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birdcharm

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Everything posted by birdcharm

  1. birdcharm
    Nice photos & candles, Trappeur! @FB157 ... someone shared this tip here awhile back and I think it's a good one. I've always "eyed" my wicks in the center, but it is more difficult when dealing with more than one. I used their suggestion on my single wicks and it does make the work go much faster. You can only do it with clear glass. Use the jar as a stencil and draw the outline on a piece of paper, then mark where the wick goes. Set the glass on the paper, aligned within the circle you've drawn and you can see where to land your wick(s). Since I use a high-temp glue gun, this really helps me to get it right the first time and quickly too, which makes a difference when using hot glue.
  2. birdcharm
    I checked out of curiosity ... I'm currently using 464 from that lot number. I'm not experiencing any issues with it.
  3. birdcharm
    I don't agree that we need "legit research" to get a sense of the difference of effects from pouring, let's say, an ounce of scent into a hot pot of wax verses the distributed scent that burns off in a candle. This is like saying we can't tell the difference between drinking a shot of liquor or a few sips -- of course we know it's not the same. If someone burns several scented candles at once without any air circulation, they probably are filling a room with vapors that are not good to breathe all of the time; such as incense, a fireplace, etc. -- in moderation, it's probably not as bad as breathing smog.
  4. birdcharm
    As much as I enjoy seeing the creative process and a "twisty" new idea or concept, I can't help but to consider the various safety aspects of your very unique design. Are the columns stable so they won't topple? Have you attempted this with harder waxes? It's interesting, please don't take me wrong!
  5. birdcharm
    I believe a company called Atkins & Pearce has the market for htp's -- not sure if there is more than one manufacturer. If it's the same supplier, then it doesn't matter where you buy them. If I have a wick that mushrooms more than preferred, I try a different wick. If I'm simply testing a wick and I didn't use any scent, I don't know that I would feel a need to wait two weeks -- I believe much of the additional curing time is so the scent binds with the wax.
  6. birdcharm
    I thought the "lead" wick thing was pretty much a dead issue in the U.S. by now -- how many years ago were they banned here? They may exist in some candles in other countries, but not in the U.S. Regarding fragrance oils, imo, when burned in a candle, I really don't think they're so bad. When making candles, we need to be careful.
  7. birdcharm
    What are those?
  8. birdcharm
    I picked up a sample of The Candle Source's J&J Bedtime Bath (Soothing Lavender) a few months ago, based on some reviews here. It is nice, imo. I have this in a spray bottle and I think I will buy 8-oz. next time around. I also spotted a good review on their Lavender & Vanilla, but I didn't try it.
  9. birdcharm
    Here are a few photos of this candle ... burning at twelve hours, unlit after thirteen ... it looks like the sides are going to melt off soon. This wick and candle doesn't look so bad to me, but I'll wait for opinions!
  10. birdcharm
    I burned it for 3.5 hours last night ... the sides of the glass were melting away, so by the end of a total of about ten hours, the walls of the glass are melting. I'll burn it some more today and see how it goes! So far, so good though, I think. I'll take a pic.
  11. birdcharm
    I have read that tins can burn hotter so that the wick size you'd normally use for any given diameter would be sized down for tins, but I'm not experienced with tins, so I can't really say -- only that I've read about it. Although I would think that a 2/0 in a 3" diameter would be okay, but again, the heat of the tin most likely plays into it. This is a #3 (not 3/0) -- I've got it going again, so I'll see if it starts to melt the wax on the sides.
  12. birdcharm
    I started burning it (8-oz. square Ball jar) last night ... it burned for five hours; then after two hours burning this morning, I snapped a photo (below). So, at this point it has burned for 7 hours ... there's no sagging of the wick, and I'm hoping the sides are going to catch up. What do you think?
  13. birdcharm
    Funny!! ( I used to have a "Heinz57" fur-ball dog! )
  14. birdcharm
    I think the 8 oz. "Special Ball" jar I used for my light orange candle (photo of it in gallery "pink soys") is similar to your jar. I used 464 and it's been a couple of weeks since it's been poured. I used a #3 cotton square braid ... maybe I should start to burn that candle this weekend and see how it goes so I can report back to you on its performance? I know that some here say not to use the square braids, although I like them ... my guess is that I may have been able to use one of the larger HTP sizes, but in the past when I have compared similar size HTP to the cotton, I've preferred the cotton. I don't have experience with the Performa or Eco wicks, only some experience with CD, so I don't have real rounded experience with this, mostly a bit of bias and I don't know whether it's good or bad!
  15. birdcharm
    I think the additives in the 444 are soy additives (2%) -- going by my memory. Doesn't a soy candle (all soy) burn for a longer period of time than a parasoy candle of the same size? It seems the thing that stands out to some people is the length of the burn (as well as other attributes, of course) -- but the amount of time a candle burns seems to impress people when they experience a long-burning candle. The other thing about some store-bought candles has to do with the quality of the paraffin that is being used. For instance, if it's from another country, it may not be as well refined and emit more chemicals into the air.
  16. birdcharm
    I don't usually have much left over either since I weigh it all out. Although I'm "old school" -- lol, y'all have pouring pots! I have an assortment of vintage coffee cans! When was the last time there was Hills Brothers Gold? They've been pinched for pouring and I've collected many, some for use with different colors of paraffin or parasoy; others for use with soy; and, then of course, I've got my collection of glass coffee pots from when I was more active making gel candles -- I'm thinking of converting those over for soy as I think they would work. And, my "candle corner" is a real mess right now, thank goodness spring is near, maybe I'll have some time to clean up!! I admit, there are some "stashes" of colored-scented paraffin in there just waiting to find a candle to call home. I must be a hoarder of wax.
  17. birdcharm
    If I don't pour it into a little container of some sort for use later while it's still warm, I warm the pot on the stove (if it's vegetable wax, I don't use a double boiler), and then pour it into a small container. As others have mentioned, the little samplers get saved up for something else -- for me, it's personal-use candles, either chunk candles, or combined scented wax candles. I suppose I should wick a jar and just start pouring layers, that would save some time!
  18. birdcharm
    According to notes I have collected regarding wicks, an HTP 73 is recommended for a 3" container by one source; 2.5-2.75" by another source; and up to 2" by another source. My notes didn't include "72" from those sources. Yet another source offered the following ... Wick Flame Height (inches) Pool Diameter (inches) HTP – 62 1.01 1.60 HTP – 72 1.03 1.64 HTP – 73 1.05 1.67 It would seem that you're using the proper wick size in your doubled setting, except from the sources that say that size is for 2.5-3". I see that this type of wax holds 1.5 ounces per pound. I agree that there is probably a little more scent being used than should be. Maybe HTP's aren't the best wick for your particular wax and scent ...? LOL, sorry, I'm not much help here!
  19. birdcharm
    I think the heat in candle making affects the e/o's. I did mix palmarosa with french vanilla once, which smelled nice, although it didn't seem to throw very well, and after time, the palmarosa kind of "left," leaving only the french vanilla.
  20. birdcharm
    I've always liked creamy orange scent for some reason ... I think it's weird that I keep going over to the curing candle to smell it though!
  21. birdcharm
    I've been using a high-temp glue gun with a corresponding glue and the wicks have been staying in place throughout the burn. To remove the wick tab after the candle has burned, I usually need to grip the neck of the wick tab with a pair of pliers and pull pretty hard to remove the tab. I know many people like the wick stickers, but I commonly order from suppliers that do not sell those, which is not convenient for me, so I decided to use a glue gun. I have aired my curiosity once before about using a glue dipping pot as they use with silk flowers, but I haven't ventured in that direction yet. If you squeeze glue to the center of bottom of the wick assembly; quickly center it in the bottom of the glass and press it down, it should secure.
  22. birdcharm
    I'm glad you like it ... you just got me thinking of that scent, and I hadn't tried mixing that -- sitting here with way too much (old) orange! Well, you're going to laugh at me -- I've had this jar hanging around for ages -- on the day I decided I'd pour this candle, I washed the jar in the morning so it would be nice and dry by the evening. When the evening came around, I soon realized that I had forgotten to measure to see what it would hold. Just to make sure I melted enough wax, I melted nearly a pound (wanted to pour a couple of smaller candles at the same time anyway so hoped I melted enough) ... anyway, I think it's probably 8-ounces. After it's burned I guess I'll figure out what it held, lol. I used GW464 and I've got a #3 square braid in there, I'll see how that works out, I haven't tried that size jar/wick combination before. One thing I did do to be a little more "exact" this time, lol, was use the candy thermometer in the candle before placing the color. As you can see, I didn't get the flecking like the others, which I kind of wanted, but that's okay, I get it now. I was at 120dF and dropping, but I had shaved the colored wax off with a knife rather than making little chunks. They sat on top a little, then sank, I swirled a metal pick around once and put a some more on the surface. By that time the wax was 100dF and they weren't melting too good, so I used a heat gun briefly. That's fine for the surface layer to be colored, but no flecks this time! Next time, I'm going to try little pieces rather than flakes, and I think I need to add them at minimum 125 degrees.
  23. birdcharm
    It's curing now ...
  24. birdcharm
    I always pour slowly -- but, last night I had about a pound of wax ready to go -- I poured one larger candle slowly; a smaller one slowly; and another smaller one with the remainder of the wax was poured like I was pouring a glass of water (not like pouring a carbonated drink) -- and, so guess what? The last candle I poured with the remaining wax has a smooth top, but it's a bit concave in the center, almost to the point of cracking the top in a circular pattern about a half inch or so around the wick. The first two slow-poured candles were just fine. There is something to be said for a slower pour, imo.
  25. birdcharm
    Okay @Trappeur ... I poured one! Now, I'm not sure my mix is correct, but it smells very good! I used a little more French Vanilla (a mix of mine) and Creme Brulee than Orange (about two parts of the vanilla types) ... it smells nice so far. I'll take a pic! This time I used a candy thermometer as I was adding the flakes of color ... I've realized a few things about my coloring and the way I cut the pieces, as I shaved the colored wax this time for the most part. I'll explain a bit later just to note it. Thanks for the inspiration!
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