Lightning Bug

Welcome back, Geek. Have missed your input. Beth

Found the posts about spraying the cane with acrylic spray. Is it always a gloss (vs. say a satin) and do you spray the insides too? TIA. Beth

Thank you for the good idea...the level on top of the cane/pillar etc. That makes good sense to me. Running out to the garage and looking for a small one (he'll never miss it, right?) and off to try again. Beth

Isn't it irritating when you want them to be perfect! I have problems with some of the pillars I'm trying, but not as bad as with the canes (all three I've made, lol.) I think I will get my husbands level and see if I can adjust something. Been wondering if my water pail isn't flat on the bottom. Or, maybe they are always that way and someone will jump in with an easy answer. The pink came out a bit darker than I had planned, but it does cast a warm glow. I'll just add wax and use the rest for my next one and it should be a bit lighter. :smiley2: Beth

Hi. Finally got around to trying another cane. Decided to try dried rose petals embeded in the wax. Made several errors, but learned a lot also. Maybe my table is slanted or ? but The tops of the cane aren't near the same height. So I tried cutting some, melting in a fry pan etc. Still not real happy with my results. so, how do you do get or keep them level? I've read the cane instructions here, but being quite a bit off, I just kept melting it shorter, but still crooked. You can see some small holes but air could have been trapped when I tried to get the petals up off the bottom. I did tap. The inside is pretty raggy, but I'm going to try again and try to get rid of my errors. Also, can you ever get rid of the mold line entirely? How about keeping it smear free? At least I don't hate it, and it does have possibilities and illuminates pretty well. Next one will be better! Beth [ATTACH]14727[/ATTACH]

Hi. Do you need to use UV in canes? Not sure if paraffin yellows or just natural wax. TIA. Beth

Thanks for all the ideas. Well, now I have my retired husband watching too! Keeps him out of my hair...sort of. Maybe "they" hate to be stared at and act up accordingly. The paraffin is plain without any additives except what I add. I guess I'll just get out the mad scientist hat and mix up a bunch of ideas and try to keep clear notes in case any works. Maybe I should stick to wickless jars. At least, I don't feel alone anymore. Beth

Thanks. I guess I'll try different mixtures. Since paraffin is new to me, I haven't felt free to try different mixes etc. Seems everyone else can make perfect candles just adding stearic and I struggle. So, Top, if I need to have a lower melt point...do you think adding a % 130 melt wax might work? How would more FO change it? Guess I thought more FO makes it harder to burn. Boy do I have a lot to learn. I have two candle making books, but they neglect to mention all these variables. Hey Top...write a book and you'd make a lot of money. And this from a former librarian! Thanks for helping. Beth

Is it possible to wick a pillar that will burn for 2-say 6 hours, not need to be trimmed, not get to high of a flame and still consume the wax with a good melt pool? Seems no matter what wick I use, after 2-3 hours the flame seems tall to me...LX, cotton, zinc, flat or braided. And this happens even if I still have a 1/2" wall. I did try Top's suggestion and added another Tbsp of stearic and do think it helped but just wondering if I can ever achieve the wicking to burn the way I think the candle should. Using 140 melt para with (now)4 Tbsp. stearic and 4% FO. I will keep trying, but I am beginning to think I have some type of wick dementia. Beth

Not to steal the post, but just wondering, if you can, how do you make your own base? And, who has an alcohol free one? Beth

I tried it. When I opened it, I thought it smelled so strongly that it would overpower any scent and just stink. Emailed Peaks and they said no, just try it. So I did. Mixed 50/50 with Celtic Moonspice. Have it in my bathroom and is still smelling great after three or four weeks. I have turned them upside down twice. My daughter-in-law liked it so well that I made her one too. I'd love to try some other brand as the beginning odor was horrid, but it seemed to disappear so I guess I'd say it worked well. Sometime I'll try a less spicey scent to see how that would end up. Would love to hear what others are using (initial smell) and their results. hth. Beth

Just wondering if you find the flame larger and the burning wick longer as it burns and goes down? So smaller wick? It seems there is more wick there if it is twisted fairly tightly or do you just put a gentle twist on it. Does this question make sense? The wick is longer flat, so twisting makes it thicker like a bigger wick? TIA. Beth

We painted. If it is where the rafters are, there are articles about this...read one at the doctor's office but can't remember what magazine (maybe a 2007 Better Homes and Gardens?). They said it was due to rafters radiating cold down to the sheetrock and then the slight condensation attracts dust and soot. So the fix was to make sure the rafters are covered with insulation and not have it just between them. Now to convince the husband I can make it through the crawl space without having a foot go through the ceiling. lol. Beth

HI again. Guess I wasn't real clear...I am trying the Accu Soy 10 from Swans. Calwax isn't making it from what I gather. So far I like it better than the C3 but what works for one, doesn't always work for another. Beth

Hi. Just ordered a slab and poured a few different jars. The wax pours hot into warmed jars. No wicks yet. It is soy, so I didn't go for real dark colors, but no cracks, creamy and no wet spots yet. Haven't burned them yet as they probably need to cure for the best throw. So far, so good. Fingers crossed. hth. Beth

Hey funybuny...Hope everybody checks this out...the directions are so easy to follow and I can see why kids like feeling the ribbons. So many good ideas! Beth

These ideas are so good, I'm going to have to make more than one! Thanks again. Beth

The Farmer's market would be wise to encourage the youth of today...your son sounds like a sharp kid...and willing to put his money into the enterprise. They should let kids have the small table for just a small % of the take. It can't hurt the other businesses and who knows, in a few more years he might progress into a full time seller and then they would benefit. Everyone should be encouraging young entrepreneurs. Our newspaper just carried a story about a 17 year old that bought and runs a supper market in a small town in MN. And I give you kudos for letting him do the figuring of cost, overhead, etc. What a great learning experience you are giving him. Beth

No answer to your question, just wanted to say how great I think it is for him to be looking ahead at selling. We all should encourage kids to make things with their hands and imagination. I can't see why they wouldn't want him selling at the farmer's market. Good for him. Hope it works out. Beth

Looking at the figures again today, I wonder if they were talking ounces and not %. I can only work in grams, so switched it and using the wax, stearic and FO in ounces to grams, I come up with 6.54% FO load. Wax(439.9)+stearic(13.6)=453.5 gm. Then, (453.5)+FO(31.75)=485.25 gms. total. 31.75/485.25=6.54% load. Which isn't terrible. Jmho. Beth

Thanks. The scent is Bitter Creek's Bubbles and Lights sagebrush and pinion leaf. I do like those earthy scents. So off to pour again and add a bit more stearic and order some more wicks. While on that subject, what is the difference between 1/0 and #1? I take it they are not the same. The ones with the 0's are for smaller candles, but all square braid, right? Seems I have a basement full of wicks, but never the right one. Both seem logical answers, so will try again. They sure come out looking great. Now to burn. Thanks. Beth

Hi. Made another pillar and used a wick pin...makes it much easier to change wicks. The problem is I can't get it to make a meltpool that leaves less than 1/2 to 3/4" on the edges. It is 140 plain wax with 3 Tbps. stearic, 1/2 tsp vybar, some color and 4% FO. Started with a 24 flat, upped to a 27 flat, then a 30 flat. Tried a 51Z, LX22, Peaks 80C and lastly a Premier 790. Each burned for 3-4 hrs. but the meltpool didn't spread even though the flames got bigger and needed trimming. Thinking of wax memory, I cut off the edges and started flat for each wick...need to make a taller one next time. lol. It is getting shorter quickly! Finally the 790 has it down to a bit under 1/2" but the flame got so high that I needed to trim several times. So it seems I need a smaller wick so the flame stays smaller, but how do I melt the wax then? I've got to be doing something wrong. So, how do I get a fuller meltpool without a torch? Think adding a bit of container wax would help? Any ideas would surely be appreciated. Beth

Why thanks, and no, I didn't think you thought I wouldn't test. Actually I got 6 or so samples when I last ordered from Lyschel. Love her serendipity and woodland whisper. I have about 8 oz. of creme brulee cafe which seems real strong. Lyschel emailed me that some of my samples were her super strong scents and to go less like 1/2 oz per lb....they were pillow fight, ooey gooey caramel, neroli de la luna, orange tea and crumpets (not compotes). Ooey gooey and the pumpkin coffee smell great oob, but the throw wasn't very strong in my soy blend at the lower %. I know sometimes less is better and maybe the pumpkin coffee needed a higher %. I think the majority of her scents are wonderful. I thought the candy corn was icky oob but with her encouragement, poured it and turned out pretty great in the candle. I'll just try following her suggestions for the oils and see. What is horrible is that there are so many fine scents at all these companies and I can't afford them all! lol. This year I am going to quite playing and get making some great candles. Just poured my third try at a rustic today! So maybe I am not going to quit playing. Thanks again. Beth

Checking out more about C3 and went to Just by Nature's site (Where I got my 10 lbs quite awhile back) and saw two blends...the JW-6800 is a blended paraffin and the JW-9900 is a soy/paraffin blend. I just wondered if anyone tried either of these and know what they are. or how they worked? Then I wondered if the soy blend was the same as Green Leaf's 70/30? I'm tempted by both blends, but really don't need repeat waxes. Any info? Thanks. Beth

Your are right Scented. Guess the reason I hate to try the lesser amounts is that in most of the soys I've tested, you need at least 6%. The samples are only 1 oz. and if I use less and make a candle, I'm not sure I would have enough left to try a higher % without ordering more samples. I suppose a person good in math could remelt and add more, but I'm not sure about how to figure that out...maybe I just need to sit down with the calc. I did try the pumpkin coffee at 4% or so but not much throw in my wax. The chai tea and orange compote smell great oob and I want to use them next but just don't want to waste them. I realize you have to test each and every FO...have been doing it for 3 years, but thought if anyone had tried her super concentrated oils at the lower % with good luck, they would give me an idea to start there or go higher initially. Guess I will just go ahead and try. Thanks. Beth