Paintguru

Yeah, I'd like to sell eventually, but I'm 2 years into testing still, so mostly myself and family/friends.  Plus, I'm a engineer/science nerd, so I want to know WTF is going on with stuff like this :).  

8 hours ago, Pam W said:

At this point in time, I'd be more concerned in producing a quality candle than focusing on the wet spots.

Understand, and I'm fine with that.  However, in an ideal world, these don't exist, and I can multitask and work on both at the same time.  I will keep trying different things and report back.  

It is amazing how many crop up after a day or two!!  I know it doesn't affect the burn, but they definitely draw the eye to them.  This wax must just love to shrink over time.  

I know customers don't care about these, but after my transition to 4630, I'm having real issues with many, small wet spots on some 8 oz jars.  This last go around, I tried pouring hotter (170F or so), and covering the two test candles with a box to help insulate it.  Definitely fewer wet spots, but still enough to be noticeable.  Is this all about cooling rate?  I work in my basement (it is summer though), so should I run a portable heater down to my work room and heat the room up?  The other side is, should I pour a lot cooler to minimize the amount of cooling needed before solidification?  I'm surprised how many wet spots I have with this wax compared to the soy wax I used previously.  

I've just started burning my Frankincense and Myrrh from TFC and it is pretty nice.  Good throw and nice fragrance.  

Great....more FOs for me to buy. 

Mistletoe from CS does rock.  I need to go through my stash and see what I like.  I have Frankincense and Myrrh potted up and ready to burn....I'll post back once I burn it for a bit.

1 hour ago, lightmyfire said:

I've got a test of this FO from FC in CB Xcel wax (leftover from when I used soy--love this wax!) with a wood wick in a brown tumbler.  Once you add the wood wick as a factor it's hard to say whether a light scent throw is due to the wick, wax or FO or possibly all 3 together!  It is a nice fragrance--spicy but smooth.  I'm on 3 hr test burn #2 and so far it's pretty good.  I'll probably stick with my traditional favorite, Pumpkin Souffle (CS) but this may be a contender for another fall pumpkin option. 

I'm really shocked at how light it was...my first real "dud" from TFC.  Loved it OOB too.  

On 8/17/2018 at 7:25 AM, Paintguru said:

Pretty disappointed with the new Pumpkin Chai from CS, at least when it comes to hot throw in 4630.  Reasonable if not strong cold throw, but very limited hot throw.  I'll have to try the other Pumpkin Chai that I have from TFC to see if that is the same or different.

My apologies on this, but I was wrong, it was actually the Pumpkin Chai from TFC that was really weak and unimpressive.  I have the one from CS on deck, we will see if that differs.  I went into my workroom, saw the half sample bottle from TFC, and thought "Shoot, wrong supplier!". My bad.

I order them all myself (I can't help it!), but mine haven't arrived yet.  Glad to see there likely aren't any clunkers.  

Pretty disappointed with the new Pumpkin Chai from CS, at least when it comes to hot throw in 4630.  Reasonable if not strong cold throw, but very limited hot throw.  I'll have to try the other Pumpkin Chai that I have from TFC to see if that is the same or different.

On 8/13/2018 at 2:45 PM, Jcandleattic said:

They do cover candles, however beware that in order to have their insurance you MUST also make and sell soap, or they will not insure you. 

To be completely accurate, I believe you need to sell a body product of some sort, not specifically soap.  This is why I'll likely sell detangler/spray conditioner when I get my butt going and start to sell!

On 8/7/2018 at 7:21 AM, Paintguru said:

Just trialed Cactus and Sea Salt from ICS, which was a nice spa scent with great throw.  Bourbon Soaked Raisins was pretty awesome too, but the throw wasn't as great.  The new Apple Pie from CS is next up on the burn list.  

Well Apple Pie is a hit with my wife.  I don't find it super strong, but good enough I'd say!

Just trialed Cactus and Sea Salt from ICS, which was a nice spa scent with great throw.  Bourbon Soaked Raisins was pretty awesome too, but the throw wasn't as great.  The new Apple Pie from CS is next up on the burn list.  

Apparently Ice Hair Restore is much less finicky than Varisoft EQ, so that may be an option for this.  Or maybe I just have a bad batch of BTMS and need to see if a new order would fix the issue.  Or I need both!  

6 hours ago, franu61 said:

 Interesting! I use BTMS in my lotions, and a lot of people notice an off smell after a while. Not noticeable to me, but  I will do some tweaking with the recipe too

.  Thanks!

Yeah my wife can smell it a mile away.  I can smell it on occasion.  

Anyone have any other thoughts on a sub for the BTMS in a spray conditioner/detangler application?  I forgot I had already added some CR, so I'm not sure I want to bump that up any more.  E-wax/Polawax?  Would lose some conditioning properties though, but maybe the smell too!

I know this is an old one, but I finally got back and made another batch and did find the culprit.  As TT noted, I believe it was the BTMS.  After some Google searching, I found that the low tide smell is common for products with BTMS, but that some people are more sensitive to it than others.  Next batch I'm going to lower the BTMS to maybe 1% and add Incroquat CR as well.  

Oh sure, I'll give this a whirl.  1# of Vetyver Cafe and 1# Inlet Lakegrass.  

Add my vote to the Prestos.  Safe, easy, and nimble.  I did add a spigot to mine, but I rarely use it at this point.  I just melt, pour into a pour pot, and go.  

Just to follow up, I've tried Eco 4s and 6s at this point, and I seem to like the 6's the best.  I feel like the Eco 4 left a little too much wax on the side of the container.  I did add fragrance, and mushrooming was minimal, which is awesome.  

I will also note that 4630 does seem to throw much better for me than C4 soy (shocker I know!).  I think I'll definitely switch over to 4630 full time once I start scaling up my products.  

4 hours ago, lightmyfire said:

it's not too bad compared to a lot of other higher end containers.  Believe me, I'd rather stay with the clear tumblers!

Do customers really like those high end containers?  I worry about pricing when the container alone costs ~$4.50.  They look awesome though.

13 hours ago, lightmyfire said:

that was for the shipping--the jars were $2.40 each

That seems......expensive. 

Bringing this back as The Flamming Candle has just come out with a beer fragrance which I have in a recently poured candle waiting to be burned.  Smells pretty true OOB and as cold throw.  Not a complex craft beer or anything, but when you smell it, I feel like it does say "beer".  I will see how it burns soon.

On 5/30/2018 at 6:12 PM, lightmyfire said:

My favorite fo from FC is Eucalyptus and Spearmint--it is divine and I love it more every time I use it.  It's a great seller in my 6006 candles and my Ky melts.

#2 seller is Tobacco and Caramel

#3 is Karma.

 

All are fabulous in their own right.  Just sayin'

I'm shocked how well Tobacco and Caramel smells.  I didn't like it at first, but it has grown on me.  It is very complex and rich feeling.

I'll have to try your other two.  E&S sounds very fresh and clean, which are nice to have.  

On 5/30/2018 at 9:28 AM, bridgewayprimitives said:

I'm dying to know! 

I posted a thread a week or so ago on the wick results.  The consensus was I may have been a bit large on the wicks.  I did order Eco 4s and 6s to try, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  After my testing I'll likely stay with the Eco line, but I need to zero in on the exact size.  

Gun to my head, I like the 3rd one best.  I do not like that there are 3 different sizes of font...that is the first thing I noticed.  I agree that "Trading" should not be the biggest font, since your company name is really Eastland.  I do like the overall feel of it though, it is clean, the flame is cute, and it just seems professional.