Candybee

Doesn't Masterbuilt still make turkey fryer's? Is the older model the only good model?

It does seem confusing when one wax manufacturer says one % while another says a different %. Think of it as the capacity of the wax to hold scent. Many of today's waxes are designed to hold a higher FO load. So if the manufacturer says their wax can hold 10% or 12% what they really mean is they can hold up to that amount without the FO seeping out of the wax. That does not mean that you must load FO to the max to get a great smelling candle. It simply mean how much FO it can hold. Most waxes work great with no more than a 6% or 1oz PP fragrance load. While some may work better with either 6% or 8%. Off the top of my head soy is one that most often may work better with a slightly higher load than 6% or at least with some scents. There are reasons to test which load is best for your wax. And why some FOs work better with a higher load while others work better with 6% or less. Too much FO can clog a wick or impare the wick system. With an impaired wick system the wick can sputter and die or not throw at all. Also, some notes can be masked if too much FO is used. FOs can be very complex and have many notes.

Share some of that luck my way will ya! LOL

Wish I could fix that for you. I have been smelling it for you. Its much more of a soft coconut than sandalwood.

That is nice! Makes me want one.

You mean your items stayed in the shopping cart for a couple days. That is weird. Well that would be frustrating. They should have notified you the same day. That would have been the right thing to do. Sounds like someone dropped the ball on that one. So sorry that happened to you.

Your soapies are really awesome and inspiring. Thanks for sharing!

Made these with Soapalooza's Hawaiian Sandalwood. For the swirl I used cocoa powder. When you wash with it the cocoa brown color really pops and looks awesome wet.

Soapalooza's hawaiian sandalwood only slightly discolored to a very light tan. I used cocoa powder to do a swirl with it and the colors rock! Will try to post pics if I can. I know by the name you would not think its a coconut scent but this one is. I can't even smell the sandalwood notes and in the finished cured soap I can detect only the coconut.

Do you mind sharing where you got yours? Did it come with a spout?

Tea lights are best known and loved for their small size allowing them to easily fit into a variety of social occasions. They are enduring because they may produce a surprising amount of soft ambient light for their diminutive size. They can make a room feel warm by adding light, ambiance, and even soft fragrance to any room. They are easy to make so you can be enjoying your own handmade tea lights any time. Tea lights are a container type candle and many prefer to use a container wax. But they also work well with wax blends for tarts, votives and pillars. Additionally, just about any type wax; soy, paraffin, palm, or beeswax may be used for making tea lights. For this demonstration I am using a paraffin pillar/votive wax. I prefer a harder wax that shrinks slightly once its cooled. This allows the tea light candle to slip out of its container. I tend to spill my wax and mess up my containers so I like the idea of slipping out the tea light candle and putting it into a fresh unspoiled container. So for this tutorial I will be using a pillar/votive wax. I re-use the old tea light containers for repouring new tea light candles. If you don’t like this extra step a container wax will work just fine. Step 1: Materials For this tea light making project you will first need to gather the following materials: 8 oz Container Wax or Pillar/Votive Wax .50 oz Fragrance Oil 12 Tea Light Molds 12 Tea Light Wicks (I’m using CD-3 wicks) ½ Red color chip or 1-4 drops liquid dye Small Pouring Pot Wooden Spoon Heat Source (for melting wax) Thermometer Scale Paper Towels Step 2: Preparing and Heating Your Wax Always weigh your wax on a scale that gives you an accurate weight in pounds and ounces. I have an old Escali scale that weighs in pounds, ounces, and grams. Weigh out 8 ounces of wax and place it in your pouring pot. For my heat source I am using an electric grill. Other methods of heating wax are a double boiler, presto pot, or a professional wax melter. Using a thermometer, heat your wax to 185 degrees F. I am using a candy thermometer I purchased at a local department store in the kitchen supply section. This one happens to have an attachment that fits onto my pouring pot. Stir occasionally with your wooden spoon to heat the wax pieces and to distribute heat evenly. Step 3. Adding Dye and Fragrance Oil When your wax is fully melted and reaches 185 degrees F its time to add your fragrance and dye. I add my dye first. I am using ½ of a red dye chip I cut with a small paring knife. If you are using liquid dye you will add one drop at a time until you achieve the shade of dye you want. Add the dye chip and stir it into the wax with your wooden spoon. Continue to stir until it dissolves completely. Next weigh your fragrance oil. I am using Red Clove fragrance oil from Peaks. I use a small plastic container to weigh my fragrance in. Place the container on your scale. Use the ‘tare’ feature to zero out the weight of the container. Weigh out .5 oz (½ oz) of fragrance oil. Then add your fragrance to your wax and stir until its thoroughly blended in your wax. This may take 1-2 minutes of continuous stirring. When you are finished adding your dye and fragrance take your pouring pot off your heat source. I like to place my pot on a hot pad holder so it won’t scorch my counter top. Let it cool a bit to about 165-170 degrees F. Step 4. Wicking and Pouring Your Wax Into Your Mold While your wax is cooling, lay out your tea light holders. Place a wick in the center of each container. I am using both plastic and metal containers so you can see how each type turns out. For my wax I am using CD 3 tea light wicks. When your wax has cooled to about 165-170 degrees F its time to pour your tea lights. Carefully pour the wax into the tea light container until it reaches the top. Try not to over pour. I put down some paper on my counter top to catch any wax drips. When you finished pouring you may want to check each wick to make sure its centered in the container. Adjust any wick if necessary. Do this now while the wax is still hot and liquid. Once its cooled the wicks will be set. For this tea light project I used a little extra wax so you would have enough leftover for a repour. If you are using a pillar/votive blend then save your wax for a repour. Step 5. Repour Note: this step is optional. If your tea lights are level when cooled you won't need to do a repour. Since I am using a votive/pillar wax I need to top off to level the candles. A repour is done when your initial wax pour has cooled and forms a concave indention in the center of your candle. A second wax pour (repour) is done to level it off. (See previous photo) To do a repour heat the leftover wax to a temperature approximately 10 degrees hotter than your first heating. In this case you will be reheating your wax to 195 degrees F. When the wax is ready, pour enough to top off each candle. Step 6. Wick Trimming and Cleanup Allow your tea lights to cool completely. Trim each wick to 1/4" inch using a wick trimmer or a pair of toenail clippers will work just fine. Put them aside in a place they won’t be disturbed to allow them to harden and cure for 24-48 hours. Clean up your area, making sure you have cleaned any spilled wax. I use paper towels for cleaning my counter top. I also use paper towels to clean the inside of my pouring pot while its still hot and the wax is still liquid enough to be absorbed by the paper towel. And now its time to enjoy your beautiful tea light candles! 　 　 Click here to view the article

I never thought of using a turkey fryer. Is it safe for melting wax? I have a GE turkey roaster I got at Wally's that holds about 20+ lbs of wax. The wax never touches the heating elements because there is a pan that fits into the entire inside of the roaster itself insulating the wax.

I have a friend that is selling them so I got a good chance to really look at their stuff. I don't agree with their philosophy of direct application to the skin or injestion and I especially do not agree with their teaching its use. But I do like some of blends. I espcially like their Theives blend. Very nice.

I am no expert Dave. I also think you are on the right track researching FOs and EOs for use in your soapmaking. The article sheds some very important light on some of the known dangers of EO use. It does not specify in what particular application the EOs are being used and in what %. So it is important to research in what form or application its use may be effective including the percentage it may be used safely.

I started doing a lot of research on EOs and how to use them safely when I decided to use them in my CP soapmaking. There are safe ways to use them and some not so safe ways. Plus I knew EOs can be irratants or even make you sick or be deadly in certain applications. What really blows me away are these pop-up aromatherapy companies like Young Living who recruit affiliates to start businesses selling their EO blends. There is no requirement that the affiliate have any prior knowledge about them or how to use them safety. I once spoke to one of these people at a craft show. She was showing how you could put one of their EOs directly on the skin. When I told her that was not safe and did she know that some EOs can be harmful. Her response was: "Oh, that was because it was not a pure EO and that theirs were pure." I wanted to smack some sense in her.

Thanks Dave. I know about the skin sensitivity and photosensitivity of some EOs present. It is why you use low % of EOs in your soapmaking and also why I do blends which also helps to minimize the effects.

If you left the website for a minute to check your email I am not surprised you lost your shopping cart. Same thing if you spent too long a time on the cart or it was inactive for a while. That has to do with the shopping cart features and many do drop you for any or all of those reasons. Happened to me many times so when I shop I stay focused on what I need and finish before I do something else.

This is what I hate about UPS. If it arrived but was not shipped out on Friday it sits in a warehouse until the next work week. But why Wednesday? If its in town shouldn't you get it Tuesday?!!

I got a laugh out of picturing that candle sailing in the air!

Been there! I use the plastic cups I got from my pack of Italian Ice cream cups. The leftover cups are a durable plastic and I put my FO in them just before I am ready to mix in my FO. I use them a lot over the years and they are still like new.

Been making candles since 2006 and do this all the time in my melter. No problems. If you use soy wax it can even be a plus as it helps with tempering the wax. I have done it with paraffin, soy, parasoy, palm, both pillar and container waxes with no problems whatsoever.

You know what I hated most about using a double boiler is how long it took to heat the wax and how hard it was to maintain the heat. I also hated how the bubbling water would sometimes spill into my wax no matter how careful I tried to be. Maybe I was just not good at it like others but I came to really hate the double boiler methed. Shoot, I won't even cook with one! LOL

That is adorable! Don't know that I would have the patience or the skill to make such a cute watermelon pillar. Can't wait to see the candy corn pillars. I fell in love with C&S candy corn. Sometimes I like just burning a candy corn candle for myself around Holloween time.

At least put one on your Christmas list! LOL You will be surprised how many kitchen utensils and new appliances you may acquire as a candlemaker or soapmaker. Sometimes I think I have more stuff for my candles and soapmaking than for cooking.