NattyCat

I can't really explain what it is you should look for, so PM me your address and I will cut a large sample off my roll and send it to you, so you can see what I'm talking about. Seriously, I've used probably enough of this shrink wrap to go round the world twice and the roll still doesn't look any smaller than it did when I got it, so I can definately spare you a large sample of it - just let me know and I'll get it in the post asap. Nat

for me - there are two types of shrink wrap. The stuff that is TOO thick, too brittle when it's heated and so hard that it really marks the surface of the wax. The second type is MUCH thinner and really easy to work with. I have a roll of shrinkwrap that I bought about a year ago (I use it every day and the roll doesn't seem to be getting any smaller!) When I unroll the length I need, I can actually peel it apart to make a sheet twice the size that I pulled off the roll- the large sheet is folded in half BEFORE it's put on the roll. Does that make sense? Once it's unpeeled, it is about as thin and floppy as cling-film or saran wrap I think you call it in the USA? This ultra thin shrink wrap is the only kind I can use. The 100 and 80 gauge you are talking about is just TOO hard for my liking. It feels too hard and crispy when it's fully shrunk and if you heat it just a LITTLE too long, it pushes into the wax, so when it's removed, the surface of the candle is really badly marked. If you want to buy more shrink wrap - trying getting the absolutely THINNEST gauge you can get and you'll find it much much easier to work with.

I'll have a look thanks! Those links look pretty good but at $50 a pound they're outstandingly expensive!

OK so I've been buying my designer type (perfume) FO at Save on Scents, as they have the largest selection I've found. However, even at the VERY pricy "extreme" concentrate, I find their oils to be weak in soy. I dipped some bears yesterday and they were all so strong I had to bag them quick - but every single one I did with an SOS designer scent had a really weak smell - even when using 2oz of extreme concentrate per pound of wax - which is TOO much money to be spending on dipping a bear for it not to smell good enough afterwards. Which leaves me stuck. My customers love the designer scents - I do Romance, tommy, chanel number 5, issy miyake, poison, anais anais, stella, gucci, burberry and loads more but have not found a supplier that really has a good selection that actually works. They seem to be good in candles, but not good enough for the bears. Cany anyone advise? Thanks Nat

How come you're asking for opinions on these oils AFTER you've already ordered them? Surely you would have been better to ask before you split with your cash? What if one you ordered was well known to be really crap - it'd be too late for you to do anything about it, because you already bought them. I'm just finding this post rather pointless - rather like bolting the stable door once the horse has already bolted? Or am I missing something blindingly obvious?

really nice. well done!

yes I know what constitutes vegan etc but in this instance, the wholesale customer only said she wanted "natural products" which didn't include "nasties" like parabens etc. She had the ingredient list from me beforehand AND the name of the cream, and went right ahead and ordered it. I don't even stock it myself so she doesn't really have any comeback for the product not being vegan does she? She was given a list of products to choose from that were all SLS/paraben free (as requested) which gave full details of all the ingredients. She chose it and was fully aware of what it was called and the ingredients, before she bought it - so it's her problem...right? it was one of HER customers that pointed out to her that worms are boiled but she never asked for vegan or vegetarian products, just paraben free products.

Have tried oils from a couple of suppliers but not found one that's strong enough. Can anyone suggest a supplier of JPG Male that's good quality and strong in soy? THanks Nat

oh dear. poor worms! I'm hoping it's cornsilk. If not I'll stop carrying it. Thank god it's not on my site and only obtained for one wholesale customer.

Hi I have a cream called "Silk Cream with Marine Collagen". It's one that I buy in and I've received a question from one of my customers asking about how the silk has been extracted. She said that the worms are boiled to get the silk, which means that the cream wouldn't be vegan. Is this just an urban legend or a myth? Are silk worms boiled alive to get the silk? I've asked the manufacturer but while I wait for a reply I wondered if anyone here knew anything? Thanks Nat

how about standing the basket ON the plate for that last one - then you don't have a great big plate sticking up - making it easier to wrap?

we don't get pre-blended stuff here. we have ecoysoya and varanat g soy wax or plain paraffin pillar/container. if we want a blend, we have to do it ourselves.

yes that happens, I've had it on my wax melts many times. Usually those melts that have sat around a LONG time and also been subjected to temperature change, ie being dragged out at 5am in the morning in winter for shows etc. Doesn't affect the burn or scent - it's just fugly.

but soy candles with paraffin added still frost like hell. Even as far as a 50/50 blend with straight paraffin and ecoysoya, there is still major frost issues, so adding paraffin doesn't solve the issue.

Wow. you made your first candle in around January this year (when you asked what a flashpoint was) and now you have a booming business with tons of wholesale customers? I wish I could have set up that quickly. Well done.

so what exactly did you do? And what's panalite??

actually SOW, you're right - I make candle tins that I get from specialty bottle and the vanilla and gingerbread disclour the tin really badly. I'm not overly bothered though as in a set of 20 there may only be one or two with vanilla in. If my agent tells me they've discoloured I'll just replace them. I did think about plastic but the main thing is that I wanted all the samples to be enclosed in a custom made case or tin for easy storage and transportation. I'll be giving each agent a set of around 200 samples, each in different categories so being able to give them a set of 20 in each category, all neatly packed into a tin/case/box works for me. Appreciate you looking out for me though and also appreciate everyone's suggestions. Thanks, Nat

yes Di that's exactly what I need - I want the "b" size - as it's just a small bit of wax I'm wanting to put in. Do u have those? Nat

I'm looking for something like a briefcase, that holds lots of little pots about the size of a tealight that I can fill with wax and give to my agents for their customers. The main thing I hear is that people want to smell the scents before they buy, so if I can give each agent a set of 5 briefcases, and in each briefcase there are 20 or so scents of the same type - like bakery, fruit etc - that would help me out loads. Anyone know where to get something like this? Thanks Nat

no, it's not zen - it's roman cart (in the UK) for the shopping cart and everything else was coded in html or wysiwyg - i didn't use any of the oscommerce or zen type products as they were not flexible enough for my requirements. The whole website from start to finish took a lot longer than 3 months - I started it back in february but all the hard work, ie photos, descriptions, cart, flash etc were all done in the last 3 or 4 months. Oh and the search doesn't work yet as I can't get the actionscript to work properly.

what i was actually asking was whether the wax contracting and shrinking could damage the coils because as the wax cools and shrinks it will basically be squeezing the coils really hard, and I'm wondering if, over time, this continual shrinking of the wax around the element will damage it in some way? Nat

if the heating element is sitting in the base of the pot, I do understand that it needs to be covered with molten wax before you turn the pot on but a) when you release the wax from the spout, can it go below the coils without you noticing and cause them to burn out. Also, is the spout a good one? I've got a presto with a spout but it's a ball valve and the wax does not come out very neatly -it sprays all over the place. and once you turn the fryer off, wax shrinks when it cools - will this shrinking of wax all around the coil/heating element damage it in some way? In particular pillar wax shrinks a lot so does it cause unnatural stresses on the coils or not?

January to August are slow for candles when selling outside in the UK. August to December are the best, with October, November and December being the best months, so give it a go. Kill two birds with one stone and set up two stalls, fill one with candles then drag hubby or friend to man another stall with your household stuff/clothes/toys etc that you want to get rid of

forget craft fairs - they are expensive and people don't tend to buy much. I have only ever done 3 or 4 craft fairs and the sales are slow, the pitch expensive and the people attending are mostly "browsers". Do boot fairs - preferably hard standing, as setting up on grass is a bitch. Do GOOD bootfairs too, not tiny little one-off ones, the bigger the better and if it's on concrete AND undercover then you're laughing. A boot fair costs £10 or so to attend and because candles are low cost items, people are not frightened off by them. Wax melts sell extremely well, especially if you're burning some samples that people whiff as they walk past. Low cost candles like votives and anything under a fiver all sell well, and then you'll have a loony come up and buy 10 candles and part with £50. It does happen. Lay it out neatly and cleanly - don't clutter. and DO have price tags, which goes against the recommendations for boot fairs. You have price tags because these are brand new crafted items, not second hand tat so there is no negotiation on the price, unless you do special offers. On the last boot fair I did I made £300, and it gets crazy in november/early december so try and do gift baskets/bags etc as there is always people looking for last minute gifts. I did a boot fair on xmas eve last year - it was only a 3 hour bootfair but I turned over £190 which was pretty cool for 6am on xmas eve.

how much are you trying to raise? if I know that then I may be able to advise the best way to go about it?