Hope

Plook, I appreciate the response... They do have spooled HTP's, but not the 93. Seems to be a pretty popular size to not have! Candlewic & EACS don't have it either.

Not easy to find this particular (raw) wick! I don't need pounds of it on a spool, but the 1/2 or 1/4 lb. spool would be nice. Does anyone have any ideas where to find it? TIA

You're welcome. I just added the def. b/c botanical sounds strange in a description for a candle wax. Maybe it's just me. :undecided I could understand a lotion, shampoo, etc. using it as marketing term. Or even a salad. But a shortening.... Oh well. I'd suppose the specific botanicals would be dependent on the particular manufactured shortenings. After flipping through some MSDS sheets, most have "partially hydrogenated [veg.] oil(s)" and occasionally, an emulsifier. As far as I read/understand, partially hydrogenated cottonseed & palm oils has a smoother crystal structure upon solidification than partially hydrogenated soybean oil would have alone. Therefore, the smoother and creamier appearance. I'd think that the veg. derived emulsifier would be used to help control the frosting issue.

My Webster's defines botanicals as "derived from plants". Cottonseed and palm oils seem to be pretty popular 'botanicals' in soy/veg. wax.

That's approx. 1.5%, quite low. 1oz./lb. wax might be a better starting point, depending on your particular wax & FO though.It would probably help to know what kind of wax & FO you are using, it does make a difference. If you aren't receiving feasible instructions/advice from the store, you might consider using a (better known) wax from a reputable supplier. BTW, I typically heat my soy/veg. votive wax to 175-180F, remove from heat, add FO, cool to pouring temp, pour. No extended 'cooking' time involved. ETA: Welcome to CT!

Isbennis, sounds like you have a thoughtful, eco-friendly business. :smiley2:

It's cracked for it's various chemical properties, but I think the point is soy wax is heavily processed. We won't find pods of wax out in the soy fields waiting to be harvested. Chemical extraction, deodorizing, (possibly) bleaching, fertilizers, and pesticides are things that occur earlier in the life of typical soy wax. Hmmm... the most eco-friendly candle IMO would be a bayberry wax, or beeswax candle. Well, let's be friendly to the bees and vegans... stick to bayberry wax. To make it most naturally, whip up some firewood (not from 7-11) and a big ole pot of water (not from city tap, yucky chemicals in there). Might as well be au naturel while were being natural... Okay, so that's a tad extreme, and not quite feasible for any sort of large production. IMO, it's best to be truthful about the product. I don't think it's necessary to embellish soy wax with 'natural' or such. We don't need to explain the soy processing to customers. Most probably don't care. Just like the processing of hotdogs. Usually accompanies cookouts, but ewww.... no one wants to know about that or remember it. Just want to have a good time at the cookout.

Lone Star also carries them.

Here's a link for priming wicks: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1997

Without quantifying the exact amount and how it is 'all natural', it's just propaganda. Since the general public is inundated with various advertising methods from a very young age, most can probably discern such things. (..& some can't!) From a customer's perspective, fluffy advertising can be quite annoying. I definitely wouldn't get caught up in the matter, as well. It's just not worth it on so many levels. IMO, I think it does help to be informed of what other people are doing, and claiming with their candles & products. But, only to be informed and able to compose a knowledgeable and professional response if someone asks, "are yours all-natural?". I do believe that the FTC deals with the advertising of the products. Seriously, what benefits does an all-natural candle give to me? Whoopee. It the packaging had a high percentage of post-consumer recycled material, and is easily recyclable,.. that would be a good advertising point. A portion of the sales of candle(s) going to a charitable cause, another worthy (IMO) advertising point. The poison ivy plant is quite all-natural, but I try to give it plenty of personal space. I think a 'my candle can kick your candle's a$$' argument is pretty worthless for the long term. Emphasize your candle's positive attributes, the ones that will make the customers want to come back for more.

If you check out the Wicks Unlimited site, it may help you decipher some of that wick speak. Then, search here for opinions on particular wick adaptiveness to whatever wax (& stuff) you may be using. Some 'shrooms are nice.

Thanks Top & Crowded for the puzzle pieces. :smiley2: I think my brain needs a tune-up. A wick conundrum solved.... maybe... Back to the scheduled wick commendation program...

Well, that make sense now... In post#29, C-House's link has the year 2001 (assuming that number in the url is the year). Note of manufacturing change, 2003. A&P's site, redesigned in 2006. Yeah....

Also, could've been cotton by the fields which had crop circles in it!

Oh yeah... I remember reading something of that sort! Only thing I could find: http://www.candlesupply.com/HTPwicks.html

Perhaps it's crop differences between the two measurements. Densities, fiber lengths, etc. There is probably an acceptable variation standard for each wick size. Might be a good question for A&P.

What's the rush? About four weeks of candlemaking, and thinking of turning a profit? I think that would be difficult to accomplish while tuning out high quality, well tested candles. Your candles look nice, but you may reconsider trying to make this a (quickly!) profitable hobby. There is much discussion on this topic that could be found with a little searching. --------- ETA: Presently, there is a thread in gen. candle disc. with related matter & good advice. :smiley2:

I had a similar, but not so extreme situation happen earlier this week. Somehow my condo # didn't make it to UPS (they've shipped here many of times!). On the day of intended delivery, someone was here all day... but no delivery. I was gone during the last half of the day. But by the time I had arrived home, UPS had already called the supplier to obtain my condo #. The rest of the story isn't really relevant... I did call UPS a few moments ago. The CS person did say they try to call the sender to obtain the correct info. Or, if they had made deliveries to that apt., they'll try to see if that info is in their system. It really sucks not to get your pkg, and even more for the problem to exacerbate. Only thing I can suggest is to talk/e-mail the supplier's owner and/or a supervisor at UPS. Sometimes things just fall through the cracks with the regular CS people. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Hope everything turns out well. ********** ETA: All ended well with my situation. (With a nice resolution!)

Micheal's advertises their $7.99/lb soy wax flakes as such. The advertising is probably to encourage an ease-of-use (convenience) image. It'd be easier to sell that in a plastic clamshell that trying to get people to buy the pour pot, thermometer, etc. too. Apart from whatever safety issues may exist, nuking to melt the flakes doesn't seem like it would lend much to consistency in candle making.

There is quite a disparity in burning between 5 different types of wicks. It may help to experiment with a type or two, and get to know those wicks. Also, the availability and accessibility of them. Such as... there are only 6 sizes of those hemp wicks, and I don't think a lot of suppliers sell them. However, I'm not saying they're not feasible for your application (b/c they may be). Out of your list, I'd probably try the HTP 104. The problem is that you may not have a HTP 93, 105, or 126 to compare with it. My recommendation: get some consecutive sizes in whatever type of wick you are testing (sample pack, etc.). Good luck... and happy burning! BTW... welcome to CT!

A mixture... http://www.ngiwax.com/ProductInformation/PB.php

Interesting.... Same MP, same FO retention.

Measuring fo... http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21701&highlight=measuring+fo ************** ETA: In reference to the original post... If you flip the proposed plastic container over, you may see a small triangle with a number in it. #2 (HDPE) is used for fo containers. HTH some.

And, CT's own (unfinished) list. http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23199&page=4

Agree with naming the candle with the verse. I think the name His Essence is a little bit of a overstatement. Should be more like The Robe or The Garment (depending on what version it's taken). Jesus may prefer a different scent for himself, than his threads.