gmp

Thanks, cc. I too do not like the mushrooming on the zincs that I tested. It really irks me. So I guess I have to get some other wicks. I'm hoping to stop by C&S on my way to NY next week. I'll get it right eventually. In the meatime I have made a nice assortment of holiday tarts for my gift baskets.

Country Creek, I know this is a bit off-topic, but I know you've mentioned that you use 4630 in your container candles, is this right? I was wondering if you would mind telling me if you use zinc wicks or something different? My order of 4630 just arrived today. I have zinc wicks and that was what I planned on starting with...just trying to narrow the scope...tia

See, I never would have considered the water in the wax issue. I'm so glad I asked and thanks, Candleman, for your answer. I am learning so much about the science and math behind candle making thru you and the other pros here. I love understanding the why (or in this case, why not) behind each step in candlemaking. It's helping me understand my hobby so much! Thanks again!

Thanks, top. That was incredibly helpful AND clearly stated! I've printed out a copy of your comments for my candle notes.

Forgive me if this was discussed elsewhere...I could not find it. Does it matter if you cool your tarts in the frig or on the counter at room temp? I only ask because I am using one candy mold and have a # of wax I am making tarts with. I'd like the tarts to set as soon as possible but don't want to ruin the quality by chilling them if that's what would happen. TIA...

What a great tip. It helped me out quite a bit...thanks!

SO CUTE!! You are very talented! He is just too cute to "melt away"...

As a candle consumer I agree with this. And while I think the non-dyed candles can be very pretty and can give it a contemporary look with the right jar, there will always be a market for dyed candles.

Ouch! There is a supplier in Mass that offers $5 flat shipping rate on all products execpt wax and glass. I've never used them myself, tho, just so you know...

Have you tried heating the jars in the oven on lowest setting, then removing when wax is ready, turn off oven, add wick, pour, then put back in oven to set overnight. Remove in the morning. I had great luck with this method, not a single wet spot, but I must admit that after a couple of days in my basement, some wet spots did appear. But the results were much better than not using the oven method at all. HTH

Great, thanks! I am heading that way too on a trip up north for the holidays. I don't know if I will be able to stop or not, though. I suppose even if the showroom is poor, at least you can pick up supplies and not pay shipping, right?

Thanks for this info. I do know that C&S is in the midst of moving to a new facility, for what that's worth. Malaki, have you been to Candlewic, I believe they are close by.

Northern Virginia, Loudoun County. I think C&S and Candlewic are about 3 hours away for me. I have just started this hobby and have bought from Bitter Creek. I don't really have a good reason why, except they were recommended early on and I stuck with them. Someone else on this board was complaining about shipping to VA, it might have been "amynleebishop" I seem to remember?

I would also like to know where other Virginians (like myself) get their supplies...

Can you see the diff bet the wax color and the fo color when mixing? To me they look the same and I honestly can't tell if it is mixed well. It could just be me, tho.

I was asking b/c one of my candles didn't have hot throw, and I had read lots about the importance of mixing well. I wasn't sure if I should be mixing madly for a minute or longer (for one pound of wax) or just giving it a gentle stir, and yes, I did wonder what happened to the fo once it was poured.

This is great information to have. I love hearing the science behind this stuff. It helps me understand why certain steps in candlemaking are important... Anyone else care to add?

This question probably goes in the "duh" category, but I had a thought about the importance of mixing the fo with the wax. Since the fragrance oil is in fact oil, does it not mix well with the wax the way oil and water or oil and vinegar do not mix, therefore one must constantly stir the mixture right before pouring? If yes, then what happens to the oil once it is poured and is cooling?

Thanks, Sharon! I am going to have to mix in some paraffin wax after all. I have been working with the wax this morning and they won't come out of the warmer after they've been used a couple of times, even when I throw them in the freezer. (They pop out of the candy molds just fine, but not the warmer). Do you think I can pick up wax at Michaels, as I want to get these done and don't want to wait/pay for them to be shipped. I would also like to mix the wax with the container wax I already have since I've already dyed and added the fo to it.

Thanks, Cassandra. That's good for me to know! :smiley2:

Great, thanks for the info!

I do the same thing and have very few wet spots - I love the result. I turn on the oven, put the jars in it on a cookie sheet lined with alum foil, turn off the oven when the preheat beeps, then pour, then put them back in the oven with the lids on, and retrieve them in the morning. Oh, and I make my candles at night before bed.

Generally, the rule of thumb is 1 oz of fo pp of wax when making candles. Is this the same rule for making tarts? I purchased some tarts to compare to the ones I made, and mine seem to be a bit weak. I used 1.5 oz of fo pp in my container wax. (I know container wax is not the preferred wax, but since I already have it on hand I want to stick with that). If I can add more fo when making tarts I would like to do that. TIA!

Candlemaking is a combination of math, science, art, time and money. A good starting point is to get a candle making kit from one of the suppliers like Bitter Creek, Candles and Supplies, Nature's Garden, Peaks, etc...a kit will give you early success and the suppliers are always great about offerring customer service, answering candle-making questions, troubleshooting, etc, things you won't get from Michaels. You probably want to buy supplies from Michael's b/c you don't have to pay for shipping and it's an easy place to start as a beginner. That's what I did. It is a good way to get your feet wet, however, the stuff at Michael's is not good quality and now that I've bought from other suppliers I've thrown out my Michael's stuff. I would not buy from them IMHO. it would be like making a cake with Easy Bake oven..."not that there's anything wrong with that"! Good luck and there is lots of good info on the board!

Hi Debbie, Welcome to the board! I am also a newbie and have spent lots of $$ in materials, and that's just in the testing. (You will hear from lots of people about the importance of testing). Shipping costs are a downer, too. But it's a fun hobby and you can build a market, as you may have seen from other posters. Just curious, since you already have a head start on cake decorating, why not sell those? (A SAHM in my town does this out of her home)