realmarcha

Yan*** candles have looked this way for quite some time. When candle makers are having a "fit" about how their candles look; wetspots, some frosting, whatever, I advise them to go take a look at Yan*** candles. More often than not, I get an email back telling me how much nicer their candles look in comparison to Yan*** even with a wetspot here, or there. Another candle maker "quirk" solved!

Thanks for being so forthcoming with the batch numbers. The batch number I have is 700251, and it is fine. For all of those who use the 6006, may be we should list our batch numbers and see of we can narrow the "bad" batch numbers down. May be someone has a batch number higher than what Carole is using and it is a "good" batch. This might could help IGI narrow down their problem as well. Just a suggestion! Thanks again!

Would you mind sharing the 6006 lot #/date of the problematic batch you received for comparison purposes? TIA

I have heard the zinc wicks work GREAT in the KY parasoy container wax. HTH

If you are looking for 2 oz. frosted votives holders, try the following link. The order number is 28F. www.marckassoc.com HTH I just went to the Marck site and could not find the 2 oz. frosted votive holders any more. Sorry!

When I started making/testing pillars, I started with the shortest ones. Now I wish I had started with the taller ones. Reason being, I have tested over 75 fragrances in the shortest pillar molds, and now have to test again for the taller pillar molds. Pillars have to be tested completely; from top to bottom, to make sure they burn properly (do not spill over; do not blowout; the wick doesn't fizzle out, and the list goes on). If I had started with the tallest pillar mold, I would not have to test the shorter ones since they would have already been tested using the tallest pillar mold. Now I will be using even more product since I have to test the taller pillars to make sure they will burn properly from top to bottom. How do I know this you ask? I poured one fragrance in the tallest pillar mold; used the same wick I put in the shortest pillar mold, and guess what? There were times during the burn that the wick did not perform properly. So, my advice would be to start with the tallest pillar mold. This will save you time and money in the long run. HTH

I remember the old board too! It was a GREAT help to me, and continues to be. Fern! I remember those days of staying up late; thinking only of candles and how to perfect them. As a matter of fact, I still do it after 6 years...it is called total ADDICTION!

By the way, if you read the post, Beck180 did not specify a jar size just a style with metal lid. Again, check out Marck & Associates, Anchor Hocking, and even Libbey. They have the smaller jar sizes too. HTH

Just a suggestion, but have you tried white beeswax as an additive? Around 3% - 5%? When I was using the 6228 wax and got fingernailing, I would add the beeswax, and POOF! gone.

I can help with the tumblers and lids. You can get these from Anchor Hocking, or Marck & Associates. They have both the tumbler and the lids. Be prepared! The lid cost is pricey! You can also get the tumblers; pretty standard, from Libbey, The Jar Store, etc. The tumblers are the 7 oz./7.5 oz. size. You can also price lids from Techno Cap; formerly Penn Wheeling, but be prepared for a large minimum. Hope this helps! As for the box type trays, I am thinking they might be custom made. I have not seen these anywhere.

If you are going to use a water "natural" base, then you will have to buy the fragrance modifier to go with it so the oil will combine with the water. If interested, I have both the modifier and "natural" base for sale. You can PM me. Hope you find what you are looking for!

Hey Henry! Thanks for jumping in here and answering my post! Hope all is well with you. As you can see, I am pretty much disgusted with the 100% soy wax, so I am moving on to other options. I will check out Taylored Concepts and see what I can come up with. Thanks again!

What wicks are you using in the 6006? I pretty much have every wick created! Thanks again!

I am pretty familiar with KY's products. I bought a slab of Vickey's Perfect blend, and two weeks later she improved it. I am hearing good things about it; maybe I will give that one a try also. I did order a couple slabs of 6006 to play around with. I wish I were not in such a bind. I have one case of "good" soy wax left for orders, and then I am up the proverbial creek. Thanks for all your replys! Please keep them coming!

of the inconsistency of soy wax! I have been using it for 6 years now, and almost every time I reorder wax, I have to retest my entire line since it burns soooo differently from batch to batch. Therefore, you seasoned paraffin, or paraffin blend users , I NEED YOUR HELP. I know I will probably lose 20% of my customers to a candle that is NOT all soy, but I am tired of retesting and am willing to deal with the loss. As they say, "out with the old, in with the new". However, for the 80% that do not care whether it is soy wax, or not, and just want a great throwing, burning candle with little to no soot, I need wax suggestions! I prefer a preblend, but this is not written in stone. I know I will have to test, test, test for myself! I also know I will get a ton of different opinions, and what works for them may not work for me, but PLEASE give me your expertise on this subject, and I promise I will test, test, test, and make up my own mind. I just need suggestions on the "better" waxes out there so I do not spend an arm and a leg trying to find "my" wax. My husband lost his job the beginning of the year, and to be honest, we cannot afford to test every wax out there, so any, and all help, will definately be appreciated! Thanks in advance everyone!

Take all your ingredient costs; wax, wicks, fragrance, color, packaging, etc.; add it all up and then add a few cents for miscellaneous items (electricity, paper towels, etc.) then multiply it by 2. This would be your wholesale pricing. Or, you can take your retail pricing and divide by 2 to get your wholesale pricing. You can be more elaborate than this, but it is the simpliest way to figure out wholesale cost. If you are looking to compare your pricing to other marketed candles, you may want to rethink that idea since you have no idea what their cost might be. Also, I would concentrate on what your area would be willing to pay for your candle items; both retail and wholesale. This could be a deal breaker, especially if you are priced to high. HTH

My browser will not even open the Paypal site right now...is just kind of haning out there and going nowhere! Sure hope they fix it soon for you all!

For those of you who have wholesale accounts, do you offer votives, or feel votives are a must have for wholesale accounts? I am getting ready to hit the pavement here in search of wholesale accounts, and am wondering whether to add votives to my wholesale brochure. I have a couple wholesale accounts already, and I must say, votives are very time consuming, and pretty much not worth your time and effort when selling wholesale. So, I am wondering what everyone else thinks and offers. Thanks again for your help!

Absolutely! Beckie is fabulous! Would highly recommend! http://www.studiobeckdesigns.com

I tested the crystalized container wax a couple years ago and used 10% fragrance oil with no problem. I got mine from Strahl & Pitsch. I experiment alot and usually use more fragrance than recommended just to see if the wax will hold it and burn it properly. If you decide to add more than the recommended fragrance amount, make sure you keep an eye on your testers, and test, test, test. HTH

Here is my understanding of the tax exempt usage. If you are using the supplies for resale, or to manufacture a product for resale; then any and all supplies used for the end product can be purchased tax exempt. If you are using the supply/purchase for business use, and it has NO resale value, then it is not tax exempt (example: office chair). The supplies used for research (testing) are tax exempt; it is part of manufacturing the end product. I do not pay sales tax on these supplies, and have been in business for 4 years now with NO problems. I have my taxes done by an accounting firm, so I would think, if it were a against the law, they would have told me so. My .02 cents for the day. HTH

Have you tried Jackel? Very nice ceramic electric tart burners and much more! www.jackelus.com Hope this helps!

Anyone know where to purchase Germaben II, and/or any other Bath & Body preservatives? Any help would be appreciated. TIA Never mind! After looking further on the Message Board, I found the preservative link at the top. Thanks anyway!

Millcreek!

If you want to add fragrance (all types) to beeswax, use the white beeswax. It has very little natural honey fragrance and does not interfere with most fragrances. I use the Candlewic white beeswax. HTH