birdcharm

Lana, it is true that all waxes have pros and cons -- we can't get away from that, it's just a part of the substances. If our soy wax was known to not be GMO, it would be considered to be more earth-friendly. However, beeswax, coconut wax, are both pretty friendly to the planet and I'd personally like to start doing more of both of those. As for an "agenda" -- the topic came up and I answered with my opinion, which some may not like, but the question was asked as to why some companies are no longer offering palm wax, and the clear-cutting of rain forests happens to be an issue for many people who would prefer to not support those activities. Most likely, some candle supply companies feel a similar way and have decided to take part in a global movement to discourage the use of palm oil.

I have to say that the "bad press" regarding palm oil should not be taken as any type of slander against it -- palm plantations are destroying much of the planet with the monocultures and although there is "sustainable" these are still areas which have destroyed rain forests, left baby orangutans orphaned, wiping out orchids and other botanicals, destroying bird & insect habitats, caused horrendous peat fires, bringing many species of plants and animals to extinction -- so how "natural" is the use of palm oil? I've got to say, I do not agree, not at all.

Some rose scents can be really nice if they aren't very artificial smelling. I think the Rosewater Lemonade mix sounds interesting. There is a pink grapefruit scent that I really like, I've never tried it with a rose, but I'm thinking it could possibly make a nice pair, I just hadn't thought of citrus with rose ... I have a small bottle of each of these, I'll think I'll check that out! Daisy ... I don't currently offer retail at a shop as I once did (there were some issues, so I have refrained from doing that), but I do make candles for people and sometimes send "late" gifts (no longer being 'Christmas gifts' in January that I couldn't get out during December.) I once mixed palmarosa essential oil with a sweet french vanilla and it was lovely. The rose I am currently going to sample is from The Candle Source, I got a small bottle of Fresh-cut Roses and it's nice. Also, based on notes I gathered here, I ordered a sample of their "Soothing Lavender" (J&J type) and it's a nice, sweetish lavender. Also for this time of year, I like some rain and ocean types too.

This is the time of year I like the most because I always give away (and have sold in the past) Valentine candles. I like to do rose scents, lavender mixes ... both of those go nicely with peppermint, vanilla, and rose can go nicely with strawberry, depending on the scents; this year, I want to see what scents creme brulee mixes well with and also use it alone. There is a little shop near me that I used to sometimes offer candles for sale at on consignment, but quit doing it the last several years. When I first asked them about Valentine candles, I was told, "oh, we never sell much for Valentine's" (meaning, no sense in me trying to sell anything for it), but they said if I'd like to try, okay -- so I did -- and I sold many more than they expected!

Good for you! I can tell a lot of work went into those! Time to relax!

Interesting ... about two weeks ago, I was looking through a box of old stationery and in it there was a box with some sealing wax materials that I had given my late grandmother as a gift decades ago, she must have liked it, as she had added to the collection just a bit. I thought of taking it out and using it sometime too.

I read that it's a highly refined paraffin wax used for making mottled candles. It would seem as though it could be mixed.

I wonder how it would work to paint your own glasses? Has anyone ever tried this? Looks as though with this method, you bake the glassware, so I'm guessing the paint would stay with hot wax ... do you think it would? This looks like fun: Painting Glass

If I'm testing a candle, I burn it till the end. If you're wishing to save on supplies, you can pour a little under what you would normally pour for your test, unless you were timing it to see how long the finished product burns for, then you'd need to make an actual replica of the product you'll be working on.

I have thought about this myself and wanted to get a glass cutter and whatever you use to file the edges. At one point I noticed that there is a candle company in Australia that sells cut beer bottle candles, I think they have a video on youtube. As TallTayl mentioned, the glass really needs to be smoothed. I'm not sure if the container loses integrity from the cutting or if it's not meant for heat since I've never tried it.

Those are nice ... may I ask where you find those cute little jars?

I personally do not like wasteful packaging. That being said, I agree with Candybee. Also, regarding the shrinkwrap ... since most candle makers have a heat gun, it's easy to do that yourself and a nice label will carry that through, imo, on the retail end of things.

That covers some important issues ... I should add some more to mine, although I haven't done these in a few years. Do you think I made my tags large enough? lol ...

I see it as a pearly gray color (no lavender tint), but computer monitors can differ that way. I agree with Moonstar about the lettering color if using the grayish, that's a nice thought, maybe a dark lavender shade. Anyway, the reason I mention about the name placement sort of has to do with the word Maine showing twice (top and bottom). I like #1 too, but as you say, it may be a bit too dark; also, maybe a bit on the greenish side. It sounds like an interesting shop! I'd love to visit that area; Vermont & New Hampshire are as far north as I've been (in the winter too!)

I also like the rounded corners of #2. I think perhaps that "Lavender on Maine" should possibly be placed above "Kennebunkport" at the bottom (removing Maine the second time), with the lacy band placed a little higher. The lettering style of #3 is very nice, although some background color, as in #2 is pretty, although, I think perhaps a muted or light lavender shade might be considered, due to the name of the shop. Although the flowers are pretty, in some ways I think they may make the label too busy ~ I hope you don't take this wrong, but I would remove the flowers, allowing the name plaque to be center of attention. You're working with a beautiful label!

What a nice display! The round 3-tiered baskets give height while breaking up any "squareness" of the corners, along with the large round platter. The pastel open look of the wire shelf units give height and dimension without looking bulky; they all help to also put the products at eye level; the decorative table runners are a great addition. Good for you!

If you do a search on youtube, you'll find lots of information ... here's a search result link: Carved Candles

The last time I ordered some, I noticed that some places did have this ingredient, but I don't exactly know why. I did manage to find some with only natural ingredients, but it still included palm oil, which I try to stay away from, so now I search for one without palm oil.

I think once you get used to the coconut wax and a type/size of wicks/containers, you'll be able to rely on certain combinations. It's good to test any new combo so you know for sure how it's going to burn, but you don't have to fill the container all the way for those tests, imo.

For how long did you burn this candle when you first lit it? What's the diameter of your container? I don't know for sure if this information is completely accurate, but I'll share it anyway. The source stated that this guideline was for soy wax ... HTP - 93 Container up to 2-3/4" in diameter

I've been told that the tins will get hotter than a glass jar and that smaller wicks should be used to compensate for the metal. If this is true, and an ECO-10 is used successfully in an 8-oz. glass jar of similar diameter, then my guess (based on what I've been told about the metal/heat issue) is that the tin may be best with the next size down or so. Since I don't use these wicks, I'm not sure, but I'd like to try them someday, so I'm learning through your experiments, NavyVet, I hope you don't mind! I'm not sure if I'm correct in this assumption, but if a smaller wick will work well, it would make for a longer burning candle, something customers really do notice.

I've never used the ECO wicks before or coconut wax, but I'd like to try that wax! Here's a graph of the differences with the ECO wicks: ECO info For instance, I've been using a square braid cotton #2 with GW464 in a 6 oz. Ball jar and it's burning nicely. I should experiment with some other wicks in that container too. When I compare, for instance, the #2 graph (here) to the ECO graph, it looks as though the ECO 8 & 10 have a higher ROC (rate of combustion) as well as flame height than the #2, which makes me wonder if those ECO's are too big. You can see the various graphs of many wick types on that site.

E. What does a wax coating on the wick do vs a raw wick? I know that not everyone primes their raw wicks, although I do, as it does make them stand straight, as mentioned. Supposedly, priming a wick fills in any gaps within the fibers of the wicking to ensure consistent burning.

Sure ... it was from Chemessence. Nice & smooth, not too much cinnamon, sweet apple, buttery crust. (Hmmm, I'm getting hungry.) I may suggest a co-op buy with them someday if there's any interest.

Thanks for the advice, Moonstar -- I'm going to check it out a bit further, as I have never ordered from them. I recently ordered Apple Streusel from Flaming Candle, and it did not get my scent buds going at all; also recently ordered an apple type from Candle Cocoon, and it just was not what I'm looking for, but I'll get there. I'm hoping to find a good baked apple or apple pie by next fall or I'll order my old standard next year -- it's a nice one, but it's a 2-lb. minimum and I wasn't up to it this year since I don't know how it does in soy candles. I may check out this sale, although I haven't much time to decide on an order, esp. since it usually takes me so long to decide!