Laura C

The updated site looks great @TallTayl 👍 and I like the candle image background.

Hi.

I too have had misc. problems when it comes to printing product labels whether it's alignment, crispness or proper colors. It can be really frustrating and time consuming. Here's some general things to consider and keep in mind for both laser jet and inkjet printers.

- To avoid curling or peeling labels when printing, use the tray that shoots the label sheets straight through and keeps the sheet flat and don't use the tray that bends the label sheet.

- For crisper prints, periodically running the printer's maintenance tools will help.

- To get the most accurate color results all the devices in your workflow need to be color calibrated with the same color profile, your monitor, printer, etc.

- I believe most inkjet printers only use the small ink cartridges that can be expensive and not last very long, especially when printing in color. Whereas laser jets use the huge ink cartridges that are not as expensive and last alot longer. Something to consider when calculating long term usage and costs.

- Also, be aware of generic ink or ink that is too cheap to believe, maybe not all of them but do your research and read the reviews. They can be junk or cause the ink cartridge sensor in the printer to malfunction. 

You must have fixed it. Colors look fine now and look nice. I see black, white, grey and blue.

Wow, $40 for a single bar of soap, I'm in the wrong business. I need to sell soap instead of candles. LOL. No matter how good it smells, I don't think I could force myself to buy a soap that expensive. But I agree, I'd love to be able to sell a bar of soap for $40 dollars. LOL. 😄 🧼

I have not tried that new coconut wax but I'm curious about myself. Maybe someone has and will share info with us.

Hi @jmspgh.

When I'm done with a test candle and want to reuse the jar, I too will remove the wax and use it on a wax melter or use it to make fire starters. If I have not attached a wick with a metal tab, I pull the wick out then pop it in the microwave for a few minutes to get it soft or runny, scoop the wax out and wash the jar. If it does have a wick attached with a metal tab then I boil it in water a few minutes on the stove in a big, deep frying pan. These methods work well for me.

Cool, the coffee scrub bars are a great idea and I like your design. I love coffee and coffee scents. ☕

On 6/20/2020 at 9:00 PM, Wax Boy said:

TallTayl, I played around with freedom wax for a bit. Do you like it? I noticed you say 464/freedom? I specifically asked ASO if freedom was 464 in disguise and they denied it.

Just an FYI @Wax Boy, I know first hand that you can't always believe what the candle suppliers or manufactures tell you. It's an irritating and sad truth. Sometimes it could just be an employee that has to say what they are told to say. 

5 hours ago, TallTayl said:

----  i like any wax that performs the way I want/need it to in a given situation.

----  sooooo, I would make a list of the things most important to YOU, and find a wax that fits those needs. 

Good question @Hometown Handmades.

I agree with the 2 statements TallTayl made. It's basically easier to build your product ideas around the performance of the wax instead of trying to force a wax to perform the way you want it to. And of course know your waxes since some are specifically made to be used for certain types of products in the first place.

On 9/2/2019 at 2:13 PM, xxxAlpha71xxx said:

I am so grateful to you for this list.  I've now actually done a set of burns from the bottom of the list to the top in an 8 oz tin and the visuals have caused me to reevaluate a lot of the assumptions I had made about wick sizes.

 

The one major thing I've realized is that it is possible for a candle to be overwicked and not reach a full melt pool.   In a lot of instances I had started with a larger wick than required then, when I didn't get a full melt pool, kept going up and up when I really should have been using a smaller wick than the original.  I had a container/scent combo that seemed to require a CD16-18.  When I went back and started smaller (as you recommended from the very begining-sorry, I can be a bit hard headed) and moved up the list I hit a winner at Zinc 60.   It seems that some of the larger wicks were melting so fast in the center that the heat wasn't having a chance to reach the edges.  Same thing with a different container-CD 8 but actually worked better going down to an HTP 83.  Changing that perspective put me into a place where I also found that zinc wicks don't actually mushroom as bad as what I had seen previously because I'm no longer overwicking.

 

It was really frustrating to see that no matter what scent, no matter what percentage, no matter what dye every 8 oz tin I did seemed to require a larger wick than anything on this list.  Now that I've actually seen how each of these wicks burn (and quit trimming them down to pretty much a nub) my testing is now lining up much better with what I've read from you and others. This list has been a huge part of finally getting my head wrapped around how different wicks and sizes perform and I've been able to get through some of that frustration.

 

Thanks everyone that's put time and effort into this!

I totally agree @xxxAlpha71xxx. With several years of wick testing, I have experienced the same things you have described.

Looks neat and it's a pretty color blue anyway. 

On 6/2/2020 at 9:53 PM, jmspgh said:

I realize that this is probably a loaded question but...if you were to recommended to someone starting out making candles one place to get a handful of fragrance oils from where would it be? I want to try a bunch of different scents but don't want to be ordering from multiple places to start. I am located in Pennsylvania if that factors into the decision.

 

Also...any particular scents that you think would be good to start with? I am open to pretty much anything.

 

Thank you in advance 😊

Hi @jmspgh. FYI, here's the link to the list of suppliers by state so you could possibly visit some locally and/or avoid high shipping costs. You will find several candle making suppliers on the list under Pennsylvania. Candles and Supplies is one of my favorite fragrance suppliers, I love a lot of their fragrances. https://www.candlesandsupplies.net/Fragrance-Oils

Well, yes, I have seen candle wax like that and I hated it. My test candles that looked like that were what I considered defects, not sellable products. LOL 😄 

It makes me nervous looking at those wild, bumpy tops. 😵

Everybody has their own likes and style or maybe they just gave up on smooth tops and rolled with it, I could certainly understand that. LOL

I do like the way the wax looks on the sides through the clear glass, that's pretty. Who knows, they may get rich.   I noticed they are in Knoxville, TN, not far from me.

FYI, Candles.org has updated the data on their site. They have even better information now and it's more current and specifically explains topics that have been muddy or have needed proper clarification. Such as myths regarding paraffin wax, scented candles, the burning of candles and synthetic FOs vs. essential oils, etc.

https://candles.org/

https://candles.org/faqs/

https://candles.org/research-studies/

Hi. Sometimes glass containers will be labeled safe for candle use. Per Candles.org, the recommended type of glass container for candles are "Annealed Soda-Lime-Silicate Glass Containers that are Produced for Use as Candle Containers". https://candles.org/industry-standards/

Since we are on the subject, I just noticed that Candles.org has updated the data on their site. They have even better information now and it's more current and specifically explains topics that have been muddy or have needed proper clarification. Such as myths regarding paraffin wax, scented candles, the burning of candles and synthetic FOs vs. essential oils, etc.

https://candles.org/

https://candles.org/faqs/

https://candles.org/research-studies/

Congratulations, happy to hear your business has increased. 

53 minutes ago, jmspgh said:

Thanks, Laura.  I did do a search and found a lot of good info on wick size compatibility.  I guess what I am looking more for is general info on how the wicks are similar/different, what the benefits are for a certain type, etc.  I haven't been able to find good information on that yet but am still searching!  I am pretty new to this and one of the most confusing things for me has been sorting through all the different types/sizes of wicks and figuring out which ones to try.

You're welcome. Yes, proper wicking is certainly a challenge and it's not just you. Basically all the information you are looking for is out there, unfortunately it's not all in one place. LOL.

1 hour ago, jmspgh said:

Hi everyone. Hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Is there a good reference for me to learn about/compare some of the most popular types of candle wicks? Thanks!

Hi @jmspgh. Can't think of anything specific. If you haven't done so already, do some searches on here for wicks, there's lots of posts on the topic. Plus, some candle making supply companies have wick charts on their sites and the major wick manufactures do too.

For instance: http://www.atkinsandpearce.com/candle-solutions/ and https://wicksunlimited.com/wicks/ and there are others.

You can see more wick suppliers here: https://www.craftserver.com/articles1.html/candle-making-faq-archive/

Congrats on your sell. I have no idea about soap stuff except I bet it smells wonderful. LOL

Yes, they are. I like the looks of them, I should buy one and try it out.

I see what you mean. That is a very pretty jar and lid. I agree with the others, warning label on bottom of candle with main info or a hang tag. I'll also add that you could do 2 labels, if needed. In addition to the warning/info label on bottom of candle, you could also have an info label on the inside of the lid.

4 hours ago, Jeana said:

I looked up ionos customer reviews. It looks like since they changed from 1&1 customers have been really unhappy.  A lot of 1 Star comments for the full service options. 

LOL, I'm working on my site trying to make it look great and simple. That's interesting about the ionos reviews, since they bought out 1and1. On reflection, my past dealings have been with the company when they were 1and1, I haven't had to deal with the new owners. Hmmm... I'll keep that in mind. I don't have any experience with any of those other companies. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do. Sometimes going with your gut can help you decide. Good luck, hope you find what makes you happy.

here's a couple posts that may be helpful to you:

1 hour ago, Jeana said:

@Laura C who are you hosting your site through? I m looking for a new website builder and host too. I’m with big commerce right now. They are very good, but their templates are limited and outdated. 

Hi Jeanna. I have all of my domains with IONOS (use to be 1and1), just domains and email addresses, no other services right now with them. Aside from free social media sites I have 1 website and I'm currently building it with Adobe Portfolio. I already have and am paying for Adobe Creative Cloud services; Photoshop, Lightroom, etc. which also includes Spark (graphics, logos, etc.) and Portfolio (a website builder & host). So I decided to use Portfolio instead of paying an additional monthly website builder & web hosting fee with IONOS. Portfolio also allows me to use one of my custom domains that I have with IONOS. I redirect the generic Portfolio url to my custom url. I think this will work out great for me.

post deleted, not needed, sorry

I have some email accounts included in the price with my domains with ionos but I've not set them up yet.

It says this about email with a domain on their website: A professional email address (for example: me@mycompany.com) is connected to your domain with 2 GB of mailbox space to start. Upgrade anytime for more space.  https://www.ionos.com/domains/com-domain