chuck_35550

Goats milk is the only type that does not separate its cream. The cream has all the emolients based in its structure. Look up threads for how to soap goats milk. You don't want this soap to gel (IMHO) and you want to make sure and not let it burn from the lye (turns orange) or it won't work. I make a ton of goats milk, because it is so easy and so good for your skin. We never buy soap and we never have the winter itchies. Chuck

Winn-Dixie brand has a name brand that is in a metal tin and goes for $16.99 for 101 ounces. It has a pour spout for easy loading into one of my plastic gallon jugs. You have to look around for it. HTH. Chuck

Get some J&B Weld at wally world and apply to outside of spigot and let set for a good 24 hours. It will never leak again. HTH, Chuck

I pour out wax out of my turk into my glass coffee pot that has a great spout on it and weight it on my scale and then pour back wax if too much and then I put my coffee pot on a single burner electric eye. I put my digital thermometer in the coffee pot and then add color and fo and stir for two minutes while waiting for the thermometer timer to go off. Pour into my jars and make sure I keep my pour temp consistent. HTh Chuck

I've been selling container candles and soap for about 3 years now. I started with a candle making kit and made votives. That did ok with my friends and co-workers and I decided to move up to 8 oz jelly jars. Reading the boards at work and home became an addiction that drove everyone else crazy! I mostly sell my craft by word of mouth and have a couple of wholesale accounts that keep my business afloat and allow for my continued experimentation. I have yet to try pillars or sculpting wax...maybe some day. Find the closest supplier to your home and work out of that base for the majority of your needs. Have realistic expectations about your craft and don't shoot for candles that look like store bought candles. Remember that hand made/home made items are much more personal gifts that people like to give for special occasions. Good luck, Chuck

Ok, I totally understand and have been where you are now standing. I couldn't get squat out of any of those waxes either. So I returned to the only wax that has given me the most satisfaction; the 70/30 wax from Clarus. You can find this wax at Tennessee Candle Supply at a cost of $105.00 for 66 pounds. This is the GreenLeaf wax that so many of us have used. I just poured 132 jelly jars with 11 different fos and not one of them have wet spots or any other type of problem and have a ct/ht that is out of this world. Buy a slab and slap a CD-10 into a 8 oz jelly jar and see what you think. LX works great with this wax too. It colors nicely and only requires that you warm the jars, pour at about 185 degrees and place in a box for slow cooling. Chuck

I use a clear 2x4 label. I make my label only using 1/2 of the label. Then I copy and paste it onto the other half of the label. I cut with scissors and have two perfectly sized labels for the size of the tumbler. I save the label and then create new ones when needed. My customers always comment how they love the look of my tumblers and how much they dislike jelly jars. I use jelly jars for wholesale customers and or for customers who want to pay a little bit less and are ok with the look of the jelly jar. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but once you get the system down; its a piece of cake. HTH. Chuck

Just pour your jar up with no wick. I take a meat thermometer and stick a straight hole down the middle of the wax and then insert a wick and cut it off at the right length. The wick will wander around the jar as it burns down, but mainly you just want to test the basic elements: melt pool width and depth, throw, sooting, flame heighth and mushrooming. HTH. Chuck

The 7.5 ounce Crisa tumbler is my best seller. GL Candle supply and Just By Nature sell the tumblers and the plastic lids that fit real snug and are clear plastic. You should never have to worry about this thick walled glass breaking or exploding from too hot wicks. HTH. Chuck

Buy them at Wal-Mart in the glue section. Cut each square into 8 pieces and stick to the bottom of your wicks. They don't let go until the end of the candle and are easy to remove from the jar if re-using. They are cheap and always available and only take a couple of minutes to cut into small squares. I usually cut one square in half and then cut four from each half of the square and peel off the paper and stick my wicks. HTH. Chuck

I do have those plastic lids from GL and also have some of the metal ones that Just By Nature used to carry. You have to put a pin hole in the plastic lid to get it over the thick wall of the tumbler and the metal ones stopped working when the glass walls were made a little thicker than ususal. Votivo uses a machine made tissue cover that is twisted on and looks real upscale. Chuck

Your problems sound similar to my own, except on a much smaller scale. I was using Green Leaf 70/30 wax (soy/paraffin), 7.5 oz Crisa tumblers and CD wicks. My usual fo suppliers were Just By Nature, Green Leaf and Natures Garden. The increase in shipping costs and raw material costs forced me to search for suppliers closer to home, in an effort to keep the bottom line from eating up my profits. Long story short? There is no quality control on our raw materials and suppliers are caught in the middle. They only know what the manufacturer wants them to know and are unwilling to provide satisfaction for sub-standard quality when it occurs. I found my wax with another supplier and I have learned my lesson with fos from free shipping suppliers and have ordered my old reliables. If it turns out that something has so fundamentally changed with basic raw materials that I can no longer produce a decent product at a reasonable price; then that's the end of my business. It looks like the governmentis going to shut us down anyway. Chuck

Order a slab of 70/30 from Tennessee Candle Supply and see what you think. I like CD wicks with this wax, but others like LX or ECO wicks. GL Candle Supply has a wick thread that will give you all the info you need. I tried the 4627 in every combination of paraffin and soy waxes and did not care for any of the outcomes. Its just not the look I wanted for my candles. HTH. Chuck

This is the best web site if you are interested in making soap. Making soap is way cool and not that complicated IMHO. Candles are another story. Lots of time, money and a ton of stuff that you can only learn through personal experience. http://www.millersoap.com/ Learn to use the search tool on all the boards (saves you a lot of time researching) and don't be afraid to ask questions. Most questions will be answered with a particular thread that best addresses the issue at hand. Good luck, Chuck

I would highly recommend the Crisa 7.5 oz tumbler (same one used by Votivo) as a really thick well made tumbler that would never shatter or get overly hot under ususal candle making standards. Its only drawback is that there is not a decent lid to fit the tumbler. HTH. Chuck

Is anyone currently using TCS TN 70/30? I need to buy a few cases and wondered if this current batch is good or if there are complaints? Thanks, Chuck

Buy these at Wal-Mart and cut each square in half and then each half into four and you get 8 perfect wick stickers that work just great for about a penny apiece. HTH, Chuck

Ok. I have used this method for years and it never fails. Wal-Mart sells these: I cut each square in half and then cut four from each half...takes about a minute to make 8 of them. They fit just right and will not come off or loosen at the end of the candle burn. The paper is easy to peel off and they are easy to remove if you want to re-use the jar. A large pack has about 36 squares for about $3.50 so they cost about a penny apiece. HTH Chuck

I tested the following oils using a 30/70 parablend in 8 oz jelly jars and 12 oz salsa jars with CD and Zinc wicks and 7% fo. Bert's Oils" Apple Dumpling: Good ct/ht nice balance of apples and spice. Not much crust and just a little tart..needs sweetening. Creme Brulee: Weak ct/ht and mostly just a vanilla dominated fragrance with little else. Just By Nature is hands down the best Creme Brulee IMHO. Honey Spice Cake: This is a really nice oil with a good ct/ht but weak on honey and stronger on a nutty bottom note with a good cake. Lemon Biscotti Pie: Decent throw but merely a lemon pound cake. No biscotti crust in this one. Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie: Light throw in a vanilla dominated oil that could use some cookie. Pumpkin Custard Spice: This was really terrible for me. It smelled like buring paper with some kind of nutty undertone and no pumpkin or spice to be found. JS Pumpkin Nog: Weak and mostly a vanilla nog with no pumpkin. New Red Mac: A really nice oil but just won't blow your doors off. Creme Brulee: Non-existant. Vanilla Crunch: Its ok...just so light. Decadent Pound Cake: Not so decadent...just light. All of these JS oils are light on hot throw and adequate on cold throw.

Are you using the GL Candle 30/70 Sioux? Just interested, Chuck

You can't beat the 7.5 ounce Crisa Tumbler. This is the same tumbler used by all the upscale candle companies. You can find them at GL Candle. HTH. Chuck

I have quit a few fos that are several years old and perform as well as when they were first purchased. Chuck

Yes, it is called "Sticky Stuff". It is petrolatum to help soften the soy when it is a hard batch. I have been tinkering with J-50 and just a touch of 4630 to enhance adhesion. The ct/ht is good and the appearance is excellent. The cold throw is really awesome and with a little cure time the hot throw is good. A little coconut oil seems to enhance the throw but you have to be careful and not use too much or it will ruin the adhesion of the mix. Does this make sense? CM