LRed

Thank you all! Ordered some mica and, so far so good.

Sorry to ask this question but, what company does TKB stand for? I was also looking at Brambleberry for non-bleed colorant blocks. I might order a sample to test.

Ordered mica from Bulk Apothecary. We shall see what happens. Thanks again!

Using soap liquid dyes from Candle Science. I guess I assumed they were non-bleeding. You know what they say about assuming! 🙄 I will research the non-bleeding dyes and get some micas to test. I purposely didn't use micas because I thought they were sometimes difficult to disperse through M & P bases quickly enough. Thanks for the recommendations!!

Made some M & P soap (Stevenson's Triple butter) with imbedded colored chunks made of glycerin M & P (also Stevenson's). Looked great in the beginning but after about 2 weeks, the color in the chunks began to bleed through into the white T3 base. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to prevent the bleeding? Thanks, all!

Thanks, all. Yes, the wicks are primed. I'd rather not prime them after cutting but I may have to do that. The tops look ugly but they don't seem to affect the burn but the flame doesn't look nice and straight up. Ugh! TallTayl, what are you doing to deal with it?

Hi all, I just bought a few packs of various ECO wicks from CS. I noticed that when I used the larger wicks, the threads are separating at the top during burn tests. It's not mushrooming. I can see the individual threads separate on the top. I don't see it happening with ECO wicks below ECO 8 but it's happening a lot with ECO 12-16. Any suggestions on how to keep them together? Thanks!!

Haha! So true! I used to volunteer for Xmas wrapping for charity and the men were always much easier to deal with. They buy, I wrap, they thank me profusely, give a donation and go on their way. Men also tend to tip more. Yes, I know that sounds sexist but it's just my general experience. Hey, a customer is a customer, right?

Hi all. Just wondering, what's the max time you've kept a container soy candle before deciding to discard it (or not sell it)? I can understand if you see discoloration, loss of fragrance, unexpected order, etc...but assuming it looks and smells fine, do you have a particular time you keep the candle on the "shelves"? Thanks!

Oh, it's too bad you didn't get a chance to hang out and sniff. It seems like you were able to get a few scents that you liked though. I bought a sample of the Moonlit Path too but haven't poured it yet. Let us know if the Snowflake and pine combo works out. Good luck!

Hi All. Can anyone give suggestions for reasonable label printing companies? Designed a logo and set out to have it printed into round product labels. Tried VistaPrint and StickerGiant and both were very expensive for the size I wanted to print (2" x 2"). Thanks in advance!

Thanks, all. Just reading this thread gave me some good scents to try out!

Welcome, Morgan!

Birdcharm, I received an order of GW464 from Candle Science this week. I'd be interested to see how it behaves. Please let us know how you make out with the one from Candlewic. Thanks!

Welcome Sunday. I'll take luck over work anytime!!! Hope you continue to have endless luck. This is a great forum. Lots to learn and very friendly members.

I wish I could describe Snowflake, Moonstar! I'm terrible describing scents. It's has a bit of a tree scent but I can't say spruce or fir. A little minty. Maybe a bit of lavender? That's all I got! GailC is right about mulberry spice. It's a little more complex than just cinnamon and mulberry. A little sweet but the cinnamon clears your nose a bit so it's not overpowering. I bought a bunch of 1 oz scents recently from Candlewic to try out. I tend to like lighter fragrances but I've come to realize that my sense of smell may not be shared by all. I generally don't like food scents but the pumpkin pancake wasn't overpowering. I'm planning on ordering the Pumpkin Chai and a few of the coffee scents. BTW-I just bought Toasted Pumpkin from CS and I have to say, I do not like it. It gives me a headache. Very strong and cloying.

When you go pick up your order, there are some shelves with samples of FOs that you can smell. I bought a bunch of 1 oz samples after checking them out. I liked Mulberry Spice and Snowflake for the Fall/Winter. Tried Pumpkin Pancake too and people seem to like it. Good luck! BTW-it was a little hard to find the front door (no big sign). The door is to the left of the loading dock.

So great, TallTayl! Thanks for doing this experiment. Very helpful to narrow things down.

Hi Michellem. I heated the votive molds in the oven before pouring and poured under 110. Still saw some frosting and a few air pockets with the C-3. Used a heat gun to smooth out the top. Cold throw seems good. I'm going to wait a week or two to test. I'll let you know!

Yup, my melt pool with the RRD29 did not reach the edge after a 3 hr first burn. I will try with a RRD34. I have had a good melt pool and consistent flame with no mushrooming or any carbon balls with a cotton core wick with all my votives. I'm going to retest all my previous candles at different locations to see if it changes my perception of scent throw. Thanks, TallTayl!

Hi TallTayl. Thanks for the info! The RRD29 melt pool was okay. Didn't reach to the edge though so I'm a little afraid wicking up to 34 may burn down too deep but I will definitely test it. I think I just need to be a little patient and wait another day or so before testing. That way, it would have cured for about a week. The Soy 125 seems creamy and a little soft so it may look nice in a tin. I'll post some pics when I burn them. Stay tuned!!

Thank you for the suggestion, Pam. Finally smelled the scent when I burned it in the kitchen and bathroom. Still not a strong scent but that may be due to the FO itself or the wick. I had a votive holder that I poured with excess Soy 125 wax with a RRD-29 wick to test. Apple Harvest from CS, cured for about 6 days. Pleasant light scent. Just happy I actually smelled it during burning.

Thank you Trappeur! Happy to be here and looking forward to educating myself with candle making. My timing may have been better, in terms of all the inconsistencies with waxes, etc... but I'm having fun so far. I'm actually researching candle making as a potential business for myself and my son, who has a disability. Trying to find things that he would enjoy, can do, and maybe even make a little money along the way. It is much tougher than I had anticipated but it's only been a few months and I'm trying to be very patient and find a good process. Thanks to all of you for being so kind!

Yes, we live on top of a mountain and can actually see the sky and the stars! Did you live in Bergen county? Very congested in the northeastern part of the state these days. Still beautiful areas though.

Welcome! I'm new to candle-making and this site too. I found lots of knowledgeable, experienced people here and they are very generous with their knowledge. I am just trying C-3 for the first time tonight. Wish me luck! Used 6% FO from CandleScience. Toasted Pumpkin Spice. I'm not that keen on the scent but I accidentally ordered an 8 oz bottle so I decided to use it for testing. We shall see what I get. Good luck and happy pouring!