KrisS

Thank you all for this conversation.  Truly useful information.  I just picked up a few (more) domains at significant cost savings in comparison to my existing registrations. 

One regret I'll share with you guys as a learning experience. I've kicked my own rump several times for not picking up "coconutcandles" when it was available at a decent price 4-5 years ago. If there's something you keep going back to as a domain you want, there's a reason for it.  Nab it before someone else does. 

I haven't worked with beeswax, but it's been on my list.    Thank you for feeding my addiction.  This sounds like the wax I want to play with.

2 hours ago, Barbara AL said:

Stacy is on my Facebook she is in the Hospital at this time she has been very sick.

 

Babs

Thank you for sharing that, Barbara.   I appreciate it. 

27 minutes ago, soshiegirl said:

Sorry to hear about this.  Maybe she's running behind because of her recent sale.  Try shooting her an email because I tried texting and she got back to me quicker when I emailed.

I'm sure she is, which isn't a big deal--you can only do so much in a day.  That's perfectly understandable.  What's annoying me is that she said she'd ship "tomorrow"...over a week ago. There's no need to fib. Tell me it'll be a few more days and I'll get a note when it ships. 

On 1/13/2019 at 4:06 PM, soshiegirl said:

Hey @Trappeur, I just placed an order with Stacy on the 10th and it shipped today so all is good!  Can't wait to try these new oils.

I"m glad  your response time was wonderful.  Mine, not so much.

I placed an order on January 31st, she created a label on February 1st.  It was still showing as a label created on Feb 7th, so I texted.  Feb 8th, she said she was running behind and would ship the next day.  Feb 14th, still showing as the label was created (not shipped), and I texted her again.  Today's the 16th.  It's still showing that the label was created, not shipped, and she hasn't responded to my  second text.   I'm going to give her another day or two for the product to ship, and then I'll simply initiate the charge back process if she hasn't.

24 minutes ago, Laura C said:

 

What about pouring so hot, 190-200, into plastic clamshells? Won't the plastic warp or melt? I've not tried pouring that hot into plastic to see what happens.

With high temp waxes and when making melts, is it best to use metal tart molds?

The post you quoted was a perfect example of me being procedure/functionally blind to everyone else.  I don't typically use clamshells for my testers.

On 11/13/2018 at 7:48 AM, Scents and Warmers said:

I use 416 and blend it 20% with ProBlend 650 and add 3tsp coconut oil per pound and get absolutely perfect results. It is a very dry wax so you must compensate with something else. I go 10% on my FO. 

I can't emphasize enough how dry this wax is.  If you use it straight, let it sit for six months, and pull a melt out of a cupboard, it's bad.  Bad, bad.   Frosted and cracked.  

  I'm digging through the hoard and taking my failures to the gals in the office tomorrow.  They'll toss it in a warmer and will love it anyway.

I've been considering this more and more seriously lately.  The fun part of all of this has always been mixing, matching, and creating something that can't be found anywhere else.  I'm frustrated with wax.  I'm frustrated that FO suppliers disappear overnight.  This sounds like something else fun I can be frustrated about.

What's old is new again.  That would basically be liquid potpourri.  

What scent family is it and what does the IFRA cert say?  Is it something I add to a base and wear as perfume?  As a room spray?  Diffuser for a small room? Something I can add to corncobs and create a sachet to put under the seat in my car or to gently scent a lingerie drawer?

The options are endless if you look at other potential uses.

On 11/29/2018 at 12:18 PM, strugglebrother said:

Why don't you have AFI to duplicate the oil you like?

That would be my path forward.  Either that or take their scent, tweak it to make it yours, then have them duplicate it for you as an exclusive to you FO.  That eliminates your dependence upon other suppliers.

Glass bottles.  Chemistry flasks with stoppers if I'm feeling fancy and it's going to be for someone else.

I have no interest in shrinking my supplier list. I've seen many, many suppliers come and go over the years.  I'd be heartbroken to narrow my list, have one of my primaries close, and have to begin the testing process from scratch again. Losing a few is overcome easily enough, but not a large number of FOs. 

On 9/17/2018 at 9:53 PM, Ramr said:

This is the conversation that is running through my head: "Hmm, I like vanilla mixed with peach, but what will happen when I mix it with cinnamon? (makes candles). Not that great. Try another blend. (makes more candles) Yeah, these are excellent, I need to put these in my personal stash.

Self-proclaimed fragrance strumpet checking in.   Save yourself some heartache (and money) and buy perfumer's test strips. One drop per strip, waft them in front of your nose, adding and subtracting drops and scents. Play until you find a mix/ratio you like, then put it into wax to see how it performs.    It's tedious, but it saves time and money in the end.

I've finally accepted it's the smells I like more than candles themselves.  Candles and melts are just the medium to smell the fragrance. 

On 6/16/2016 at 7:23 AM, ubure said:

Okay, once again back to this special customer. He had ordered his 100 wicks last week and today started a PayPal conflict because he hasn't received his wicks yet. Again: why do I put delivery times etc. on my website? It also says I only ship once a week and besides this he is still within normal delivery time.

He says he is hard pressured for time...he has probably sold some candles without even having tried the kind of wicks he ordered from me.

So I answered and told him that I would do him  - and his business - a favour and cancel the order and also refund his money. I also told him to order several different wick sizes and start testing before ordering larger amounts (and I don't suppose he will order from me!) and then slow down a bit, for his candles' sake.

 

I know, not an objective and neutral or professional answer, but I'm fed up with people like him and I won't kiss anybody's a...anymore just to sell something.

 

 Necro thread, but sometimes the best thing you can do is simply suggest your customer go somewhere else.  At my day job, I've started tracking client challenges and the time spent addressing them.  I've found that the ones with the smallest profit margins are the most challenging.  If you're spending an exorbitant amount of time on someone who is very low profit, your time is often better spend marketing and finding a new client where your efforts are rewarded.

I did candles over a decade ago for sale.   I test, take a hiatus, test more, wash, rinse repeat because I'm not able to find the magic sweet spot that makes me happy with the end product.   I feel like we're stuck with product created from raw materials that didn't pass the large manufacturers' quality standards.   It explains the inconsistency. 

On 4/4/2018 at 5:34 AM, PINKT said:

struggle brother, Accu-blend no longer sells small quantities.. I spoke with the head guy there.. the person who dealt with selling to small businesses is no longer with them.. They only sell pallets and THEY NO LONGER MAKE APRICOT WAX... There were issues with this wax and so they decided to scrap it

That's disappointing all the way around.   I couldn't make it work without extra efforts, but it stinks for people who could.

Sorry to hear it, but that's not surprising.    They've been out of stock on things that interested me anytime I wanted to order.   I marked them off my list awhile ago.

"LP" is indicative of their Louisville, KY plant.   It's made there.      You're going the wrong direction with pour temps.   It pours better at a hotter temp than you'd expect with it being soy.    Heat in the Presto to 200*.   Dump into your pour pot.   Stir to incorporate fragrance.    Pour while still hot--you'll need to play with it to find the sweet spot that works best for you and your means/methods.

On 5/30/2017 at 5:18 AM, PINKT said:

I have both Accu-blend waxes: the COCONUT and the APRICOT.. I've been using the COCONUT  for 5 years and I don't have issues with pooling at all. 10% fragrance load, heated to 200, add fragrance and pour immediately.

Agreed on the coconut.   Zero issues.    

Thank you both.   I'm not quite production ready, so Impact is a little much on the quantity--bummer, as I've heard great things about them.

Maple Street is going to be very, very expensive.   I've been been wanting to try a few FO samples...and this just sounds like a great excuse!!  

Ugh.  $56 for shipping the clamshells.   Maybe that isn't a good excuse.

I'd been using the Peak clamshells, but I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with them being out of stock on everything.

Has anyone used Fillmore's?     How do they compare?    $250 for 850 pieces at Peak vs. $112 for 700 pieces at Fillmore.  (Plus shipping)

Obviously, if I buy from Fillmore, I'd get a sample pack first.   Just checking for your experiences.

Thoughts?   Input?  Other suggestions?

9 minutes ago, MissIllumineCandles said:

 

I'm burning through resources, quite literally, I'm not sure what I'm doing or how to measure my FO or even if I have enough of it. I'm unemployed with anxiety and depression and just wanted to start a little something but like you said. It takes time. And I don't feel like I have that at the moment. Nor do I ever feel like this is something I'll ever be able to do well. 

Great big virtual hugs for you.   It's going to be okay.   You may not see it right now, but it will.   The self-doubt is just your brain chemistry playing tricks on you.  

You're 100% capable of this, but you may need to adjust temporarily to move forward.   Corncobs (from the pet store--bedding section), mixed with FO, and in a muslin bag or in a kraft envelope with label makes a car air freshener--you can Google the amounts needed.  Start with wax melts instead of candles--while they're still a challenge finding a wax and FO combination that works, it's less troublesome than wicking a finicky wax.   

Your labels are beautiful.   It would really be a shame to stop before putting them to use..

1 minute ago, MissIllumineCandles said:

 

I know I'm nowhere near ready for selling them and have tested each one I've made so far. I think I'll just give it up as a bad job. Thanks. 

Why on earth would you give it up when you haven't even started?      We all start somewhere.   However, like everything else, it takes time to do it well.   

I would use one oz per pound.   Something I will advise is that the Ecosoya products have been discontinued and are being reformulated for those of us here in the US.  

You're new to candlemaking and want to encourage you to continue.  However, in reading your other posts, I'd also like to encourage you to slow down.  Talking about your new business and a finished logo when you're struggling to determine how to properly measure  FO is disconcerting.   Because candles involve an active flame, there is real potential for loss of life and property if they are improperly made and/or not thoroughly tested.