dpoudrier

On 10/4/2018 at 8:36 AM, katmeltswax said:

I find this interesting .How do you make your own cutters? What a great idea ! 

I bought a kit on Amazon.  I roll of aluminum and some tools to help shape...I haven't been brave enough to try it though.

I do this also...package when I need them.

On 9/29/2018 at 9:19 AM, katmeltswax said:

I have good luck with Candlesource leather oil ,soaks up super fast . I also do a cherry & vanilla leather . I add 1oz oil per cup = 6oz of beads .

Thanks!  My New Car Scent is actually behaving better than I thought.  It was not looking too great and today they were dry.  I added 1/3rd more ounces of oil to them...still below the recommended.  We'll see if they absorb this and I'll test a little more.  I'm so thankful they've absorbed half because the other one didn't at all and my SIL wants some custom ones for the football team in this scent LOL.  I even have to make a special cookie cutter...not too sure how that is going to work either.

Thanks.  That's definitely not working with the leather i have lol.  

I'll try Lonestar.  Do you put the full 4oz in 1lb?

32 minutes ago, Skk5233 said:

Did you make the leather with the first batch?

I did the pinacoloda in the first batch and leather with both batches.  I decided to test bake and it melts fine, but you can feel the oil on it...boo!  I've had no issues with Vanilla Bean Noel...and vanilla is suppose to be hard to soak up.  I've tried Leather from Wholesale Supplies Plus and New Car Scent from Nature's Garden.  I make bath bombs so those are a couple of my go to companies. 

14 minutes ago, Skk5233 said:

I called Paul about this yesterday as well because I got a batch like this too. It is nothing we are doing. The molecular make-up of that batch of beads is different. Bake at lower temps was the suggestion I got. He did tell me the new batch I just ordered is the old beads I have grown to know and love. He called his supplier and they discussed this. So bake at lower temps. He suggested 300 for 10 minutes or so. I havent Tried it yet but I will keep you posted. 

I must have gotten those my first order...and I think the blue I made with that batch...the black I made with the new one...makes sense now!  I still would love some tips on leather if you have any lol

On 9/22/2018 at 12:50 PM, cswilson said:

I baked the new beads for the first time and I am so disappointed. It was a major failure..... I was so impressed by how fast the beads soaked up the scent and then I tried to bake them and it was a disaster. I pre-heated my oven to 350 and put the beads in for 8 minutes. The edges were so melted that they were liquid. So I tried again and baked them for 6 minutes and they weren't melted in the middle. I tried it again at 7 minutes and the edges were liquid again. I thought it was my oven to I went and bought an oven thermometer and my oven was a little off by about 3 degrees but nothing else. I tried again, I turned the oven down to 340 for 10 minutes and most of the beads were liquid. I was so frustrated that I turned the oven off and let it cool down to try again. I put my oven on 375 like someone said they did and baked for 5 minuted and all the beads were liquid. I stopped and called pelletts4fun and ask them what I was doing wrong. The guy said the outside of the cookie cutter is getting too hot and melting the beads before the middle can melt and that I needed to turn the oven down and bake them longer. I turned it down to 330 and baked 8 minutes and the middle wasn't melted. The ONLY thing I can think of is that I'm using a metal cookie cutter that is actually painted yellow instead of just the regular metal color. Has anyone had any experiences like this? I'm so frustrated with all this and trying to figure it out that I'm just about ready to quit all together. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

You may need to turn your over down to even 300 and do a slightly longer bake...maybe your oven runs hotter than it says?  I baked mine at 350 and it took about 13 minutes.  I've had some odd issues like when I did the black texas with the blue stripe...and the blue stripe was completely melted, but the black was fine...so I'm wondering if color dye can affect it also.

For those using beads from Plastics4fun (yes they ship fast and prices can't be beat), can you share your trick for leather fragrances?  I started making these a few months ago.  I hear it takes longer to absorb so I started with 1 teaspoon in 8oz of beads and it still won't soak up.  I have the same issue with PinaColada.  I swear I had 1 tablespoon of oil and am now up to over a pound of beads and they are still wet two months later.  My most recent attempt is New Car Scent from Natures Garden.  I added 2oz of fragrance and 4 drops of dye to 1lb of beads...it's only been 24hrs, but it doesn't look like any of it has soaked up.

Any tips for this oh so popular, but very nerve wrecking scent, are appreciated :-)