Jcandleattic

Candy! I LOVE those colors and I bet it smells great!! Can't wait for the cut pics.

Puma - here are some M&P soaps that I swirled many many years ago. These are probably in the M&P section, but I might have put them in there before the new-new board came along.

Well, at least they TRIED to be helpful - even though the most helpful was just giving you broken wax. LOL

I agree with Candy. I would put the wicks a little closer together. When I double wick, my wick tabs touch each other on the bottom of the glass, but do not overlap. That gets them at the perfect (imo) distance apart from each other and away from the sides of the jar. Other than that, good first burn. I guess time will tell on the rest. Good luck!

Beautiful. I love the creamy look of the wax. I wish I liked working with soy better. LOL

Salt bars are soaps that are usually made with a high % of coconut oil so they still lather, with a high % of salt (sea, table, himalayan, etc.,) and a high SF to combat the dryness that coconut oil can cause. They do provide light exfoliation, but are not 'scratchy' and when made right and left to cure long enough, are WONDERFUL on the skin. To me when I use them, after the shower it feels like I've just come out of a spa treatment. I love salt bars!!

I might as well jump on this bandwagon. What's your name? You can just call me J. How old are you? Old enough to know better! HA Where do you live? Denver metro area of Colorado - born native. How long have you been making candles/soap/whatever? I've been making candles for going on 17 years now, soaps for about 12 years, and I just started making lotions about 1.5 years ago. I've dabbled in other bath n' body products, but nothing serious, and the afore mentioned are the only things I sell. I've made bath bombs, cupcakes, body sprays, etc., but only for personal use. How did you get started making candles/soap/whatever? I was an avid buy of Party Lite candles, and thought (as most people do) "how hard can it be to make my own" LOL Umm, it is way harder than you realize when first starting out. (and way more expensive than I ever imagined) I would not give it up for the world. Are you married? Any kids? Remarried for 12 years this month (St. Patrick's Day - best holiday of the year) 2 children - girl 23, boy 16, and a granddaughter who is 5 (she is the blessing of my life - born at only 2lbs - love her to pieces) If candle/Soap making isn't your primary job, what do you do? I've been recently laid off from a job I loved and had for 7 years. I was a Land Document Specialist in the Oil and Gas industry and would go back to that position/industry in a heart beat, and when my severance and unemployment run out (or hopefully WAY before that) I will look for jobs primarily in that industry. Anything else we should know? I am an avid reader - almost to the point of obsession - however, I am a very slow reader. LOL I have over 3000 ebooks, and at least twice that many physical books, I have 3 bookshelves in my bedroom and at least one in every other room minus bathrooms and kitchen. LOL (However, there are books in those rooms, just not shelves! LOL) At the moment I am reading the 5th book of GoT, and am watching the show to see how closely it correlates (the first season was great and spot on - now, well, the character names are the same... That's about it! LOL) I would love to take a photography class to get better at taking product pictures, and there is a place here that offers them. I was all set to sign up for one this summer, until the layoff. Now I will have to play it by ear. I'm pretty much an open book and anything you want to know of me, just ask. I might tell you! LOL j/k - unless it really is something very personal (which very few things are with me) then I will answer. I'm glad this thread was brought back to life. It's fun to get to know people.

You do wonderful videos Dean, good job. Thank you for sharing.

Trap, have you tried NG's Pumpkin Pie Spice? That's the very first pumpkin pie scent I ever tried and so far, for me, it's the best. It's not skin safe so I don't make body products in it, but using it straight up in container candles, I cannot keep it in stock. It sells out first thing at my shows no matter how many I bring, and I have several repeat customers for it (including my mom and she hates everything!! LOL) It doesn't get a lot of rave reviews via chandlers, but I think that's because it's not very complex, just a straight up pumpkin pie scent, which is why I think I like it and so do my customers.

I've used that corrugated plastic. It works great. I have to wrap it like the dickens to get it to gel, but other than that, it is a great cheap way to mold making, and they last a long time. Mine finally split along the seams and ended up leaking, but that was after about 20 uses, so not to bad. I just haven't gotten around to make another one. After election time I tried to get my son to go steal some of the losing parties lawn posters. Apparently he has better ethics than I do because he wouldn't do it. LOL

I do exact 6% because not all of my candlemaking is done in exact lb increments.

Candy, I've only used Peaks coconut milk once in soap, and it faded to nothing after a full cure. I hope you have better luck, but thought I'd give you that info. Especially since it is so heavenly OOB.

TSM - Tall Skinny Mold. It's how I've seen it abbreviated on other forums and soaping groups.

Even washed out, they are still beautiful.

I need to make me a TSM - I need to start cutting back on my spending habits. Thanks for the links...

Those are so GREAT TT. This really makes me want to take a class. I think I've said it before, but I've always wanted a pottery wheel...

YOU CAN!!! And when you are ready to take the plunge, let us know. We'll walk you trough it!

Thank you, I appreciate it very much...

However you test your candles, single candle at a time, or batches, it needs to be consistent or your test results will be skewed. If you are testing a single candle at 8% you should test your batches at 8%. How much is too much per the thread title? Well, that would depend on the wax. Some waxes can hold up to 12% or more before becoming saturated. However, for me personally, and economically, I find in my wax (not C3) 6% is quite sufficient, and if a scent does not perform at that % I dump it. There are too many good fragrances out there to fight a dud.

This is why wick testing is so important. What works great for one person, may very well not work at all for another, due to any number of circumstances. For example, a 60z in my wax in a 16oz tunneled so horribly I couldn't use it, but I have heard of others using the same wick/wax combo with outstanding results. Also you'd be amazed what a difference the addition of additives - including FO - can do to a burn. What burns great without FO, can sometimes not burn correctly with the addition of anything, including FO, and then the testing starts all over. Test, test, test. That's the name of the game when it comes to candle making.

LOL I hear ya! I used to have to do that - then about 10 years ago ? Maybe? I can't remember - we finished the basement, put a sink and counter with cupboards down there, and voila - I have a soaping area! YAY Problem is - because it's a separate area dedicated to soap and candle making (and laundry - I have my washer and dryer down there too) I tend to not clean it until I HAVE too, and that's not a good thing. LOL

I like them. I think the insides are pretty. . I need to get in my soap room. I need to clean first though, and am just not in the mood to do it. LOL

That is a gorgeous burn. Curious- what's the scent?

If the mix works for you, stick with it. Many people mix their own waxes in different variations. Since the soy amount is so high, I would cure for at least 7-10 days before testing/burning.

I like both Nurture's and Mad Oils micas. To me they work almost exactly the same. They are both very good quality, and in a blind test, I dont' think I'd be able to tell the difference. At least that's been my experience.