Oh-MYo

Hi all. Just wondering where is the best place to buy shaving brushes. I am making shaving soap in cups and want to give them away at christmas with a shaving brush. The Body Shop stocks them at $11. Just wondered if there was a better deal somewhere else. TIA .....sharon

Yes, that is completely true. Used OR new. I have had only new ones pop on me in a water bath. so I suppose that if someone were truly concerned about the issue they could conduct their own water bath test on all containers that they fill or even refill. Consumers who want their containers refilled can be assured that their containers have been heat tested before filling as well. As I am thinking about it, I have never had the old style sturdier mason jars crack or break. Just the newer style thinner glass ones.

I find that popping votives into the freezer does the trick every time. Sometimes you have to be patient. I even put them in big ziploc bags to minimize any concern about moisture. They are a little trickier than pillars because they dont have the wick hole to allow air under the candle. I have also found that adding a small amount of palm pillar wax to paraffin pillar aids greatly in release. I am talking a tablespoon or so for a 3" X 9" pillar. It does nothing for that lovely palm effect and I pour at the usual temp for paraffin

I would think that depends on the kind of glass you are using. Remember that Mom and Grandma used the same Mason jars over and over again. They are heat treated. Any glass can break but I have reused my own containers countless times. I have seen way too many containers in stores that I wouldnt burn a candle in even once because they are either just plain flimsy or not well suited for burning in.

Most of the time my candles have completely cooled and hardened before I relight, which is around and hour to 1 1/2 hrs minimum. It could be up to 8 or 12 hours but thats just because I am not home. Of course votives and small containers harden a lot faster. I burn 3" pillars. However if I just leave the house for 20 minutes or so I have no problem relighting a candle that is only semi hardened. I have no restrictions on burn times and will burn the same one from morning till bedtime so long as I am home.

Making candles is about doing what you love. And unless you take someone by the hand and walk them through all the testing and temperatures and tips and tricks they will have only a portion of the formula. Making great candles is not just about one or two fantastic trade secrets, it's about baby sitting and tweaking and wringing your hands and cleaning up spilled dye, finding creative answers to new problems and constant learning. So to share what we know can either inspire someone to love candle making as much as we do or it can give them a new appreciation for all the blood sweat and tears that have gone into them.

I like the way paraffin sticks to itself rather than soy which sticks to everything. Okay youre supposed to be able to clean soy up with soap and water but who wants a lot of hydrogenated soy shortening down their sink anyway? I like it that paraffin doesnt smoke as much when the candle is moved or in a draft.

....Grey?

Burn one of these--they are made by Glade. I find them WAY too strong but I know people who like them. I guess some of us like a more subtle throw

When I trim, I trim for flame height not wick height. To me that 1/4" wick is just a guideline. My wick is usually more like 1/8". Depending on whether I already have a melt pool. I even trim while the candle is burning. Personally I dont mind an overwicked candle because I have no problem trimming as often as necessary.

Okay, Kerazeeee here too....if only slightly different than most who have posted. I really got into the addiction when there wasnt a lot of money to spend. So I hunted bargains--dollar stores, liquidation stores, secondhand stores........not too much in regular candle supplies----but every once in awhile---a great price on big 3 wick candles that someone had and burned once-----okay---I remelt----never know what the wax is going to be like until I actually make it into a pillar---but it's what I do.................................................................wick centering is a whole new ball game, molds too-----so many possibilites----it's just that it's not what they are sold for........ and my clothes closet isnt for clothes any more------I keep telling myself to stop making candles so that I can burn what I have already made.........and since it takes me about 2 weeks to burn one of my 3" X 9" pillars---thats a whole 2 weeks without making another candle?------- yah right!

Thank you for your replies. I have been burning the candle for 15 hours yesterday and 3 hours so far today. And although the melt pool looks cloudy---it hasnt clogged the wick at all. It seems to be burning it all. I did manage to upload my burn pic as my avatar--uknow---my "real candle"....lol but as far as uploading my pics in bigger mode----the forum wont let me. In any case--whatever it is isnt interfering with the burn properties...has anyone else had wax that is cloudy when melted but burns like any other? BTW---its paraffin.

These candles were about 2 pounds each and I paid 2 dollars each for them. Sorry to post in 2 seperate posts but this forum will no longer let me insert spaces. Maybe I should have left them in Value Village after all.

The candle was rather large and light blue. It was shaped somewhat like you would expect a carved or brass candlestick to look. It looked like it had been formed around a chunk candle base or insert. It even had a Hudson's Bay Company sticker on the bottom. That company has been out of business for several years and I cant find an image on Google. I added some other wax to makemy own and now the melt pool has white cloudy stuff floating in it. I even filtered it through panty hose before I poured my candle.

Okay, I cant really tell you what dyes, type of wax or FOs are in it--I guess I am asking. It was a candle that I melted down to make my own. First time I have seen wax opaque when it was melted. I am test burning it now and so far okay. Just wondering what could make the wax opaque when it is melted. And if that will affect the burn. TIA

Interesting question. I would think that although climate may affect how a candle will burn, that the differences cant really be that significant. The candle flame itself would be what determines the average temp of the candle/melt pool. And there really are so many different ways to burn a candle, i.e. trimming, burn times etc. Now altitude---I can see that being an issue---which anyone who burns candles in a higher altitude would have adjusted their burning.....techniques already.

How about these?http://www.free-font-downloads.com/7.Dingbats/1059.Absinth-Flourishes.html

you can also search for them as flourish....es

I have actually had that happen a few times. More by luck than design. I think it is also about how the candle is burned. If you already have a good melt pool and enough of a shell, the wax melting from the sides will keep feeding the flame indefinitely or until you put it out. Certainly not something I expect in a candle. I think you could lose your mind trying to consestently duplicate that.

Oh that leaky wick! Here's just what I do to stop that. I pour in the seamless aluminum concave molds. The theory is that the concave "bottom" is really the top. Yes, it looks kinda cool when you see it unlit. But I leave the concave bottom AS the bottom, insert the wick in the hole and repour into that shallow depression. That way it cant leak. I had enormous problems trying to pour with the wick in the mold so went to wick pins.

I cant quite imagine a wick floating up unless there is no longer a portion of it held firmly by solid unmelted wax. At which point there isnt anything at all left to hold it straight/vertical. In my experience as well, by this point they just fall over and self extinguish.

While I think it's great to have a healthy respect for the dangerous possiblities of a candle--it might be best not to get carried away with fear. No--we dont generally leave candles burning when we leave the house but considering what we have read on power burner threads there are a good number of us who burn candles for hours and hours at a time. When we are home. And nothing bad happened. Of course there is always that little margin of error---which depends a great deal on the makeup of the candle itself. I see a lot of candles in stores and even, I'm sorry; on here that I would never buy. Yes, they look pretty--gorgeous even. But are they safe enough to burn for hours and hours at a time? The sink is a great place to put a burning candle, if you choose for whatever reason not to extinguish it.

Rather than pouring off, my solution is to..."spoon" some of the really soft wax out of the melt pool area--it doesnt make your container look so fugly.I have this happen to me fairly frequently. I even use the rounded end of a nail file.Or once you blow it out, cool and relight it, it might just be the perfect length. Not sure how that works but a candle flame burns higher when there is no melt pool at the beginning of a burn.

I like to put just a little palm--maybe 5 to 10% with paraffin just to aid with unmolding pillars. That's pretty much all it does--doesnt affect burn or anything--I just like the hardness it adds I was only lucky once to find some palm votives. I didnt care for the way palm burns all by itself..but was pleased with how it adds hardness so that pillars slip right out of the mold.

Well now I feel right at home. I'm in between the two of you---Oshawa. err...3 of you that is. I used to live in Courtice. My biggest issue with ordering stuff from the states is broker fees if you happen to go through UPS. And thank you so much for providing the Canwax idea. I just looked them up and they have both of the things I have been looking for from Canadian suppliers; palm wax and 3"; wick pins. Thank you!