JeremyM

Thank you TallTayl, that's a really good idea. I'll give it a shot next time!

I currently have two small and two large pouring pots. I am quite skilled at using the small pouring pots, but I hate using the 4 lb pots because I end up spilling wax everywhere. I don't want to pour too fast (because I read that can cause sink holes), but pouring too slow causes wax to drip down the sides. At this point, I am pouring mostly into 4 and 8 oz mason jar containers, and I was wondering if there were better quality pouring pots that limit spilling or if anyone has any pouring tips for the larger pouring pots. I think my next step may be to pour some of the wax into a smaller pouring pot after I add the fragrance and then put a thermometer into both pots since the smaller one would cool down more quickly.

As someone else mentioned, there have been issues with boxes of 464 produced in the summer months. From what I have read, you want to stock up on wax before the summer because it seems moisture gets into the wax at the manufacturer. I had a box with a June date, and everything was fine until about halfway to the bottom of the box. I got to the point where every candle had huge sink holes, and a few random candles had very bad cottage cheese tops. Normally, the tops are very smooth. I switched to another box of 464 with an April date on it, and all those problems went away. I hate wasting wax, so I use the June wax for testing (and use a heat gun to fix the problems) and use the April wax for fulfilling orders.

I am looking to add a new container to my collection and am looking for an amber straight sided tumbler somewhere around 10-12 oz by volume. CS has one that I really like, but the reviews are horrible. (https://www.candlescience.com/containers/straight-sided-tumbler-jar-amber.) Woodfire Candle Company has a similar container for their whiskey glass candles (https://woodfirecandleco.com/collections/whiskey-collection/products/whiskey-glass-soy-wood-wick-candle) that I absolutely love. I've spent hours looking all over for a place that sells a container like this but so far no luck. Does anyone use containers like these or know where I can purchase them? I may end up using containers similar to PF Candle, but I like it better without the grooves for a lid at the top. I plan to use either cork or a bamboo lid.

Does anyone know the deal with Peak Candle? Their supplies have been getting more and more limited, and now their website has been "closed" for the last few days. I really hope they are not closing for good. Jeremy

Thank you, TallTayl!

I only sell aroma beads in sachets, but my friend works for a school and has asked if they can buy them in small mason jars instead to place on teachers' desks. Being a teacher myself, I'm all for this. I already have small mason jars and daisy lids, but the beads fall all over the place when you shake it. Any idea what I can use for a screen that lets the smell of the beads escape but keeps the beads inside the jar? Jeremy

I have been shipping my candle products wrapped in bubble wrap and surrounded with styrofoam peanuts in the shipping box. I have seen a lot of sellers packaging each candle in individual boxes. I like how that looks, so I would like to purchase some brown kraft boxes for the two sizes of mason jar candles I make. I'm a little confused though what steps other sellers take to make sure the candles don't break. I assume no one wraps the candles in bubble wrap inside each box, and it would look silly to wrap the boxes in bubble wrap. If individually box each candle, then put those smaller boxes into the larger box for shipping and fill it with styrofoam peanuts, would that be secure enough? I would love to hear from others who box individual items. Jeremy

I mentioned recently on another post that one of my fragrances (Cracklin' Birch from NG) appears to have lost its scent after only 5 months. I contacted them and was given the response that fragrances have a shelf life of 6-12 months. I bring it up again because I poured some test candles last week that have very little CT or HT. I used the Red Delicious Apple fragrance from NG at 8%. I made candles with this FO before and was able to produce great smelling candles. I just checked my bottle and it too seems to have lost most of its scent. I can barely smell any apple at all. I don't get it! I'm now getting worried that I may not be storing fragrances properly. I keep them all in my basement (coolest, darkest place in my house) on a bookcase. They are kept inside large boxes, so no sunlight reaches them. Should I be storing them a different way? I'm also starting to reconsider NG as a supplier. I smelled all of my other fragrances (from CS, Peak, and RE) and they all smell as they should.

I call mine White Birch. On a separate note, have any of you had a problem with this fragrance losing its scent in the bottle? I purchased an 8 oz bottle from NG about five months ago, and my family and friends adored this scent. I went to make another one yesterday but the bottle lost all of its fragrance. I poured it anyway hoping it was just me, but my candles have no CT. I keep my bottles in a cool dark place. Should this really happen after five months? I'm tempted to buy another bottle, but I just don't know anymore.

Thanks for sharing such a detailed procedure. I use mason jars with a diameter of 2.5" to 3", so I have only tested them for up to 3 hours, and I have never done a power burn either. After reading your post though, I plan on using a similar procedure moving forward. Thanks again!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I guess I'm still a bit confused because I completely agree with what members have posted, but I still see a lot of information (especially for soy candles) that states how important it is to get a full melt pool on the first burn. They say soy wax has a "memory" to it, and you will get tunneling if a full melt pool isn't achieved on the first burn. I guess I'll just keep testing them at least halfway down and take it from there.

As I read through past discussions, there have been a lot of threads on doing test burns for different fragrances and wicks. I keep finding contradictory information though. Some people stress the importance of making sure you get a full melt pool on the first burn. Others suggest you shouldn't expect a full melt pool on the first few test burns. I know it's important to burn the candle until the end, but if I am not able to get to a complete melt pool on the first burn, should I stop and wick up or should I keep on testing? I would love to hear some input on this. Jeremy

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I was just a little unrealistic in my expectations. The labels still look nice on my candles, and I still plan on using them. I guess I shouldn't be looking to professional companies for comparison haha.

I have been testing clear gloss labels for an inket printer for my status jar candles. I really like how they look, but the labels all have an image or clipart on them to represent the fragrance, and these images are very translucent when placed on the glass container. It looks okay when the container has a white soy candle inside as a backdrop, but as the candle burns, it just doesn't look good. I was really hoping the text and photos on the label would be more opaque. I look at a site like diamondcandles.com, and their labels look great even on a clear container. Am I being unrealistic, or should I continue to mess with the settings on my printer? Right now, I always print on "glossy photo paper" and have tried both standard and high quality. I also wait a day to make sure the ink is dry. I'm not sure what else to do! Jeremy

I had researched projects other teachers had done and came across a high school science teacher in California who did a similar project, except they made soap. I was very impressed by it. I was hesitant to use lye with middle schoolers, plus I felt candles would be more fun. You can read more about that project below: http://www.hightechhigh.org/hthma/project/wicked-soap-company/

Hi everyone, I've been reading through these forums for a few months now since I started to make candles and figured I might as well officially join! I originally started to learn about candles because I thought it would make for a great project in my middle school science class. I wanted my students to learn the chemistry involved while also developing entrepreneurship skills. I planned to make a small "business" and give the students control over the type of wax/fragrances we would use. All profits would go to funding future class projects. It seemed like a great idea...until we didn't get the grant we needed. I decided I knew too much about candles to just give up, so I decided to go on my own and have created my own company. I've been testing away since November and plan to open up an online store in the next month or so. I've learned a lot from these forums. Thank you!