PurpleHippie

I took it the same as Everito and not ripping any customer off. On a public forum there seems to be no way to know how someone will interpret a comment in advance. Different crafters, different customers and different opinions. Whatever works for you and your customer base is the "right" way to make your candles.

That seems like a lot of detail work! Must be very time consuming? I think it's cute!!! Is this a candle for burning or just a decoration type?

That is also my main problem with the Eco is that it produces a really larger flame, for me anyway.

I've had this happen with Jasmine FO. Using the same container and wicks it didn't happen with the other FO's. So I figured it is the FO since it hasn't happened with any other fragrance that I use so far.

Olive oil has a very unique odor. Wouldn't it possible interfear with your fragrance? Interesting additive, always good to experiment with something new. You are certainly creative!!!

KMommy, Interesting you reported that people who weren't told about the additive didn't mention noticing a difference. I had that happen with a FO that I was using that was later discontinued. I got another that was almost an exact dupe from another supplier. I had regular customers that purchased this candle and I didn't mention using a different FO to them just to see if anyone would notice. After 3 months of them purchasing this candle I told a few of them that the current stock was different FO and asked them to report back to me if they noticed a difference. One said it was stronger than the candle she had purchased the previous month. Another said it was weaker and yet another said the scent smells different. These were all from the same batch and the exact same FO as the one they had been purchasing for the past 3 months. The only thing that changed was my mentioning that something was different. I think the confusion with the amounts may be because different amounts were mentioned in a post regarding some possible problems. However, it sounds like the person was testing higher amounts than the 1/2 tablespoon and was reporting their findings. Maybe they didn't get the smooth tops with the suggested amount and increased it for testing. Glad it was mentioned because that would be something I would try just to see what results I would have. Since problems at a higher amount have been reported I won't go there!:smiley2: For Palm wax it may or may not change the crystalization. I know different additives have changed the look of some of my palm candles. Have fun testing ladies!

The blowing to put out the flame may have contributed to the soot you saw. I have always been told to slightly dip the wick back into the melted wax. I know that when I do blow the flame out there is a smoke for a while and that does get on the containers. Is it just in your wax or also on your containers?

It's been several years but when I added crisco to wax I had the worse smoke and soot! The wax was much better without the crisco. Kinda stands to reason when I thought more about it. Just look at what Crisco does when you heat it in a pan. I hope Top sees your post and chimes in. I bet he would have a good explaination. Not sure but I think there a post that may have already discussed the Crisco.

I couldn't find the post but it's been discussed before. It was concerning small rooms and lack of air flow or oxygen in the smaller rooms with the door closed. You might consider cleaning the jar and re-test with the door open. If that doesn't help it could be a number of things from the wick to that wick and FO combination or just the FO, or the FO %...so much involved in testing:undecided . Just throwing this out there...but there was also another post from someone a while back that was having soot problems with the tumbers with all of the wicks they tested. I believe the problem started after the wax burned down a bit, like past the mid section. I've had that problem with narrow containers. Keep us posted on your results.

Because of an issue that came up:rolleyes2 I added this to my lables when I made air fresheners "Do not use on pets." Can you believe? Gee, what some people will do!

That must have taken a lot time! I love rose!!! I like the suggestion mentioned above about maybe trying the tips with a different color on a few without glitter just to see how they look. You could also offer the rose in a solid color, some with and some without glitter. Thanks for posting your photos!

I wish I could hire you as my tutor to learn how to do this! Your candles are perfect!!! Good job as ussual:smiley2:

Pam -That is so pretty! Myrnamp - I am sure more of the pros here will be able to help with more information. I just wanted to say that there isn't just one type of wick for all Pillar candles. There are numerous wick types and sizes just as there are a variety of Pillar waxes. That is one of the most challenging and expensive parts of testing. Everyone has a certain favorite for one reason or another. Just make sure to use a spool wick that threads from the bottom of your mold and not a pre-tab wick that is made for use in containers. The Basic Instructions to the right of this screen where very helpful to me. You will probably be making lovely pillars in no time!

Mushrooming I could put up with but black soot covering my containers are a no-no.

I agree with Late Night. As a customer I would think of American Candle Company instead of your company. Plus I would think it would be difficult to cover up their name and still keep a professional look to your product. If it is a close out or discount store you might not be able to get those again. However, at that low price you could always buy some and see if you can cover up their name. If not, then you didn't invest that much money into the project. I'm just not that crafty so I know it wouldn't look professional if I tried it.

Strudel from Candle Science and Graham Cracker from Green Leaf smell exactly alike out of the bottle. Wilberry Mousse from Candle Science and Berry Creme Brulee from Milcreek smell almost exactly alike. There is just a slight difference, and I mean VERY slight difference. Maybe one is just a bit sweeter in smell or heavier in vanilla.

Now that's odd, the ones I have from Peaks and Bittercreek are the best quality I've ordered. I never got any from them that were cracked and they were always packaged very carefully. The ones I mentioned above were from a different supplier and the wicks looked like they were just shoved in a zip lock bag. Almost like when you drop them all on the floor and just put them into bag when your in a hurry. Peaks and Bittercreeks were always arranged very nicely. Peaks has good customer service, I think if you let them know about the problem they would be help you out.

Thanks! I would have never thought of that!!! Will do!

I haven't had my wicks vary from bag to bag but I have had them vary from one supplier to another. I ordered my usual wicks once from a different supplier and they seem to be a lower quality than what I was use to. The wicks have a coating and many of the wicks coating were cracked, broken or chip. The wicks were flimsy and bent. Plus they were packaged poorly. When I tested them they didn't burn like they normal should. I never ordered wicks from that supplier again. From that point on I just stuck to getting my wicks from one supplier. Sorry your having this problem. Do you have any of the same type of wicks left over from a previous order or supplier that you could do a test to compare with the current wicks?

Pretty good? No, it's awesome!!! Love the color and the shape!

I made one the way Scented does and the only problem I have is that the layers don't look Rustic. I poured my first layer at 155, let a skin develop and poured my next layer at 160. The first layer sorta has a Rustic look, looks a bit like frosting to me. The next layer is totally smooth, no frosting or Rustic look at all. Should I be pouring cooler than 155 ? Maybe the mold had warmed up since the first layer was poured???

I am not currently having a problem with soot but I've had a few in the past with certain FO's. I was just reading some of the older post and was wondering if people have noticed a soot issue with specific wick types. I saw that someone mentioned RRD wicks and I did seem to have more soot issues with those when I used them.

Are there certain wicks that are more likely to produce soot? I know there are many factors such as FO % and wax used but has anyone had consistent soot issues with any one particular wick type?

I like the LX because it burns straight without a "dancing" flame like the CD's always have for me. Plus the CD bends and I don't like that. Honestly the best wick for me in J223 has always been zinc.

I've also had luck with the CD14,CD16 but they do bend when burning. The CDN wicks are very nice and they have a coating especially for natural wax. I got mine from The Scented Bean. It's too bad that your wholesale person won't put up with a little bit of hang up because with some more difficult FO's the RRD wicks worked so much better. I'm operating on a much smaller scale than you are so I was just able to explain to my customers that the small amount of wax on the side would melt after the candle burned past the middle of the container. No one had a problem with that. However, your situation is much different. Congratulations on the account and good luck!