Jcandleattic

Ive done the birdiejean method and by the end it was so much more work, that it wasn't worth it, and as TT said, it shrunk and just wasn't a pretty bar. I cure all my soaps for a minimum of 4 weeks, most of the time 6, so HP is no advantage to me with all the extra work involved so I just CP mostly now. Once in a while I will get a bug to HP but that's mostly when I really want a stubborn FO that I can't CP. I do as TT said in an earlier post - full water and a crock on low without over cooking. works great and even though, yes there is shrinkage, it is no worse than my CP and at the end of the cure they still look great.

6006 is a soft container wax. I don't think you are going to be able to make a pillar with that wax. It will not come out of the mold.

Everything ChrisR said, also it could have been trimmed too short. Without any additional information it's impossible to make an educated guess. It would help to know which wax, if it's pillar or container/votive, size of candle, type and size of wick. Otherwise it is just conjecture and guess work, and probably not very helpful to you.

I don't work with soy pillar wax, but I don't think it would do that if you burned it too soon unless it was still warm inside and then it would be hard to pull out of the mold. And you said it was 3 days, so I doubt that's it. IMO it looks like it could have been a blow out, by either having a crooked wick, wrong wick size, or there could have been an air pocket which caused the blow out.

Better is suggestive. I think it's a personal preference type of thing. I use 4794 and like it very much, but I also use 4625, a granulated votive wax, a granulated pillar wax, etc., I use them all, sometimes I mix them, sometimes I don't. I know this wasn't really an answer, but it's the best I have. Testing is the key to finding something you love.

No it does not. IF you run everything through your LLC like you should, then IF something happens, all that means is that your personal assets are protected, but anything under the LLC will not be if you don't have insurance. If you are not running your LLC correctly, than your personal assets are at risk also (either way, insurance or not) If you are selling or giving your products away, insurance IMO is an absolute must.

The cracking could be due to soaping hot, and overheating. Sometimes if it's only surface deep you can 'fix' it by wetting a gloved finger and rubbing it along the crack to smooth it out. I've done that before when the crack is no deeper than 1/8-1/4 inch deep. Any deeper and I just leave it, or rebatch depending on how bad it looks. I have no advice to matching temps because I have never worried about that in all my years of soaping.

Try washing it with warm soapy water then rinsing. That usually helps my red silicone to not bleed.

I have one of those on order. I think I'll end up loving it.

I would also do as OG suggested, but also use a votive cup when burning. Burning outside of a container (like you would a tiny pillar) will affect both the burn and burn time, and you will get more accurate results by burning the candle properly and it will also help you determine the type of wax you have.

I don't' find that mine flicker or mushroom, but I don't use that much FO either. If you don't want to lower your % you may just have to embrace those side effects. Have you tried using a lower amount to even see if you get the same throw? I don't use that wax, so, IDK...

Not in my applications they don't. Zincs are much worse about that, but even those don't do it very often anymore now that I have my combination pretty much perfected.

I used to use silicone, but got tired of the tip of the tube drying out after each candling session. So I decided to try the stick 'ums. In my tests with using them, my wicks did not come unstuck, or move when the wax became liquid in the last part of the candle. Also, just an fyi - I was always able to get the siliconed wick tabs out of the jars. Just pliers and a twist and they popped right off. 90% of the time, they come off smooth and clean too.

Welcome back. I moved the thread to the welcome and introductions even though you aren't knew.

I've never worked with that wax, so am of no help. Good luck with your returning adventure into candles!

I 100% agree with ChrisR. I did the same thing. I had insurance before even making them because I knew that I would eventually want to sell. Just because people who don't have it haven't had a problem, doesn't mean they won't. As Chris said, in this sue happy country it's better to be covered. Accidents happen, wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry? I know I sure would.

If it gets warm though, it won't stay cut up - they will melt all together and you will have to re-cut. I like cutting mine all in advance in the weighed out increments I use, that way I don't have to weigh out each time I go to make candles. That's why I wrap in zip locks or foil.

J50 is a soft container wax, so would need to be cut up in advance and wrapped in something before putting into the plastic tubs. This is why I use ziplocks and/or aluminum foil. After that, then I put them in plastic storage bins I got from either Home Depot or Lowes. Can't remember which.

I love making KOH Liquid soap with glycerin as 50% of the liquid to make and 100% water to dilute. Turns out so nice. I love it. Yours is beautiful.

That's the wax I use and I've had them cut up in increments in zip lock baggies and aluminum foil for a very long time (some for years) and have never had a problem...

I have a skillet next to my presto (no spigot) and I use the aluminum pour pots. I put the skillet on low and put the pot on there while heating my wax. It's warm when I pour my wax and stays warm due to the heat of the wax.

I agree with OldGlory on this one.

Also, fragrances sold by candle and soap suppliers are specifically manufactured for the safe use in those applications. They must provide a MSDS upon request, and a lot of them will ship with the fragrance, or it can easily be found online.

If they were a huge risk from the scent themselves for consumers, they would have been pulled and banned long ago. As long as you use your safety precautions, and use your respirator, you should be fine. The only other thing I would suggest, is if you are that worried about it, you can always make unscented products.

That's exactly what I was going to say. I think they smell almost exactly like each other...