Stella1952

Many FO suppliers label their products as safe for cosmetic scenting purposes, like soap, lotions, etc.; and those that are intended for other purposes, like room freshener sprays, candle scenting, etc. Still others specify whether an FO or EO can be used directly on the skin with no further dilution. I don't think we CAN cover ALL the bases, but we can strive for a happy medium and to try to learn about some of the more common allergans we can avoid; however, some responsibility for individual sensitivites must be born by each individual!Here are some articles relating to this issue... • from Keep Media, The Green Guide, "Safe Scents"• from Google Answers, Q: Soy allergy and cosmetics/personal care products • regarding contact dermititus and multiple allergy to essential oils, this article about gas chromotography reveals the allergen in 2 cases of multiple essential oil allergies... • from the Nature's Gift website, a comprehensive guide and listing of essential oil warnings, contraindications and sensitivities - excellent information.• from Ravensara Oils, a heavily cited, scholarly article regarding the "Alleged allergans in essential oils" • fragrance mix allergy article and listing of allergans from DermNet NZ - be sure to scroll don this long article for a table of common fragrance allergans • The Environmental Working Group organization periodical has a lot of good information on cosmetics and personal care products (and many other issues) to help one keep up...

Sounds like the impossible dream! We have tried Wellington Fragrance Company's essential oils, but like all EOs, they are pricey in comparison to FOs, so we have a long way to go in the search...

Lightening Bug, that is absolutely LOVELY! It looks like a keeper to me! Thanks for sharing with us!

Cowgirl, the only 4 oz. containers we have any experience making are tins. I can understand your concern, however, with glass containers. I don't have a good idea of the dimensions of the jar, but I think you could try using an 8 check out the suggested container sizes on the wick info at JBN... says a #8 should work in 100% soy for a 1.75"-2.25" container... you could go up to a #10 if the #8 is too small. I, too, wish more sizes were available... I would like to see some 9" assemblies and some smaller wick sizes, but when I asked, same thing - I'd have to buy a gazillion of one size for a "custom" order...:rolleyes2

If you are trying to harden up the soy and raise the temp, you could add some palm wax to the soy. I have blended Naturewax C-3 with Palm to make very pleasing pillars that retain some of the crystalizing characteristics of palm. We tried the Naturewax P-1, but found it was mighty ornery - until we tamed it with some C-3. Either way worked, but we preferred the mostly palm with soy pillars because of the crystal effect of the palm. Happy testing!

We have made some ball candles in palm and we deliberately wicked them to leave a shell so folks can use a tea light when it burns down... different strokes, I guess.

Jodi, we have only used 1.5 oz. rarely... my general rule of thumb is that if a FO doesn't throw well at 1 oz. per pound, I find a better FO. I use CDN wicks for C-3 and have never had any problem with it drowning out, even when the wick wasn't a good match. As folks have said, the wax isn't the trouble - it's either your choice of wick, FO or possibly the colorant you are using. Test, test, test! Good Luck.

Cowgirl, I am curious - what are you wicking that you would need such small wicks? Maybe we could suggest alternatives to you...

willow candle, we order from Just By Nature, Peak's and Wellington Fragrance Company.

So delicate! I just LOVE handmade floating flower candles - the molded ones are nice, but they just don't have the same Ma Nature quality as the handmade ones... I tried a couple of these when we first began making candles... for first efforts they weren't totally awful, but they didn't hold a candle to yours! Someday I am gonna slow down and try them again... I can hardly wait to see what you do with mums and dogwoods and...

SUPER, Donita! Glad you posted that as an illustration of "found" molds! I have several boxes of ...ummmm... "found" molds for candlemaking and other media. I buy fresh cut mixed fruit from the deli and the clear plastic bowls work great for luminaries! (I use two with a weight in the middle). Then there are the frozen juice cans (sometimes they are lined with some plastic junk that doesn't like the heat much, but it peels off), cardboard shipping tubes, Gatorade powder cans (the BIG paper/foil lines ones)... I'd better stop listing... it's making me think I need to dejunk and I NEED that junk!!

Looks Dee-LISH-us! That's the trouble with ice cream candles - I would NEVER have the nerve to light them!! And if I had them around where I could see them, I am sure my ice cream budget would skyrocket along with my fanny size! Great work!!

My first reaction was the same as previously mentioned - use a one-pour wax. We have had very little trouble with hidden pockets with our soy candles. When we have had problems, it was because of something that we did wrong during the pour and not a characteristic of the wax itself. When one is making a lot of candles, it's way too labor-intensive to have to heat gun the tops, repour, etc. We'd go broke on that quickly!

Dunno if you mean hot or cold throw, but my Naturewax C-3 candles have great cold throw as soon as they are cooled! We don't test them for about a week to allow the candles to cure, but most have great hot throw also. I have only used one other soy wax (hated it), so I can't speak to whether the brand of wax makes a big difference, but I KNOW the brand of fragrance or essential oil does! If you are consistantly having trouble with getting good throw at 1 oz. per pound of wax, I would suggest trying some samples from another supplier. No reason to stay with stuff that isn't working. It is NOT uncommon, however, to get a "dud" FO sometimes from a supplier whose stuff normally does well for us... just one of those "things"... Test, test, test, test...

How old was the candle you tested? Seems that "sweating" is more common in newer candles than in older, more cured ones. This is why we wait at least a week or so before we test anything... to give the candle ingredients a chance to ...ummm... become as one.

Bandito, I am following you almost... I got the wick pin thing - totally clever and have learned about the woes of reinsertion! The picture gets foggy for me when you turn the mold over into the pan. Our candles are always a little convex in the mold - are you slightly slipping them down (out of the mold) a shade during the leveling process?

Bruce, not only did I love those candles, but the burn pics are art in and of themselves! I guess it stands to reason that the teardrop would have split, but until it did, it SHORE did look mondo kewell!!

Twinmom, I have used a 6" diameter piece of PVC pipe and also a large food can with the top and bottom cut out. The PVC wall was a little too thick, but it did work okay... the can I really liked, but the ridges are tough to clean. I bought one of the thin metal inserts (the sheet metal would work as well I think) and I like how it works the best, but I sure do hate those wicked edges!! Scares me when I am cleaning it! I hate making non-voluntary blood donations!

We have not experienced this problem and we use glue dots also. I have noticed that in older candles that have been burned that the wick tabs sometimes have rusted... could this color actually be rust from where the wicktab grabs the wick? Are you storing the candles in boxes or in a more humid area? I have not noticed this with our palm wax candles but I have noticed at the bottom of tins that are burned over a long period of time... Just hazarding a guess...

Monkeybritches, those are lovely! I absolutely love the subtle colors, shapes and forms of this "style" of hurricanes! I wish I had thought of getting some sheet metal from the home improvement store! Metal dryer vent tubes would work also... Can hardly wait to see more!

Jodi, I use C-3 and FOs, dyes and wicks from JBN. Try their CDN wicks... We too have experienced some bubbling but nothing like what you describe. We use 1 - 1.5 oz. of FO per pound. Have never used more than that. I have noticed that some FOs bubble slightly more than others, but foam has simply never happened to us! Are you pouring cold, hot or what? We typically pour on the cool side and cover with a box after pouring until the candles are completely cooled to room temp. Contrary to the experiences of others with C-3, we have not found we have trouble when pouring on the cool side...

Doris, I live in an antique shopping paradise and when I first got into this, like your friend, I bought many little nice antique glass items to fill. They are all still with me because, coincidentally, I had a Glade candlecup (glass made in China) shatter. This was NOT a refill, but a new candle. Remembering what I know about warm glass settled the issue for me. Although I love some of the projects I see (the little teacups and saucers are absolutely charming) there is no way ANY of us can reasonably ensure that those objects will be able to take the heat of a burning candle. I have no idea what has happened to those objects in their long lives... Best I keep them in the china closet or find a different project in which to utilize them - best to stick to teacup birdfeeders and electric light projects. Another consideration some people forget is how many candles are burned in cold areas... the stress on glass, china, etc. is HUGE because we have a super-warm interior and a super-cold exterior - a surefire recipe for trouble! I know many folks will ignore these considerations and warnings... hope your customers are ultra responsible and very lucky 'cause all it takes is one unhappy experience to "burn" one for a lifetime... not to mention one litigation taking everything you've worked for...

We do not refill glass containers for the general public. The problem with refilling glass containers is that unless you can REALLY trust the person for whom you are refilling the container, you cannot be sure that the glass was not subjected to temperature extremes that may cause it to become weaker and prone to cracking. Glass which has been thermal shocked does not look any different to the naked eye than does one right out of the manufacturer's box! When the candle heats up the glass, the invisible stresses within the glass structure cause it to develop cracks - some can even shatter... If one is refilling glass containers for customers, it would be a real good idea to purchase a polarized glass stressometer to check for unstable areas in the glass (use Google to locate online sources available from stained glass or warm/hot glass suppliers). This only works with transparent glass. Without testing the container first to ensure it is not unstable, one is putting themselves in a position of liability should an accident occur... We refill tins for any of our customers for $1 off the price of that candle if purchased new. This is simply subtracting the container cost (including shipping & handling). Refilling is the same as if they were purchasing a new candle, except for the container cost... refilling for $1 would not compensate us for our time and handling.

If it doesn't smell "burned" and is not discolored, why not start over again and pour a few test candles before going on with the entire batch? If they turn out badly, then you have learned a cheap lesson!

I get mine from JBN and it says #20151A on the bag... it seems to be a larger crystal kind - hard to get the "fireworks" crystals like we did when we were buying 10# samples... This link has pretty good information on the wax y'all use... http://www.lipidchem.com/our_products2.html I have written them asking for some information, but haven't received a reply... Perhaps they might have some tips on their site for y'all. We have found palm wax to be fascinating also. We don't have much trouble with wicking, but other factors we encounter along the way can be mighty frustrating! But there's just nothing that resembles it that I have found in paraffin or soy!