ladydragon

Thank you for your reply LovelyLathers... The recipe I used I ran through the Soapmaker software package: Olive Oil 375g (50%) Coconut Oil 188g (25%) Shea Butter 112g (15%) Avocodo Oil 75g (10%) Lye 103.6g (6% discount) Water 269.7g (5% increase) I increased the water as per a tutorial I'd read which recommended upping the water level by 5% to accommodate the heat of the HP process... I *would* have added some oatmeal and Oatmeal Milk & Honey skin safe oil from Indiana... Didn't actually get that far though - so there was no effect from FO being added... Re the water though - I've run the same recipe through the Sage Lye calculator and the allowance there for water is up to 281g which is in excess of the amount I put in - which I'd already increased over what the software had given... I suppose I stirred it down and was waiting for the applesauce/mashed potato phase - it went from trace to fluffed right up in ten minutes and then as soon as I'd started stirring it down it hit the lumpy doughy stage... The recipe has worked ok with CP - I figured it would be a nice alternative to using palm oil which some people can be a bit antsy about... But I have only tried it the once... Just wondering if it could be down to the water amount? Or the temperature of the pot? I kept on the low setting... Or even just that this combination of ingredients get to the moulding point miles ahead of some other recipes? Thank you ever so much for your help... ;-)

Hi guys... I'm hoping someone with some expertise in HP might be able to work out where I went wrong in my first HP batch... I got to trace no problem in the actual crock pot with it on the low setting... On went the lid and within ten minutes it was at the climbing out of the pot stage... I stirred it down and very shortly after that it turned into a kind of broken up dough - as if it was a biscuit or cookie dough that was waiting for a bit of extra water or milk to bring it together to shape before baking... And after that - well, it's just stayed at exactly the same consistency... ;-) A crock pot full of varying sized lumps of something that I definitely don't think is soap...lol It's just not moved onto the gelled or softer vaseline type stage I've read about in tutorials... I superfatted by 6% and I also added a tad more water than the actual recipe called for as I'd read this was a good idea due to the water 'cooking off' with the heat... I left the crock pot on a low heat for well over two hours hoping it would start to maybe break down and soften and start to get to a stirring consistency - but it's just not happened... I'd really like to move from CP to HP if possible - but I've obviously done something wrong here and before I repeat the whole experience it would be ever so helpful if I had an idea of how to avoid this happening again... If this batch is 'rescuable' in any way I'd also be grateful for any suggestions as to how to do that... Thanks in advance for any input you might have...

Twigs and Berries from Gelluminations or Berries and Twigs from Indiana Candle Supplies - or whichever way around they are... Both very similar in scent and they've been ever so popular for me at craft shows...

Hi Guys... Thanks to the advice on here and privately I've been muddling away with double wicking my new 4" diameter containers... I've found that if I use 2 x LX14s they burn beautifully and achieve an *almost* full melt pool within approximately two and three quarter hours - then they suddenly start drowning away quietly and the small unmelted area grows... Talk about the tide turning! lol Anyway - I'd tried the LX12s initially and had the same problem except the drowning happened faster... Given that with the LX14s the container was pretty darn warm whilst the wax was still at the melting stage, and I did have to trim the wicks slightly more than I thought when they puffed the odd bit of smoke; and the almost FMP was achieved in less than three hours - I'm figuring that going up a size to the LX16 might not necessarily be the correct answer... I'd presume that would obviously heat the glass more and burn out the MP even faster... With the 14s I've got a great scent throw and a nice deep pool - its just the way they suddenly go from ramrod straight flames with a decent shape and height to the tiniest flames on the planet with a solidifying melt pool... Having the same problem irrespective of whether it's the test jar that's been poured full or one of the ones with differing levels of less wax in them... So I'm not putting it down to there being less air deeper inside the containers... On the other hand, being completely inexperienced in double wicking containers I know I could be missing something completely obvious or just plain expecting a double wick to act the same way as a single wick... But after burning great for three hours each time they really do become quite pathetic... I would appreciate any thoughts or comments... Cheers

Ok - so that link's not working... Just go to www.ascott.biz then online shop then Farmhouse, Kitchen & Dairy then glass jars...

Hi Sandi The best you'll find in the UK for the more simple glassware like honey jars and hex containers are Ascott Smallholding Supplies... Really fast and economical delivery costs... http://http://www.ascott.biz/cat119_1.htm They also supply the Kilner style Le Parfait jars... There's also a cracking pack of four tumblers in Tescos for 80p (blue and white range) which can be used for very simple looking candles and take 160g or so of wax per tumbler... Hope this helps...

I use an LX 28 in Eco Soy Pillar Blend in 3" diameters and a 30 if it's a heavy oil... I've not managed to get a 4" burning as well as the 3" yet...

Thanks Pam... That gives me a starting point with double wicking... I do like LX wicks so I'll let you know how it goes... ;-) Hemp wicks Mike... Hmm... I haven't heard of those at all in the UK... Looks like I've got a bit of searching around to to... Cheers both for your input...

I'm in the UK and have ordered fairly regularly from ICS... I have to import all of my oils from the US as we don't have a great or inexpensive supply of them here... I've always received oils that are good quality (some from elsewhere have separated completely during transit); they've performed at least as well as oils from other US companies that I regularly purchase from in Eco Soy CB135 and Eco Soy Pillar Blend as well as paraffin container and pillar waxes; they've mixed well ie the chocolate with a raspberry; and the international shipping costs equal or are less expensive than other suppliers that I use and tend to arrive in a week or so which isn't bad by Air Parcel Post... And in all fairness to her, even given the time discrepancies, I never have to wait long for an email reply to any query...

Eeek... My apologies... I've just realised I've put this question into the wrong part of the forum - it's not a vegetable wax query... I'll just creep away quietly and re-do it in the right place...

Good evening all... I'm in the UK and apologise if this question has been done to death in the past but having searched through a lot of the old threads it's difficult for me to visualise containers referred to as we don't actually have them available over here... I've always been exceptionally lucky with my container candles in that I am able to buy a wick assembly from one of the (very few!) UK candle suppliers that have suited just about every container/wax combination I've used... They work fine and dandy in soy pellets and paraffin container wax (slab variety) up to a diameter of approximately 3.5" - but they don't work for me with the gloopier texture of Eco Soy CB135... The other downside is they're only 4" in length and the supplier has no 'name' for them - ie whether they are HTP etc - just that they are 'European' and they aren't giving up their supplier! I've recently been trying to use a jar which is similar in style to the US apothecary containers and using paraffin container wax in the slab format - fragrance oil at 6% and liquid dyes or the diamond shaped dye chips (the latter three imported from the US)... These jars have a diameter of 100mm or approx 4" and the wick's I've been using just don't do it... There is a 1/2" area of unmelted wax around the meltpool - no matter how many hours I burn it for... I use LX wicks in my pillars (imported of course! lol) and love the concentric burn pool they always give whether it's Eco Soy Pillar Blend or paraffin. I use an LX28 in my 3" diameter soy pillars and an LX30 in my 4" diameter paraffin/stearine pillar candles. In these containers though, the LX30 burns the same as these little wicks I've been using in my previous containers... I've tried the HTP1215 which had a similar burn initially although subsequent burns did extend the burn pool but the darn thing started sooting quite badly and the flame couldn't stand still for more than a fraction of a second... I've also tried the HTP1315 which burned excellently for the initial burn and then turned into a flame throwing belly dancer on subsequent burns... Safe to say I got very hot containers, still not a complete melt pool in the four hours and enough soot deposits to rival a coal fire! I would particularly like to use this style of container if possible as I am opening a retail shop shortly with my partner in crime and I think they'd look exceptionally smart on display - well, smarter than the l lb honey jars I've been using to date... Suitable, and attractive containers for candlemaking aren't exactly in great supply in the UK! I appreciate I might have to consider double wicking these jars but I haven't got a clue where to start with that - so any advice would be gratefully received... If at all possible though I would prefer to single wick them so again, any advice is more than welcome! Not having used HTP wicks before I'm not sure if they normally burn this way and I'm being a tad fussy - or whether there is an alternative that I'm as yet unaware of... I really don't want to start a double vs single wicking debate - just looking for advice from both points of view on how to use these large diameter containers in a way that would be safe and effective... Thanks in advance for any advice that gets thrown my way and thanks also for the many posts that I have gleaned invaluable information from in the past...

Good evening all... I'm in the UK and apologise if this question has been done to death in the past but having searched through a lot of the old threads it's difficult for me to visualise containers referred to as we don't actually have them available over here... I've always been exceptionally lucky with my container candles in that I am able to buy a wick assembly from one of the (very few!) UK candle suppliers that have suited just about every container/wax combination I've used... They work fine and dandy in soy pellets and paraffin container wax (slab variety) up to a diameter of approximately 3.5" - but they don't work for me with the gloopier texture of Eco Soy CB135... The other downside is they're only 4" in length and the supplier has no 'name' for them - ie whether they are HTP etc - just that they are 'European' and they aren't giving up their supplier! I've recently been trying to use a jar which is similar in style to the US apothecary containers and using paraffin container wax in the slab format - fragrance oil at 6% and liquid dyes or the diamond shaped dye chips (the latter three imported from the US)... These jars have a diameter of 100mm or approx 4" and the wick's I've been using just don't do it... There is a 1/2" area of unmelted wax around the meltpool - no matter how many hours I burn it for... I use LX wicks in my pillars (imported of course! lol) and love the concentric burn pool they always give whether it's Eco Soy Pillar Blend or paraffin. I use an LX28 in my 3" diameter soy pillars and an LX30 in my 4" diameter paraffin/stearine pillar candles. In these containers though, the LX30 burns the same as these little wicks I've been using in my previous containers... I've tried the HTP1215 which had a similar burn initially although subsequent burns did extend the burn pool but the darn thing started sooting quite badly and the flame couldn't stand still for more than a fraction of a second... I've also tried the HTP1315 which burned excellently for the initial burn and then turned into a flame throwing belly dancer on subsequent burns... Safe to say I got very hot containers, still not a complete melt pool in the four hours and enough soot deposits to rival a coal fire! I would particularly like to use this style of container if possible as I am opening a retail shop shortly with my partner in crime and I think they'd look exceptionally smart on display - well, smarter than the l lb honey jars I've been using to date... Suitable, and attractive containers for candlemaking aren't exactly in great supply in the UK! I appreciate I might have to consider double wicking these jars but I haven't got a clue where to start with that - so any advice would be gratefully received... If at all possible though I would prefer to single wick them so again, any advice is more than welcome! Not having used HTP wicks before I'm not sure if they normally burn this way and I'm being a tad fussy - or whether there is an alternative that I'm as yet unaware of... I really don't want to start a double vs single wicking debate - just looking for advice from both points of view on how to use these large diameter containers in a way that would be safe and effective... Thanks in advance for any advice that gets thrown my way and thanks also for the many posts that I have gleaned invaluable information from in the past...