Oh-MYo

Several years ago I moved into a rented house. The lady who had owned it had been dead for 5 years and there was a bag of pillar candles in the closet. The closet smelled awesome. Anyway her son said that they had been hers and I could have them.They burned and smelled as good as any other candle I have burned. They had of course been stored in the dark.But I am guessing that the shelf life of any paraffin candle will depend on the type of fragrance oils and dyes. And I have no idea how long UV protection lasts in a candle.

Its just that mistakes are such a great way to learn. When a candle doesnt turn out the way you want it to you can say "okay, that didnt work?, look at the possible causes of failure and try again.Over the years we have made so many mistakes and bad candles, but each "ugly" is something we remember from first hand experience so we know WHY such and such doesnt work so well.It might be a pain to remelt and do over or otherwise salvage a mistake but if we made great candles every time---where would the fun be?

First--! I love fredron's response!If you are still open to responses I would offer my opinion as a candle burner consumer.What I look for and what I wont tolerate. What I would buy again:In containers---only straight vertical sides. Pretty doesnt mean anything if it causes sooting or smoking because of airflow issues.Wicking needs to be ample enough so that it will actually consume all the wax. I can always trim.Smoking and sooting is a definite no-no. Yes, all candles smoke a little but if dog tails and the furnace coming on cause it to smoke I wont buy it again. I find soy really bad for this, maybe because of the fragrance oils and/or wicking.Mushrooms, I could care less! What I DO care about is wicks that bend over to one side and cause a candle to burn crooked.Scent is such a minor concern for me. Of course if I dont like the smell, I wont buy it. But hot and cold throw really dont matter much. Still I prefer scented candles to unscented onesOf course many people buy candles for different reasons and burn them differently, fredron's response is still probaly the best. I just wanted to spit out my own preferences.

Well, yes, life is often messy.If we choose to bash paraffin products we can also start on the cleaning products in our home, many of which contain resins which are byproducts of petroleum. Or how nasty petroleum byproducts are processed with carcinogenic products to create fibers which are then spun in to things like rayon.Or how "bout the plastic in our homes, ever seen that process? Plastics are also a byproduct of the petroleum industry.I think that the best thing we can do, if we are truly concerned by what we are using in our homes and which industrys we prefer to support is to actually discover what happens in the production of these products instead of bashing some alternative product and echoing someone else's words without checking into them first.

Some great advice here. The only thing I can add is that isopropyl alcohol works great for wiping up waxy streaks on your desktop or any hard surface. This is of course after you have scraped off what you can with something like a credit card.70% or 99% both work equally well. And leave no residue.

I LOVE my effusion lamp. Puraira.com had the cheapest prices I could find on the lamps but in the end brokerage fees killed me! If you live in the states tho youre ok. I do love the home scenting oils from The Body Shop: Spa Wisdom Cassis Rose Tobacco Flower others with a fruity scent just dont seem to smell like I expect them to. Passion fruit was absolutely awful. A little better when I added a little essential oil of clove. I bought a whole bunch of essential oils to make my own blends and find they work best either alone or with just one other oil. Rather than trying to mix 3 or more. I do love orange essential oil in it. Mostly though floral and or spicy scents are my preference anyway. Lavendar and Rosemary together are quite delightful as well. About the "smoking". I have never seen that. All I can buy is 99% isopropyl alcohol tho and I understand that the "smoke" is just a bit of water vapor. So that may be what's happening. I havent made my own lamps, I have this link saved in favorites tho: http://fragrancelampekits.com/Howtomakeyoureffusiondiffuserlampe.aspx As for the air cleaning properties; both my husband and I are smokers. On the Saturday before Christmas we had 5 additional smokers at our house--yes we smoke inside. I kept the lamp going all evening as we had our family Christmas supper that night---29 people in all. Once my stepson's pregnant wife came in we all went outside to smoke and the only time she noticed the smoke odor was when someone had come in from smoking outside. I asked several people of they could smell tobacco smoke and no one could. Right now I am battling a dead mouse smell as we put mouse poison down and the little buggers went and died inside the walls. It's an old house. So I light my lamp the minute I come home from work. It's not the smell of the fragrance oil that deoderizes but the catalytic action of the alcohol.

I got a Christmas gift basket that had a couple of candles from Ikea. There was no warning text, just the icons---which were so tiny I couldnt have understood them if I wanted to. Now as I am looking at the pictures I just have to giggle. Okay, I get it: *Don't leave candle behind when stepping into a dark room *Don't light candles, tissue boxes or curtains on fire *Don't roast flying children with candle flame. Everyone clear now?......

Actually last night I just realized that I have been exactly the opposite way. Since I have been enjoying 2 weeks off for Christmas shutdown its like I just cant stop. My hubby looked at me incredulously and said "Are you starting ANOTHER one?" ROFL...."uh huh" "Put the bamboo skewer down and step away from the molds!" But...but...I just got a really great deal on some wax. Oh, okay then, maybe I'll go out and get some more of that wax instead. hehe..insanity is just so much fun!!

That happens to me sometimes after I have had a couple of screw ups in a row. It always comes back tho:laugh2: Sometimes it helps to go shopping and spend some time in the candle section. Okay so I might come home with a candle or two.....

Good advice. Thank you. Classified posted. Got palm?

Okay, I apologize if this is the dumbest question you have ever heard. I am way out of my league here and looking for a solution rather than another hobby. I have about 10 pounds of soy flakes which I originally got for candle making. I have found I really dont like soy for candles and was wondering if I could use them in say a prepared M&P product which i can buy from the store. Will it make a big oily mess if I just add more soy flakes to a tub of M&P soap which I can buy from my local Michaels? Or is there a better use for soy flakes? TIA

Thank you for your replies. I dont really know what type of wick---just something sold at Michaels in little bags. Flat braid yes. And yes, I tried keeping it as taut as possible when pouring and cooking. It was definitely taut. I also primed and then rolled them so they were straight as they cooled and the wax set up. Still the same thing. Maybe it is just cuz it was flat braid. Note to self--walk right past flat braid in future.

Hi all. I have been having this problem since I bought a skein of wicking. It wasnt actually wrapped around a spool, just wound up like, say you would wind an extension cord and stuck in a little bag. Now I find that no matter what I have done to straighten it in the candle, even tho it may be perfectly straight in the wax, once I burn it, it curls over every place there was one of those bends. And it curls enough to make the candle burn lopsided no matter how many times I physically move the wick over to center. Did I buy something I shouldnt have or is there a special trick? Thanks all.

I also saw someone do this on How It Is Made....but assumed that since it was such a pretty candle it wasnt really meant to be burned anyway. It sounds good--but if I have never read such a thing on Candletech with all you great chandlers, I cant imagine that it works---or you guys would already know about it. Anyone can make such a claim but I cant imagine that soaking a candle in salt water does anything good at all. Aint wax supoosed ta be waterproof??!! And wick well..wicks! Water, molten wax...etc. You can read or hear a lot of self proclaimed experts--even those who tell you that you can use crayons in your candles. Heh! yah right!

And today on How It Is made I saw a short segment on making carved candles--which was really cool! The only thing that made me go "Huh?" was when this lady cuts off the bottom drippings and made a mushroom candle out of it. It looks really cool, like millefiori. As the mushroom candle was was still soft enough she just poked a hole and inserted a wick. Then she dropped it in the water bath to cool; wick and all.

Not a problem. I just do what works for me. I dont tilt and my wick pin is anchored at the bottom wick hole, at the top with a jar lid that has a hole poked in it and fits perfectly on the mold. I pour and let it sit. I can see how tilting and layering as you do may create a need to do relief holes.

As I understand it, the purpose of poking relief holes is to stop the wax from pushing the wick off to one side as it cools. So not only does a wick pin not move, but it also gives the heat another avenue for escape. The wick pin itself is the relief hole I suppose. Wax will bind to a wick but not to a wick pin. I only pour pillars in aluminum molds so perhaps that matters too. Now that's just my understanding and my experience. Perhaps someone can say it better or explain better. And for what it's worth--I got air pockets only when I poked relief holes. Maybe it's just me:tongue2:

Yep, I know exactly what youre talking about. I used to have that all the time. Just another reason to use wick pins:D Oh and for what it's worth, my "wick pins" are pieces of copper rod that I salvaged from a dollar store garden whirly.

I too just wipe the drips. I use a tissue and have some tiny laundry bags--you know kind of made out of netting, then stuff the tissues in there as kind of a mystery sachet to hang in an unobtrusive place in the bathroom or closet. I hate to waste scent too:wink2:

I have also used coffee filters in place of the newspaper or paper bag, mainly because it was the only type of absorbent paper I happened to have at the moment. They worked fine. I was a little hesitant the first time because I wasnt sure about the type of fibers in the carpet and how they would react to a hot iron. Some synthetics arent really....ironable. Good luck, and put that towel down on the floor---youknow--to catch your blood....just in case:tongue2:

Yep, seen that one. One of my favorite shows. Also have seen those very same votives with the paper clip type wick at dollar stores. Had to appreciate those church candles tho

found this page that offers kettles only: http://www.countryglowsoycandles.com/nkettlecandles.htm Gosh they sure are cute--wish they came just a little smaller too

Hey there Lightning Bug. I understand your concern about the melt pool. As your candle burns lower into the pillar you should have a bigger melt pool than when it is just burning at the top. The point is, as you say, when it burns lower into the "tunnel" you have a different combustion chamber...basically. It's a hard thing for many, even experienced pillar burners to trust...that wax will melt. It seems that candle burning is as much a science as candle making. But such fun! There are people who think that if a pillar has a burn cavity 1/2 inch down that it is tunnelling and therefore not a good candle. Not so. My "tunnels" are typically 1/2 to almost an inch deep and the melt pool is about 2 1/2 inches wide in a 3 inch pillar. I trim to ensure that my flame height never exceeds an inch. But I suppose that just as there are tons of different candles there are also tons of different ways to burn them. I found my candle followers at my local Michael's store. They were sold as candle decor rings but having researched it I knew what they were. They were on sale for 2 bucks each cuz I think most people dont know what they are for. Now churches that burn candles; THEY know what they are for:-) As I researched it and experimented, I found that the outer ring of a jelly jar lid will work just as well provided you can find a candle that it will sit on properly, not too loose and not too tight. Imagine this ring without the threads that are meant to screw on to a jar and you basically have a follower. Yes, they are made of metal although I have seen some glass ones available online but mostly for smaller diameters. They are also called candle Savers; with good reason, they save wax from running down the sides, even in the smaller diameters. As you burn, you will notice if the melt pool is getting too close to the outside, which can happen if the flame is too high or burning off center but always below the follower itself. Another good case for not leaving your candles unattanded. Apart from a few church supply stores that want a kings ransom for them, a few places online like this do sell them: http://www.swanscandles.com/Checkout4Pro/cafolsnu.htm I wish they were more readily available. They would even be great in ceramic and the possibilities are endless. Maybe some day. Enjoy your day.

First of all, I like your adventurous spirit and welcome to the board. You will find many wise words here. Now I have seen loaf type candles with wicks along the middle that burned fine, even without a container to hold them. However they were paraffin which does have a certain tensile integrity not found in soy. Soy wax is hydrogentated soy oil. I certainly have no wish to revive the soy/paraffin debate here but I think it may be the type of fuel; soy combined with the shape of your candles Certainly chandlers make great free standing pillars out of soy but the stresses on the actual body of the candle are equal in all directions. Whereas with an elongated shape and the stresses actually occuring in a line along the middle, well it makes more sense to me that it would fall apart from the middle...that is; crack. Just my opinion, you may find better opinions from others more experienced at this. Again; Welcome

In my opinion, that's a huge flame. Although it's more about trimming than the wick itself. As the candle burns down you will want that strong of a wick to melt the sides of the pillar. I think the width of the edge is just perfect at this stage. Notice how the inner sides of the pillar wall are all wrinkly, that's cuz they are melting from the heat of the flame rather than the heat of the melt pool. That's what you want. As your melt pool goes even lower and you hug the top of the pillar the walls will melt and run down into the melt pool. And your wick is perfectly centered at this point--well done! so you should have no concerns about a blowout. Wall thickness looks perfect to me, provided you tame down the flame. Please dont be offended if it seems I am telling you stuff you already know. I think you did a great job. Personally, I dont "hug". I love my candle followers. They look pretty and radiate just enough heat to the top so that it melts down into the melt pool without hugging.