coconut

Thank you for your input. Good advice. I do put a label on each candle with the warnings and also give out a handout with directions. However, I know some people will ignore both and just burn away. Not depending on the high-melt wax makes good sense. I do wonder, however, if the core of the wick is damaged when the tab is sharply bent to get the wicks into a flat bag. What do all of you think about the bending of wicks in general? Have you had any problem? Does anyone tab their own wicks to avoid this? :undecided

Background: IGI 4630 (Harmony Blend), HTP pre-tabbed wicks from Peak, 4 oz jelly jars FO at 6%. OK-on some of my tests, the burn starts out good. Quarter-inch melt, some hangup which later catches up. Great throw. But when the burn gets down to less than 1/2 inch of wax, the wick tilts over and gets long and then the flame becomes unacceptable large. (If the wick does not tilt, it curls and self-trims so no flame problem. ) I know, the wisdom says stop burning the candle at 1/2 inch. But this is a small jar and I know the customers will burn it until the wick tab puts it out so that is how I am testing the candles. My theory now is that the wick tilts because it is bent when it is stuffed in the bag and the high-melt wax is broken. Has anyone else had this experience and how do you handle it? BTW, the test jars were not preheated but I normally preheat my jars in the oven at 150 degrees, more or less (it is an old oven). I notice my Snowtop samples were carefully packed and not bent at the tab but they don't sell small enough sizes. Thanks!

Yes, a deskjet is an inkjet. Don't know if this will help, but most printers have a little lever on them to set the thickness of the paper. Try setting it to a thicker setting like "envelope".

I use clean coffee cans resting on top of a small round footed rack inside a pot, with water in the pot. Not precarious . Then I use handle clamp (bought on eBay) to lift the can, and pour into a tin funnel into my jars. To clean cans or jars: invert can on paper towels in a low oven (150-200 Farenheit, sorry, don't know the Centigrade). Wipe can out with paper towerls. If necessary, use a little commercial mold cleaner designed for removing wax from metal molds (candle suppliers sell this). Then you can wash with soap and water. Low budget and effective.

I hear they are getting socked with snow again out West, but it is 78 here and I am pouring candles in the lanai.... Figured you experienced chandlers knew about Peak's, but thought I would throw it out for us infrequent flyers. BTW, thanks for your great input and advice on this great forum.

Just wanted to share this with everyone. In case you haven't ordered from Peak since the website changed, you must now request your quantity discount when ordering online. When I did not see my discount on my last order, I contacted them to see what changed. Here is the answer: We have not been able to implement our volume discount onto our new website because it was a separate software program. However, we are honoring our previous volume discounts until we get something in place. Just leave us a reminder in the ‘special instructions’ area during checkout and we will issue the discount manually. The volume discount is 10% when you order 5 bottles and 15% when you order 10 or more bottles of fragrance oil. Greetings from Sunny Florida and my sympathy to y'all stuck in snowtorms. (Honest-been there, done that, moved to Fla.)

Sorry not to reply sooner, been wrestling with wicks. An orange dreamsicle is an ice-cream bar with orange sherbet on the outside and vanilla ice cream in the middle. Also called a creamsicle in some stores. Very common in the US but you are in Europe? Peak's Orange has more of a sweet smell, and a vanilla smell. Not unpleasant, but not like a real orange. I grow oranges, so I know what a really fresh orange smells like. If you search Candletech, other chandlers have listed FO they say is very orangey but I have not had a chance to try them. Regards, Julie

I have tested Peak's Orange in IGI 4630 (Harmony Blend). OOB smells like orange, but in the wax it smells like an orange dreamsicle, not an orange. I did not like it and my tester did not either. Sage Lemongrass, on the other hand, smells awesome and everyone that smelled it loves it. It has a very strong throw in this wax also. I have not yet tested their other citrus FO's.

I use the sticky gray molder sealer. I put a very thin layer on the bottom of the tab and press very firmly. I have not had any problems with the wick coming loose. I heat my jars at about 175-200 for about 5-10 minutes and pour wax at 165-170. Anyone else ever try this? Julie

This may sound weird but I use a dab of sticky gray mold sealer to secure my wicks to the jars. As long as I press hard, they stay stuck until I want to remove them and then they come off fine. I have not yet found any downside to doing this. Does anyone else do this? I use IGI 4630 wax and usually pour at about 165-170.

I received a complimentary sample with my last order a couple of weeks ago so they probably still have it. Julie