Lantern Light Mama

I use C3...1 TBSP USA/lb of wax, 1 oz FO from JBN, regardless of scent, and all cotton square braid wicking. These wicks you wick up a size from what you think it might be, generally. I've also recently been adding 1-2 tsp of coconut oil per pound of soy. I'm here in San Diego county...obviously a very dry area-wildfires all over today. Luckily my home is safe for the moment. but I don't have the humidity problem, so I can't comment on that. I do use the diamond color chips, usually one chip per pound. Good luck!

I print mine on return address labels, stick them lengthwise on the tube and put on a shrink wrap seal with a tear away cap portion I get from rustic esscentuals. The shrink wrap stays on the bottom half protecting the label.

Dang...just reading the thread made me dizzy! Geez guys, can't we just all get along? I like how some folks said people are going to buy it because they like it. I like the fact that it is renewable, whether it's from china or the US or Africa, it's still something that can help any farmer. How green is green? Carbon footprints? We should all plant our own soy! It's about caring about the earth in the first place, let's not get so technical that we have lost sight of why we started using alternatives in the first place...to decrease our dependency on any one thing. In my experience, the soy does throw better than most candles available, so that's my marketing point. As well as it burns to the edge and you get full use of the candle. Again, proper wicking here. But, I digress...this could go on and on and on.

Sorry...I charge $10 for a box of ten. They are in nice clear tealight boxes in clear cups. Soy...

My tealights will scent a room as well...it depends on the sensitivity of your nose. My mom burns one at a time in her kitchen/family room. She loves them!

Totally adorable.

Softer wax...add coconut oil maybe 2tsp per pound.

Yah,baby! I like Stella1952's answer, because this has been my feeling all along. We just need to get over it. I store my candles in the garage, and as the temperatures change there, wet spots even come and go, along with frosting. I poured some new ones the other day, no wet spots. But when the temp. came down overnight, viola! Wet spots! I refuse to keep my heat running this winter for inanimate objects. I have never had anyone ask me about them anyways. Deep breath...and repeat: They bother me more than the customer. I need to stop being a perfectionist. These smell great. etc.

Stearic acid for sure. I use 1tbsp/ pound on the crystallizing wax. As far as the freezer...I have tried this. But you know what? Some scents will just not release at all. Coconut Vanilla was a real mess, and I think the Green Clover and Aloe was too. So, it may not be the wax, but the scent. Either up your stearic for those scents, or just skip it all together.

I use square braid wicking. I have a 5oz tumbler that I use #1/0 in and get a full melt pool. I just got in tumblers that hold 11oz of soy and put in #2 sqaure braid in. I just poured it wednesday night, so i want it to cure a few days before I burn it, but am confident that it will perform well. The square braid really is the best for soy because of how many fibers are in it. I get it from Pourette or Glory Bee Foods.

all cotton square braid works great for me in my C3. No mushroom, great throw, even pool, it doesn't really curl, I haven't had to test any others because this one works well.

I melt the soy and USA in the presto at just under 200 degrees...around 180 I suppose. I also melt the diamond color chip at the same time. When it's all melted, I turn off the heat, put in the FO which I measure with a shot glass from JBN at 1fl.oz./lb. I stir it all very well again. Then I dump it all into my pouring pot and pour into the containers. Some fragrances are naturally stronger than others, but they all throw. I've been adding coconut oil at 2tsp/lb, but haven't noticed much difference with the throw just yet.

You know what...I did start adding coconut oil from Majestic Mountain Sage, and it does give the candles an even creamier look and set. I use 2 tsp/lb C3 soy.

Can't tell if I'm just extremely lucky or what...you all seem to do exhaustive testing! Once I started adding USA, all these issues just went away. I have trouble just with a Black Cherry FO. I just do burn tests to see what the burn hours are. I get wet spots every now and then, but I just let it go...they aren't that ugly to me. I don't wash my glass, just blow out the dust! I pour fairly hot and heat gun the sink holes the next day. Viola! I also live in San Diego area, which the general weather may have something to do with it, I don't know. Keep up the good work everyone! It's fun to read about everyone's methods...we all learn so much.:smiley2:

I use the clamshells also and use USA in 1 tbsp/lb. I have had no trouble breaking them out. They aren't going to be too soft at room temperature. my customers tell me they never need to buy another because the one cube still smells great!

I use palm wax straight with 1 tbsp/lb stearic acid in pillars. I use cotton wicking. the square braid #1/0 in 3in diameter pillars. It burns very slow, and the edges are paper thin as it burns...very artistic. There is a picture on my site in the Gallery...hope you can find a way to do it in jars. The wax is so pretty I think the pillars really show it off. Maybe if you used a wick pin inverted into the glass you'd get a hole you could fiddle with a bit easier. When you pulled out the wick with pliers you might be able to reform the hoel with the pin. Maybe add soy to blend with it so it's softer? Good luck!

I use wicks from Pourette...I think they have unbleached also. I've used cotton wicks from Glory Bee Foods also. Don't use Cierra if you don't have to...they are more expensive in general, but great when you want to try small quatities.

Take a deep breath........let it go. Sounds like it's cooling too fast or not melting hot enough. I wouldn't wick down. Soy requires wicking up, if anything. You have to remember, things that bug us as artists don't bug the average consumer. We are all neurotic, remember?

I have always used Cargill C-3 because I wanted a pure product that I could add things to myself. I make candles for LiveGreen in San Diego, so it needed to be "green", which is also why I use all cotton square braid wicking. I have never had trouble with it burning inconsistently. I use all cotton square braid wicking and get melt pools all the way across my candles. I add Universal Soy Additive from Just By Nature and I don't get frost, no mushroom, and great scent throw. All of my fragrances are from JBN also. They test their fragrances in soy, so I know it works, and haven't had any trouble. I use 1oz FO/ lb for all of them and color diamonds from Pourette. I just hit the tops with a heat gun because I'm a perfectionist. I do get pits, but I don't waste time measuring temperatures because I always hit them with the heat gun anyways! Good luck!

It's been a while since I've been here! Here's what I do: Blend: Cargill C3 soy wax from Genwax Additives: Universal Soy Additive 1 tbsp/lb from Just By Nature Dye: Diamond color chips from Pourette. 1 color chip/ lb...gives consistent coloring. Sometimes I make my own color blends, but because the chips are all the same size, the colors are always the same. Wick: All cotton square braid wicking, burns about 0.1 oz/hour Prevent Frosting: The additive from JBN made a huge difference, so now it only happens when its super cold (I live in San Diego), but when the candles warm up (if stored in garage) it all goes away, so I just chalk it up to a natural product that I can't control...no one seems to care. Prevent rough tops: Hit with a heat gun before capping any of them every time, so subsequently don't even measure pouring temperature. I melt it in my hot pot just until melts and then put it in my pouring pot and take my time. Wet Spots: You can't control the weather...even if you don't have wet spots today, you might a week from now. Hoping frosted glass will make it less evident, but again the additive made a huge difference.

It sounds like all of you are farther east than me...I'm in California. I get my soy wax from GenWax in Los Angeles. It's NatureWax C-3. I use a universal soy additive from Just By Nature in Texas. I also get all of my FO's from them because they personally test all of their oils in soy wax to ensure the quality of the scent throw, so I haven't had any trouble with scent throw in any of my candles. They also test them for being skin safe, so if you make body care products they can match your candles, which is great if you do baskets. Call Janice at Just By Nature...she is awesome and I always end up talking to her for 10-15 minutes just chatting about things.

I use the Universal soy additive from Just By Nature...my wax was cooling too fast in my small jars so I was getting crystallization and stars. This has virtually eliminated the problem.

How do get these photos so straight?? I'm having a heck of a time getting the things to be straight after I put them in...the light bends and it comes out crooked! Is there a trick? Help!

Are these pasted on and then heat-gunned in?

Hello! I'm new...love the hurricane with the hearts on it. Is it actually embedded in it...where you hold up the wash cloth to frost over and everything? I've been doing that and all of my pictures have been getting the wax torn off the front of the photos when I pull out the hurricane! Do you wait for the hurricane to frost a bit first so there is more space between it and the outside? Or do you do it right off? Any ideas and hints from all of you experienced chandlers would be great! Thanks! Lisa