Pam W

On 9/24/2020 at 9:05 AM, Candybee said:

One last thing I check on is the next size smaller wick or even the larger size once I have my wick choice made. Then I do comparison burns all the way to the bottom of the jar just to be sure I have the right size wick. This information you get from the burn can help you when you start putting in additives like fragrance, color, UVI, etc. Some may require you to wick up or wick down depending on the burn performance.

 

Once you start adding fragrance or other additives it can be a whole new challenge so it helps to know how your preferred wick(s) perform in the wax before additives.

 

PS: once I have my candle system worked out I do a final test burn all the way to the bottom of the jar. Not necessarily a power burn but burning as I would as a customer. A few hours here, a few hours the next time, etc. I keep a log of the starting weight and burn hours of the candle prior to each burn so at the end I can determine the total burn hours of my candle system. Since I sell I want to know the actual burn hours not any guesswork. Customers always ask for the total burn time and if you aren't dead on accurate they come back to complain.

i'm with Candybee here:  burn that baby all the way to the bottom of the jar.  I say this because I recently burned a jar candle gifted to me by a neighbor (store bought)....OMG, the initial burn and HT was to die for but as the candle burned down to about half way, the wick started to fizzle out and it would not produce any burn from there.  If I had created this candle and gifted to a friend, I would be so embarrased...kwim.

that is similar to the one that I have.  It is light weight and easy to use...

On 9/19/2020 at 6:41 PM, Kerven said:

Some organic solvents/volatiles(VOC's) include, but not limited to: benzene, toluene, d-limonene, ethers, acetone/ketones, acetaldehyde, esters, chlorobenzene, phenols, aromatic hydrocarbons... Many are used in the fragrance industry. Even alcohols fall into the category, but we don't see those with candlemaking.

AFAIK, nonpolar solvents can damage polystyrene; "like dissolves like". DPG and PG are semi-polar, and, from the chemical reaction charts I took a peek at, pure DPG and PG aren't likely to damage polystyrene after 30 days of constant contact at 68-122F. That's not to say they will never cause damage. There may be some clouding of the plastic. (I had an FO sample bottle that did this. I think it was Grandma's Cupboard from RE.)

 

Edit: I meant volatiles as in VOC's. They have high vapor pressure at room temp which causes them to readily evaporate. Top notes in fragrances tend to be volatile.

boy, are you talking over my head here...lol.  Any way, I use metal votive cups to measure out my oils

On 8/16/2020 at 1:08 PM, ShelleyF said:

I am not impressed with Just Scent fragrances. I find them weak and was not impressed. There are too many great companies that want our business. 

Ditto....:)

Mindy, it's time to start blending.  If you have an "old" FO that you are not sure about, blend it with another FO that you like and sounds like it would be complimentary.

If not, make melts with those old FOs

On 8/18/2020 at 10:37 AM, Karen Ov said:

I got the same email..I love RE.. I have never ordered from wsp, dont they have a 5.00 handling fee on top of shipping? I wonder if that will apply to RE's products 

Wow...this is really disappointing....love RE products but if I have to pay an additional $5 handling fee, I may have to re-think my purchases

Hey,....skip the cost of wick-stickums and use Yakey's Tackly Wax.  This can be bought at any craft store and the wicks can be easily removed as needed.  My thought is.....''why waste your $ on stickums when you can use something else that works better and cost less??

Oh BTW.......essential oils really do not do well in candles.  

On 9/5/2020 at 3:52 PM, BusyBee said:

You will surprise to find that any paper would burn better than wood wick.  First one is card board box and second one is folded regular copy paper.  It burns nicely, but it will produce lots of soot and after glow is really bad that it won't be suitable to make into a wick.  Now, if someone can make a wick that is in between paper and wood...

 

 

 

I've never experimented with wood wicks....basically because I can get a nice HT using standard wicks. My ultimate goal is to produce a candle that has a nice throw and fills the room with a lovely scent....So I figure that wood wicks would be a total waste of my time any money to do so.  

So my question to you is WHY do you want to use wood wicks ... what's the advantage??????

I use an embossing gun that I purchased from the craft store....it's light weight and produces enough heat for me........I really don't like using the more heavier heat guns mainly because I don't need THAT much heat.

Wow, that's a bummer cuz I use a lot of their FO!!

Last Xmas I found a  Xmas gift containing a Tobacco & Vanilla candle on my front porch....assuming it was from one of my neighbors because several other neighbors reported the same thing.

Way back when, I ordered Pipe Tobacco from Lone Star and didn't really like the scent but after burning the mystery candle and liking it, I decided to experiment:  I poured a candle using the Pipe Tobacco and added some vanilla (I don't remember which brand I used) and the candle scent came out pretty close to the mystery candle.)

Some times we have to create our own scents....kwim?

Wow!!  but I'd guess that if you are wealthy enough to spend $40 on a single bar of soap, that's your choice!!

what is the scent and how much are you using?

what scent and wax are you using? (pillars or containers)

On 8/4/2020 at 5:16 PM, birdcharm said:

 

What temperature are you at for pouring your second layer?  I think you should be at around 180dF for that second pour, if I'm wrong, someone will probably correct me, but I think it needs to be at least that hot.

 

I agree that the second pour should be hotter to insure adhesion between the layers.  Another thing you might try is to hit the top of the candle with your heat gun just prior to pouring that 2nd layer.

On 7/3/2020 at 3:14 PM, CaptnKush said:

Same answer as Pam W Can't beat it. Plumbers putty is so cheap and easy to find at any Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc.

 

I'm just guessing here but follow me for a moment:  I use concave molds so when I put the putty on the bottom of the mold prior to pouring, I don't take any measurements as to what the exact measurement of the wick is from the candle surface to the end of the final wick trim...I'm just guessing but I think the final length of the wick is ok and doesn't have any of the putty left on the tip of the wick......anyway, never had a problem :-)

Only problem I have with the putty is that I use only maybe 1/3 of the container before it dries up and becomes unusable.....oh well, I guess that means that I need to pour more pillers :-)

there is just no end to your beautiful swirls  👌

On 6/23/2020 at 7:08 AM, TallTayl said:

Does it leave any residue on the wick? 

I use plumber's putty exclusively when I use braided wicks.......no issues with it leaving any residue on the wick...and besides the putty is on the bottom/outside of the mold so it doesn't come in contact with the wick it's self except the very bottom end of the wick which has nothing to do with the actual burning of the candle.

I even cover the hole in the mold with a little bit when using pre-tabbed wicks.....just to prevent any unwanted leakage.

definately try up-wicking before you decrease the fragrance load (assuming your FO load is meeting manufacture's recommendations)

On 6/9/2020 at 3:54 AM, Shari said:

I use mine to shave my legs.  It's all good. 

shaving my legs is on my list of things to try........Ya know, it's just plain FUN to use soaps made by a CS member...and I can always count on Barb's soaps to be top notch😄

On 5/30/2020 at 7:43 AM, sarahmarah said:

That lather looks so decadent!

Looks like you totally nailed it 😊

The lather is as decadent as it looks....received a jar today and hubby is as happy as a kid at Xmas.

Pm'd you

...and when can I expect to receive my test sample????  I've been making hubbies shave cream with CP rebatch for the past several years but considering the quality of your soaps, I'm anxious to try a product from a professional soap maker....you have my address....lol.

Well how did the burn tests go??