Jaye

Don't ever think of your questions as being silly, kd! Each and every one of us had questions in the beginning... alot of them probably very similar to yours. Good luck! And most importantly... have fun!

The mold came with the kit and I don't know if it was because it's polycarbonate, or because it's brand-new and needed some breaking in, but it was not releasing that candle. In the end, I got the wax out, remelted it, added a little stearic, and poured it into a greased aluminum mold. It worked!!!!!! And it looks wonderful!!! If I do say so myself!! I'm not crazy about working with this wax... but love the end result. The effects/patterns are amazing. Hopefully it will burn as nicely as it looks. :smiley2:

That's amazing, bttrflikiss... I bought the exact same griddle from Wal-Mart yesterday! And it works like a charm!!! Paid $20 instead of the $175 I almost forked out to Candlewic for their leveler and angle plate!

Well, so much for that! One more thing that the instructions failed to mention was that you need to spray your mold with mold release!!! I tried absolutely everything to get that candle out... fridge, freezer, hot water... eventually I resorted to a knife. Luckily, no damage to the mold, so it just means my first palm pillar will take a little longer to present itself!

I'm looking forward to doing my first test burn! I'll let you all know how it turns out! (Insert fingers-crossed smilie here! ) I'm going to go and mix some palm with paraffin now to see what (if anything) happens. Thanks for the tips, guys!

Uh-oh. Ummmmm.... should I be worried? I haven't done much research on palm at all... why are you apprehensive of it, Everito? :undecided

Phew! Thanks Carrie! I've seen pics of palm pillars in the gallery and they look absolutely amazing, so couldn't wait to try them for myself. I didn't realize just how different is to paraffin to work with! Have you ever mixed the two together? Half paraffin/half palm? Would this work? I only ask because me being the cheapskate I am, would like to stretch the palm a little further. I only have a couple of pounds of it (palm) and don't want to waste any if it isn't possible to mix...

Everito, you are my hero! I followed your directions to the letter, and guess what?! It worked!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You would not believe how close I came to throwing everything in the trash, and telling these people that I simply could not do them, and to find somebody who actually knew what they were doing! You are a life-saver!!

Christmas-y or not, they look wonderful!

Gorgeous color, Christina! I think it looks great!

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I just poured my very first palm pillar, using a kit. The instructions don't say anything about poking relief holes. Are relief holes needed in palm wax, as they are in paraffin? I did do a bit of poking after about 45 minutes and it appears I created a huge air bubble! :rolleyes2 It looks like even though the wax is still liquid in the middle, the top has crystallized and there's air between the two layers. Does that make sense? After doing a search about palm wax, I also discovered that most of you heat your molds when using palm, but the instructions don't say anything about this either. Is this really necessary? I poured at about 185 - 190 degrees. Any help is very much appreciated!!

This is the first time I've ever seen your candles Scented, and for once... I'm at a loss for words. The first thing that springs to mind is... wow. They are amazing. I especially like the mandarin cranberry ones, but they're all absolutely gorgeous. Please! Stay in your tilting "rut"! I still have a lot to learn when it comes to tilted layers, and your candles are truly inspiring. Great job!

I'm sorry Everito, I misunderstood. I thought you meant that you had to pour the wax all the way to the top of the mold, then when set, turn it upside down and melt off the excess. But I think I get it now... you mean only unmold it until the bottom shows and then turn it upside down, right? I thought that would be hard to do, because the candle would be sliding around once unmolded... but I have one that needs leveling now so I'll give it a try with the paper towels. Wish me luck! :smiley2: I did get the angle iron yesterday... I'm not sure whether it's because I'm trying to level a square pillar, or because the cookie sheet and frying pans I'm using aren't exactly flat... or whether it's just me... but it isn't as easy as it sounds! I am sooooooooooooooo tempted to follow Donita's cue and purchase a professional leveller from Candlewic. $175 seems a little much though considering (except on this occasion) I only make candles for myself! :undecided

I wish I had seen this yesterday Candle Man, I could have saved myself alot of heartache and frustration! :rolleyes2 I went to Lowes and tried to describe what I was looking for to one of their workers (couldn't find the pic I printed out) and all he could direct me to were wall brackets. I tried TruValue today and they had nothing similar either, but he did tell me of a welder that isn't too far away. Now that I've discovered that this end to all my levelling problems exists, I am determined to find one! If it's the last thing I do!!

I had never even heard of an angle iron until your post Eugenia, but after much searching through the archives, found all the info I needed. It sounds like the perfect tool! I printed out a picture to take to my local hardware store to see if they have something similar. Thanks so much!

Thanks Sally, I found Everito's post where he says to level while still in the mold... but unfortunately, they're 4 inch pillars in a 6.5 inch mold! I'll check out the other ideas... thanks for the link Candle Man! :smiley2:

I've had somebody ask me for six candles, three of each color and all the same height (4 inches). I did draped layers in a 6.5 inch mold, so it was next to impossible to make them level at 4 inches in the mold. They'll be sitting on a rectangle plate next to each other, so it's imperative that they're exactly the same height. I have problems making level, straight bottoms at the best of times, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! I trimmed the bottoms with a razor blade then tried to level them in a little frying pan on the stove... but they still seem wonky to me. :rolleyes2 If I keep trying to melt them flat, I'm worried I'll go below 4 inches and have to start all over again! Do most of you level your bottoms by melting, or cutting? Thanks in advance guys!

Way to go Fern! That's fabulous news! :highfive: Candlewic has been my sole supplier for most things too, apart from scents and molds. I don't live very far from them so have been to their factory a number of times and their staff are always courteous and helpful, and deal with problems quickly and efficiently. The scents of theirs that I've tried have been great, but as you said, trying too many 4 or 8oz bottles can become costly. Now, if only they would start selling metal molds....

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all your positive comments! I don't sell them because I'm still pretty new to candle-making... but I did give a couple to my neighbor, and once she realized that I made them, she took a whole box of them to sell to her friends! Her husband also took a box to work... and sold eight of them in one night! I even have orders for more! :whoohoo: I'm nowhere near confident enough to start selling them seriously... but the few dollars I make from word-of-mouth sales helps out a little. Actually, all it helps me do is buy more wax! And colors, and scents, and molds, and pouring pots, and.... Thanks for the photography tips too, Mtngrl. I'll try taking them outside next time and see if that helps.

Because I don't sell any of the candles I make, I'm running out of places to put them... but this candlemaking thing is like a drug! I can't seem to stop! Thanks for looking! Once again, I have to apologize for the quality of the photos. [ATTACH]7363[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7364[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7365[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7366[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7367[/ATTACH]

Okay eugenia, one of your students reporting in! I can't say I'm exactly thrilled with it, and compared to yours, it looks pretty sad... but I'm working on improving! The colors weren't really planned either... I just used some extra wax I had lying around. Scented sage and citrus. [ATTACH]7054[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7056[/ATTACH] Thanks again for the tips. Next one will be better. I promise!

I either haven't had enough coffee yet, or am incredibly mathematically challenged... but when you talk about percentages, how do you work out what that is in actual measurements? :undecided I'm still trying to become familiar with ounces and pounds (rather than grams and kilograms), but if I were to use one tablespoon (of anything) per pound, how do I know what percentage that is?

I was thinking exactly the same thing myself the other day, TwinMom. How about we buy her a ticket to Canada on a plane that goes via Philly?! Donita, as you know, I've admired you since day one. You are always one of the first people to offer advice or steer people in the right direction, either here on the board or via PM or e-mail. You do this out of the goodness of your heart because you like to help people. You are incredibly artistic and talented and knowledgeable and your generous nature shouldn't be taken for granted. I would happily pay for one of your tutorials. Two even!

Nothing exciting... just another chunk. I used the cucumber melon scent from The Candlesource for the chunks and it smells wonderful! Most of their F/O's have been great so far, but this one is particularly nice and strong. [ATTACH]6990[/ATTACH]

Do you tilt your mold in a container, Eugenia? Or pour straight and then kind of twirl the mold around a bit so the wax splashes against the sides? In any case, just like all the others (especially Grandma's Pumpkin Log!), they're gorgeous.