SatinDucky

Very nice display

Hopefully I'll have time this week to try some different approaches

This is my biggest selling/growing line of candles, and since I sell on line and have spent a small fortune and hundreds of straight days testing/perfecting the designs, I cannot share how it's done, but all my floater designs burn a minimum of 5 hours, with some up to a max of 20 hours. I have test burned a minimum of 50 candles in each design under various conditions(wind, drafts,high/low containers, high/low water levels, smelly jelly crystals, etc.) because I wanted to make sure I had really discovered something.

I have never advertised them. I sold some on eBay over 11 years ago now, customers followed me over to my website, and new customers arrive all the time strictly from word of mouth. And I've never had a complaint that they don't burn as long as I say they do.

One of the advantages of testing, as was pointed out in a different post, is sometimes you hit on something that can turn out to be one of the best things you've ever come up with.

I just wanted to let you know that it is possible.:tiptoe:

Ummm, ok.

Well, I have to say that I just sent a bunch of rose floaters out for a swap. I made two changes that resulted in reducing the burn time.

I switched the wick to a zinc 44 series instead of the HTP, and I didn't quite make them long enough. I noticed the test burns were about 3 hours with half the wax leftover. They also had a tendency to carbon a little bit which is typical of the zinc wick.

Oh, it was a softer wax. J223.

I'm pretty sure if I go back to the harder wax and lighter wick I'll get 5 or 6 hours out of it.

Thanks Eric, any info in the general direction helps

Thanks! I've never seen any before! lol

Thanks Eric. I had an HTP sampler pack at one time, so I'll check and see if I have any that size to try out. Since I ordered a new rose mold last night I'll be even more anxious to play with it when it comes

As for made in China, I can understand that. Part of what confused me is that the site is posted here as a member of our board. I made the original post before I had looked around the site more. I don't know how many people actually look at the members links sections, but anyone who does handmade candles cannot compete with those prices and it seems rather unfair to have the link here. While I don't consider myself a real business, many people here are.

So, the original topic has actually been split into two. Floating candles and a mass mfg wholesaler advertising here as a hand-making member.

Good molds here

http://vanyulay.com

I went and poked around there last night and bought the rose mold myself. Man it's beautiful!

Well, since votives are small and quick easy to make for testing, take a shot at it. I don't know what kind of wax that is but I suspect container and that will melt easier so it might be a bit over wicked. It's as good a place to start as any

This may be a silly question, but what is lava lip gloss? I mean, how is it different from any other lip gloss?

Nope, not equipment, just operator error...lol. It's trying to get the temp of the wax hot enough to bind the layer, but not so hot that the thin layers melt.

I use 36z for votives but then I use pillar wax 4625 so this may not help too much...

Nothing about any of the candles there look handmade to me. I just find it very curious that the site belongs to one of our members

You could do it like a hurricane shell and zap the excess wax off the beans. Then fill with container wax and a smaller wick to make sure it tunnels...

They do say handpoured... maybe that's different from handmade, dunno.

It's supposed to be a board members site though.

My max on the burn was usually about 2 hrs. I used the smallest wicks I have, though I don't remember what it was offhand. I never tried actual tealight wicks though. I didn't have any since I don't make them. Maybe I can get my hands on a few to try and will give it another go from there.

I just went back and looked around more. They have 3x3 pillars that are the same. Selling for 2 for $6.99, which is $3.50 each. I can't believe anyone here would sell handmade candles that cheap, especially something so complicated.

So I guess whoever is selling them wont be giving any advice on how to make them so well since it's extremely unlikely they're really handmade.

Anyone else have any tips on making floaters bur for long periods?

Since I never could get my floating candles to burn for beans I'm doing more research before trying again.

I don't know who makes these, but how can you get one that's smaller than 1" x 2" burn for 8 hours???? And how in the world do you do the spiral stripes?

It says they're 100% handmade....

http://www.zestcandle.com/product/9XE45GRZ/Candy-Cane-Green-Floating-Candles.html

Eric, it's no biggie. I didn't take any offense at your questions. The way I see, anything that's posted is fair game - not to be rude about or pick fights but for honest questions. If I see something that is curious to me or just doesn't quite make sense, I ask.

And no, you didn't look at the photo wrong. That's why I answered the questions. At least, I think I explained everything you asked...lol

Oh, and my "thing" is making and burning candles. I didn't start this as a business and did very little selling. I just love to play with wax. After a couple years of testing though I had gotten my standard pillars to burn rather nice and the extras started stacking up so I would sell a few here and there to make room on the counters to add more.

I might consider doing it for a decent amount of money with only one thing in mind: Few of the students would follow through with candle making, but instead, would probably become your customers.

I wouldn't divulge the wax I was using or where it came from, and certainly I wouldn't divulge where I got the oils, but I would stress the importance of buying quality supplies, and perhaps even give a handout listing a bunch of different online suppliers.

It seems to me once the students figured out that there's more to making a good candle than just pouring wax over a wick, they would have a healthy respect for your product and would be happy to buy from you.

I would agree.

I think most of the students who got a good look at how much quality supplies cost would be deterred from making them on their own. And a good chance they would see more of the differences between a quality one ad a dollar store one and choose to buy yours.

Before anyone questions it, no the green and purple one is not sitting unlevel. It's the top that's warped because I blasted excess color off it with the heatgun

Green, purple and black are Blackberry sage. Yellow is a Bird of Paradise sampler.

Another attempt at draped layers too. It's missing a drape on the back that fell off unmolding It's Cool Water.

Oh and I don't necessarily think that the smoking was because of FO overload because it was the wick that was smoking after she blew it out.

That's one of the best reasons right there to thoroughly test yourself before letting someone else try it. When something does go wrong, you know the circumstances surrounding it.

Well shoot! I read that wrong. Thought you said you didn't know if it was the fo or after she blew it out.

Maybe some of the confusion is that tempering seems to be mainly for soy wax. I didn't know the poster was asking about soy (since it's in this section) or I wouldn't have commented. I don't use soy and know nothing about it. There probably many other things that are done for soy that I don't know about or use in paraffin.

Or maybe I'm wrong

As one of the few males on a board dominated by women I'm quickly learning to grow a thicker skin!

LMAO

Yes, you can read your notes on particulars, but the techniques sometimes are elusive. You'll get it back! The cinnamon has potential!

Apparently it's gonna take a while! Made 4 more today, 3 didn't turn out (for multiple reasons). 4th is still cooling. LOL

I must've been away longer than I thought. I've never heard of tempering wax...

As far as I can tell (and I'm still a bit confused myself) these are two totally different things.

The product insurance cover the products and/or any problems they may cause after they're sold.

Homeowners insurance is for while you're making them. Your landlord may want to check into a bit more before saying he doesn't care. The problem is that some insurance companies wont cover damage if they find out you were manufacturing candles in your home. I've heard of cases where their policy/coverage was voided even if the candles didn't have anything to do with the damage.

What I would give for scratch and sniff right now....