Sarah S

I just got some 10oz tins from CW to play with. I’m going to use them with the CBL 125. I’m really excited about it!

This gives me a starting point for label design, thank you!

Candle Science has great products. Really top quality. I love their fragrances!

The best advice I can give is try paraffin. 😆😆

That’s just my bias though!

Cool label! Your company name is cute, I love it!

Pretty container! I’ve wicked something similar but smaller. Definitely wick for the bottom third. 

I really like that style tumbler, it makes a lovely candle. 

I am not a fan of Maple Street fragrances. The last time I ordered from them all 20 of the sample I tried were weak, and only a couple threw well in my wax. And I was only using paraffin, so it's not like I had a tricky wax. And the fragrances were pretty uninspired. 

Just my .02, if the owner is now making promises that are not being followed through on, I'd start looking at other supplies. There are so many really good ones, and if you are looking for something local-ish to PA, there are three others in PA and at least two in Ohio that I can think of off the top my head.

Again, just my opinion. 😁

@Sebleo, have you tried the Bamboo Sugarcane from RE? Oh my goodness that one is strong! It smells green and fresh to me, but the sugar cane definitely comes through pretty loud, so it does have a sweetness to it. To my nose the sugar cane is the heart, not the bamboo, but overall the fragrance is bright and green, not the least bit food or candy smelling. I think it's very nice, and as I mentioned, it's super strong!!

RE's Cuban Tobacco is phenomenal. So good alone or as a mixer!

Moderate throw in CBL 125, I'm not sure how it would do in soy.

Ohhhh, I hate to break it to you @NightLight, but that wick is way too big. You are definitely going to have some problems later on in the burn. Don't look for an edge-to-edge burn until you're at least halfway down the jar. You will doubt that the hangup will melt down, but it will! Even burning in one or two hour increments, with the proper wick the hangup will run down into the melt pool about halfway down the jar, and the wick will consume it at a steady rate. 

Are you still using the 2.5" jar? If so, make one with a CSN 12, set it aside for a couple weeks, and then burn it in 2-4 hour increments and see what happens. It's totally facinating the way palm burns. So different than soy and parrafin. 

Do be careful with that CSN 22 candle if you keep burning it (which might be a good idea to see what happens), it is going to get incredibly hot in a couple more burns. Like, really, really hot.

Sorry I don't know about using pillar Palm in containers, I've never tried it. It does pull away completely from the molds when I make pillars, so I would be concerned about it rattling around in the jar after it cools.

@Trappeur, I love the black labels, the very first one is my favorite. The font is simple so the focus is on that fabulous pony.

The tassels are beautiful!! With black lids, that will be a gorgeous presentation!

7 hours ago, Gary in Canada said:

Just revisiting some old posts...and I have to tell you Sarah..I have been doing what you recommended.  HTP73 worked great with 6006, 6% Lily of the Valley in the 8oz straight sided jar 2.5".  Most everything you read says you need a melt pool 1/4"-1/2" the first burn.  I find that if you size your wick to do that, by the last third of the candle there is a LARGE flame, mushrooms etc.  With a smaller wick, it seems to burn good at the start with a small amount of hangup, but takes care of that half way down.  

I'm so glad you're getting good results!

Its tough to have the patience to wick for the bottom half of the jar, but the results are worth it with a candle that burns beautifully from start to finish.

I'd love to see some pictures of your creations!

7 hours ago, Kshaler said:

Wow This is from WSP they have good reviews 

Crafters Choice™ Wine Fragrance Oil Collection

Set Contains: (1) 2 fl. oz - Black Magic Sangria Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Blackberry Bordeaux Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Cabernet Sauvignon Wine FO  (1) 2 fl. oz - Chardonnay Wine Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Crisp Apple Ice Wine Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Merlot Wine Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Peach Sangria Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Pink Sangria* Fragrance Oil  (1) 2 fl. oz - Wine About It Fragrance Oil    Ok I am wondering which is better Natures Garden or WSP I have tried WSP but only a few Scents any input would be great I will check the review page

They are both good suppliers. Although I haven't tried any of those fragrances specifically, I have had good results with many FOs from WSP. Same with NG, lots of great FOs. Of course I have gotten horrible duds from both too, so you just never know until you try the oils.

I will say that I feel like the higher prices at WSP are not indicative of the quality or performance of the oils. Some of the best oils I have gotten from there were the cheapest, and I paid a pretty penny for some duds, lol.

Prince of HP!! 👑👑

I swear @Sponiebr, every time I see one of your HP soaps, it makes me want to take a whack at it again. It's just so time consuming! Maybe if I have a few hours to kill this summer. 😆😆

I do have a couple FOs that I adore, that don't survive the soaponification process... Might be worth it!

I haven't used any, so I can't comment on the throw, but I second the suggestion for Natures Garden. They have a big variety of wine scents.

I think Rustic Escentuals has a bunch as well.

Their oils are super strong! The have the best Witches Brew. And the Bergamot Tobacco is awesome.

I'm not an HP expert, but recipe #2 looks good to me! Do you happen to have soybean oil? It's Vegetable Oil at the grocery store. I like that oil so much more than safflower in soap. Sorry, I know I'm being nit-picky with your recipe!!😅😅

A couple tablespoons of yogurt will help with the fluidity too. Add after the cook.

You're doing great! Experimentation is how we learn!

I haven't tried that one, but it sounds lovely!

What wax are you using?

Candles or melts?

Sometimes a FO won't work out in a candle for me, but does just fine in melts so I can still enjoy it. 😄

2 hours ago, CandleRush said:

Ahhh, hot processed soap! 🌸

Made my fair share of this soap. Something that helped me was to find a recipe that was already successful, there are many on line I’m sure. Also, watching a tutorial, there are a few out there as well, because hot processed soap goes through several stages and it’s important know what they are. Once you learn the stages it’s all up hill most of the time! And of course run everything through soapcalc.

Watching a video tutorial (or ten) helped me a lot. I definitely needed to see the stages.

Also, I agree with @TallTayl, all that mango can't be helping the issue. Is that a recipe of your own creation? The proportions seem odd to me. Also also, I personally would skip the rose hip oil. That stuff costs a pretty penny, and between the low percentage, the soaponification process, and the fact the it washes off, I don't see how it would have much benefit. Maybe if you added it at like 5% after the cook... Just my opinion though!

Where's @Sponiebr?? He's the Prince of HP! 😆

I think starting with parrafin wax is a great way to go. Or even a parasoy blend like 6006.

IMO, veggie based waxes are so finicky, and a huge investment of effort. Why torture yourself so early on? Once you get the hang of making a great candle with paraffin, then you could expand to other waxes without such a steep learning curve.

When I started out, I started with soy because I assumed that's just what everyone used. Seemed like it anyway! Boy, those candles were terrible! I'm so thankful that I was able to quickly switch gears and get a couple slabs of parrafin container wax. So much better! I had fragrant, beautiful candles in a matter of weeks as opposed to months.

Pick an easy wax, pick a container to practicing wicking it in, pick a wick series, and pick 2-3 fragrances. In that order. Make your first candles super basic while you learn.

If you do other crafts, treat candle making just like anything else - learn to sew the pot holder before the flying pinwheel quilt, learn to make a clay pinch pot before you throw a vase, learn to bake cupcakes before the 4-tier wedding cake. 😁😁😁

I love a lot of things about Candlewic, but not their pre-tabbed wicks. I have had bad luck with them pulling off at the tab, and arriving all bent and twisted up.

IMHO, Flaming and Filmore have great HTP wicks.

1 hour ago, Candybee said:

 

Is That a Banana in Your Pocket?

That would be a huge seller with my crowd. 😆

17 hours ago, TallTayl said:

When you look at your jars, if you see any parts with the wax has pulled away from the glass it looks like it’s wet. Wet spots are generally caused by shrinkage.

 

One way to control wet spots Is to make sure that all of the wax pulls away from the jar equally. Some container waxes specialize in this.

CBL130 pulls away completely, almost like a pillar wax. Zero wet spots. The down side is, as the wax pool reaches the sides of the glass while burning, it flows down between the candle and the glass, creating an almost lava-like wet spot around the top 1/4. It's hardly any more noticeable than wet spots, but some people might be bothered by that aesthetic. 

When I mix Palm wax with CBL125, it has the same characteristic. 

IDK if you can see it happening there, it's less noticeable with white wax.

Anyway, my point was, sometimes in trying to solve one problem, another is created. I consider this kind of issue the "small stuff", and I try not to sweat it. 😁

Here are my observations: 

In a 16oz straight sided glass jar, with 2 3/4" diameter opening, with parrafin wax, I would start with an HTP 73 or 83.

Same jar, palm wax, I would start with an HTP 104 or 1212.

Same jar, Palm wax, CSN 9 or 12.

The trouble is, because HTPs are only partially compatable with Palm wax, you have to use a ridiculously oversized wick to get a suitable flame in ANY size jar. So it's really hard to draw a comparison.

Personally, I ordered the sample size pack from CS and considered it well worth the investment.

For a 2 1/2" diameter you're probably good with a CSN 9 or 12. For a 3" diameter a 12 or 14. For a 3 1/2", I'd try a 14 or 16. Once you get up into the CSN 20+, those things are like ropes, and I usually just double or triple wick at that point.

Edited to say that @Candybee has a lot of experience with CSN wicks, and helped me immensely with my wicking. Perhaps she can chime in with her viewpoint too.

Candles:

wax: CBL125

fo load: 7%

container: glass, 16oz straight jar, 8oz mason, large bowl

wicking: HTPs, need to wick up

additives: none

cure: 1 week

CT: moderately strong

HT: super strong*

*This FO is crazy strong when lit, compared to the CT or the throw from melts. It is a deep spicy chai, no sugar, no cream, the black tea notes are the background but still detectable. I like to use this as a mixer, although it is great on its own.

Melts:

wax: CBL 141, Palm 2 crystal wax

fo load: 7%, 6%

container/mold: portion cup, silicone shapes

additives: none

cure: 1 week, 2 weeks

CT: moderately strong

HT: strong

Wax

Candles:

wax: CBL 125

fo load: 7%

container: glass, mason

wicking: wicked down one size from usual, HTPs

cure: 1 week

CT: strong

HT: weak*, fuel smell while burning

* So sad, this had the dreaded fuel smell when we lit it up. My daughter was very hopeful, she loves this fragrance, but the lemon smell was not strong enough to overcome the fuel smell. Perhaps a change in wicks would make a difference, but I moved on to other oils instead of struggling with it.

melts:

wax: CBL141

fo load: 7%

container/mold: portion cups

additives: none

cure: 1 week

CT: strong

HT: moderately strong*

*No fuel smell with the melts, as one would expect. This is moderately strong, but not blow the shutters off strong. A good thing, IMO!

Disclaimer: I have never smelled the original from Lush, so I couldn't say if this is an accurate dupe or not.

Soap:

cold process: coconut soap (coconut oil and rice bran oil), lye solution 30%

fo load: 5%

additives: salt

notes: soaped pretty hot, 100-110ish, no acceleration, no ricing

discoloration: none

CT: very strong*, no morphing, still strong after 6 months

WT: very strong

*This is a great lemon fresh kind of FO. Wonderful in soap, very popular. Fantastic in lotion, super strong, so a little goes a long way. I think it's a little softer and more well-rounded than a straight lemon, it doesn't smell like a floor cleaner to me, but it also does not have any bakery or sugar notes either. Very pleasant if one likes lemon.