Quentin

On 7/17/2019 at 10:51 AM, TallTayl said:

As a result we are unable to secure supply with no apparent recourse, resulting in our closure. EcoSoya soy waxes are still unparalleled in performance and NGI is credited with creating the soy wax industry. Honors that I will cherish!"

Hey EcoSoya, you can buy mine back.

On 7/17/2019 at 2:04 PM, NightLight said:

I’m telling you those new waxes they came out with were not good at all. I am not surprised.

No skin off my back. My first experience with their waxes was horrible.

On 7/19/2019 at 1:28 PM, Courtney said:

For the past year I have only been selling locally but now I'm wanting to start selling online, because I have lots of potential customers who live too far away for me to deliver. I'm thinking of going with Etsy, it seems like the best option starting out. My only problem I've run into so far is shipping. What is the best way to ship soap/aroma beads? How do you calculate what shipping will be? Is it cheaper to use the packaging from USPS or your own? I need to know this before hand because when listing in Etsy you have to put in the weight and dimensions of the package. I want to keep shipping as cheap as possible for my customers because I know when I'm buying online, the shipping price is what decided whether I'm buying or not. And any other tips for starting up would be great.

I would start by reading the information at Pirate Ship. Start with this page https://www.pirateship.com/usps/priority-mail-cubic  and work your way through the many articles on their site. They are also integrated with Etsy, which means that with the touch of a button on the Pirate Ship page, your Etsy orders are immediately imported to Pirate ship. You will get instant rates and if you have questions as you go, they are really fast in responding to chat. They're friendly too.

On 6/29/2019 at 10:56 PM, Sebleo said:

So how does it work exactly?  Could I give them a sample of the discontinued CS Gardenia and have them dupe it for me? 

That's another one that Candle Science screwed me up on.

On 4/7/2019 at 9:31 PM, Sebleo said:

 

Thats what I mean by what is their baseline.  Seems they are giving you a formula for weight but you’re not going to be weighing the dye. You measure by drops. (You could measure by weight, but I’m sure the vast majority of people do not.)

 

Youre going to have to test anyway. So, if it were me I wouldn’t bother emailing them. Just compute your own system. 

On 4/8/2019 at 6:01 AM, NightLight said:

They are doing it by weight and assuming you are making large batches so it wouldn’t be that hard to measure out. Smaller batches difficult.

Yes devise your own system. So if one drop to 8 ounces makes the lighter color, then you will use two drops per pound if that makes sense. So you are going to use parts instead of weight for measuring.

On 6/2/2019 at 9:45 PM, TallTayl said:

I’d break out the heat gun myself. 

49 minutes ago, Sebleo said:

 

Check out these threads on AFI. I’m just learning about dupes as well  

 

I'll check out AFI. Thanks.

4 minutes ago, CandleRush said:

Are these odor eliminators made differently than regular FO?

 

I don’t know much about them and was asked to make some melts for pet owners.

 

What is the difference between the eliminators and FO?

 

Just curious as usual🌸

 

 

I don't know if Candle Science had a "secret ingredient" or not, but it was a strong spice fragrance. It would fill the whole house.

17 hours ago, CaptnKush said:

Ya this stuff

 

https://www.communitycandlesupply.com/proddetail.php?prod=OE

 

Hey! Believe it or not, I have a bottle of that stuff. I could take a shot at copying the fragrance. I'm guessing it would be trial and error?

17 hours ago, CandleRush said:

Quentin!

 

So sorry about your father.

Both my parents were in hospice care and you are correct, it’s beyond overwhelming even with help. Between 3 siblings we hired a caretaker who would spend the night a few times a week but it’s the emotional strain that was hardest on me. Burnout big time so get out a bit and don’t forget to take some time for yourself. 🌸

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. I have tried to escape to the garage and make a candle or two, but I can't really concentrate. The attendants are not nurses so they can't give medication. That means they wake me during the night since I'm the one that has to administer any meds. I'm no more qualified than the sitters are, and it's a scary thing to be the one that has to give my father drugs like morphine and Haldol in the middle of the night. 

18 hours ago, NightLight said:

Do you know the fragrance note of the old one. You haven’t totally lost out, you could get it duped then add the eliminator additive.

Yes, I'm certain I printed out the information on the old version. Tell me more about having it duped. I wouldn't know who to contact. That will be a new experience for me. Thanks for the encouraging news.

I haven't been around here lately. My father is in the final stages of congestive heart failure. He is in hospice in the home that he and I share, and I'm his caregiver. I've had to set candle making aside for the time being. I've always heard people say that being a caregiver is a tough job. I never realized what a monumental task it is. Even with hospice nurses coming by the house, and with a somewhat steady flow of care providers from an agency, it is a killer task. I'll check in when I can.

In an heroic effort to protect my customers and me from phthalates and other things that cause cancer in California but not in my home state, Candle Science has come out with what they claim is a new version of their Smoke and Odor Eliminator. The new fragrance isn't anywhere close to the original, and now I've lost one of my best sellers. The substitute they now sell is nothing more than another version of Clean Cotton.  What do I do? Discontinuing the product from my line isn't an option at this time. Is there anyone out there that is familiar enough with the dropped Candle Science product to be able to tell me where I can buy something really close to the original?

I see nothing to worry about. It's as good most Etsy shops and better than most. Very impressive. 

I've been using shrink tubing.  Tubing not shrink wrap. It takes a heat gun and a little practice. If what I see in the bottom picture is yours, then you're doing pretty good. Without machinery, you probably will never get it to look like the top picture. Making the ends folded nice and neat like that would require expensive equipment, I'm sure. Shrink wrapping is a lot like doing gift wrap, only you have to keep it from slipping around. You will need a heat gun to get it nice and tight. There are plenty of videos on YouTube. So many that you could watch for days if you had the time. I'm kinda fumble fingered so I look at shrink wrapping as ADVANCED gift wrapping. Practice is the only advice I can offer. I've been getting my shrink tubing from Packco in Missouri.  https://www.packcoinc.com/home.php  They offer free shipping on any order over $50.00. Shrink wrap material is very heavy, so the shipping offer will come into play very fast. 

Call them. They are very helpful and tell them the size of what it it you want to wrap and they can tell you what size wrap to get. Ask them to send you some sample pieces and they will gladly do it at no charge to you. Then you'll have something to practice with also. Heat guns can be bought at Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels, etc. Most Home Depot Stores stock them every day of the week. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wagner-Furno-300-Heat-Gun-0503059/206723935  This is the one I have. It should be more than adequate.

2 minutes ago, candlesinflorida said:

I think those “wrinkles” on your wax could be thanks to the heat emanating from the foil above it. In fact, the wax wrinkles look exactly like tinfoil ripples. As the wax was cooling (and therefore shrinking a bit) the wrinkled heat areas caused the candle to solidify unevenly.

No more tinfoil hats for candles 

Didn't think of it that way. Yes, the aluminum foil tent in 92 F temperatures was pretty stupid on my part. 

Here's the good news on my hot and cold garage shop: In about two weeks I'm having a building constructed behind my garage. It will be wired with sockets all over the place, insulated walls, 48 feet of shelving, and best of all, a through the wall A/C and heat unit. An LED lighting system will cover the ceiling, hang over the workbench, and under the top row of shelves. The lower level of shelves will be at countertop level at the same height as the workbench. That will create a horseshoe-shaped assembly line sort of operation. I'll be close enough to connect to the Wi-Fi in the house and will have an intercom so I can continue to monitor my 93-year-old father. I'm his caretaker. There will be a computer in there to access my formulas, notes and other information.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to reach the wireless printer. That way I can produce labels while waiting for things to cool down or heat up. This arrangement will also give me the ability to jump into this forum and get information plus watch YouTube videos on candle making. An added benefit is that I can watch my favorite college football team have another losing season and end up in the cellar of the SEC again. If any of you have some refreshing suggestions as to what else I can put in there, please let me know. I might put an 8-track stereo system in as well. 

10 hours ago, NightLight said:

That’s crazy looking. Ok try an experiment. I have better luck with 464 pouring hot.

Dig out wax and pour 170, 160, 150. See results.

I was using 444 not 464, but they're pretty much the same thing aren't they?

1 minute ago, TallTayl said:

I’d break out the heat gun myself. 

You must be a mind reader.

 

 

1

10 hours ago, NightLight said:

That’s crazy looking. Ok try an experiment. I have better luck with 464 pouring hot.

Dig out wax and pour 170, 160, 150. See results.

Can this wax be salvaged? 

10 hours ago, NightLight said:

That’s crazy looking.

You should see it in real life. It looks somewhat like Zombie skin. 

Did I mention the little aluminum foil tent that I placed over them to keep them from cooling too fast?

8 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Def try lower FO. 

 

Believe it or not, they hay have cooled too slowly. Various additives in those waxes have different drop points. 

I wondered about that. The candles stayed in my garage workshop all night, and it never gets cool if it's heated up all day. Now that I think of it, this type of problem wasn't so frequent back in the winter, when the garage was heated by a wall heater about 15 feet away. Please translate: "Def try lower FO."

8 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Def try lower FO. 

 

Believe it or not, they hay have cooled too slowly. Various additives in those waxes have different drop points. 

I wondered about that. The candles stayed in my garage workshop all night, and it never gets cool if it's heated up all day. Now that I think of it, this type of problem wasn't so frequent back in the winter, when the garage was heated by a wall heater about 15 feet away. Please translate: "Def try lower FO."

I meant to say stair stringers, not risers. Here's the home depot link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-Step-Ground-Contact-Pressure-Treated-Pine-Stair-Stringer-279712/301040004

6 hours ago, Candybee said:

 

There is a sticky at the top of this forum with info on various small biz insurance. You really need it before you start selling.

 

I make soap, B&B, and candles and HSCG insures me for everything. Plus I like being a member of their organization as they have reps that help us re legislation for small businesses like mine to keep us going. They do terrific work.

You need a business license, though, don't you?

On 5/31/2019 at 5:50 PM, Sebleo said:

I love it. I’m adding candles this summer and have been thinking about displays. I transport in an economy car and even with my awesome ninja like jenga skills, I’ve been wondering how I would fit proper displays in my car. Something like this may work!  Thanks for sharing. 

I agree. However, stair cutting (which is what we see here) takes a bit of carpentry skill.

6 hours ago, Candybee said:

 

There is a sticky at the top of this forum with info on various small biz insurance. You really need it before you start selling.

 

I make soap, B&B, and candles and HSCG insures me for everything. Plus I like being a member of their organization as they have reps that help us re legislation for small businesses like mine to keep us going. They do terrific work.

I have no insurance for things like we do. Do you think I could get some sort of umbrella policy? Do they still sell umbrella policies?