Quentin

4 hours ago, Laura C said:

 

Here ya go, you can borrow mine. LOL   https://www.dictionary.com/

I still have my Webster's Collegiate Dictionary that I got when I graduated from high school in 1977. Still use it all the time.

On 2/2/2019 at 4:50 PM, Quentin said:

I find all the witnesses who have taken the stand here in this thread/court are highly creditable.

I just noticed an error I made here. I should have said "credible" not "creditable".  Looking at them both side by side, neither of them looks right! I'll have to pull out my dictionary. 

1 hour ago, Arch Rock said:

LOL!  Quentin, I sure hope you're serious about letting go this obsession with temperature!  Like my prescription for clients who are hypochondriacs:  Get the hell off the internet. 

Oh I given up the obsession with temperatures. I've found that unless it is an extreme deviation from the norm, it makes no difference whatsoever. My general rule now is: Going low will usually work. Going high will generally cause problems. I'm no longer obsessed with it. I'm just interested. Thanks for your concern.

On 2/4/2019 at 11:27 PM, kfintoni said:

The down time I was talking about is not a problem it is just hard for me to figure the labor when there is actual time I am not say doing anything candle specific. I have been doing it for years so I have a great system in place but I pour my candles at a much lower temp than you so a 6 pound batch of candles takes longer to cool before pouring that is the down time I was referring to. Yes there is always label printing, computer bookkeeping or ordering more fragrances to keep me busy.

 

Karen in MA

OK. Sorry, I must have misunderstood your question a little.🖖

1 hour ago, kfintoni said:

My problem is the down time in making candles is hard to account for. Wax melted to certain temp to add fragrance then waiting for it to cool to pour then waiting to set up to cut the wicks and label. Yes I do other things in the meantime but it is not always candle related.

You'll get better at this part the more you do it. At first, it is quite overwhelming. I would get so confused that I would make huge mistakes like pouring the candles and then realizing that I poured all those candles and forgot to put in the fragrance that I had measured out earlier! That's probably why so many of my first candles had no hot or cold throw at all. Then I would post endless questions on this forum asking why my candles had no throw. I must have been driving these people crazy. I think I actually did drive one lady crazy. Seriously though, as time goes by, it will all fall in place. Most of it at least. You will find yourself doing some of these things automatically. I promise.

20 minutes ago, Trappeur said:

So after you figure your costs and put in the labor, how much does it cost for 1 candle Quentin?

How much do you figure you are worth an order?

Trappeur...

You'll notice on the sheet that I was making 48 ounces in this example. That would be around 5 of my status jars. The times I put in there were real. 52 minutes for 5 Status Jar candles. I made these on Saturday. So the time to make one of them would be...  52 minutes divided by 5 candles = 10.4 minutes per candle? So I suppose I would add about 10 minutes of labor into the cost of materials. As far as your question "How much do you figure you are worth an order?", I don't know the answer to that. I'm retired with time on my hands. I haven't figured out that part of the puzzle. I can look at it two ways. I'm in business and working without pay or it's a hobby and I'm just selling the candles. That's the part I'm puzzling with. 

6 minutes ago, kfintoni said:

My problem is the down time in making candles is hard to account for. Wax melted to certain temp to add fragrance then waiting for it to cool to pour then waiting to set up to cut the wicks and label. Yes I do other things in the meantime but it is not always candle related.

 

Karen in MA

As I wrote, when using this sheet there in no "down time in making candles is hard to account for. Wax melted to certain temp to add fragrance then waiting for it to cool to pour then waiting to set up to cut the wicks and label." because you're doing other critical tasks while all that is going on. You're not stopping and starting to do each of those tasks. You're doing "candle related" things. I'm not deceiving myself by thinking I've come up with anything original here. I've just found something that keeps me organized and tells me how much time it takes to make A candle or 48 candles. You'll notice on the sheet that I was making 48 ounces in this example. That would be around 5 of my status jars. The times I put in there were real. 52 minutes for 5 Status Jar candles.  You just made a point of something I've left off my sheet, I haven't included the labeling, packing, etc. See, I told you it wasn't perfect  Back to the revision office again.

5 minutes ago, kfintoni said:

I would love a copy. I always am way more productive when I have things to check off or cross off.

 

Karen in MA

This sheet (with stopwatch) does a good job of tracking the time to make the product and does an excellent job of keeping me from making mistakes. However, it doesn't help me at all when I try to decide the question of "What is my time worth?" Should I pay myself minimum wage, less than minimum wage, $45.00 an hour, or not pay myself at all? That's where I'm stumped. How much can I pay myself and not make the candle price so high that I'm pricing it out of the market? I don't have an answer for that. 

1 minute ago, kfintoni said:

I would love a copy. I always am way more productive when I have things to check off or cross off.

 

Thank you and you're welcome. I just scanned and posted it. 

23 minutes ago, Quentin said:

This may all seem a little anal retentive, but I'm getting more done in less time. It may seem a little robotic. In fact, each time I use the sheet, I seem to get a little better with the whole process and find that I'm paying more attention to proper temperatures. It's really just an elaborate checklist, but it works. I scan the sheet and post it here if anyone wants to see it. Actually, I'll scan it and post it here anyway

I just threw some stuff on this sheet as an example. (M)=Minutes

9 hours ago, kfintoni said:

I have talked with many of my market customers and they think my pricing is fair for my area. 

Then I would say you are doing it the right way.

9 hours ago, kfintoni said:

I did though find a local supplier of wax so that is a bonus.

That is a BIG bonus. I wish I was in the same situation.

8 hours ago, Trappeur said:

And don't forget that where is the labor on your cost sheet?

I'm still trying to figure out a practical way to do this. I've put together a "Production Sheet" with fill in the blanks and check off boxes for every step of making my candles. It works for containers, pillars and anything else and even includes the time it takes me to prepare the wax for the melt. I time every step in the process, with a stopwatch. I've broken it down into roughly 3 sections: 1) Wax prep time: This is the time it takes me to break down X number of ounces of hard paraffin or any other wax and throw it in the melt pot. 2) Melt & Pour. This section is the bulk of the entire process. I start timing this section from the minute I put the pot on the heat source. While that is heating up, I engage in things that apply to the candle I'm making (lubing the mold, wicking, heating the jars, measuring out the dye and fragrance). Since I'm doing this while waiting for the wax to heat up, no extra labor time applies. I set these parts aside and attend to stirring the wax and bringing it up to the right temperature to add the dye and fragrance. Meanwhile, while waiting for the wax to cool to pour temp., I can do things like start the clean up process. During all this, the stopwatch is working automatically for me. When I finish pouring, I hit the stopwatch. That is the end of section 2).     3) Second pour or top off: Whichever may apply to what I'm making, including any time I might have to spend with the heat gun. 

This may all seem a little anal retentive, but I'm getting more done in less time. It may seem a little robotic. In fact, each time I use the sheet, I seem to get a little better with the whole process and find that I'm paying more attention to proper temperatures. It's really just an elaborate checklist, but it works. I scan the sheet and post it here if anyone wants to see it. Actually, I'll scan it and post it here anyway. 

8 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Costco does not seem to be suffering one little bit.

Costco is a different situation from Lowe's and Depot. While they have the "warehouse" feel and have things up above in the racks like the other two stores, they still have all the product on the ground where you can grab it and throw it into your cart and they do a good job of keeping those items stocked down. Costco will make it. They've been around a lot longer than many people realize. They'll be around a long time, I think. However, all it takes is for a new leader to come along with his own "great ideas" and any company can go down really fast.

10 hours ago, Shari said:

I too primarily shop online.  I hate malls of any kind.  However, we have a store like Home Depot here called Menard's and I love that store.  They always have plenty of help and are helpful.  My husband will ask if I want to run to Menard's with him and I jump.  Even to look around.  They have everything.  Even foods, some toys, pet supplies etc....And the store is always clean. 

I've heard of Menard's from my years working with Home Depot. They aren't in my part of the country, but I've heard good things about them. Sure didn't know they sold food!

1. Do sales to my sister count?

2. Oh yeah! Lots. At least the part I remember.

3. I'd sell wholesale, partsale, anysale.

4. Well... I have a checking account. At least I did before I got in the candle "bidness".

5. Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Depends on the day.

6. Does always PLANNING on doing them count?

7. YES! I do have an Etsy Shop. Nobody buys anything though. @MilosCandles is getting all the business. As far as Amazon, I mostly just send them money.

8. Should I count myself?

9. I don't even have a storeback.

10. Yes. I'm looking at a trash can full of them right now.

11. Mostly I just think about creating them.

12. I wish I hadn't taken my advice. No--- I don't do anything myself. The guy that works for me does all my testing (see answer 8). "Can a person really know all about this subject and expect to start up in a month or 2?"  Hey, I did it. Right?

I came across one I made some time ago. It's the most magnificent, majestic fragrance I've ever experienced. I just wish I knew what it is and what I put in it!

I find all the witnesses who have taken the stand here in this thread/court are highly creditable. Those review comments didn't seem plausible to me. I'm slamming the gavel down. Case dismissed.

On 2/1/2019 at 10:23 AM, Candybee said:

Remember that FOs made for candlemaking are made to endure high heating temps. They have to or very soon candlemakers would not have durable scents to use in candlmaking. I think some people just forget that or don't think about that.

Thank you. Very good point. 

I would go so far as to say that Home Depot and Lowes also fall into this author's middle group. The big box warehouse model that these two follow is already a dinosaur. 

On 1/30/2019 at 1:37 PM, Sebleo said:

“...the stores that are swimming in a sea of sameness—mediocre service, over-distributed and uninspiring merchandise, one-size-fits-all marketing, look-alike sales promotions and relentlessly dull store environments—are getting crushed.”

I think this describes Depot and Lowe's to a T. Change both store's colors to grey, blindfold someone, and drop them in the center of one of these two stores and it would be hard to tell the difference. Neither has even mediocre service. Their whole model of keeping the merchandise palletized up in the racks is certainly not convenient. Who wants to wait 30 minutes to an hour for an employee to find someone certified to operate machinery, block off two or three aisles with gates and pull a pallet down only to discover that the merchandise isn't there either. I worked my last 10 years at Home Depot and I can tell you that their inventory counts are never correct. As a shopper in both Depot and Lowes, I've found empty shelves when their website says they have the item in stock. The other day I shopped at Home Depot for a chainsaw. Completely empty shelves. The guy working there told me they had probably been stolen. I know the guy. I used to work with him. So I just drove back home, ordered it online from Homedepot.com and had it in less than two days. Free shipping of course. People don't have time for that. I've gotten to the point where I order simple things such as aspirin on Amazon. 

Shown here are some comments made in the review section on a supplier's website. The wax being reviewed is IGI 6006.

This reviewer is concerned that the temperature not be allowed to drop below 170F. That must be his/her pouring temperature. I've noticed this type comment made in other places during my travels around the internet. I've had the same concerns myself. I think I posted a similar comment on this forum before. What would you surmise is the concern here? If it does drop below the pouring temperature of 170, can't you just put it back on the heat source and bring the temp back up again as you continue to to stir? Could you "damage" the fragrance?

Here's another example of the candle maker concerned about damaging, or as they put it, "killing" the fragrance oil. This reviewer is concerned about damaging the fragrance oil by getting it too hot. Are these legitimate concerns? Can you "damage" or "kill" your fragrance with the temperature? As I said, I've thought about this same issue. It would seem to me that if you could damage your FO by letting the temperature fluctuate up and down, then you would never be able to come back later and reheat your wax for your second pour or top off! Is it possible that the issues mentioned in these two reviews are just candle making urban myth? I'm interested in hearing your opinions.

8 hours ago, MilosCandles said:

@Quentin Maybe?

https://www.fillmorecontainer.com/large-dome-cover.html

 

They are a little more expensive but maybe shipping is cheaper?

That's the one. Made by Anchor Hocking. I don't know why I posted that last night. There was no need to bother all of you with that or take up forum space and time. Sorry folks. Case closed.

On 1/24/2019 at 11:46 AM, pughaus said:

Passing along a great article about branding from one of my favorite marketing blogs  

 

 https://blog.hubspot.com/agency/develop-brand-identity?utm_campaign=Marketing Blog - Daily Emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=69252998

Will read over that this afternoon. Thanks.

I make all mine using Avery labels and their online software. I print them off here on my printer. It does OK, but is quite time consuming and tedious. Using Avery is especially difficult when you work with curved or circular text; and if you want to put a border or slender line around ANY of their labels... forget it. You'll be working at it for days. Avery knows it's a problem. They claim they're working on it. I'm looking for something better.

Candle Science is out of stock on this item  https://www.candlescience.com/containers/large-dome-top   and may be for some time. Does anyone have another source?

On 1/9/2019 at 2:31 PM, MilosCandles said:

3d Printer has been ordered.  Hopefully be here next week.

 

@Quentinand @CorgiCaper If you are really interested, if you would want to mail me a sample (empty) Jar and wick you use I would be happy to try and come up with something.  No Promises.  LOL

 

Message me directly and we can come up with something.

 

 

If they fit on a "normal size" flat sided 8 oz or 4 oz jelly jar, they would work for me. I'd buy them anyway. Sooner or later something will come along and they'll be just what I needed.

$25.00 for 10. Don't forget to add me to the waiting list.