correctly...and I probably don't, they should be the same thing). Did my test candles last night and the wetspots are horrendous! When I read the recommendations on Candles and Supplies re this wax, they said pour at 185-190....when I received the wax from Peaks, I looked it up and they (the Honeywell site) said pour temp is 145-150...... What am I misunderstanding here???? I was happy with the first J223....IF I only did a one pour....wet spots were not a problem. Do I have to poke holes and do a second pour on these for safety reasons? I did a search for J223 - cannot find anything re the differences between the two waxes. Thanks for any insight you can give me.......