jgcurtis1961

Thank-you both for your replies. I have 44/24’s & 44/32’s I can try. I am also waiting for some 44/20’s to arrive and 51/36’s. This is what it is looking like at the end of the jar. This is about 45 minutes into the 4 hour burn. There isn’t a bunch of soot and it isn’t getting scorching hot(or it wasn’t at the end of the last burn) I do think I’m gonna try wicking down 1 wick size to see what happens. Mainly because during this test I burned for 4 hours and trimmed the wicks to 1/4” with every burn and I know other people burning this may not do the candle care like the should. I’ll also test with longer burns & not trimming wicks to see what happens.

I am in the process of wicking Lonestars Libby 3 wick hexagon jar. I am using 4627 Comfort Blend and Peaks Bayberry at 9% fragrance oil. I tried triple wicking with LX 8’s, 10’s, & 12’s with no luck. The LX 8’s and 10’s weren’t big enough and the 12’s got too hot and smoked. I also tried triple wicking with HTP 62’s & 73’s with no luck. I got a lot of smoking and weak flames. I tried 3 44-24-18z wicks and they burned good but the melt pool was too large and the candle was too hot in the bottom of the container but there was no smoking. 2 60-44-18z zinc wicks are to hot and do smoke some. I have some 44-20-18z wicks on order and some 51-36-18z wicks on order to test but didn’t have them on hand. I decided to do some more testing with double wicking and this is my results after the 5th burn with 2 51/32/18z wicks . There is no sooting or smoke and the jar isn’t too hot. The wicks are mushrooming. After the 5th burn there is still some hangup. It isn’t a lot and will catch up in the bottom half of the jar. The hot throw and cold throw are amazing. Am I over analyzing and being too picky? I don’t like the mushrooming and I am wondering if it is acceptable this far into the burns to have this hangup? At least I know the jar isn’t going to be to hot in the bottom. I’d love some other candlemakers input. So far I am having the best luck with the zinc wicks.

Hi, I used to be quite active on here several years ago but I lost my old account username and password and can't log into that acct so I am using a different acct. I got busy with life and quit making candles & Soaps for awhile. I have recently realized how much I miss making candles & soaps and am getting into making them again. I quit everything that brought me joy. It's time I start doing them again. I am starting with new jars and am be using IGI 4627 wax. So far I love that wax 😍. The scent throw is amazing. I had always used Peaks fragrances but bummer, when I went to buy fragrances Peaks is no longer in business! Anyway, since I am starting over with new jars and different fragrances I am testing all over again. The jar I am currently using is Lonestar candle company Libby 3 wick hexagon jars. They have a height of 3.5 inches and a diameter of 4 inches. I used peaks cranberry apple marmalade frgrance oil (since I had some left) at 8% fragrane oil per pound of wax. I wicked the jars with 3 44/24/18z wicks. I am about 2 hours into the burn and the wicks are mushrooming and the melt pool is about 1/4 deep. I am told that the mushrooming is caused from the wick using more fuel then it can burn so it forms a carbon mushroom. I hope I am understnding that correctly. From what I have read if you get mushrooming like this your jar is technically over wicked. I am not so much concerned about the melt pool because this is my second go round with this same jar and same wick and the jar is not getting to hot towards the bottom and the melt pool isn't getting huge. I am mainly wondering about the mushrooming. If that means it is over wicked. So the next size wick down is a 44/20/18z which I do have. My question is since the middle number in the wick size is 20 verses the 24 in the 44/24/18z wick that I currently have the jar wicked with does that mean that the 44/20/18z is a looser braid? If so how does that affect the burn? Will it burn through more oil and as a result not be able to burn the oil fast enough and result in even larger mushrooms? I am tring to decide if I should go down to the 44/20/18z or if I should go up? If I go up I would think the flame would be larger and the jar hotter. I guess the zinc wick sizing confuse me. I want to use a zinc wick if I can though. If there are any zinc wick experts out there can you explain how the zinc wick sizing works to me...me thanks

I would also be in for a coop.

I wondered the same thing if someone didn't hack into Paypal. I am considering closing the card once I get the charges all straitened out. I don't want a card that I am going to have problems with. Scary thing is all the other info Paypal has like Checking Account Numbers and Debit Card Numbers. I might just close my Paypal Acct all together and request new Debit Cards from my bank. I can't get the charges removed until I get all the paperwork back to them and they "investigate". So as of right now I'm still on the hook for the $230.00 that the crooks charged. Like I would have bought 2 train tickets in Madrid, lol. But once they remove the charges the Paypal Mastercard might go bye bye.

My Paypal Mastercard was hacked on 03/03/11. Only Supplier I have used it at is Fillmore container in November. Websites I visit alot are: (have NOT used this particular card at any site other then Fillmore though) Amazon, Paypal, Bittercreek, Peaks, Fillmore Container, and Brambleberry.

Add me to the list of people with their credit card numbers stolen. I got a call from my Paypal Mastercard on the 3rd. Someone used my card to buy 2 light rail tickets from some place called Renfe in Madrid Spain.I have only used this card a total of 4 times. I have others that I prefer to use over it. So far none of the other cards have been compromised. I've been trying to figure out how they got the number. The only supplier I've used it at is Fillmore Container in November. The other 3 charges were done in my hometown for gas. I am with the other poster. Whoever is doing this must be sharing credit card numbers because the charges people are getting hit for are all over the place.

I'd also like a copy of the spreadsheet if you don't mind. My e-mail is jgcurt@hotmail.com.

Scented, I am at my shop right now but when I get home I will take some pictures and try to figure out how to post them. The fragrances that I used are all peaks fragrances, I have tried blueberry muffin, cinnamon and balsam, and banana nut bread. I haven't been able to get a good burn on any of those. They are all doing the same thing. They might burn ok for the 1st burn, then they start getting really really small flames, to the point of almost going out. The zinc wicks will get a white ash on top, and leave just the wire. Then for the next burn the flame might be slightly better ( still a small flame and no white ash), but still not cleaning the container. It will kinda cycle like this all the way through the votive, small flame and ash on one burn then maybe a slightly bigger flame and no ash. I am not sure what I am doing wrong I got those scents wicked just fine in my jelly jars, with my own para-soy blend which should have taken a bigger wick than just a strait paraffin. I might try something like botanical orchard and nectar which was an easy wicker for me so it seems like it should be easier to wick for me in the votives too. I know the wicks I have been using should be working that is what has got me baffled. The only other thing I can think of trying is to mix this wax with soy, or to try a lower percentage of fragrance oil in my votives. Right now I am just burning to test them and try to get a good starting point for wicking on them. Thanks for the help!

Wicks are trimmed with wickman wick trimmers which trim them to 1/4", so I don't think the wicks are to short. I don't think it is the wicks because I've tried with 3 different sizes of wicks, from different suppliers. I am wondering if I somehow got a bad batch of wax. I have been using this wax but only for tarts before now. I've never made anything that had to be burned with this wax. I guess my next step is going to be to try using less FO., To me wicking up to a 44-24-18z would be to hot being as they get to hot in my jelly jars when I tested them, but then what do I know since this is my first time trying votives. Maybe since the votive holder is so small and it doesn't burn down into a jar which traps heat like the jar candles do then I will need a bigger wick. I just thought some more experienced people than me might have some suggestions. I'm farely new to candlemaking only a few years compared to many others on here, who have been at this a long time. Oh, on a side note with the zinc wicks there is some white ash on the tips of the wicks and the metal is showing.

I just recently decided to try wicking some votive candles. I am using 4794 wax. I have been heating the wax to 175 and adding 6% FO. and peaks liquid dye. I have been burning them in a snug votive holder for 2-3 hours at a time. I have tried 36-24-24z, 44-20-18z's, and rrd 29's. I get a good burn for the first 1 or 2 burns then with all of the wicks the burn gets weak to almost drowning out. Does anyone here have any suggestions as to why this might be happening. It seems like the wicks I have tried should be working. I know many people use a 36-24-24z with this wax. I am able to get away with an rrd 29 or a 44-20-18z wick in a jelly jar with my para-soy blend so I am not sure why I can't even get either of these two wicks to at least burn in a votive. Do I need to add less FO in this wax for my votives to burn right? I have tried with several different scents, so it is not just a single scent this is happening with.

Oh, boy did I have a doosey of a show this weekend. It was a 3 day show that the local chamber of commerce put on. The rent for 3 days was only $40.00 dollars, so I thought that was a good price. It was in an old school gym. The school was closed a couple of years ago and they rent spaces out. I figured it should be a pretty good show since the Chamber was putting it on. Surely they would advertize and they would know how to put a good show on. BOY WAS I WRONG! Well, the first thing when I walked in was they were telling everyone not to plug anything in because the breakers keep blowing. I figured o.k. No biggie...WELL let me tell ya I know why they said that! There was NO, I mean NO heat in the building. We had temperatures in the single digits here. They had two space heaters heating the gym. The fumes from the heaters would make your eyes water and give you a headache, so the venders would complain about that and they would shut the space heaters off and open the doors to ventelate the gym and it got so cold in there you had to have coats and blankets to stay warm. Plus, when they did have the space heaters plugged in they kept tripping the breakers. It was aweful. Hardly no people showed up to this show. I'd say maybe a couple of hundred over a 3 day period. Vendors kept complaining, and they wouldn't refund our money. Several vendors just left. I made my $40.00 dollar booth fee, and that is it! I am so lucky to have made the booth fee back. I will NEVER, NEVER do another show with them again!

I also live in a rural area and people love the leather candles. I sell leather in candles, and in car air fresheners and they are always a big hit. I'm not a fan of leather scented candles, but I keep making them because people around here love them.

OH NO!! This is just crazy. I just got done re-doing all of my pricing last week.

I also saw these at our local walmart this weekend. Of course I had to buy a couple to compare them. Sadly, the spiced Cider one I bought on Friday night is stll throwing. I noticed though there is a kinda sludge on the bottom of my tart burner. I'm not sure what it is. I bought one other it was some name like spring rain or something like that. I'll have to throw that one in when I get home this evening and see if it lasts or if it just happened to be that one tart that I tried that lasted. They did not have many to choose from, maybe 6 scents. It is definately hard to compete when it costs me more than that just to make a tart, by the time I figure in my wax, fo, labels, shrink wrap, shipping ect. I don't know how they do it.