Jcandleattic

14 hours ago, Chronic_Sniffer said:

Carving requires a special wax be used

Actually it doesn't. A straight paraffin pillar wax is ideal for carving. Actually probably the best wax that can be used for the process... 

A straight paraffin wax is what @Josh Nexus is using, however, look into getting some Microcrystalline wax as an additive. Use about 1oz per lb of paraffin wax, and that will not only make the pillar wax more pliable (less brittle and easier to carve), it will also keep the layers adhered to each other so they don't separate. Another thing is to up your dipping wax temp to about 190-200°, and make sure you are carving when the layers are still warm. Also keep your water dip at room temp. No need to make it warmer or cooler, all it's really doing is cooling the wax very slightly so the next layer adheres a bit better. 

You've probably already named the soap, but it looks very "Rastafarian" or Jamaican. Jamaica's colors are red, yellow, green and black. (I know, no black in this, but to me it still looks very Jamaican!) 

I used to keep my pillars in the freezer until I wanted to light them. Sometimes I'll throw one of my pillars in there just for the fun of it, and never have problems, however, I only use palm and paraffin to make my candles.

Straight unblended paraffin wax works best. I typically used to use IGI 1343A. It's a very versatile wax, and I never had problems. I've not carved in a few years though... 

On 6/10/2019 at 5:44 PM, useupthempsoap said:

Was this ever updated with the recipe? THIS is what I came here looking for! I keep playing with a scoops recipe that was a freebie from google and it's as not been coming together the best. BIG bubbles like that are awesome. 

Recipe is in the body of this thread. You may need to tweak a bit - 

With paraffin wax I double wick my 16 oz apothecary jars with 2 44-18z wicks. Works well with most colors and scents I use. Sometimes I do have to wick up a bit, but only on heavy FO's or when I saturate with a dense color

Thanks! They were all so fun to make. 

Thank you, no haven't named it yet. Something will come to me when I get ready to package it up.

It wouldnt' be that hard to actually do, however, I can never get straight lines in my rainbow soaps though. 

All you'd have to do is make a rainbow soap, cut it out in a heart shape, then put it inside a pvc pipe mold. 

As said, it wouldn't be hard but it would be extremely time consuming which would drive the price up making it pretty much unaffordable for the amount of soap it would actually yield. 

57 minutes ago, aptommo said:

Oh okay!! I haven't tried it but I just thought maybe since silicone molds have a better release than plastic clamshells it may work. 

It works, but like I said, it could cause pitting, depending on how it's applied.  

What I now do (for my molds only, not clams, as they release easy but I'm sure the concept would be the same) 

spray a paper towel, lightly, then rub that around the mold. Works like a charm and no pitting since I stopped spraying the actual mold and then trying to wipe the excess away. 

47 minutes ago, Laura C said:

 

I don't even use vybar or stearic and my 4625/4794 blend in wax melts easily pop out of any mold I use. I might have to play around with adding vybar to see if I can improve my Hot Throw.

Be careful adding vybar. If too much is added it can bind your scent and then you end up with no throw at all. 

Most blends (such as 4625 and 4794 already have vybar in then so I add only a tsp per 3lb batch - I probably don't need it, but it's what I've been doing since I can remember, and now it's just habit and I haven't tried it without) 

3 minutes ago, aptommo said:

Belinda, I wonder what effect it would have spraying a small amount of silicone spray on the clamshells before pouring?

Unless it's wiped down carfully, it could cause pit marks. Same as it would in molds.

Don't ask me how I know!! LOL 😕

3 minutes ago, Candybee said:

All candles soot, its not a 'paraffin given' issue. Soy, coconut, beeswax, palm, et al., all soot.

I've been telling candlemakers this for years, but because the natural waxes soot is a lighter color and less noticeable, people think it doesn't exist. It's very frustrating!! 

I'm surprised you are having trouble with the 4625/4794 mix. When using clams I use a mix of 4625/4794 50/50. they pop right out and have an amazing throw both cold and hot (depending on the FO of course, but almost all throw well IME) 

Of course even though both of these waxes are pre-blends, I do add both vybar and stearic to my batches, and maybe those additives help with the release. IDK but they literally come right out without any residue or sticking to the clam... 

Yep, agreed.

Learn, read, research then expand. 

You can start with a kit, see if you even like doing it in the first place. Learn which oils bring the qualities you want in a soap. Fancy soaps are great, and what I make and market my soaps as, however, as fancy as they are, they should still be functional, and skin soothing.

Soapmaking, in my personal experience, has a faster learning curve than candlemaking does, so there is a plus there. However, the wait time is much longer. Most soaps will need at least a 4 week cure, and depending on oils can take much longer to get a nice cure. You will learn all the terminology with the research you do. Just know that cure does not = saponify. As long as a soap has fully saponified and there is no active lye in the end product, it will be perfectly safe to use. However, it will not be it's best or the most mild it can be until a full cure is achieved. 

I don't use 4630, but I do use a paraffin container wax, and I very rarely get sooting in my 16oz jars, and when I do, it is very minimal. What sized zinc core are you using? what is your scent load? I find that most sooting in paraffin is either due to a wick(s) that is too large, or that too much fragrance is being used. Try dropping your scent load, and using a smaller wick or different wick series. 

First - Butterfly Kisses - scented with  blend of green apple essence, bontanical orchard & nectar, pink lilac & willow, and a touch of peppermint. 
Second - Honey, I'm Home - scented with a blend of wild mountain honey, Vermont honey apple, and a touch of french vanilla to mellow it out. 

Third - no name yet - scented with a blend pink lemonade, sea island grapefruit and pink sugar. the base is a pink with a red swirl, but I saved out too much red for the topping so the top is almost all red -  the red is the true red set from Mad Micas. Every time I use it I'm impressed... 

1.  How long did it take you after realizing you wanted to make a business out of it to actually sell wholesale or retail? For candles about 3 years from making/testing to selling. For soaps, about 18 months - probably could have done so much earlier with the soaps as soapmaking was a much easier learning curve for me, but I kept thinking I was missing something because candles took so long for me to master. 

     Was it a good choice for you? Yes, very much so

2.  You spend lots of dollars? Yes, hundreds if not thousands of start up costs

3.  Do you sell wholesale? I used to have several wholesale accounts, but it just became such a hassle with my customers trying to always circumvent the T&C's of the contract, or wanting to change things when contracts came up for renegotiation that I quit wholesaling and have been much happier since. 

4.  How do you get your business meaning how do you secure accounts?  - n/a

5.  Is this a full time job or do it for the fun.?  Do you have a job besides this? This is very much a business for me, and yes I also do it for fun, and I also work a full time job outside of my craft business

6.  Do you do craft shows? Yes

7.  Do you sell on Etsy or Amazon? no

8.  Do you have employees? Not paid employees, but my family helps out much more than any paid employee ever could

9.  Do you have a storefront? No, I have a website, and social media

10. Do you print your own labels? half/half. Some I print at home some I have outsourced by a print shop

11. Where do you create your products ....in the kitchen or have a certain area area in your home or separate workshop? For legal purposes I have a separate area in my home that gets inspected anytime the city/county/state feels necessary

12.  What advice can you give to someone who wants to make a business out of this?  Do your research and learn as much as you can about the craft you are creating. Do you do all your own testings and what is the projected time you could tell someone they could be ready to sell? This is too subjective for an easy answer Can a person really know all about this subject and expect to start up in a month or 2? In my opinion, no. Not in a month. Maybe 6-8 months, or longer, everyone learns at different rates, but I have been doing this for 20+ years, and I still don't know EVERYTHING there is to know about this subject  What are the pros and cons? Another question that is too subjective for a quick/easy answer. 

3 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

It's horrible to have to close a business unless it's for retirement or just tired of it.  I never ordered again because I didn't like the way they closed the first time and didn't want to get stuck.  Luckily 1 was down to 3 Peak scents when they closed up quickly.

The first time, the second time and now the 3rd time. 

As much as they claimed to have valued their customers, their actions certainly did not reflect that. 

4 hours ago, coffeebean said:

I'm finding it so hard to find Amish Harvest closest to his 😞

 

Try Celtic Moonspice from Rustic. It's very very similar. 

1 hour ago, ruralers said:

Sorry about that.  I was referring to soap piping that you can use to form leaves, roses, or other decorative shapes out of CP soap.  I called it frosting, since I was picturing it on the top of soap. 

 

Frosting means something totally different in the candle world.

I knew what you meant, and yeah, as stated, I make the same recipe but don't scent my frosting/piping but I will sometimes color it. I don't frost a lot of my soaps though. Very few. 

2 hours ago, ruralers said:

I haven't tried making soap frosting yet, but I think it looks super fun.  Do most soapers use their base soap batter for frosting or do you make a separate batter or a batter with different ingredients/percentages for your frosting?  BTW, I am not fishing for recipes, I am just curious.   I tried searching through the forum to glean more information on this topic, but I wasn't able to find a thread.  I really appreciate your thoughts! 

I use the same recipe, but I make a new, smaller batch, that is unscented. 

On 2/18/2019 at 6:30 AM, Shari said:

It's a bear when using it dry ...

On 2/18/2019 at 6:30 AM, Shari said:

it has a tendency to get everywhere when making the soap

 

Really? That's not been my experience. I mean it does get on my counter that I'm soaping at, but not really anywhere else, just in that confined area. 

On 2/18/2019 at 6:52 AM, kfintoni said:

 

"Glitter" the herpes of the craft world, it never goes away.

LOL 

On 2/17/2019 at 10:10 AM, moonshine said:

Beautiful as always 

probably a dumb question but having never made soap myself does the glitter stick on you when you use it or does it wash off easily?

only asking because with some certain makeup’s I can’t get the glitter off for nothing and it ends up in my eyeballs every time 😂

It comes off in the shower, and it's biodegradable, and not plastic based, so it practically dissolves on contact with the water, and supposedly isn't harmful. 

The good thing is I've never lost a sale due to having glitter on almost all of my soaps. Usually when my customers ask, they are disappointed when I tell them it wont' stick to them. LOL 

On 2/15/2019 at 5:44 PM, Laura C said:

 

LOL, guess I was vague. Yes, I was referring to the shiny stuff, didn't know if it was just mica or if you had used glitter as well. Thanks for clarifying.

Oh yeah, the shiny is glitter. I only use mica in the actual batter to color the soap, but I spritz glitter on the top to give it a glittery look. I put glitter on almost all of my soaps.