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Echap77

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Posts posted by Echap77

    This Must Be A Joke.

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Quentin said:

    A few weeks back, I left a heartfelt friendly suggestion with them (really, I wasn't sarcastic) that they might want to offer color suggestions with their fragrances like some of the other companies do and that it might be helpful to their customers. I inferred from the message I got back that I should mind my own business. Then the guy finished his answer by saying, "If it's a Christmas fragrance, most people would probably use red.":mellow:

    Oh I would've been very furious 

    • Like 1

    Using Electric Griddles Safely

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    I was just thinking of getting them warm on the griddle while i melt, pouring and then moving to the rack to cool. I haven't had any wet spots but i don't like the slightest movement of wax away from the container or wick, no matter how unnoticeable. I notice 🤷🏼‍♀️ Seems to me the oven would be more of a pain. But I'm probably gonna be too scared to use the griddle anyway. I was terrified the first time I needed to warm containers to get wax out so I could reuse them. I know...I'm a wuss.

    • Like 1

    Equipment Questions

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    On 9/3/2018 at 8:48 PM, Laura C said:

    Also if you don't have wick stabilizing devices or your device doesn't fit a particular jar then you can use scotch tape to make a grid across the top of the jar (as in floral arranging). I did this with my pan test to hold all my wicks in place.

     

    And also this wick centering device. I have the single and the triple wick devices. They are a huge time saver. I love gadgets.

     

    Love this lighter...have to get one. The centering devices are on my wishlist...can't wait for those. My favorite gadget is my wick trimmer 🙈

     

    • Like 1

    WOODEN WICK

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    On 9/3/2018 at 2:38 AM, Ramr said:

    I've been fooling around making my own wooden wicks. Have learned a lot.  Since I am totally new to making candles I don't know that I'm qualified to say much, but here goes.

     

    I have tried to burn, as a wood wick:  the wood ends of match sticks (no), bamboo BBQ skewers (no) soaked the skewers in olive oil (still no) dried pine needles I found on the lawn and twisted together (BAD IDEA!) a thick chunk of cedar kindling I meticulously shaved with an axe that was too big (no, cannot make thin enough strips with that ridiculous monster sized axe) toothpicks, both flat style and round style (no and no) bristles I yanked out of the corn broom I sweep the steps with (no) little round sticks I got at the dollar store which looked really promising but failed utterly.

     

    What I have had some success with:  wooden stir sticks you get at the dollar store. Soaking them in oil is not necessary. The trick, for me, has been taking an exacto knife (utility knife) and scoring a thin line the length of the stick. This miniscule groove helps wick melted wax up towards the flame, or so I have convinced myself. But I do burn candles with wicks of this design.

     

    I make votives and find a whole stir stick is too much wick for a votive. Even though they are narrow to begin with, cut them down to half their width is plenty for a votive. A full width stir stick can easily work in a 3 inch diameter candle. (at least with the wax I am using, IGI # 1245). I did some experimenting with splitting a stir stick in half and laying them on top of each other as a two layer wick, so wax could wick up the space between. This is fiddly to do, doesn't work unless your stir sticks are perfectly flat and often they are not, there are lots of deformed stir sticks in a dollar store package. I abandoned the double idea, don't need to double up.  

     

    I also bought a package of craft sticks that are the size of the tongue depressor your doctor uses. Have made wicks with these. They make HUGE wicks! Scored a few times to improve wax uptake.  Did test burn tonight in a 3x3 square candle, on a pie plate, full tongue depressor wick, melt pool to edge in about 30 minutes. If this candle was in an enclosed holder it would have melted even faster. I could have cut this tongue depressor in half (long way) and it still would have been plenty of wick for this 3x3 square. 

     

    I have no wick holders for these. Improvised. Squirted hot glue blobs onto tinfoil and then stuck a stir stick (split long ways) in. When it was cool, peeled it off the tinfoil and there you have a wooden wick with a flat bottomed blob at the end. Do not know yet what will happen when everything melts down and flame hits glue glob. I have also glue gunned a wooden wick to a penny and used that in the candle. OR... I just stick the wick down into cooling wax, no bottom, and when it is burned down to 1/2 inch or so, the wick drops over, goes out and I like to think of it as a safety feature that it self extinguishes before you burn the candle dry. I may be wrong about that - time will tell I guess, but so far my untabbed wood wicks have all fallen over eventually in the last bit of wax and snuffed out.

     

    Wood is a varied material and some burn well, others not so much. Some make a sputtering noise that I find hilarious. Also some send up tiny little embers, like a mini campfire. They also need to be carefully trimmed. Too long and they don't perform well. I clip mine with a fingernail clipper, taking off just a hair at a time.

     

     

    I'm enjoying following your adventures!

    • Like 1

    Found New Ecosoya Q210 In Stock!

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    On 10/15/2017 at 3:15 PM, Firefly said:

    I know most have given up on this wax but posting this for those who are still testing it.

     

    I decided to try the Q210 with a fragrance oil that is 4 fragrance oils combined. Not from the manufacture either.

     

    I used 3 fragrance oils from Bitter Creek and 1 from Brambleberry to make up this blend.  Used 7% of it and used various wooden wicks. These are two of my testers.  It poured well and I pour at lower temps. Slight vinegar smell in raw form but don't smell it after adding scent and letting it cure.

     

    After 48 hours the cold throw was good (I've been reading others wait 1-2 weeks). I was happy with the hot throw and on some of my testers it burned the full diameter in 2 hours and in others it took 3-4 hours. Flame was anywhere from 3/4 to 1" high and burn pool was 1/4 to 3/8"

     

    When I blow them out they do smoke a bit more then the Advanced did but it wasn't excessive in my testing.

     

    Mostly I use essential oils but am using some fragrance oils for the season.

     

    Including photos of 2 of my testers at the 2 hour mark.

    IMG_1878 2.JPG

    IMG_5267.JPG

    The look of the Amber jars with the wood wick... I'm in love 

    PLANNER? What planner do you all use (for both business and personal)

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Oh and another thing... I like using heavier weight paper bc the gel pens I so love don't bleed through so that helps. Not always but a lot. Plus, since I'm a fool for Washi tape (or maybe just a fool lol) I like to decorate my pages with it. So I like to take a strip along the edges  and or along the side that I'm going to punch and that also has served to reinforce the tabs. Takes a second and makes me happy 😋 I guess these are 2 reasons I haven't had trouble with the pages so far. 

    • Like 1

    PLANNER? What planner do you all use (for both business and personal)

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    1 hour ago, TallTayl said:

    I was so in love with that at first.  Bought all the things to make disc bound everything. It did not take long to fall out of love with it though, as the discs are not practical for carrying those around, like in a book bag or purse. Changing sizes of discs (since I never choose the right size to begin with) ruined pages. Pages wore out and fell out with any sort of use 😢. I wanted it to work so badly. 

     

    I do prefer paper for finding things quickly.

    Awe that stinks. I have a mini one in cover for my purse that works well so far.

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