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Gary in Canada

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Posts posted by Gary in Canada

  1. On 5/25/2018 at 3:39 PM, Sandra said:

    Does anyone know if there is a Canadian company that sells cd or eco wicks? I've been testing with htp, but the wicks I've tried are either too large or too small. Thanks!

    Sorry for the late reply...As far as I know there is no company in Canada selling CD or ECO wicks.  I have bought ECO from the US. but they didn't work for my container/wax. I have heard CD's are good so i might order some from the US. 

  2. On 6/1/2018 at 10:00 PM, TallTayl said:

     Just don’t do it I accidentally didn’t stick the wrong side of the sheets together. I lost a whole sheet that way. 😳😫

    I did the same thing...I have a couple of different kinds now, but when I use the ones on the sheet, I REALLY make sure to get the right side of the sheet on the stickers.

  3. I don't have CD's up here...but I will order some fro the US to try.  The RRD's seem to work real good, so I think I might order some more sizes, and test it over again..  I think the RRD would work good, but just needs to catch up the the orignal burn.  I wish a Canadian supplier would carry CD's....would make life a little easier. 

  4. Maybe try the trick learned on the forum....take a cut out of your tester candle...put it in a wax melter and see if the scent fills your room.  Just a thought...but maybe your tester burns perfect the first burn...but is too hot on the 2nd and 3rd burn??  There are others here with a lot more experience, and I am sure they can figure it out...

    • Like 3
  5. I have been trying/testing 6006, and using the pour with no wick testing procedure.  So I poured a 2.5" glass container, 6% linen scent, no dye and a RRD34 wick. Started out good...good HT, nice quiet flame...but after 3 hrs it seemed to be tunneling.  So the next day I pulled out the 34 and replaced it with an RRD47.  It.s burning real  nice but seems to be following the "tunnel" of the first burn of the RRD34.  Should I start this test over?  I know they say soy has a memory...not sure if 6006 has a memory also?  Thanks for any input.

  6. On 11/1/2017 at 2:28 PM, Flicker said:

    This is a loaded question, it may yield you dozens of answers, none the same. ;)

     

    However, I personally love the IGI 6006 and have been using it so long, that when I started it was still Dussek Campbell making it, then it went to BP, then to IGI. Yep, a long time. I personally love it. Enough soy to "keep it clean" enough paraffin to burn stellar and throw amazingly!

     

    @FlickerI just ordered 6006, which is FINALLY available in Canada...I am so frustrated with soy these days, I had to try something different and after reading a lot..I wanted to try 6006.  Just received it today so Im looking forward to trying it.  May I ask what wick series you use?  Our supplier up here recommended HTP... Thanks for any help...

    • Like 1
  7. Sometimes inexpensive oils are priced that way for a reason...they don't work very good.  If you pay a little more for a scent that knocks your socks off, compared to a cheap scent that you can't even smell, or it smells bad....how good of a deal was it?  I'm starting to learn that after spending a lot on poor FO...  I just have a hard time resisting those tempting descriptions some suppliers come up with for their FO's... 😏

    • Like 3
  8. 16 hours ago, bfroberts said:

     

    Yes, I order the clear gloss labels for inkjet from onlinelabels.com and print them myself.  I use a Brother inkjet printer (cheap ink!) and they don't smear.  They aren't waterproof but they get handled a lot in our store and they hold up to it really well.

    I think I still have some onlinelabels clear gloss, so maybe I'll give it another try...Maybe I can play around with the print settings to get it to work. Thanks.

  9. Do you print those clear labels in the first picture? I tried the online clear labels with an inkjet and they smeared even after sitting for a week, even though they are supposed to be injet/laser compatible.  I think a clear label on your pineapple lid would look very classy.

  10. That's probably why you're having a tough time cleaning out the jars...For soy, i just use the double boiler to melt residual wax..pour it into a container then fill the jar with hot water and dish detergent. Wash it out, and it comes out as good as new.  Paraffin, I do it the same way, but always am left with a greasy film on the container.. 

    • Thanks 1
  11. On 4/23/2018 at 4:40 PM, Sarah S said:

    If I may, I have been making candles for a much shorter period of time then the talented and experienced ladies above, so my A-Z is also a bit shorter. 

    1. I want great HT, and I don't want to wait on a cure, and I'm too lazy to do a second pour, and I get frustrated easily, so that means a low-melt point parrafin. I live very close to Candlewic, so I started with their CBL-125 and I love it, so that is my wax of choice.

    2. I tried HTP wicks, and they worked great right off the bat, so that is my wick series of choice. I am never tempted to cheat on them with those other tawdry wicks.

    3. I like the look of glass jars. I don't like to pay a bunch of money for fancy jars, so I use canning jars with smooth sides for a simple and clean look. Size selection is easy from there, 8 or 16oz.

    4. Fragrance can seem overwhelming, but that's where having a clear vision of your overall brand comes into play. I know exactly how every fragrance I try fits into my brand as a whole. If I can't make it fit, I don't use it (or it become a "just for me" candle).

    5. I test my wax, wicks, and fragrance in both size jars, because you just never know. I had one FO that I adored, that I just couldn't wick correctly in the 16oz jar, but it worked in the 8oz jar. If I can't get a FO to work with my wax, wick and jars, I don't use it.

    6. I write notes on all my test burns, and I don't test more than 3 or 4 candles at once because I have a short attention span. 😆

    I do test burns just like I would burn a candle for my own use, which for me means 4-6 hour burns. Keepin' it easy.

     

    So that's my development process. Super simple, right? It has saved me so many headaches to focus on one wax, one wick series, and a couple of basic jars.  I have about 10 fragrances that I know work really well, and that fit great with my branding vision. I consistently get positive feedback about them. That took me around 18 months to get to that point, but in that time I learned a ton about my wax and how it behaves.

    Now I have started to play with parasoy in my personal candles, and I have tried some larger multi-wick containers as well. Still same wick series though, and my base wax is still a low-melt point container wax, so I'm not really changing too many factors.

    Next I want to play with palm wax, so I'll probably need to try some different wicks since that's a totally different wax. But I'll use my standard 8oz and 16oz jars since I know what a good burn looks like in those. And I'll use FOs that I've already tested, so I have a general idea of what kind of throw to expect.

    Learning to make great candles is a lengthy process, but if you're methodical and consistent, you'll have a product you know inside and out and that you can be proud of!

    Great response Sarah...sometimes we try to over think things and make it harder than it has to be.  When I went on the road to do sales (many yrs ago)....my sales manager taught me the KISS theory... Keep It Simple Stupid..  worked then..works now.

    • Like 1
  12. On 4/4/2018 at 11:04 PM, Trappeur said:

    Delle, you know what you should do when testing?.....Pour your jars WITHOUT any wicks in them.   After the wax has hardened, take a skewer and push it down through the middle of the wax.  Then take whatever wick you are going to test, cut off the metal end so you only have just the raw wick and now push that wick into the candle you just used a skewer on.  Now either use a hot gun and melt the top of the candle so the wax fills in the gap  around the wick or if you don't have a hot gun use a hair dryer to melt the wax or pour some more wax on top of the candle and it will fill in the gap. .  Now after you've done all the above, let the candle cure and then light.  If the wick is not the one you choose for that candle and want to try another wick, just pull that wick out and insert a new one.  No need for melting your candles anymore like you used to.

     

    Trappeur

    That's what I do...thanks to an earlier post.  And make notes of which wick you put in.  I have switched them out, and didn't make a note of it...then it was back to square one!

  13. The first soy candle I ever bought was from Whitewater Premium Candle Co. in Ottawa ON.  It was awesome...amazing throw.  I tried to duplicate it, with no success, then I saw a TV interview they did and saw their wax...CB Advanced.  By the time I saw the video, it was too late to get CB Advanced...it was gone.  I bought one of their new candles in Feb. (not sure what wax they use now)...and it was in my opinion VERY average.  So just to satisfy myself, I have to buy some NEW CB Advanced to see if it compares to the old one.  We won't have it available here until Mid May.    

    • Like 2
  14. Check the Quantum 210, 220, 230 maximum load...they say it can hold 18%.  I made 3 candles with Q210, same size containers and wicks, but I did 6%, 10%, and 18% just to see if the increased FO would make a big difference in throw.  I didn't notice any scent throw difference, but the 18% candle actually caught on fire!  The whole top was burning..scared the you know what out of me!!

  15. @Cblanca  That's exactly what I found with the Quantum waxes..I tried every wick imaginable, and I had trouble to get anything close to acceptable.  I lit one for my wife when she was watching tv, and when I went in to check in on her and the candle, the whole top of the container was on fire!  That was it for me.. Im now trying this www.canwax.com/Wax-CoconutSoy-Container-Blend-CW301_p_3795.html and it seems to be working out well.  

  16. 13 hours ago, Cblanca said:

    Got mine here in the US.. so it's in pellet form, melts the same , pours the same , looks the same a little different color but it's not the same because I can't wick it with my previous wicks. And as I test I'm finding issues at around 25 hours into test burns with my current wicks. 

     

    Well...to me it sounds like the "new" Advanced is exactly like the Quantum waxes. I have moved on, and am going to leave the Advanced and Quantum waxes to others to figure out.

  17. @Sarah SI did see previous threads about it coming out...but not too much info on where it is actually available..and hardly any reviews.  Considering how many people used the original Advanced, I figured everyone would be anxious to try the new one..but doesn't seem to be the case.  I wouldn't mind trying it, but I can't find it available in Canada, and to bring it in from the US is a little expensive. 

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