candlesinflorida

On 11/18/2019 at 8:25 AM, kandlekrazy said:

May be RA since they do both fragrance oils and perfumes.  I'm drawing a blank on who GW uses to mfg and I've contacted them directly in the past but I'm blank right now.

'

What (who) is RA and GW?

On 12/10/2019 at 11:57 PM, BusyBee said:

I am not expert on FOs, so I might be wrong.  I think those oils are same except they are in different forms.  The one that is sold by Perfumer's Apprentice is concentrate FO, and the one available in Wellington is ready to use FOs by diluting with carrier oil.  When I first heard the word "dilute", I thought it was a really bad thing.  But, I learn that it is necessity part of FO making.  Carrier oil is not cheap either.

 

I got into habit of looking at Safety Data Sheet because it gives information on original FO manufacturer.  If you do reverse phone search on Emergency Contact phone number in Data Sheet, then totally unexpected FO manufacturer's name could pop up.  Data Sheet might give you one manufacturer's name, but emergency phone number might belongs to actual manufacturer, which could be totally different.  I found some behind the scene FO manufacturers by doing this.  This kind of search give me peace of mind.  Also, I know where I can get my FOs in case my current suppliers decided not to carry it or they close down.  

 

Good luck to you on your search for coffee fo! 

GREAT advice. Thank you!

On 12/9/2019 at 7:14 AM, Forrest said:

When you say high end does that mean it smells better or does it mean it has better HT, or maybe something I haven't thought of?

I will just respond to this bc I have used many of them. Lab and Co really do smell "better" than most others. They just smell more complex and not only are they crazy strong, but you can really smell different notes within the fragrances. I am assuming that they really do use special (i.e. higher quality/more expensive) ingredients. With that said, I don't love all of their fragrances and neither do my customers. They are a little too unique lol! I would like to have the quality (and complexity) of Lab and Co, but with my own choices of fragrances. As far as candle science and AFI, they have crazy strong fragrances as well...but again, I think Lab and Co. (in general) has (1) better complexity and (perhaps) (2) better ingredients. For me, those 2 things ARE worth paying more.

On 12/8/2019 at 11:49 PM, BusyBee said:

Hi there neighbor!

 

Lab & Co gets their oils from Premier Specialties, Inc. in NJ.

website:  https://www.premierfragrances.com/ 

They are strictly business to business operation.  If AFI's minimum requirement is kind of out of your reach at current stage, then you should not be able to deal with these guys yet.  There are several other companies like this at this level.  *By the way, Lab & Co is related to Dayna Decker's Lumetique Candle.

 

On top of these companies, there are chemical companies like "Spectrum Chemicals & Laboratory Products" in Gardena CA.  

website:  https://www.spectrumchemical.com/OA_HTML/index.jsp?minisite=10020&respid=22372&language=US  

Hiring a perfumer and directly dealing with these chemical company should be our ultimate goal or above mentioned company.

 

In my opinion, quality of oil is not the most important thing that we should be looking for.  If you look at AFI's fos, try to look just rose fo that they offer.  They offer 57 different kind of rose scents.  And there are 100's or 1000's different rose fragrance oils in this world.  It is our job to locate the right fo for each scent.  The one that you love and the one that could be loved by your customers.  There could be a chance that a great scent that works for you could be manufactured grade oil.  You will never know.

Thanks for the info busy bee! Have you dealt with premier fragrances and/or how do you know that is the company Lab&Co uses? I have been using AFI, which I love, but I will definitely check out premier if their minimum is 10 lbs like AFI.

Looking for the best quality black candle dye (and any suggestions on how to use dye much appreciated-I have never colored my candles, but want to try!)

New year...new candle making possibilities...

I have been using the candle science chandler machines, so perhaps I have been a little spoiled. I just love the fact that they do all the continual mixing while I can work on other things. However, they have problems, particularly when you use them a lot. In fact, one started smoking last week. So I am thinking that it is time to move up to a "real" machine and wondering if anyone has any experience with either wax melters or some sort of stirring device? Has anyone tried a magnetic stirrer or an official candle machine like the big boys/girls use?

Thanks everyone-this is super helpful. I am going to re-read everything and make some decisions.

On 12/13/2019 at 9:01 PM, BusyBee said:

It should depend on who you are dealing with, and what you are trying achieve out of those accounts.  I have just started my business, and I am hoping and planning to do 8 consignments by end of next year.  I am going to offer them 34/66 split.  Yes, you read that right.  I am keeping only 34%, and the reason is this.  I am using consignments strictly as my stepping stones to growing my brand rather than trying to make a lot of profit out of them.  I just got a big non-profit account backing me up, so I am ready to contact famous resorts, hair stylist, beauty salon in Beverly Hills CA.  In your area which is Florida, what kind of percentage split would you offer to places like Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club Spa if they are interested in carrying your candle?  Any 10oz candle should be easily retail at $60 to $80 in their shop.  

 

As for your friend who owns a salon, what level of salon does she operate?  If she has high end clients including celebrities, then I would be satisfied at 50/50.  If she is not a high end salon, then I would use her as my reference to approach higher end salons and do 60/40 with your friend because she is your friend after all.  For all other consignment accounts, I would try to settle around near 75/25 split +/- 5%, but you should be open to any kind deal.

 

 

I like the way you think! Go high-end or go home lol! Agree!!

Obsessed, I apologize for making you feel disappointed!  I know it is frustrating when you are excited about something and everyone is like, “nah!”

Maybe I will try their wax again if it is different from what I tested, it is just a hefty investment w the shipping. Please let us know if it is avail in the US.

As for the container, it is subjective. It is chunky paint, to me. I have the Gio with the embedded flakes and it is so much nicer. But again, these are subjective comments about a glass container.

And I do appreciate LCS selection-unparalleled actually! 

Just wondering how consignment workec out for you-and did you end up going with a 90/10 split? 

I know consignment has a lot of negatives...I get why. With that said, I agreed to do consignment for two friends I have known and like. One owns a salon and the other has a store. I already agreed to consignment so I def don’t want to revisit that issue, but just wondering what percentage I should state. I want to take the highest percentage I can. Any suggestions? 70/30? 60/40? 80/20?? 50/50 doesn’t seem right bc that is basically wholesale pricing and that involves way more risk for the store. 

6 minutes ago, Cindel said:

 

Thank you.  That's disappointing to hear.  

 

Welp my vessel search continue. 

LOVE many of their other vessels (pun intended) but again, shipping outside AU is prohibitive. Edit to add: the GORGIO SPECKLES are really gorgeous and a similar concept w the metallic speckles, but way nicer.

On 11/24/2019 at 8:32 PM, calan said:

Has anyone used a slow-speed immersion blender for mixing the FO into hot wax?

I have a mini variable speed mixer with a small flat attachment that I've started using on small 8 oz test batches, and it works beautifully. (Just have to be careful to not let air get pulled in). 

Seems like a larger version of it would be fantastic for a pitcher full of 5 lbs of wax, but I don't find any discussion about it.

I have used an immersion blender dozens of times, and also a heated bowl/kitchenaid mixer. I would like to say that they were better than hand-mixing, because it seemed like they would have some sort of scientific advantage LOL! But alas, the candles were the same as if I had just occasionally stirred. With the immersion, you have to be careful not to lift it up and get air in. I still have some candles labeled "heat mixer" from the experiments...they are no better or worse with cold throw or hot throw.

2 minutes ago, Cindel said:

The MST is just hydrogenated coconut oil? 

I was hoping to place an order for their Love containers. 

Sorry to be a killjoy-but I purchased the blue/gold Love container and it was cheaper looking in person, than in the photo. The gold paint was sort of chipped and also chunky. Just letting you know.

On 10/30/2019 at 9:21 AM, obsessed said:

I am so excited to hear a new wax is being released in Australia in December that has everyone going crazy! I just thought i  would mention it on here ,  as there have been so many problems with soy over the last few years. Those that have received it to try are screaming its' praises, with an amazing hot and cold throw  and beautiful ,creamy smooth set. It is a coconut soy base with a new additive ... which also will apparently be sold separately if needed. It will be available from AllSeasons Wax Co. (ASW) and  distributed from their fabulous "Luxury candle supplies"  in Melbourne Australia.  I am not affiliated with them at all, but love their waxes .... am using their A05 Cocosoy at the moment. They are constantly developing new waxes and improving their products wherever they can. If you can find it in the USA give it a go .... you won't be disappointed! Their customer service is out of this world and I constantly get help and advice from the man who is making this wax and owns the business - how amazing to have full transparency and honesty - where do you get that these days?! He posted my friend a box of wax for us to try - and she is blown away by it ( I haven't been able to get to her place yet!)  If you can look on Facebook , there are a lot of posts coming up on it on "Candlemakers' world" ... LCS also has headquarters in London , so keep an eye out in Usa! Michael Skoullos is a bloody legend! https://luxurycandlesupplies.com.au/  check them out x

I was actually one of the "testers" for these waxes a couple years ago. They had us fill out all sorts of information about the waxes and test them out and make detailed remarks on little cards. Honestly, I was disappointed. I had high hopes but after taking a close look and trying them all, they were NO better than any other wax. Don't believe all the hype.

As for customer service, I have probably ordered over 5k worth of products from them. They ship quickly and have great items, BUT when there have been problems (dented gift boxes, for example in my last shipment) it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to reach someone. Emails go unanswered. When they finally write back, they promise to replace the items in the next order...but then don't answer emails when I place the next order! In the end, I have ended up just taking the loss-twice- on shipments that had small issues. It was just too hard to get my money back and since it was not a lot of money, I let it go. However, this lack of communication made me want to stop ordering from them. If I am going to pay $8 for a candle container, PLUS another $6 to ship it to the USA, I have to trust that they will take care of the customer.

1 minute ago, TallTayl said:

Those wicks with the coating, do they look like chunks of wood glue together? If so they are the ultimate wicks and have been discontinued for a year or so now. They were pretty reliable. I miss them. 

Yes! Like a chunky sandpaper coating!

I never in my life thought I would say, "Awwww I really miss a wick that was discontinued"....but it is true.

On 10/10/2019 at 9:40 AM, TallTayl said:

Yes the metal stamp.  Soap stamps are usually some form of plastic which may not give a consistent stamp impression. 
 

not sure “better” is the word.  I used colored beeswax embeds in beeswax so I could tell the various fragrances apart. Eventually I changed my labeling and production set up so I could stop that.  It was a big waste of time and wax for my particular candles. Some colors would end up bleeding pretty badly and others just looked terrible with natural beeswax bloom over time. 

 

I chose not to make special embeds in soy as there was no appreciable benefit to me for the effort. I color my soy and the colors would end up bleeding over time. My Customers were not willing to pay more for the time needed to make the embeds. I sold the same number with or without them so I saved myself the trouble 🤣

Makes sense. I just want to do an embed that is the same as uncolored soy wax. It doesn't need any FO. Although I think for my needs, I would rather have an imprint from a stamp. I will probably get a metal soap stamp but I just want to be sure it can work before I invest. I imagine the soy wax has to be "firm" enough not to smush and to hold the image.  I am wondering if adding stearic will held the wax harden up more to take the impression.

I know this thread is old, but I think there were a couples things left unanswered...and I am very curious about the potential answers. 

1- regarding volatile compounds, they can stay in the space forever?

2-the storage locker is not a bad idea, especially if the candles and all the supplies can be stored there, instead of your kitchen! But don't the storage locker places have a rule against working or conducting business inside the lockers?? I would think artists would be renting them all the time to use as studios, no? And I would also think there would be rules about flammable materials, heat and chemicals, etc. 

I have never rented a storage locker in my life so I have no idea!

I think I must have used a different wooden wick-I think I bought them at Northwood and they had a "coating" on them.

Is the woodenwick company the same as lab&co?

Do you mean the kind of stamps that are used to stamp envelope seals?

What about a soap stamp?

And did you find beeswax worked much better than pillar wax for the embeds?

Ok. I posted about Coconut Wax in a Brand new topic, but I am wondering if the problem I have is similar. My easy beads arrived in a big lump and now I am even more concerned.

The OP here also reminded me of a BIG problem with a recent order. I didn’t post it earlier bc I am slightly embarrassed lol. See attached photo-but trigger warning...it is BAD.

90%soy (444) 10%easy beads and I blamed the tins for possibly having a bad sealant. I still think the tins are at fault but wondering if the coconut wax possibly was involved in this trouble. 

Just got two cases and the “easy beads” have turned to “difficult lumps”. It looks like maybe ups left the boxes in the sun/heat and everything melted. I can deal with that, but the boxes also seem a little extra “sweaty” inside. It is mostly on the inside, so I don’t think rain got in. I just think the heat got to the beads.

Are these ok to use? I tried some samples and it is hard to tell. 
One thing I do know is that it is really hard to keep digging at them, but not sure if I have any recourse with the seller since it is (the end of) summer.
 

Yikes.

Since the tried and true wood wick company apparently went out of business, any current wood wick supplier favorites?  

Interested to hear about how a dupe turns out. I have bought Lab and Co and they ARE incredible-but ouch, the price.

And like all FO it is ridiculously hard to know what the scents will be like, and if you will like them, until you get them. But spending so much on a little sample size, makes me inclined NOT to buy much from them. Fyi I also have had some problems w their shipping although they took care of things nicely (once they were finally reachable lol).

edit to add-while I love two of the scents I purchased from them, the others I thought were not my cup of tea. And I have not gotten too much enthusiasm from customers. Will have to check the fragrance boards to see if there are suggestions!