Jcandleattic

Huh? I've gotten nothing from Paypal or Square, and I've been using both for YEARS. :-/

What credit card changes TT? I haven't heard anything?

That's so cute!! I LOVE it!

You can use up to 3% in any formula. I use 2% in mine. At this point, it's just a standard edition for me. And the strange skin feel TT is talking about for ME is like the slip of lotion, and I actually like it, but I live in a very dry climate and that might be the difference... ?? Not sure.

I use SL for every soap I make, so, yeah, I use it in my salt bars. I don't know if it makes them last longer (they seem to last FOREVER!! anyway) but as Barb said, it will make them come out of the molds easier/cleaner.

Check with your homeowners insurance. Before the Guild, I had State Farm and it was I think $800 a year. So pricey but it didn't cover soapmaking, which is why I went with the Guild. Cheaper and covers everything I do for the same exact amount of coverage.

Yep, exact same thing as Candybee- 90% of most of my soaping utensil supplies are from DT, WM, and GW!! LOL My scale is a KD-8000, and my stick blenders are good quality. I have a quisinart, kenmore and an oster. Molds are anything from the 3 places mentioned above or actual soap suppliers. I mix my lye in a big 3 gallon HDPE bucket then when it's cool I transfer to a very clean liquid detergent container because I masterbatch my lye. Be careful with YouTube videos. Even if they claim to be "tutorials" they can show unsafe habits- i.e., no goggles, pets/kids in the room, etc.. One thing you will want to be sure to do is use ALL safety precautions. Goggles are an absolute MUST if you value your eyesight at all, gloves for most are a requirement, and can and will help avoid lye burns on the skin. Also a little common sense will go a LONG way. Just remember don't be scared of lye, but do give it a healthy respect and you should be fine. This is a great place for questions. We were all new at once. Welcome to yet another addiction!

I make at least 52 batches of soap year, sometimes more. I would have to gather all my paperwork to be certain. I try to do at least a batch a week. Sometimes I do up to 7 batches a week, but sometimes I can go 2 weeks to a month of not making anything. But each batch could be a different total of bars. Most of my batches are 2lbs each, and in a small loaf mold with only 9 bars. Sometimes I sneak in a 1lber and sometimes I do a 5lb slab, and sometimes a 3lb loaf also. It all varies. LOL We just bought the shelving to try and get more organized in my basement and this exact task of updating my SM3 and know EXACTLY how much I have and how much I've made is on the list of things to do before the end of the year. I say it every year, but this year I actually have an outlined plan with goals and deadlines, etc., so it *might* actually get done this time. LOL

I've never seen a jar like that, but I like it. Good luck in your quest!

I always use 33% lye solution strength - even if it is 100% GM (which all of my GM soaps are)

Nice!!

Wow - I was completely guessing, since I don't make that jar, I had/have no idea!

I do this sometimes with my leftover container wax (it's not 4627) There is no reason this wouldn't work.

There are many Chandlers (on this forum and several others) that use that jar. The price you sell them for is going to depend on many factors. Your cost of goods, including shipping, with added in labor, then your mark up. I think the average would probably be around $7-$8 depending on all of that, but am not sure, as I don't use that particular jar.

I have to agree with Candy here. Everything else, well, it doesn't add up, so I think this would be the only thing that would make sense. IMO anyway...

LOL I know - it's the same for me. I use GM all the time, but the thought of human breast milk squicks me out. Bleh

I agree with ChrisR. I just started using soy wax, and I've been testing thoroughly different techniques in using it. Tempering was one of them. Which it does "seem" to give a smoother appearance - for a while. I have noticed that after leaving a candle sit for 4-6 weeks, the not so smooth top returns, as it also will after the first burn, so it's just IMO an added wasted step that in the end makes no difference. I would rather my customers know what they are getting rather than see a nice smooth candle, only to get home and have it change appearance drastically.

That topic comes around pretty often. I remember people discussing it when I first started soaping back in 2003. If you think about it though, GM and Cow's milk are just breast milk for kids and calves.

Make sure you thoroughly test your candles before giving them away. If you do that, then you can see exactly how easy/hard it is to remove the glued wick and if you would then want to use the glass for drinking. Just because you are giving the candles away (instead of selling) doesn't mean the same dangers don't exist. Me personally, I wouldn't want to ever use a candle jar as a drinking glass, no matter how well it's cleaned out.

I haven't but in my area I don't think it would go over as well as goat's milk does. Alpaca and Llama milk maybe - but I've never heard of that milk being used...

I do the cash because they have the option of an emailed receipt, same as if they used the card. I'm the only one in my booth as well, and for me (of course I'm probably not as busy as you) it only takes an extra couple seconds to punch in the cash sale, so it works for me. I've never taken any checks, but if I did, I'd use it for that too.

When I blend I do the same as OldGlory, but I only let them sit 2-3 days. I find that, for me, is sufficient. I absolutely LOVE blending. Love love love it...

I also love my square! It's the best, isn't it? I use it even when taking cash because then I know exactly how much money I took in via the report it generates. It also helps with accounting and inventory. Such a great little tool!

Candles and Supplies is my favorite. It's the only one that I've smelled that even comes close to a real candy corn scent. Most are either too sweet or too 'musky' but in my opinion C&S is the perfect blend of sweet honey and vanilla.

I agree with TallTayl and ChrisR. You have to burn all the way down to get proper results of a test burn. You really can't tell what a candle is going to do once/after it hits the halfway point until you get there. Also, as Trapp said, you may not be letting your candle rest long enough, to get solid enough to get correct results. If it were me, I'd wait minimum 16-20 hours between burns. Keep going and watch your results. Good luck!