BusyBee

Lumetique did pretty good job of covering all aspects of being Planar Wick. They covered almost all possible materials and shape that can be used as candle wick and also covered using cotton and/or saw dusts sandwiched between wooden pieces to increase internal capillary action. It even talks about why their wick design can cover large diameter container better than traditional cotton wick. Only holes I can find is the argument of "What is being planar?", External capillary action & Tapered shape. *Everyone is talking about internal capillary action of a wick, and it feels like I might be the only one who talk about external capillary action. 😉 I was planning to use tapered wick design as a candle safety feature, and I think that could be a good story that customers could be raving about our candles. But then, I can turn back to double wall container design for safety if this does not work out. Below is a double walled insulated aluminum tumbler. Worrying about candle container getting too hot at the bottom? Never with this container. GREAT STORY = CREATIVITY!!!

I have searched other country's patent office website, and it was so easy to navigate through their website and easy to understand the patents. But all of our governments' website is not well built compare to other countries, and USPTO is no exception. It takes an expert to search information from our governments' website which I am pretty good at. But I have to say USPTO website is designed to have the patent attorneys to make money. I have pulled out many planar wick & wooden wick patents from USPTO and Justia Patents. This one is from Justia Patents on Planar wick patent which is much better organized and easier to understand than USPTO filing. https://patents.justia.com/patent/20050037308 But still, it would take really good patent research specialist and patent attorney to be 100% sure in this country.

This is recent posting from one of the Coconut 83 supplier. UPDATES ON COCONUT 83 INGREDIENTS Hello everyone we have some crucial information to give you regarding the ingredients in Coconut 83. Due to some news we received this weekend we called the manufacturer this morning and confirmed that Coconut 83 contains small amounts of food grade paraffin and food grade mineral oil to fortify the wax. Unfortunately due to this wax being a proprietary blend, exact amounts cannot be disclosed. The new management, that came on board in March, has been more transparent about the ingredients in this wax. From what the new management told us today, Coconut83 is made of Coconut, Palm, Food Grade Paraffin and Food Grade Mineral Oil. Previously we were told by some employees, that no longer work there, that this wax only consisted of Coconut, Palm and Soy and that no Paraffin was in it. Such as many of you, we are shocked about this information that came to light YET we are also grateful since now we have some transparency from the manufacturer which in turn allows us to be transparent with everyone else. We have updated our website to reflect these changes that came to light. For those who no longer wish to use this wax due to the content of paraffin and mineral oil, we want to thank you for allowing us to serve you for the time being. We will still continue to sell Coconut83 as it has been a great wax to work with and for whoever would like to continue using it. Thank you for your time and understanding.

Hi there! I graduated from Ventura High School long time ago. There is no candle supplier in your area. California Candle Supply, who has good quality FOs, is located in Glendora CA, but they don't have verity of Holiday scents. You might want to look into Candle Science, since they have the best shipping rate to our area. Fragrance manufacturer "Agilex" is located in North Hollywood, but that should be for your future consideration. There is another candle supplier in North Hollywood, but there FO quality isn't so good.

@SOMISKID Welcome to CraftServer! Your ultimate goal is to deal with a fragrance house or manufacturer when you grow your operation big enough. But best place to start would be any American made fragrance oil supplier in your area. Quality of any American made oils are similar, and this will save you shipping cost and transit time. Paying more does not translate into the best quality. You can pay 1/3 less and end up with better fragrance oils. Fragrance is all about scent not the quality of oils. So, who has the best scent? The answer depends on your scent preference.

Do you think this is going to be good enough to fight against Planar in court? TECA(Tapered External Capillary Action) or XCAT(External Capillary Action Taper) Wick Description: Wick having rough surface to increase external capillary action and having tapered design to provide just right amount of perfectly needed heat to each container shape for ultimate result and safety.

I don't know how the patent office ever issued "Planar Wick" patent when there were so many flat oil lamps wicks are in existence for long time. So, I am assuming it is not about the planar shape but plane surface. Definition of "Planar" would be "flat surface". So, as long as it does not have smooth flat surface, it should be okay. Cottonwood & ribbon(and all flat oil lamp wicks) wicks do not have smooth flat surface. I guess it's going to be argument of "What is Planar?" if it ever goes to a court.

Search key words! For pumpkins: "pumpkin image pictures" or pumpkin image clipart pictures" First one would bring out real pumpkin pictures & second one will bring out pumpkin clipart images. For fallen leaves: "fallen leaves image pictures" or "fallen leaves image clipart pictures" For fallen pumpkin leaves: "fallen pumpkin image pictures" or "fallen pumpkin image clipart pictures" and so on.... You should get the idea. Most images on internet is free to use for Personal Usage Only! If it is for commercial usage, then we have to buy or pay usage fee. All of pictures or clip arts on internet have rightful owners, and I suggest you to not to use them without owners' permission if you want to protect your business. There are so many websites who have images that it is hard to pinpoint few. But shutterstock.com is one that I used when I first started candle business.

@Hadzol It's not going to be easy to control temperature with microwave. These are some of the choices. There are many other choices, so shop around. Presto 06006: $26.88 at Amazon. Can handle about 5lb wax. This is great for beginners, and I still use them to make test candles. https://www.amazon.com/Presto-Kitchen-Kettle-Multi-Cooker-Steamer/dp/B002JM202I/ref=asc_df_B002JM202I?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814156492482&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413735421765&psc=1 Same thing with pouring spout: $89.95 at Amazon. Same capacity. https://www.amazon.com/Melter-Soy-Candle-Making-Paraffin/dp/B073R6CT7P/ref=asc_df_B073R6CT7P?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79920806880911&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583520384046696&psc=1 Wax melters sold at The Wooden Wick Co.: $139.95 19lb capacity. I only paid $300 for this used one but it was almost brand new condition. Can handle more than 50lb. Brand new would be $1,200.

We have ability to tell good materials from bad one, and we are using high quality materials to create as good as or if not better candles than many luxury brand candles. But the big problem is that majority of consumers don't have ability to know which is better. Many of us complain that most consumers don't know how to burn candle properly, and I don't think they ever will recognize better candles. They just want that certain brand name thinking they are the best. We all got into this industry dreaming of making tons of money and becoming one of well known brands. Do we want to become a general well known brand like Yankee or BBW or do we want to become one of below luxury brands? I guess it all depends on how we want to build our empire. How much do you think it is going to cost to make below candles? What could they have used in there that can justify that retail price? I believe it is all about marketing budget and endorsements. What could make us become as one of them? To me, it is "One of kind unique scents and great story to be recognized as a luxury brand!". Many of these luxury candle brands are already well known luxury brands before being candle makers. So, we have more creative marketing work to do for being just candle makers. "If you build a story, then they will come!" BusyBee

Both of them should be same Ceda Cerica. If you lost CT after first burn, then the chances are wick might have been be too big. Try it by knocking off booster if you don't have one without the booster! Coconut wax should work better with thinner wooden wick. But then, I was not able to get strong HT out of Ceda Cerica. So, I am not an expert with that wax.

According to CalWax, The Wooden Wick Co. is the distributor of their Ceda Cerica. But The Wooden Wick Co. does not sell Ceda Cerica. Instead, they have Coconut Apricot Creme. So, is it Ceda Cerica or Coconut Apricot Creme?

I find that Coconut 83 is much easier to get stronger HT than Coconut Apricot Creme. *Warning: Coconut 83's manufacturer is having problem with their machine, and its quality has been bad since last year. It appears to me that they are almost back to normal again. But still, be careful with its quality if you decided to try them. Wooden wick .375" .02 booster wick works well for soy wax that is if it stays lit. Coconut wax would need several size smaller wick than that. Smaller wooden wick without booster might work better. But then again, it is not easy to get strong HT out of Coconut Apricot Creme. Some other candle makers were happy with small CDN wicks.

Only Ecosoya PillarBlend is available at Candle Science in USA. All others are only available in UK.

Welcome back to candle making world! There has been a lot of changes went on while you were away like NGI went out of business and Ecosoya brand was taken over by British wax company Kerax. They manufactuer CB-Advanced, Pilar Blend, CB-135 & Melt in UK. Many waxes, FOs & some wicks had been changed little bit also that they might be different than what you used to know. My favorite soy wax is 464, but I use it with little bit of modification. Ultracore wick is old wick by manufactured by Fil-Tec. Some supplier just brought it back.

It is true that it takes less investment capital to start a candle business compare to many other businesses, but that does not mean it is an easy business. It takes years of experience, well preparation & perfect execution in order to succeed in any business, and candle business is no exception even though it look so simple. No business owner is going to have fun when the business is not profitable, and you would need to know how to sell your candle to generate profits which is the hardest part of candle business. First thing you need to check would be your city's regulations whether they are going to allow you to have a candle making business at your garage, and also check out business insurance rates. Regulations are all different from a city to cities, county to counties & state to states. So, don't rely on online people for this, and you must check with your own city or county departments. Next step is to do marketing research and come up with marketing plan. It would be better if you can write a business plan while you are doing that. You will need to take a look at electrical wax melters if you are thinking of making this into a business, but Presto 06006 will do for beginners. Good luck and have fun! All the challenges will become fun when you are prepared well.

That sounds more reasonable. But it might be better if you can find something with better price. Check out Jar Store for customized glass vessels. Good luck with your venture!

Price should not be a concern in luxury product market especially in Los Angeles or New York City. As a matter fact, the higher the price the better it will do. What is your definition of luxury candle? To me, luxury product is a brand recognition not a product itself. You have to realize that no one makes luxury candle. No superior quality, high pricing nor fancy packaging will ever make you as a luxury brand. It's people's recognition of your brand that makes you as a luxury brand. And it would take years of marketing effort and budget with a great company story to build a brand recognition. That is the reason why TallTayl is recommending you to work with a well established brands or store to piggy back on their brand recognition since none of start up candle maker has that brand recognition from the start. Try to collaborate with well known perfumer, artist, hair salon, skin care salon, interior designer, famous celebrity, etc. from the start since they have brand recognitions. If not, then start build one. Do I have candles that perform and have appearance of luxury candle? Yes I do! But I know that I am far from being a luxury brand yet. *For give me, if you are already well known famous person and has that brand recognition from many people. I have another question for you. Why does it cost so much to produce a candle in your case? How much are you paying for your containers? Unless you figure out how to reduce your material costs, you are going to have hard time succeed in this business. Locating the best & unique ingredients & parts at lowest price possible would be a key to success in our business. Set your target price and divide that amount by 6 when you are small operation not by 4. That should be your targeted material cost budget in order to be stay open as profitable business. Figure out the costs in bulk(pallet pricing ) and small quantities in few boxes direct from manufacturers(both American & foreign) and wholesalers including shipping costs. If you want to do cement or ceramic containers, then you might want to looking into make your own containers. Many other candle makers make their own great unique containers.

Oh this is beautiful! You have created beautiful vessels that goes really well with your nativity sets. And your candle flames are beautiful also. I am pretty sure you can repeat that again and again.

Hot and cold room will definitely affect HT. But cold air from AC or hot air from heater would not affect the HT as much because it will be mixed to cool down or heat up the room to our desired temperature. It's just that air currents from AC is going to be more stronger than air currents from heater and will create strong air currents in the house. And a house is usually designed to force hot air out of a house when AC is running, so, HT which could be considered as hot air would be escaped out of house more when AC is turned on. I don't know! This is just my wild theory without scientific backing. Yes! What kind of life is it without a little bit of challenge? 😄

@SRez Oh! You found another great thread that gives me good idea. I think I want to play with fog machine to see how air flows inside the house and also check out the strength of the air current from the flame. Fog is going to be more accurate than feathery puff air balls that floats in the air. We cannot control where customers would be placing their candles. However, we can assume that most of them are going to be placed about 2 to 3 feet above the floors. And we have to do our best to create a candle that would work well from that height. In my opinion, the one that throw about 1 foot upward from the flame would work better than the one with 3 feet throwing power. But then, I guess there is not much we can do about where air flow goes from that height.

Let's start with this from last year. Cold air from AC or hot air from heater has nothing to do with this since our room will be cool off or heat to our liking temperatures which would turning into our ideal temperature room. We turn on AC because room is hot. So, we are actually dealing with hotter air when we turn on air. And we turn on heater because room is cold. It's the air flow caused by those mechanical system causing HT to travel to undesirable spot within the house or out of the house. Most heaters are designed to heat and trap air inside the house, and ACs are designed to force hot air out of the house even though natural ventilation will force air out and bring in more air all the time. So, is there a solution to this in candle making? Best way to solve this problem is to design a candle with weak air current. I try to find coolest burning wick that will produce below Yellow Arrow kind of air current. It will keep most of HT within the room, but it will still goes to other room with air flow of the house. At least, this will reduce HT from being escaped to outside when AC is on. And this works well for sitting position and standing position. I am not saying this would be the only solution. It could be just one of several different ways to solve this. *I see so many candles that will only work well for standing position because air currents from the flame is too strong. And some, HT is nonexistence in candle burning room because of strong air currents from the flame. More information can be found online if you search "Natural ventilation and Mechanical or forced ventilation of a house" for better understanding, but below is some simple explanation. Good luck and have fun! Mechanical or forced ventilation[edit] Mechanical, or forced, ventilation is provided by an air handler (AHU) and used to control indoor air quality. Excess humidity, odors, and contaminants can often be controlled via dilution or replacement with outside air. However, in humid climates more energy is required to remove excess moisture from ventilation air. Kitchens and bathrooms typically have mechanical exhausts to control odors and sometimes humidity. Factors in the design of such systems include the flow rate (which is a function of the fan speed and exhaust vent size) and noise level. Direct drive fans are available for many applications, and can reduce maintenance needs. In summer, ceiling fans and table/floor fans circulate air within a room for the purpose of reducing the perceived temperature by increasing evaporation of perspiration on the skin of the occupants. Because hot air rises, ceiling fans may be used to keep a room warmer in the winter by circulating the warm stratified air from the ceiling to the floor. Natural ventilation[edit] Natural ventilation is the ventilation of a building with outside air without using fans or other mechanical systems. It can be via operable windows, louvers, or trickle vents when spaces are small and the architecture permits. ASHRAE defined Natural ventilation as the flow of air through open windows, doors, grilles, and other planned building envelope penetrations, and as being driven by natural and/or artificially produced pressure differentials. [2] In more complex schemes, warm air is allowed to rise and flow out high building openings to the outside (stack effect), causing cool outside air to be drawn into low building openings. Natural ventilation schemes can use very little energy, but care must be taken to ensure comfort. In warm or humid climates, maintaining thermal comfort solely via natural ventilation might not be possible. Air conditioning systems are used, either as backups or supplements. Air-side economizers also use outside air to condition spaces, but do so using fans, ducts, dampers, and control systems to introduce and distribute cool outdoor air when appropriate. An important component of natural ventilation is air change rate or air changes per hour: the hourly rate of ventilation divided by the volume of the space. For example, six air changes per hour means an amount of new air, equal to the volume of the space, is added every ten minutes. For human comfort, a minimum of four air changes per hour is typical, though warehouses might have only two. Too high of an air change rate may be uncomfortable, akin to a wind tunnel which have thousands of changes per hour. The highest air change rates are for crowded spaces, bars, night clubs, commercial kitchens at around 30 to 50 air changes per hour.[16] Room pressure can be either positive or negative with respect to outside the room. Positive pressure occurs when there is more air being supplied than exhausted, and is common to reduce the infiltration of outside contaminants.[17]

Anyone can make a candle. But when it comes to creating a high quality candle, you will need much more than just following candle making instructions. You would need to search & learn about below subjects in order. All of these things can be found online. 1. Candle vocabularies & abbreviations: You would have to talk their language in order to understand them. The one in this forum does not cover enough of them. Try online search. 2. History of Candles: This is going to be boring. But it will become helpful. This is only going to be 2 to 5 pages long. 3. Types of Candles: It would be helpful if know what kind of candles there are even if you are only making scented container candles. 4. Science behind Candle Flames: This is very important. Convection, conduction, radiation & air flow caused by flame! If you don't have this knowledge, then candle making becomes crap shoot. 5. Search and Learn about ingredients: Best place to get information on these would be manufacturers websites, and many big candle suppliers have them too. You will have to do your best to find the best. a. Waxes: There are so many different waxes, and no one has ever used every waxes that are available. Try your best to locate the best! b. Wicks: There are so many different wicks also. c. Fragrance oils: There are about 30,000 fragrance oils on the market, and we can even order unlimited custom made ones. *What your are looking for on these would be specifications. Above list does not cover everything that are available. They are only small portion. All of waxes & wicks can be special custom made also. 6. Candle making instructions: They are mostly available at candle suppliers & some manufacturers websites. Most of those instructions are very accurate. I suggest not to follow any of Youtube candle making instructions! 7. Candle safety: Search for "ASTM Candle Safety Standard" https://candles.org/industry-standards/ 8. Air flow of a house: Why? Natural & mechanical air flow inside house determines where hot throw goes. Even if you have created great scented candle, it might not fill a room because of this. 9. Candle testing procedure: Search for candle testing labs or this forum. 10. Candle trouble shooting: A lot of these can be found from big candle suppliers website & in this forum. 11. Test burn lots of candles including name brand candles. Everyone has different opinion on good candle making. So, no one book or an article will provide right answers. You would need to create your own "Right One" by learning above things on your own way. If you have hard time finding above in online, then feel free to ask. Good luck!

Unfortunately there is no one book or course that covers every aspects of candle making. However, the good news is that everything you need to learn can be found online including this forum. But you will need to learn about what to look for in order to find the things that you need, which we can help you. Warning! It is going to be a lot.😉 Once you learn the theory, then talking to experienced candle makers, suppliers, manufacturers, & other candle industry experts etc. would be next step. What kind of candle are you trying to make? Scented container candles or something else?

I don't know. I have tried to find wick that would work in my thick & heavy mixture, and above are the results. Try to stick in one more small wick into one of your existing candle first. It should give you idea how it is going to burn before you make any new one for full test. It might work or it might not. So, try it just for fun. Good luck!