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thegrandedame

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Everything posted by thegrandedame

  1. Just a quick bump. Any thoughts on wicking my heart shaped container?
  2. I have another question about using old wax. I have a thick glass heart shaped container that I can use to put the old wax in, but it would definitely take more than one wick. How do I know which sized wick to use, and how many? 2 or 3 wicks? I can sortof eyeball the container and see that the heart looks like it would fit 3 8oz JJ mouths in it, so does that mean I could use 3 htp 62 or htp 73 wicks in it? Hope that all makes some sense...
  3. To the person who remelts old walmart wax to use for a new one. How do you know what type of candle to make (container? JJ? Pillar? Votive?) and wick to use in it? I have a ton of half burnt candles ranging from Partylite to Walmart, and don't want to throw the wax away, but am not sure what to make with it either. As a novice, I don't dare do any chunks or anything like that. Thanks all!
  4. I hope this amateur question isn't too annoying... Is there anywhere I can find info on how to measure out wax and FO so I don't have so much leftover at the end? I keep ending up with too much leftover after making my JJ's. Lets say I am making 2 8oz JJs. I measure out 1 lb of wax on my scale. When its all melted I end up with too much. Tonight I made 4 8oz jjs, so I measured out 2 lbs of wax. I ended up with more leftover than I needed to top off. What am I missing here?
  5. Another update on my burn. I still haven't made another JJ because my HTP 62 wick in my 2 1/2 inch mouth seems to be doing well. I did my 4th 3 hour burn this afternoon. The wax is about 1/2 gone, the flame has gotten a little bigger and a tad smokey and the wax is all melting to the edges now. The melted part is about 3/4 inch deep. Does this sound about on par for one of these? I think I will keep burning this all the way down before I wick up. I might have found the sweet spot. Also, I burned my votive again yesterday, and the flame was barely there, still tunnelling, and the melted wax was browning a bit. (I haven't added any color to my candles yet) Does the browning wax mean anything? Also, does pouring temp factor into how a votive burns? And, the containers I am burning my votives in provide about 1/2 inch of space around the votive, maybe even less. Thanks for all your input! This board is awesome. Editing to add: How do you determine how long to burn a candle?
  6. Well, the wick and the blackened parts of the wick that have dropped from the burning, is what I mean. If you remelt the candle, the wick ends up in the melted wax, correct? :embarasse
  7. In my votives, I used 1/2 oz of FO to 8oz of wax. Are you supposed to go easier on FO with votives? Also, when you meld down for a repour, how do you get any particles (wick, ash, etc) out of the wax? And, does the fragrance get weaker during all this remelting, and should you add more FO to compensate for that? Thanks all for all your help. I think what I will do tonight is make two more test JJ's, one with the same wick I've been using and one wicked up. Can I try some other FO's or do I have to stick with the same one? How much of a difference do the FO's really make when the container and wax stays the same? Thanks all... GrandDame
  8. Just an update. I did a second burn today on the tunnelling 8 oz JJ, and it did seem to melt the sides better. Its all melting now, and there is just 1/2 a ring of wax at the top left from the first burn that is sticking to the side. I will do another burn tomorrow and see what happens. With this in mind, should I bother trying wicking up, or does this mean I found the right wick?
  9. One more question from the amateur... how do you remelt wax in a 8 oz jj? Would I double boil the jar to melt the wax?
  10. To answer your questions: The diameter of the 8oz jj is 2 and 1/2 inches across. I burned it for about 3 and 1/2 hours. There is a little less than 1/2 inch of wax around the sides that didn't melt. If I wicked up from HTP 62, what would be the next logical wick to use? HTP 83? The votives, yes, I burn them in a fitted votive holder. There might be some room around them (they don't fit snugly or anything, should they?) but they seem perfect for votives. So, I could add scent in the pot I am melting in, pour it, then remelt the leftover wax for the repour? (obviously, it would harden by the time I was ready for the repour, correct?) Thanks so much for your help.
  11. Hi all. I've been working hard trying to master my candlemaking since my last post, and have come back with more questions. Even though I would love to master all types of candles, I decided to narrow it down to 8 oz jelly jar containers and votives for now. I hope a kind soul will help me with the following difficulties I am having: 8 oz jelly jars: I am using Peaks container wax IGI 4630. I've tried HTP 62 wicks. I am having a problem with the candle not melting all the way out to the jar. Is this called "tunnelling"? My flame looks good, no smoking, nice steady safe sized flame and I seem to have a decent scent throw. I lit it in my family room, and could smell the candle throughout the entire first floor of home within about 10 minutes. I am using 1/2 oz scent per lb, currently Peaks "strawberry kiwi". I have to confess I do not know my pouring temps. I just melt the wax, add the fragrance, stir for about a minute, then pour. Add wick after about 10 minutes. I wonder if that is the problem? Any confirmation on that, or other suggestions about what I can do to correct the tunnelling? Could it be my wick size, and how do I determine whether to go up a size or down? Any suggestions on what I should try next? Also, I am finding I need to top off this "one pour" wax. Is this normal? Votives: Using Peaks IGI 4794 votive wax from their kit. First of all, I am having to top off these votives, too. Is this normal? Second, I am having similar "tunelling" issues as I am with the container wax. I am using the votive wicks that came with the kit, so I don't understand why this is happening. I made some votvie candles with some hobby wax I received as a gift last year (the beginning of my addiction!) just to get it used up (didn't have the heart to throw it away) and I burned them the other day and to my surprise, they worked better than my votives I've made with my "good" wax! They totally liquified, melted all the way down to nothing and lasted all day, and the scent throw was phenomenal! (Peaks baby powder FO) Puzzling... For anyone who is still reading at this point (hehe) I also have these general questions: What do you do with a candle that is not working out? Waste the wax? Can you remelt it to use again? How would you get any soot or particles out? I was wondering if I could just make a "mystery candle" for my own enjoyment out of all the screwed up candles I've made. LOL When a repour is required, how do you measure your repour wax? I weigh out my wax, pour it, then when I need to repour later, I have no idea how much to melt. There must be an easier way to deal with this? Also... when you scent your wax, do you scent it in the container you are melting in? Or do you transfer to another container? I am eternally grateful for your help. I will wait for responses before I try again. I don't want to waste anymore supplies at this point until I have some seasoned advice! Thanks a lot....
  12. Do you use 1/2oz per pound with just the rose scent, or all of Peaks FO's? The other one that stunned me was fresh brewed coffee... sooo realistic!
  13. How many wick pins do I need? Should I have one for each votive cup I have? SHEESH, this is frustrating... I just spent $17 on shipping on this last order... Maybe I can think of some other things I might need to make the wick pin purchase more rewarding. LOL... Any ideas? Maybe some dyes... thats another thing I don't have right now. What is better - liquid dye or the solid chips? Opinions? I just sniffed all my FOs and lemme tell ya... impressive! The rose one was so realistic... I could smell the stem and everything. It felt like my nose was literally in the middle of an open rose. Breathtaking! (Peaks by the way)
  14. How do you all figure out what a lb of wax is if it is all broken up? How do you weigh it? I figured maybe it would be easier to just cut the slab into 10ths, then you'd know each hunk was a pound. Does anyone do this? Any reason why this wouldn't work out correctly?
  15. I forgot to buy wick pins... I do remember someone saying they were a must have when making votives. Any household items that can be used for the same purpose? (the purpose it just to keep the wick centered, right?) I got a kit from Peak that came with a pouring pot. How is a presto pot used? I have a wax melter that was given to me as a gift, it just melts the wax then the wax comes out of a valve in the bottom and into the container or mold. Is that the concept that a presto pot is based on? Thanks for all your help so far...
  16. Hi all! I am a candle noob and am just starting out making candles as a hobby. I got hooked when I recieved a candle making kit as a gift and I just received my first official order of supplies that weren't bought from a hobby shop. I've been reading for awhile, but still have a few questions. My first question is embarrassing, but I am going to ask it anyways.. (I feel stupid asking this...) How in the WORLD do you cut up the wax that you receive in slabs??? I've only used pellets up until now. Tell me there is an easy way to do it? I would love to divide it into manageable 1/2 lb pieces, but how??? Secondly.. I was reading some instructions that came with my voitve making kit and to be honest... I just feel SCARED now. Scared I might start a fire! Has anyone actually had wax catch on fire? It said it is preferable to use an electric source of heat, and I only have gas. Being a noobie, am I literally playing with fire or what? How bad would you really have to screw up to start a fire with hot wax? Maybe someone can make me feel a little more less intimidated so I can get started. I'm afraid I will go back to all my hobby materials because I don't know if I'm ready for the "big stuff". Editing to add a question: I ordered material to make votives and containers. Which is more difficult? Which would be the best to start with? Those are the two types I'd really like to master. For what its worth, I am only a hobbyist, just making candles for personal use and gifts... many many gifts. I hope to save tons of $$$ on gifts over the years... (teachers, friends, family, etc) Thanks alot!
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