Candles by Lisa

If you do a google search for Decal Papers you will get a lot of companys doing them. Just check they are suitable for candles (i.e. melt along with the candle).

Lisa

Hi Keith,

My birthday is next month too so Yvette had a great idea asking for birthday presents of candle stuff. I will be doing the same. Pity about the Palm though but who knows what you will get in the future.

Keep us up to date with what you get in.

Cheers.

Lisa:D

Absolutely gorgeous, I wish I could paint like that.

Lisa:D

Hi Yvette,

I use roughly 10% too, found I didn't get a very good effect with the straight Paraffin wax less than that, but that might just be me doing something wrong.

Nope that's not one I have come across, dropping, smashing, breaking them in transit but never melting in transit - don't want to say that too loud knowing the Royal Mail they will use that one as their new excuse!!!

lol

My mum never used to use candles for the fact that they either tunnelled down the middle or dripped all over the place. I gave her some of mine and she is totally converted. I am always getting jars and glasses back for refilling.

Lovely, the colours go really well with each other. Will got down a treat - excellent for a good cause.

Lisa

I think you can buy dipping vats. I have used a tin for storing spaghetti as it is long and thin.

Hope this helps.

Lisa

I have seen these candles in stores across the country. Just the average kind of candle one would buy while grocery shopping. They come in various sizes and colors and have a pretty little "coin" tied on. Jante is the company. I thought it would be a good idea to buy one and see how an "average" candle burns. We all worry so much about our melt pools and how our candles burn....guess they didn't test this one. (smile)

It has had three, three hour burns. It is tunneling like crazy and getting a bulge. Just found this to be interesting.

Now....I have bought more expensive candles and they burn much better....but again.....this is what is on the shelves for the general public. Donita Louise

Just shows you how hard we come down on ourselves for the tiniest of flaws and yet they sell this sort of a rubbish by the truck load!!

Lisa

Hi Yvette,

Really lovely how did you get the pink one so pink?

Remember pics of them burning.

Lisa

It's lovely but keep burning and you will find out if you burn out the bum lol.

Lovely mold too the one that I have has straight edges.

All the best.

Lisa:D

Hi Anjie,

I'm not too sure about the wick but I have got a large 3 wick heart mold. You will get a bit of waste on this shape of candle because (and this is from experience) of the shape of it. At the top (where it looks like a bum is the only way I can describe it) the join in the bum melts faster and you run the risk of the wax pouring over the side (again this is from experience, I heard a sound like running water and twigged it was the wax gushing out).

Not much help I know - burn and see what happens (that's what I do, if you get a gusher go down a size and see if that works).

All the best.

Lisa

Hi Wick,

Where abouts on e-bay can't find it. Knowing my luck gone already.

Cheers.

Lisa

I'm off to have a look!!! Nosey me as usual!! lol

Lisa

That was a lesson well learned Wick. No sticking fingers in mouth with hot wax on them!

Hope you are okay. I did that once but I hadn't primed the wick enough. Went up like a blow torch. Nearly took my eyebrows off!!!

Do you know what kind of wax was used. Is it palm wax? Excuse the ignorance we don't have a great range of waxes in the UK at the moment.

Lisa

as a candle maker running a business in the UK - if I want moulds, I'll buy them from the USA myself as they are light, cheap and easy to buy with no customs fees. There are several people already bringing in metal moulds, like sensory P, 4candles, stillturning etc. Then there is fullmoons, candelights and others who cover the market for polycarbonate moulds.

With moulds, once you have one, you have one. It doesn't run out, it doesn't wear out, and doesn't need replacing unless you damage it. Candle makers in the UK can afford to get them from the USA themselves, as they are light and cheap and because they are not a high value item, you will rarely get charged customs on them when bringing them in for yourself. However, YOU would be charged customs as you will be bringing in larger quantities - and that customs fee will need to be loaded onto the price of the moulds.

I don't think selling metal moulds in the UK is going to make you a millionaire, or even provide you with a living but I could be wrong.

I agree up until a point. If however like myself you only have a small budget the cost of getting moulds etc shipped over from the US is too expensive. I would rather by from a UK supplier (who will be a bit more expensive than the US) but wouldn't have nearly the same amount of carriage costs.

Lisa

I've got the same problem Wick. I just can't picture what you are actually finishing up with. Does anyone have a pic of the finished product?

Lisa

Hi,

There is definately a market out there for this sort of thing. I would be interested. I don't know the customs and things like that but keep me posted with what you decide to do.

Best wishes.

Lisa:smiley2:

You wont know what the true color is untill the wax cools.

Color in melted wax is lighter than colled wax. A drip of wax on white paper WILL NOT give you the finished color, close but not exact. You need to pour up a sample in a paper dixie cup, then when the wax cools just peal off the cup. This way you will know the exact color of the wax.

I agree with that. I was looking for a dark green. I would test a spot of wax on the counter and think that's not dark enough and add more blue. When I poured the candle all was fine until the candle set - it was near enough black!!!!

I have done that a few times but it is generally when you are trying to rush things. I remember I had a pound of wax in the pot put it on the counter after taking it out of the boiler but I had only balanced it on the edge of the counter and you guessed it it came crashing down. I had wax everywhere, all over my shoes, my clothes, the whole kitchen was covered in it because when the pot landed all the wax bounced right out of it an all over the place - ow it was a mess. I spent hours and hours scrapping the cupboard doors, the floor, the walls, the bin everything. It was so bad I ended up having to do the brown paper trick and iron the cupboard doors and walls.

That was a lesson well learned - never ever leave a pot of just melted wax anywhere near the edge of the counter top!!

I use a fork to whip the wax when a skin has formed on the top. Use the same fork to put onto the candle. This works quite well if you all ready have a wick in place - I make cup cake candles and pour the base of the cake and put in a pretabbed wick. Let it set then put the whipped wax on. When I use the fork the wick can get fed through the prongs in the fork (hope this makes sense). You can't make a whole candle out of whipped wax because of the amount of air used it would melt too quickly.

All the best.

Lisa

I never thought about Pringle Cans or Bisto cans and now you mention it my nice new silver Tea, Coffee and Sugar jars are just about the right size!!!!!

I think the 4 stars are good but who knows.

You are putting me to shame. I sat the other week and went through what it cost me to make a candle per ounce - my god my brain was confused but realised I had been selling them for less than I should - but that's what I get for being lazy!!

I am going to take a leaf out of your book and get organised!! I promise I will.

You have to come and sort me out too! Having said that I am setting up spreadsheets for my formulas now (transferring them out of the old dogeared note books).

All the best.

Lisa