SatinDucky

Holy smokes! They're all gorgeous! I can't even begin to decide which ones are prettiest :highfive:

I've never seen paraffin do that so it must have something to do with the soy part. Maybe someone from the veggie section can help ya.

The only thing I would do different would be to learn the business part sooner. Like taxes, how to track inventory, keeping the business records more coherent, stuff like that.

As for the actual candlemaking, nothing. I've made lots of mistakes, but wouldn't have learned what is good without seeing what's bad too.

Now... what would the SMART thing to do have been? Less FO's until they're all tested. Would I really do that? Nope! Every box of new scents is like Christmas morning and just too much fun to pass up

I've had one batch come out shiny. It was after rinsing under water though. None of the other recipes did that so I figured it might be the sunflower oil maybe? No buffing, just a rinse and left to air dry. I didn't know cp could be that shiny!

All cans have the epoxy resin that contains BPA sprayed on the inside of them. It's what keeps the cans from rusting etc. Only thing is the BPA is very toxic.

At high heat, (like for canning or melting wax) it leaches into the food or whatever it's being used for.

The only brand known so far to not have it is Eden Organics.

http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/bpa-questions-answered.htm

That's good info. I know it looks different in different types of cans, but didn't know they ALL had it.

Hmmm.. I suspect this newbie was a hit & run, but this is an informative thread anyway

Since HL fragrances aren't all that popular around here and frequently different people will have a different perception of what an oil smells like, I'd say your best chance would be to order some samples from different suppliers and compare the scent to what you have there.

OMG! Those are gorgeous! Very cheery colors. Makes me think of a big basket of easter eggs

Those colors are beautiful!

Those look yummy and I don't even like Creamsicles! LOL

Ok, so aside from that.

This morning I tried to light one of them before I went to work. I lit the CC wick one.

Well it smelled fine around the candle but it only went out about 1 foot away.

Not very strong at all.

However it smells great in jar, Without being lit.

I don't have much experience in soy, but this question pertains to testing any candle for scent throw...

If you lit it before work in the morning, how long did you let it burn? The hot throw comes from the melt pool. If there's only 1 inch of melted wax around the wick, the scent wont carry as far as it does once it gets to the full melt pool. Just a thought...

I'm by far no expert on rustics... most of the time I can't hardly get the "frost" on them. Thinking of the differences between the two sizes... while they are both the same diameter, the larger one is going to have more volume and therefore take a bit longer to cool off. Even with the exact same pour temps, the layers aren't likely to be as cool as the smaller ones.

Ok, done thinking outloud

The OP's question WAS answered quite nicely by several people in this thread. You just need to understand the seriousness of giving advice when you nothing about what you are giving advice on.

Exactly!

We are getting there slowly...

Sorry that a simple metaphor turned into a huge 5 page rant. But that's usually how it goes. Obviously there are people on here that are more well versed in soap making than I, but the sad thing is, rather than giving advice to the poster, they choose to create more drama.

1.The original question was answered.

2. It's ONLY 3 pages.

3. The number of pages will usually correlate with how far off base and/or how dangerous the advice given was.

4. I notice you still haven't mentioned that maybe, just maybe, your "metaphor" was way off base and that you don't have the experience to be giving soaping advice. You've played it off, said "umm, ok", said "ok, whatever" anything but admit that you don't have the experience and shouldn't give advice yet. See, we care about each other here and don't want anyone getting hurt or losing their business over a lawsuit. My guess is that until you stop pushing the blame to everyone else, the "rants" will continue because nobody wants bad advice given out. JMO

I'll be there too and it's my first also. Nervous and excited both!

That looks like fun! I bet you enjoyed the class. You're so lucky it's in your area.

That must be a new show, I have most of the crafting show on DIY set to record automatically. I think the season is changing cuz I caught a ad for a gardening show that I've never seen before either. Better go check the guide for changes! Thanks for the heads up!

Dunno how you'd get a purple stripe from pale green...

Actually, I still have that little votive. I don't still have the original picture of it though and after 3 years the thin purple layer has faded to gray and it just looks like the green faded on top.

I've tried searching for the old threads on this and couldn't find any. I'm pretty sure it was the old board and the search didn't work there either. It really seems like the other people had problems mostly with blue. I'm the only one I remember it happening to the green.

Frustrates me to no end that I can't find any of the other references to this :lipsrseal

To begin with... what kind of wax are you using? Paraffin, soy, whatever... also is it a blend, as in already having additives? What temp are you pouring at? Are you heating the molds?

Bubble marks... what do they look like? Like actual wax bubbles or pit marks? Pouring temp, how much air you stir into the wax, how fast you pour... it can be many things depending on what kind of bubble marks you have.

The only way to really be of much help, we really need more specific info about what you're using and exactly HOW you're making the pillars.

Hmm.. do you have any pics of them to post? That might help too.

Are you using these in palm wax by chance? I've had some strange colors morph when reheating it much. Granted I've not played with the palm much, but even in my small experience, I've had the morphing. Usually green/blue/purple. The one I remember most was a pale green votive. It had a purple stripe for the top after I reheated the wax for the repour...lol

If your wanting something smaller than a coffee can then just use a soup can. This is what my sons class use when doing a candle project in there class. They are not as flimsy as a soda can would work if you just wanted something smaller and easier to handle.

You have to be careful in choosing those though. Most all of them I've seen have a coating inside that the FO will dissolve if it stays in there very long. I have no idea if the small amount could cause a problem with burning or not, ie... possibly toxic, since I don't know what the coating is made of.

Just something to think about....

I would strongly recommend against it. Once you cut the top off, the aluminum sides would be very flimsy. It would make it very easy to get cut or spill hot wax.

I gotcha I do have ONE surface that's level... thanks to folded pieces of cardboard under a small plywood square

That is the best idea I've heard of yet for leveling pillars! I don't know how you feel about BCN but you should submit that for their tip of the month.

Which one? Leveling by the mold or leveling the surface the mold is one? LOL

Put some in a bag and place it somewhere you're selling them for use and see how they do. Being strong right out of the sealed jar doesn't mean the scent will carry very far...

Maybe start out testing using a type of wick you already have in an equivalent size?

Very creative, they look nice

For me, the easiest way to check for a pillar being level is before you take it completely out of the mold. I slide it out until the shallowest edge is at the opening. It shows me exactly what needs trimmed. If it's just a tiny amount I can scrape it off right then, otherwise I mark a ring then trim it off after removing. Most of the time the candles are pretty much level to start with. Use a level and make sure your cooling surface is perfectly even to start with. It's much easier than trimming