Holly

P.S. again. Another test you can do is.......even though it is not a proper jar to double wick, you could double wick one and see if it improves the throw. You will have to use smaller wicks. If it does not improve the throw, then it is not only the jar, but the combination of wax and fragrance oil. I have seen these jars double wicked but not sure how they do it without over wicking or getting the jar too hot. It would have to be the right kind of wax that does not produce too deep of a meltpool too fast and it would have to be wicked way down. I would not double wick it to sell, but it will give you an idea of the difference between the throw double wicked and single wicked. I have always found double wicked candles to be stronger, especially if the fragrance oil throws well in the wax.

That is what I am thinking....a 93 HTP. That is the size that I have been testing lately in the short Oval Hexagon jars with the Clarus 70/30 wax and it seems to work well. I have not tested it enough though to know how big of a flame it will get if burned beyond a certain amount of time. Now that I think of it....how short and open the 4 oz. jelly jar is....I think the HTP may be better than the LX, but she may want to try the LX. I do recall that when a jar is very open and not tall, the flame can get even bigger because there is more oxygen compared to the taller jars. It seems like it is either feast or famine at times....flames to large in the wide open jars and sometimes weaker flames in the taller jars.

Most likely she will get some kind of throw when she puts it on the warmer. I have found many oils that will not throw to well in a wicked candle but does well in a wickless candle on a warmer. Janet, that is a good idea to test it on a warmer. I am pretty sure though that it is the jar that is causing the problem along with the type of wax to some degree. She probably will be able to eventually find some oils that will throw halfway decent but it will have to be a kicker oil. I have always found those jars to do better in a smaller area. I have tested Palm Wax, and it always seemed like the wax get hotter than other wax...soy, parasoys or paraffin blends. Janet, does it seem this way to you? If so, maybe that is the reason why the palm does well for you in that jar but not the other wax.

I am not sure what size to use with that wax and jar, but I have found in single wick jars that are not real wide, the LX's seem to work for me. I do not use that wax. I have used the Clarus 70/30 in the Roly Polies and the small hurricane Anchor Hocking jars and the LX wicks work well in those jars. The Jelly jar is wider but the LX's may work well in them too. I am not sure though if LX wicks do well with the 4627. I just recall that the Eco's, Htp's and especially the CD's seem to get bigger flames than the LX's. I think the next best wick I have used in the small hurricane jars were the HTP's.

Yes, it is a pain the the butt to wick, to get that clean jar down the sides and a good scent throw without having a torch. Love the jar but if the throw is not there or the wicking is difficult in the end it is not worth it. They are classy looking. The Madison jar is easier to wick and to me gives a better throw....not by a lot though. They are both better for smaller rooms. I think they make a better seasonal limited addition jar or a small specialty jar with just a few scents....for spas or bathrooms and bedrooms. .

P.S. I closed my biz in March of 2010 and just reopened. I had my biz for 5 years. It took me a year to develop my fist line that was ready to sell and even after that I made some changes. I currently am only making scented wax melts and taking it one day at a time. I will develop a new candle line. I do not want continue with the main line I had. It was way too time-consuming and the jars were too expensive and were from New York which killed me on shipping. It is too hard to explain here why my main line was too time-consuming. I have only dabbled a bit with a new line. I am in no hurry.

I have never tested the EcoSoya CB Advanced but have read that it is not the best throwing wax out there and much harder to get the right oils to throw. I tested IGI 6006 and J-50 a long time ago but never settled on either of them. I was testing for double wicking. I tested the C-3 but only in a double wicked candle. I ended up going with Calsoy CB-3. It had a great scent throw in double wicked candles. It is not a good soy to use for single wicking though. It burns down before out which is common with soy wax but this wax does this even more. Since I was burning double wicked candles with a very good scent throw before I started to make candles, it was very hard to satisfy me in the scent throw department. I will say that I did have to hunt pretty well for great throwing oils in the CB-3 Calsoy but I found that it had a higher percentage of oils that would throw well than the other soys I had tried and the throw was stronger than most other soys that I tested as well. It was not as widely used here on the boards and mostly because it is sold mainly on the west coast. So basically you are saying that you are not even getting a light to medium throw? You can only smell it if you are standing right next to it? I have tested and used Status jars for special seasonal one wicked candles. I did not use the pure soy for this since the wicking would be almost impossible and I did not like the residue that particular soy would leave on the jar.....not hangup but that milky soy residue. Some soys will do this more than others. I ended up using Calwax CB-30 which at that time had a good scent throw. I at that time preferred it over IGI 6006. I have to say that I find that Status jars do not produce the best scent throw. I think it may be because it is a non necked jar and wide enough to keep the wax cooler than the necked jars and to me this affects the scent throw...wax does not get hot enough. I also find that the scent throw will get stronger as it burn further down the jar because by that time it does get hotter. Did you test it as a full jar? I find that the Status jars are better for small rooms. The Clarus 70/30 wax has a great scent throw and even my little tealights that I made would scent up the whole main part of a house if it was the right oil. I used this wax in the tealights and the Roly Poly jars (tealight wicks from CS in the tealight and LX wicks in the Roly Poly jars). I find though that for single wicking with this wax it does not do well with opened necked jars that are too wide. It tends to burn down before out as well and it has to play catch up for a full meltpool in the status jar or Madison jar. It does well in the mason jars, Roly Polys, tealights, and the small little hurricane jars (can't remember the name - an anchor hocking jar), and crissa jars and probably the jelly jars. I would think this wax would do well in mayo jars as well but not the real wide tall ones. It could be that if your wicking seemed correct and you were giving it enough burn time to throw the scent, it may be that the oils that you tried in the particular wax just did not throw well. This can be a headache and a half. Testing is a pain in the butt. I personally think that the jar is making it more difficult. You may eventually find some oils to throw but to me it is much harder in those jars to get a scent throw that will do well in a main area. Again, I find that the Status jars are better for small rooms. Not sure if this helped you at all and may have caused more confusion. If I were you, I would not focus on the EcoSoya CB Advanced anymore in that kind of single wicked jar. It may do ok in a double wicked jar....apothecary....but I have read it is not the easiest wax to work with for scent throw. IGI 6006 is a good wax for that kind of jar, but you may have to try a lot more oils to find strong throwing ones. How many oils did you test in the 6006? This makes a difference. We can go through tons to find the ones that give that great throw. J-50 is a good wax but I cannot remember how the throw was compared to the 6006. I think I liked the J-50 better for throw. I think C-3 would be better in a different type of one wicked jar or double wicked jar. Are you set on that jar? ~Hollhy

I am sorry you are having trouble developing a candle that you are happy with. It can be a very long process finding all the right combinations. I only have a few minutes but thought I would ask you a few questions. What types of wax (brand names, i.e. IGI 4630, etc.) have you tried? How many different oils have you tried in each wax? I know you said 30 but did you try all 30 in all different types of wax you tried? If you did try several in each type of wax, then you should have some success with some of them, but sometimes one has to go through quite a few to find the ones that will throw in a particular wax. I will say a candle maker can go through tons of fragrances to find the ones that will give a great scent throw in the wax they have chosen. What kind of jar are you using? I find that different jars will give different scent throws. Are you single wicking? I find that I get better results with scent throw when I have a jar that I can double wick vs. a single wicked jar. However, you still should be able to get something to throw well in a single wicked jar. I just find that I find less that will throw as strong in a single wicked jar compared to a double wicked jar. Is your flame healthy....not too weak or too large? You definitely have ordered oils from companies that offer excellent oils. Let us know the different wax you have used and the fragrances from each place. Hang in there. I am sure you will get it right eventually. ~Holly

When you say gelling, you mean melting? Seeping oil? Were they stored where it was very warm? I hope you can salvage them. They are very nice!

Outstanding job! What are the scents? Did you use a frosting tube for the frosting part or is that made from a mold. I know there are molds that can make the topping but those look like you did it with a frosting tube which I think looks better.

I love Backwoods Grammy's Pumpkin Pie. I wonder if adding BW's Maple Sugar with the Pumpkin Pie would be good/close. I have not smelled Glade's so not sure if it would be close. Does the Glade on have much spice in it?

I do not think the raising of the prices was wrong, but if she did go about in the way that many have said, I do not think that was the most prudent thing to do. I agree, I think it would have been best to say it right up front that she will be raising the prices of the oils but will offer free shipping on orders of $30 or more to help with some of the extra cost. I think the annoying thing for small businesses is most will not be as critical towards big companies when they raise prices or make a change with shipping (just par for the course in the business and marketing world), but when a little guy does, and is done in the manner that many do not agree with or like, they tend to be much more critical on a personal level. It is tuff to run a small business. There is beauty in a much more personal level of customer service, yet at the same time there can be a lot of drawbacks. I will say though, that since the few here have experienced some issues with her, I can sure understand them getting red flags with future decisions she may make and why.

I am sorry as well for some of you who have had some past issues. I was here at that time, but for some reason do not really remember the issues....just a vague possible memory of some drama of some sort.

I think what she should have done (I do not know what she said to her customers and try not to judge her reasons) is tell her customers that she needed to raise the prices but in turn will help her customers with some of the cost by offering free shipping of $30 or more. I guess since I have not had any trouble with her in the past and never noticed any wrongdoing with her, it is hard for me to judge her negatively. Not everyone makes the best decisions in a biz at all times, Christian or not. She probably was concerned that it would be a complete turn off to customers regarding a price raise and most likely was trying to keep the customers focused on the positive....free shipping on $30.00 or more. She probably figures after running her numbers what is best for her company regarding pricing and the min. purchase amount for free shipping. There are so many companies closing and part of it is because they were stuck in a hard place....if they raise prices they can lose and if they don't they can lose. It is unfortunate for all of us to see higher prices, but with these times it is par for the course. All of us here should understand how hard it is to make a business profitable much less make a living by it. I would like to order from her, but am trying to keep my higher priced suppliers at a minimum.

There are a lot of places that have similar prices on their oils. Maybe she did need to raise her prices on her oils. I never had any problems when I ordered from her at Snowtop, and really missed her when she closed....several of the oils were not the same after they were sold. I have not yet ordered from her new company. I am not crazy about the competition, but then again, she is offering many of the great oils to us who in turn can be or become competition to her. If anything, you would think she would not want to offer oils to others to create her own competition. Because of this, I am not that bothered about her having her own company. She also sold candles and melts back when she had Snowtop as well.

Gardenia - Peaks Lilac - Backwoods

My very favorite was from the Scented Bean. I loved their Hazelnut Coffee. I have never found one that compares. I got a sample of Hazelnut Coffee from Frangrance Oil Central and when I finally thought about pouring it (it smelled very good out of bottle), I found out they closed up shop. It is so frustrating. I am looking for a really good one too. Peaks Hazelnut Cap. was not what I am looking for, and I tried a few others....can't remember from where now. Most them I can tell from OOB they just are not what I am looking for. P.S. I think I may have tried CS's as well, but it was not quite right either.

Meant to say........."I have used this wax on and off for a long time and I never could successfully double wick this wax in jars that are tall WITH NECKS." I have not yet tried to double wick the tall non necked jars but will soon.

Steve, do you double wick this wax with success? I have used this wax on and off for a long time and I never could successfully double wick this wax in jars that are tall....only the 8 oz. apothecary jars. Once the burn gets close to the halfway mark in the 16 oz. apothecary jars, the flames will get real tiny no matter what size is put in there. Ladysj, I have found that this is a problem with most wax (non pure soy wax - container paraffin blends or parasoys) if you double wick them. I have successfully wicked the Clarus 70/30 wax in the 8 oz. apothecaries but not in the taller ones. I have found though that if the jar is wide with NO neck (like the Libbey cylinder jar) double wicking works. I have not yet tried the tallest jar in that kind of jar but the one I did try was deeper than the 8 oz. apothecary jar. I find the pure soy is the best for double wicking in tall jars with necks. That was one of the reasons why I went with pure soy when I first started to make candles. I big named company has terrible issues with the double wicked candles that are in their 16 oz. and 24 oz. apothecary jars. Flames piddle out. I don't know how they keep selling them or why. Their wide open mouthed jars do ok but not the tall apothecaries. I gave up on them and I no longer feel like they are competition really. Who wants a jar that does not burn right or barely stays lit!

Wanted to add.....I love Caramel Nut Cluster. It was a former Snowtop fragrance. Also, Sugared Spruce is very good. It was one of my best sellers.

Thanks Carol and Deisel. I really liked BCN's but never ended up buying it.....was trying to budget. Is it similar or completely different? It is kind of hard to even describe the BCN version. I will go read the description at ICS.

Do you know if ICS's All Hallows Eve is the same as BCN's? Thanks!

I believe she closed a long time ago. I looked it up and the website home page comes up but all the others pages do not come up.

I was just going to ask the same thing. I am worried that the ones from ICS may be the ones that give off the plastic smell since they are thin. I have not made enough yet to know for sure. I don't really have any on my shelf. Since I just got back into the biz, I have not sold enough either. I have not had any complaints on what I have sold so far but some of the clamshell containers were the ones I still had from over two years go and some are the newer ones (thin ones). I will say though, the other place that I recall had the ones that gave off the plastic smell were not thin. They were the nice thick ones. So, even though the ones at ICS are now thin, that may not necessarily mean they will give off that smell. Look forward to hearing from others as well on CS's clamshells.

I think it has only happened to me twice.