DanaE

I agree. And if I see that a candle is throwing off continuous black smoke, it usually means it needs to be trimmed. I power burn candles and after 5 or 6 hours they'll start to smoke if the wick isn't trimmed. I just warn everyone that if they powerburn candles they should walk by it with a pair of scissors every few hours and trim the wick. Everyone (who doesn't make candles) seems to think that a longer wick is a good thing and it's hard to train them to actually cut that wick very short to get the best burn! DanaE

I use mostly low smoke zinc now, and they are different than regular zincs. They burn slightly hotter and smoke less, although they still seem to mushroom at about the same rate. (and I agree, regular zincs don't smoke much anyway if wicked correctly). I like them because if I need a wick slightly hotter than a 51Z, I can use a low smoke 21 (which is supposed to be the equivalent of a 51Z, but is actually closer to a 60Z). They also have a size that's larger than the largest zinc wick (a low smoke 15) so it gives me one more size to work with when my other zincs aren't large enough. DanaE

I think it was Janet that had some neat grubby molds. I bought a few of the grubby pillar molds, but just thought that the handmade ones were prettier and more 'whipped' looking. But then, people may not want the whipped look as much as the smaller grubbied look, it's just a personal preference for me And hey, it's great when you have a pillar that smells wonderful but has some imperfection on the surface. You can whip up some wax and fix it! (one of my pillar molds is 'out of round' and totally scratched the pillar so I had to grubby it, but at least I saved it) DanaE

No, sorry. I haven't made a chunk OK6228 in at least 6 months. All of my chunkies since then have been made with mottling waxes DanaE

They are both beautiful rustics, although I especially like the pattern on the green one. No need to try to improve upon them DanaE

I pack my molds tightly with the chunks, pushing them up against the sides. I make small square chunks, and arrange them against the sides all the way up the mold so you can see them. Then I use a relatively translucent wax as an overpour, (1274, 1343, 40405H) so you can really see the chunks through the wax. I sometimes use an opaque wax (preblended pillar blends) and think they look cool too, but my favorites are definitely the ones with a translucent overpour. DanaE

Same here. I actually make sugar scrubs, body creams, M&P soaps, etc. but I don't sell them. I give them away to friends, family and I use them myself. I absolutely love them and think it'd be great to sell, but the headaches of listing all the ingredients and such is too much for me. DanaE

I'm currently testing out the Gloss Poly (C-15 I believe) in my OK6228 to see if it stops the fingernailing. I only get the fingernailing occasionally and have no idea what causes it. I made two batches of candles yesterday w/o Gloss poly - one has no fingernailing, the other has the marks all in them (both came out of the same batch of melted wax, just added different FO's and coloring). So....I made 16 pillars today in 4 different scents and about 8 different colors and added the Gloss poly with a little vybar 103. If any of them fingernail then I'll know that the gloss poly isn't the answer. And you know, years ago I never had any fingernailing at all -ever. I wish I knew what I changed or what happened that causes it now. I've tried all the 'raise the wax temp" and all that stuff; doesn't seem to make much difference. Doesn't matter though - the ones that fingernail I just turn into a grubby - LOL! DanaE P.S. I thought perhaps dipping the candles into wax to create another layer (same color) on top might hide the fingernailing, but it doesn't. So that pillar will be one I get to burn.

From what I understand, you'd have to use quite a bit of the microcrystalline wax to actually raise the meltpoint of the J223. I'm sure that the amount they recommend that you add wouldn't be enough to increase the meltpoint or drastically change the characteristics of the wax. DanaE

I'm in love with zinc wicks and think they are especially good for containers, but honestly there are so many that would work for your application. I seem to remember that a lot of people here also use and highly recommend the LX series for containers. I love the low smoke zinc just because I can use them in pillars, containers and bakery items (although I haven't found one that works right in votives). CD wicks are great also, and are pretty hot. There's also so many sizes that you can't help but find one that'll work in your application. I became a wick 'ho several years back and I now have 32 bins that hold probably 3 or 4 thousand wicks in basically all the sizes/types made. It's great to have them all available for testing purposes DanaE

I heat my pour pots too. If I don't, the wax cools down too quickly to get the FO and coloring added. I add FO around 180-185, and if the wax is at 190 when I put it in an unheated pot, it'll be 175 before I can do anything with it! DanaE

Some batches of OK6228 do this...some don't. It usually only happens on the first pour and when you do the repour it'll be nice and smooth (had it happen on a Banana Cream Pie pillar I made yesterday, but the ones made with Home Sweet Home didn't do it). If doing tarts, heat the wax to 190, add FO and then let it cool to around 160. Then when you pour it'll be smooth, and you won't have much shrinkage. Or add container wax to it to keep the tops smooth. Don't pour it any cooler though. I usually pour around 185-190. You'll get a smoother, shinier finish if you pour around this temp and heat the molds. (and if you want it REALLY shiny, put it in a water bath as soon as you pour. You can almost see your reflection! lol) I've used this wax since '99 and the first 3 years or so I never got the 'brainy' look. Since then it's hit or miss, but doesn't matter as long as I'm doing a repour. DanaE

I've used OK6228 for chunk pillars, but it's not in the least bit translucent! I'd make very dark chunks, pack the mold full and do an overpour. You can see the chunks very well, but it's not the same effect as using something like 1274, 1343A or 4045H. It could be an experiment....something you keep and burn for yourself DanaE

I really love these. I purchased some glass coffee mugs to do the same thing, but haven't had the energy to work on them. Yours are so beautiful that I may have to get started on them tomorrow! DanaE

I totally agree with Henry. You can make pillars with it, but it make be difficult to wick. I've made pillars with hurricane wax and it's an interesting experience. What I've done in the past is add container wax, soy container wax or a good bit of Crisco to these waxes. With this high a meltpoint you could easily add 30% of a container wax and still have it easily release from the molds and work as a freestanding candle. The really high melt point waxes can be quite brittle, and adding container wax or Crisco can prevent that. DanaE

I'm currenly in the process of becoming an "LLC" business myself. My husband is a Partner at a law firm and we need to make sure that if someone burned their house down and came after me, they couldn't come after his firm also. My limited understanding is that someone could sue me, and take my entire candle company if I'm an LLC, but they can't take my house, my husband's business or anything like that. What's great is that he's an Intellectual Property Attorney, so he's a big help getting my name Trademarked and all that crap. A lot of the stuff I have to do myself, and he can't file them for me, because he said involving an attorney really changes the way the paperwork is looked at (? don't know why, but I consider him a genius and if he says it, it's true). DanaE

It sounds like your tins are the culprit. I had some that, although they were supposed to be able to be used for body items, when I made body creams with KY's CCP or any vanilla scent the rust would show up in the cream. Try a different type of tin, or from a different company. I got mine really cheap, and I think that was the problem. Or, if you love your tins and don't want to change them, perhaps try Mod Podging them with a coat or two? It only takes a second and the Mod Podge dries clear (although it looks white while you're applying it). DanaE

Lovely. I love the different shades of green and how good the rustic came out ...... DanaE

I kind of stopped weighing stuff a long time ago. I only weigh if I'm doing a test batch with 1 lb of wax. I fill my pots all the way up (4 lbs) and I've done it so long that I don't have to weigh anymore, I just know where to stop. I measure my FO's in a glass measuring cup (looks more like a shot glass and holds a little more than 1 oz). I use a tablespoon to put in my stearic and don't scrape the top so each tablespoon weighs differently (some are overfilled, some are underfilled, it evens out). I only measure my other additives (vybars, fisher trop, etc.) because I consider it vitally important to get that perfect. They come out the same over and over, scent wise and look wise. DanaE

I use a paint scraper and heat gun. The paint scraper gets off at least 99% (if it isn't on the carpet), and the heat gun with paper towels gets up the rest. I've had a few carpet disasters (children you know....) and the iron with paper bags worked perfectly. You never even knew that the boy knocked the candle on the floor and sent wax flying all over the living room. DanaE

I second Fern completely! My son doesn't know how to walk...only to run. Everytime he runs through the living room my test candles blow off a puff a black smoke. As soon as he leaves they are fine again. DanaE

Several waxes make beautiful mottles and rustics, so you kind of have to try them and decide which one you like best. 1343A, 1274 and 4045H are all good for mottles and rustics. There are a couple more (1302B I think?) and one I tried a few years ago that changed names... I use 4045H. Just ordered 4 more cases and intend to probably stick with it. The supplier is closer to me so shipping is incredibly cheap. If 1274 was more readily available to me it'd be a toss up as to which I'd use. DanaE

That's a toughie right there. On one hand I want to say that yes, the lower melt point container waxes have a stronger throw, but then I think about the OK6228, which has a meltpoint of 145, and it has an outstanding scent throw too (I've used it in containers before *G*). And also 4794 votive wax; I can light one votive and smell it throughout the downstairs. Also, I can increase the scent throw of some harder waxes by adding in either soy or container wax, so there's a contradiction right there. So, maybe this is a 'it depends' type question/answer. Perhaps for some waxes, adding in a softer wax does increase the scent throw. And on some harder waxes, adding a soft wax doesn't change the hot throw at all. *shrug*. DanaE

I've had that thought often myself . I have a scent called Brown Sugar that would be to die for in body items, but in a candle it smells like burnt Brown Sugar And yeah, I think it makes an excellent Spring scent for candles. When I sniffed it I my first thought was it had a background of floral. Then I felt like I'd walked by a blooming honeysuckle bush. THEN I thought "oh no, it's not the same scent as the shower gel." So I ran upstairs and got it, and sure enough, the background notes in the shower gel are the same. I'd never noticed it before; I only noticed the honey scent. I made these particularly for my sister, who loves the shower gel too. I don't know that it's ever a scent I'd carry permanently, but it's definitely interesting and unique. DanaE

I've only tried one dupe from the Le Couvent line, and it's Honey & Shea. I love that scent and buy the body wash and sugar scrub all the time. It's very close. I made a couple of candles, let them sit a week and then sniffed the shower gel and candle at the same time. They have the same background and top notes. I have only 5 or 6 WSP oils that I carry all the time, but I've found that most of the ones I buy are fantastic and very strong. You can't go wrong with the Mango Papaya, Lick Me All Over, Caramel Apple, Fresh Cut Roses....there are a few more but they don't come to mind at the moment. I hate the shipping charges and I'm pretty close to them. I try to keep my orders down to a minimum and I don't buy wax from them anymore (the ones they have on sale aren't the ones I use everyday so I didn't buy any). I used to use them all the time because they have such a wide variety of .....well....everything. Now I get mostly my wicks (low smoke zinc), a few oils and a few packing supplies and that's it. DanaE