Hopie

Well, it "was", LOL! I'll have to say, it sure smelled yummy for the hour and a half I burned it (I'm going to buy more of that lemongrass from FC Love it!). Had to watch it like a hawk, just a few feet away from me. Hmmm....can I just remelt this and repour it? I've never done that, has the fragrance oil in it...would remelting it burn off the scent?

I used the 60-44-18 zinc wicks in the soy. I think I did down wick on the mottled one...to the 51-32-18 zinc wicks. That one may still be over wicked, we shall see when I fire it up. I thought these holders were a great find! I love to scan the thrift stores for the candle holders and glass jars that people never used or discarded for whatever reason.

Yes, I am a lover of vanillas! Sadly, when I fire this one up, I think it's over wicked, just like the other one I lit yesterday. Back to the pyramid drawing board, lol! I'm glad you like our clothes, Sarah! A lot of vendor ladies come by early to get the first picks, lol! In summer, I LIVE in these, they're cool, comfy and colorful The day this was taken, I was absolutely melting out there, LOL! Why on earth did I have jeans on? I dunno'!

Here are a few new candles I made last night, having so much fun playing around with wax and scents! The first one is Black Cherry (Lone Star) in C3 soy... The second one is Caribbean Escape (Lone Star) in C3 soy The third one is Asian Sandalwood (The Flaming Candle) in mottling wax They all smell yummy! Having to retest wicks in soy, as they sure don't act the same as when I made them a few years ago! I got lucky and found a set of three of these rustic holders in the thrift store, in three sizes, so I thought I'd put them to good use. The whole set only cost me $7.00

I've been test burning soy candles all week, so I figured it was time to fire up one of the pillar candles I made. I really wanted to smell this one burning, so I chose the Lemongrass. Holy SMOKES, can you say over wicked!? Just to let anyone know who is making pillar candles, I used the Zinc wick here, 60-44-18. The mold I used is the 5 point star that measures 3.25" x 6.5". Any suggestions on which wick I should try next?

I made a small pillar with this scent last night, it smells simply divine!

I really like the texture of these! My freezer is pretty small, but maybe I can jam a small mold in there?

OH, I am so grateful! Now I know that I need to go ahead and order the proper wicks before I tackle this. I had bought the zinc wicks because I used them in soy container candles years back. I also did use the ones I have for the mottled wax pillars. I haven't burned these yet, so we shall see how they act. Now I need to test the right wicks for this wax. No worries on this, I have all summer to play with candles. What is "flipping"? I don't know this terminology. What are CSN's, what size do you recommend for my chosen molds? I like the idea of wicking for the shell effect, the glow must be really pretty...

I ordered some feathered palm wax to play with, so I thought I'd ask the experts about it before it arrives. I'm going to do my first few with smaller, more common molds for my experiments. The first one is a round 3"x 6 .5, the second one is a square 3" by 4.5". I ordered Lone Star's zinc wick assortment, so I'd like to know what size wick to start with. (wick sizes forthcoming). What I'd like to know is, what special tips do you have with working with this lovely wax? Heating temps, pouring temps, fragrance load, what kind of burn to expect, etc. Any help is appreciated. I just love the texture of this wax! I only bought 5 lbs of it to see if I like it. I'm so excited!

Oh, I'm sure she would be a great tester! My dear David just went to get my latest order for me, tons of oils, new wicks to test and two new molds. You all have to know what I'll be doing later today!

Yes, soy candles are a pain in the wazoo! I do love the scent throw, and it seems customers also love them. I haven't produced them for sale in a few years, been too busy with our clothing line and on the road a lot. I've just started messing with them again....which is a reminder why I SO love this paraffin! I just finished an order for some feathered palm wax, can't wait to play with it, I love the textures! We have six more weeks here in Havasu, a lot of locals EXPECT us to hang around (so we do, sell a lot of our tie dye sundresses n' tops to them), yes, under the tents in 107 degree weather, LOL! We do a craft show on Hualapai Mountain the first Sunday of each summer month, and have lots of followers in Kingman. We'll probably head for Prescott right after that first Hualapai show (June 4). I'd prefer Williams, but the RV spots are horrendously expensive (about $1,000 per month!). So, we'll certainly take day trips to Williams, but the "docking fees" are too high. Here is a picture of me last year, melting in the 100 degree heat in Prescott, LOL!

You are so funny! Gotta' love that! Our motor home is starting to smell like a lovely candle store I was just continuing a test of two candles I made in soy, one needs a wick up, one needs a wick down. Thought I had the right one for both, guess not! I'm about to light one of the paraffins.....oh, my...which one to choose? Shall I flip a coin here? It's 99 degrees here today, so we're hibernating until the sun goes down to go lounge by the the pool/jacuzzi area. Snowbirds are leaving in droves, WHAT, can't stand the heat?

Thanks, Scented. I'm going to get two more molds any minute to play with, as well as several oils. I'm SO glad I found this forum, so many talented candle makers and great help and information within these pages! I'm still sifting through all of the candle gallery, and just drooling over all the beautiful creations! I SO appreciate the time and effort that all of you talented people take to post and help us newbies out, it's truly invaluable!

Okay, so I poured another candle last night. I'm still awaiting a few molds to arrive, so I used the pyramid again. I scented this one in Creamy Vanilla for the test burn, since I like vanillas

When I started out making soy candles (it was really just a hobby, until it became "salable") I was running a busy nightclub in Las Vegas, as well as selling another line of products on Amazon. SO, yup, I was buried! What I would do is...mentally planning on what I was going to do when I broke out the "candle factory" in my kitchen. When I had a bit of "mental downtime", (as I was slapping labels on stuff to ship, driving to work, or waiting in line for some reason), I would visualize what I wanted to do with candles and lotions when I had the time (jotting down a few notes may help, as well). I would also line up some scents and dyes I planned to work with on the counter, so I could "jump right in" when I had the time. It was very productive to have my ideas ready, my supplies ready, and my enthusiasm ready to make them, so it went rather smooth for me when I actually got to working on them. I hope this helps?

When I added incense to our booths, I started out with the charcoal sticks (HEM). I found them hard to sell. I had comments that people didn't want to burn charcoal in the house. That was the reason I started making the incense myself, which consists of sticks with wood pulp. When I did that, they sold very well, so I just kept adding scents. Some have told me it's the best incense they've ever smelled. What is my secret? I soak them about 2 days (sometimes longer, if I'm busy) When I drain them, I only drain off enough oil to empty the center of the bundles (drain too long, and you loose scent). I then lay them flat (horizontal), bundle intact, for drying. After 2-3 days, I bag 'em and tag 'em, they are sometimes still "slightly damp", that is to retain the oils/scents as much as possible.

Thanks, @Candybee! I'm having fun with this, and perhaps one day, I'll be able to sell them. I am hoping for fall season.

OMG, all that baby powder? I loathe that scent, or anything that smells like it! *coff, coff...spit...honk, gag*! I could not imagine having to pour 100 at once! I commend your tenacity to get that job done!

Well, leave it to me to do it azz backwards! LOL! I guess I was admiring all those beautiful pillars in the candle gallery, and jumped right in to it! Guess I've always had an adventurous spirit

That would lead me to believe that their supplier is AFI out of Cartersville, GA. Maybe there will be more? I really liked Peak's Red Clove back when I used to make soy candles.

You're probably right about the liquid dyes....I'd buy them only a few at a time because they're so much more expensive than the wax chips. I've never tried them. Space is also always an issue, I spent yesterday evening busting up the mottling wax so we don't stub our toes in here, LOL! I'm really liking paraffin, and I think I prefer it to soy. I also LOVE the look of the feathered palm wax! Are they as much a pain to find the right wicks for as soy is? That substance is simply stunning to look at! OMG, I'm going to become a wax monster! Hey, jump back in, the water's warm Express yourself!

I hear you on the soy curing! I got impatient to smell the Raw Sugar Mandarin I got, and it's burning next to me right now....after about a 4 day cure, LOL! Eh, turns out this wick won't do it. Need to wick up. Sighhh.

Oh, wow....so I see that the difference from soy is a lot! I wanted to test burn one of them, so I guess it's a go! Thanks for the info, now I'll know.

I'm anxious to test burn my first two paraffin pillars, but I don't know how long to cure them before I do a test burn. How long should I let them set? Thanks for any help

Very nice! Smooth, creamy tops, too! Off to a great start!