gmp

Yes, Ginger, thanks so much. Sometimes (I'm guessing when the wick is too small) the wax will melt to the edge, but it is not deep at all, so I just wanted to clarify. P.S. How's the barn dismantling coming along? You'll have to give us an update at some point.

When determining if a wick is the best fit for a particular jar, I know the rule of thumb is 1 inch of meltpool per hour. So....if I have a 3 inch diameter jar, in 3 hours should the meltpool just be reaching the glass, or should I have a 1/2 inch deep meltpool, etc? Basically, I'm wondering about the depth of the meltpool after 3 hours for a 3 inch wide container...tia....

Candlescience in NC sells dye with the droppers. I don't know if they would sell the droppers separately.

Unfortunately, curling comes with HTP wicks. It is the trade-off for having a self-trimming wick. There are some tricks you can do to limit the curling effect, like gluing the wick tab off center so that when it curls, the flame is centered, or you can twist the wick somehow (not too familiar myself but you can do a search) so that it untwists as it burns. I'm not familiar with your wax but I don't use HTP myself b/c of the curling issue. It's very frustrating for me but I know there are lots of people who use them and like them. HTH

Is the wick "moving" or is it curling off center? HTP's tend to curl (part of the self-trimming nature of that wick) resulting in an off center meltpool.

Theatrical Lights

I got my heat gun from Michael's craft store. It is $20. but I used my 40% off coupoun.

You could try taking your favorite place name (White Mountains, Granite State, whatever) and find a foreign language translation like french, latin, to come up with something unique sounding, and not at all prim and country.

I prefer liquid. The chips can be a pain to dissolve, and you need several chips to get vibrant colors. These threads will have more info: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1264 http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43266&highlight=liquid

Not sure what the cure time is on that particular wax but many candles need to cure for a couple of weeks b/c the hot throw really kicks in. Try burning the candle in a bathroom with door almost closed and see if you get any hot throw at all.

I love the photo on the front page, as well as the family photo on the about us page. I actually liked the "Hi, Beautiful". I thought it was a personal touch. I agree a man saying that may come off as sexist to some, but I assumed it was coming from a woman and that it was meant to be fun. Some of the pages seemed to need streamlining, but I think most of the suggestions have already been made. Good luck!

Thank you! Yes, I am learning the hard way as well that less is more when it comes to fo. (Although with this fo I am disappointed in the hot throw (the candle is about 2 weeks old) at any %). I have been making candles for about six months and I finally have something that is working out. :yay: :yay:

Thanks so much for your feedback, it has really, really, helped. I took your advice and lowered the fo% to 6% and retested with a zinc 52. I burned in 2 to 3 hour increments, with one 5 and one 7 hour marathon burn. There was some inital blackening of the glass early on, I wiped it clean and have not cleaned it since then. You can see some blackening continued, but I dont' think it's bad considering I have burned this for a total of 35+ hours. I've mentioned earlier that the blackening in the photo looks worse than it actually is. Any additional feedback on this test would be greatly appreciated! I'm feeling good about this one, I hope it's a winner. (famous last words, huh?) Thank so much. This photo is after a three hour burn, using j223, 6% pear spice, and 16oz mason jar.

try 4 ounce tins

I have seen differing opinions on this but...in general it's not okay to reuse glass jars for container candles. (except when testing). This is b/c each time you test the candle the flame puts stress on the glass. If you ever put them in a double boiler or oven as I have done, that's additional stress on the glass. It's really not safe to give away "used" jars to people IMO. The reason I mention this is b/c if you are buying ones and twos of different jars, how would you make your candle with a new jar after successful testing? My suggestion is to stick with one jar size and type, and not shop around different places getting different jars. Just food for thought...

Hi Inez, Best of luck to you!!!

I do the same thing.

There is a co-op going on now for tins, fyi... I have purchased in the past from Specialty Bottle. Fast shipping!

Welcome from the other side of the pond!

I don't use the same wax but I found a huge diff in the blending of fo when I poured at 185 vs. 175. You may know this already but you pobably won't get as great a hot throw with pillars as opposed to container candles, since the meltpool is larger in a container candle. Just thought I would mention that since you are new and that is one thing I learned when I was new. If you are expecting to get the same hot throw as in some container candles you are used to, it won't be the same.

How long are you letting the candles cure before lighting? Is the meltpool the same size for all the candles or is the creme brulee larger? Have you checked with Cajun about the right fo pour temp for each individual fo? Just some things to think about...

I like it very much! Has sort of an eclectic look to it, very unique compared to the prim and country that is so common.

Good luck and congratulations, Inez! Way to go!!

I like it! Couple of comments...do the fonts in the company name and the candle scent match? I'm having a difficult time reading the scent name. It's very, very cursive. Also, I may be wrong but I thought you were supposed to put ounces on the label as well. The green lettering is pretty yet I wonder about the color getting lost on green candles. I love the apple blossom background!

Thank you for that advice. I agree I probably overdid the fo; I guess it doesn't matter that j223 can hold up to 9% (?). I am now burning the candle again, this time with a zinc 52. I just started it. I also burned an eco 8 earlier, just as an fyi, and that sooted terribly. I replaced the eco 8 with a cd 12, and that seems to be too big, too. As you can see I am all over the map but I will get there eventually. I'm calling it the "scenic route". Thanks again, I will keep you posted. Sincerely, Gina