soygirl

Usually my soy is smooth, even after a burn. Sometimes it'll get a little crystalized look. The only time I ever got the cauliflower thing, was when I remelted wax with FO and then made a candle. It got a cauliflower top the first time I burned it. I think it changes the chemical composition a bit when you remelt scented soy wax, and then pour a candle with it. That's just my own experience.

Yes, I sell wickless, and they are a very popular seller. I also sell refresher oil for them. Of course they are not intended to be used forever, but the glassware I buy is very thick and high quality, so they can be used safely for quite awhile. I've tested them for several months, and had no problems. I also stress the use of proper candle warmers (NOT mug warmers) on the warning label. I personally feel they are safer than a candle with a flame. Yes, you could have a big mess, if the glass broke, but not a fire.

I think the same consumers that like the potpourri simmer pots that were so popular 15 years ago, like the wickless candle concept. The problem with the simmer pots was that you couldn't let the water evaporate, and the wickless candles solve that problem.

You could try some different soy waxes, maybe the Universal Additive, but you will probably still get wet spots, randomly. You might want to think about a container that will hide them, like frosted glass, or textured glass. That will also set your candle apart from the average apothecary or canning jar candle, and possibly give it a higher perceived value.

I work a full-time job in addition to making/selling candles. I spend an average of 10 hours a week pouring either in the evening or on weekends. Plus another 10 hours per week doing website maintenance, bookkeeping, market research, ordering supplies, shipping, etc. I use presto pots to melt and pyrex beakers to pour. I don't make up a lot of stock in advance, and pour most on order. I don't do wholesale, because right now I don't have the time for it. Staying retail has kept me from getting in over my head with orders. I only do 2 - 3 craft fairs per year, mainly for promotional purposes. I work from my home, but I'm lucky enough to have a room solely for candle-making that was an old upstairs kitchen, from when the house used to be a 2-family home.

About 80% of my fragrances are from Northstar. I started out with FOs from Natures Garden and Lonestar, but as I started adding soy based FOs to my line, I found that I had less problems with the FO incorporating into my soy wax. Less frosting, less seepage. They seem more compatible IMO. I also use a few from MoonGlow, but there are some that Northstar has that I prefer to MoonGlow - Ocean & Sunflower in particular. They have the same name, but they don't smell the same.

Ok here's a list I made awhile ago, It may give you some ideas:

For kids: Animal crackers, fruit snacks, School supplies, Toys (jacks, jump rope, slinky, silly putty, barrel of monkeys, etc.), Activity/puzzle books

For girls: Hair clips, journal/pen, lip balm, fuzzy slippers, jewelry

For men: golf balls, golf tees, fishing lures, gourmet nuts, microwave popcorn, fire starters & a lighter

For women: wind chimes, suncatchers, picture frames, candle warmers, votive holder, wax potpourri and melter, Chai Tea, B&B products

For the environmentalist: organic trail mix, organic soup mix, organic pasta, beans & lentils, handmade soap, Natural B&B products, Earth-friendly cleaning products

For the cook/baker: cookie cutters, recipe cards, wooden spoons, measuring cup, baking mixes

For the traveler: Tissue packs, gum, travel mug/sports bottle, hand sanitizer, travel sized lotion, stationary, book (like “Chicken Soup” books), travel tin candles, herbal heat/cold pack.

For the gardener: seed packets, bulbs, gardening gloves, gardening tools, garden stakes

For pets: dog/cat treats and toys, doggie shirt or bandana, food bowls, ID tags, brush, nail clippers, toothbrush/toothpaste

For the executive: desk accessories, paperweight, stress ball/toy, desk puzzles, desk calendar, candy dish with candy

Actually, they list coconut oil as the first ingredient. Then hydrogenated soybean oil, shea butter and vit E, in that order. I know that can't be right, because that would be extremely drying with coconut oil in that high of concentration, and this stuff isn't drying at all. I think they listed the ingredients out of order. I suspect that the formula must have more soybean wax and shea butter than coconut oil.

soygirl aren't you afraid that if it gets moved and the embed falls over in the wax that someone will inevitably stick their hand in it to fix it? There's always one that will despite the hot wax don't move warnings.

I did consider that, and this is my reasoning: There are some risks associated with all candles and even wickless candles. Anyone who has ever asked about moving the embeds, I recommend to use a wooden skewer, popsicle stick, or something like that. I know that on the warmers I sell, the wax just doesn't get hot enough to cause a burn, even if you do stick your hand in the wax. If a person were to use a coffee mug warmer, instead of a candle warmer, the wax would get hotter. In that case, a bigger risk may be of the glass jar shattering after repeated use at higher temps. But in that case, there is no negligence on my part. You simply aren't supposed to melt a candle on a coffee cup warmer, just like your aren't supposed to stick knives in toasters. The consumer has to maintain some personal responsibility to safety. My wickless candles are as safe or safer than any wickless candle on the market. I include a thorough list of warnings and recommendations with all the candles I sell. I also carry product liability coverage, which is just a good idea for any business IMO.

Margie,

These are ABS:bow:LUTELY the neatest wickless idea I have EVER seen. Would you share with me (us) if silicone is what you use to keep your embeds glued to the bottom? I would think this is a challenge as people use all differ types of warmers.

Ruffle feathers?? I completely understand where your coming from as it could effect your sales if its imitated and done wr:mad:ng.

JUST BEAUTIFUL

I haven't tried silicone. It was on my lenthy list of glues to try, but I found another one that worked before I got to it. It's an adhesive that works specifically with glass, and is waterproof. Household Cement. It cures hard, like glass. You must have adequate ventilation, and allow it to fully cure. Will it hold for years? That I can't say for sure, and for that reason, I try to use adhesive as little as possible. Instead, I have searched for embeds that stand on their own, such as fish on glass bases, etc. Ideally, I would like to have the embeds custom made, so that no adhesives are required at all. That is something I will look into as my business grows.

Well, the only reason I can think of to not use Emu oil, would be if you wanted to market your product to vegans. Just something to consider.

Margie

Thank you everyone for the kind responses. I didn't want to ruffle any feathers, because everyone on this board has been so nice and helpful.

Fern-Marie, just keep trying. I'm sure you have some really creative embed ideas. As far as color goes, you have to keep it VERY minimal in order to not effect clarity. What worked for me was to make a color block using soy wax and liquid dye. Then I could use little shavings of that to give the melted was some color. One drop of liquid dye was just way too much. Selection of soy wax is really important too. Use the whitest wax you can find. I got a batch of yellowed wax from a supplier once, and I couldn't even use it for my appearing scene wickless candles.

Good luck in your testing,

Margie

My guess would be that the one that is seeping is the second one you poured. Some of your FO probably sank to the bottom, and thus ended up more concentrated on the top of the second candle. I always stir my FO really well, allow the wax to cool to pouring temperature, and then do one final stir before I pour the candles. I don't know if this will work with C-3 wax though. I've never used it. But, if you have to pour at the slushy stage then stirring right before pouring might make way too many air bubbles. I pour my wax at about 140, so it isn't slushy at all.

I get mine through Chempoint in IL. Their customer service is really good. They worked with me on shipping to get the cheapest method, and were very knowledgeable about the wax and the modifier. The batches I have received from them have been very consistent, which is important to me. You can check them out at www.chempoint.com, or call Leslie at 800-485-9569 x8517. The more you get the cheaper it is. They will give you the price break points if you ask.

Overall, I like the way ADM performs compared to the other soy waxes I have tested. It has awesome cold throw and good hot throw. I also think it is easy to wick. It is not a 100% soy though. I used to think it was, but it actually is a blend with 2% "other vegetable based ingredients". That's not a problem for me, since I add the Panalite modifier anyway.

Now I looked again and I see the description at the top. Duh! Well, I guess that gives you the feedback of the "not very observant" consumer. Maybe you could make the font bold for us dummies:D . Anyway, there's only one 'e' in heavy. I can spell, I just can't read. LOL!

I was looking at your decorative plates. They are something unique that your site offers. I haven't seen anything like them on other sites before. My suggestion would be to also show a picture of the whole plate, and also list dimensions and what the plate is made of. I think you need more of a description, so people know what they are. When you click on the picture for more detail, the inset picture is the same size as the original thumbnail. You probably want that to be a bigger picture. One other thing I noticed is that the word detur is used in your Ragg doll description. I think it is spelled deter. Overall, your site is very pretty and easy to navigate. I really like your logo with the pink roses at the top.

I had some women ask me at my last craft fair if my wickless soy candle could be used as a lotion. I told them I had heard of that, but that I wouldn't recommend it. They said they had tried one at another craft fair that could be used as a lotion, and asked if they could try my wickless candle that I was demonstrating. I knew that the fragrance was skin safe, and that my wickless candles don't get hot enough to burn on my illuminating warmers, so I said they could try it if they wanted to. I was curious myself. They each dipped a finger in and rubbed it into their hands, and then told me that it wasn't anything like what they tried before. They said my wax was "waxier feeling" and didn't absorb completely like the other stuff. I don't know what they tried before, but it wasn't my soy wax apparently. I was glad that I had some baby wipes along, and handed them each one to clean off their hands. I personally think it is a bad idea. I agree with LynnS, if they want lotion, buy lotion.

I couldn't help but notice that you're talking about my candle. Thank you for all of the nice compliments. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so it's nice that you like my idea enough to want to try it. I just want to say though, that it is not as easy as it looks. When I first thought of the idea, I thought it would be a simple as putting objects into a wickless soy candle. I soon found out that is not true. Many things that work with gel candles, don't work with wickless scene candles. I ran into all kinds of problems: poor clarity of certain types of soy wax, improper sized/shaped jars that impeded melt time, how to adhere the embeds, embeds that weren't compatible. I did over six months of testing on my Appearing Scene candle - making many different versions and melting them over and over and over. It was some pretty extensive R&D. After that, I even considered patenting the idea, but as every experienced crafter knows, that would be like throwing money down the toilet. A small company could never afford to enforce a patent like that. I also make sure that every consumer understands how to properly melt one. It's very important that they fully melt the candle every time. Partially melting a wickless soy candle, and allowing it to reharden, makes it slower to melt on sucessive melts. It can also cause the wax to develop particles that just won't melt at all. I don't know why this is, but it's true. It's just another one of those "special" qualities of soy wax;) While this might not matter with a regular wickless candle, it's an issue with scene candles, because the object is to fully reveal the scene each time it is melted. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not telling anyone that they can't make a wickless scene candle. Crafters "borrow" ideas from each other all the time, and that's just part of the business. As candle makers though, you can all understand the importance of a properly made candle. We've all had the experience where a customer will say they bought a candle from someone else, and it smoked or burnt badly, and now they think all candles are like that. We constantly have to convince our customers that our candles are good because they are handmade with extreme attention to quality. It is in our own best interests to help each other make a superior product to protect the integrity of all homemade candles. So, if you are going to make a wickless scene candle, I'm just asking that you thoroughly test it, and not sell a hastily made one that doesn't melt right.

Thanks again for the nice things everyone said about my idea. I am really hoping that it gains popularity and becomes better known. I think they are just great. Everyone should have one (or several). Oh wouldn't THAT be awesome:cheesy2:

Margie

Thanks for the tip. I will try adding a harder butter to it. That means I'll have to place another order. Eeek! My husband cringes every time another box arrives. I try to sneak them into the house now. If anyone would like to sell me a small amount (4 oz. sample) of mango or cocoa butter, PM me. I'd be happy to pay for the sample plus shipping via Paypal.

Thanks,

Margie

Well, I tried this combination:

50% Shea Butter

40% Soy wax

10% Coconut oil

a few drops of vit E oil & flavoring

It's getting closer, but still a bit softer that I want. Also, it looks shiny when you put it on, and I don't think guys would go for that look. I want my balm to be unisex. I guess I will up the soy wax and reduce the coconut oil by 5%.

Feel free to borrow it. It's my brainchild, but I have no plans to trademark it. I didn't want to call them "scrap" candles or something like that, because people would view them as being inferior quality. I made a list of possible names, and my husband liked "Candlaneous" best.

I remember wax lips from when I was a kid. They tasted like peppermint, and you could chew them, kind of like gum, until the flavor was gone (Maybe they still have them, but I haven't checked the candy aisle lately). I don't think you were supposed to eat them, but I'm sure I probably did. I think they were paraffin wax with peppermint extract. Would food extracts, like peppermint, almond or lemon extract, be burnable?

I agree, they are very pricey. I mark them up to make almost a 50% profit. That way I can still have a sale and not be losing money. They sell pretty well for me. I buy the Illuminating Candle Warmers, because people can't find those at a local store. They are unique. The thing I like about them is that they require no extra work on my part - so they are just profit. They also help my wickless candles sell. All those factors make the cost of having them on hand worth it to me.

I use a CD10 in my flowerpot votives.

I make layered jar candles with extra container wax. I call them "Candlaneous". I put a piece of paper under the jar and write down the scent of each layer when I pour it. Then I can put a hang tag with the scents on them, and sell them for the same price as same-sized jar candles. They burn just as well, and look really pretty, so why not charge the same, right? I agree about keeping similar scents together, because you can start to smell the next layer before the first one is finished. You could get an icky combination otherwise. If I don't have enough left-over wax for a decent layer, I just pour it into a container with other wax to use for fire starters.

Beckie,

Your booth is really great. The whole look gives a feeling of quality and professionalism. Where did you find the wooden crates? I've been looking for something like that.