Judy, USMC

Oh Yeah! Thanks for posting ... gotta get my order in. Of course have to scan the other oils 'cause I can never just get one aroma.

For those of you who have never used this oil and want a sample - let me know by PM. I have a bar of CP soap that was made a little over a year ago. I can cut it into skinny slices and would be willing to send out samples. For those of you who work with wax and just want to smell it I have a bath bomb I will crush and put a bit in a baggie.

In order to judge exactly how many samples I need I will open this offer up for one week - Or until my supply runs out. I will mail all samples next Monday (Feb 18th.) When you PM please give me the mailing info and if you want soap or bomb. The postage will be my treat ....

Votives are not pillar candles and should be burned in a designed votive holder which have sides slightly taller than the votive. Wax actually increases in volume when melted. If an overflow occurs it may damage your furniture.

Some container candles can get very hot so always place them on a protective surface.

If burning a container candle extinguish the flame before replacing the lid. (Yep, one of my customers thought the best way to extinguish it was by "oxygen starvation.")

These are the ones I've found. They are not the Malibu's but are very similar to commercial lotion tubes.

http://expresstubes.com/product-by-oz.aspx Scroll down to the 4oz capacity ... I think the one you are looking for is the first on the left. They have a product info tab. They're in Washington state.

Doing a comparison, these guys may be your best bet. They are in California, have a great variety and will work with you on a smaller qualtity (at a higher price of course): http://www.bottlesjarsandtubes.com/LDPE-Plastic-Tube-Packaging-Supplier-Tubes-On-Demand-s/26.htm

I'm sure that if you want a lesser quantity than what either company is willing to sell they can refer you to one of their distributors. HTH

Need more information. There are several options that are soft tubes if that's the kind you are looking for.

Do you want one that you fill from the crimped end that you seal yourself (the sealer is a special heavy duty crimper);

one that you fill with a syringe through the small orifice;

one that has a plug where you fill it through a larger opening and then put in the plug that has the small orifice

or one that has a screw on applicator?

I wonder why so high in price whenever they told me 25 pounds would be around $650 plus shipping.

She may have quoted you the manufacturer's price - what she would have to pay for it. Or maybe she grabbed a number out of the air without checking. If she had the manufacturer do a drop ship for direct sale for a co-op she wouldn't have to do anything with it.

The $56.90 may be the manufacturer's price plus shipping to her times 2 (double the price to pay for the 1# bottles & caps plus her profit margin.) OR, hopefully, she just mis-typed the price quote to 8-Gran-Ones.

I doubt at that price she would get the pre-buy minimum she wants. And if she won't divulge the manufacturer or has an exclusive right to the formula, I personally would probably do without ordering from her. If someone were willing to host the co-op - AND - if she were still willing to meet the price quoted to smellywax ($26 per pound plus shipping to the hostess) I would commit to that plus money for bottles and hostess fees.

$30-34 before shipping to me sounds reasonable.

Big question still remains - would it still be "skin safe" ?

No experience with that exact wick but with the zinc core I would expect it to remain upright.

A candle is, by definition, wax or tallow that encircles a wick which, when lit, give off light. So if you want to get into candlemaking you need to choose only between pillars or container candles and then start selecting the wax you want to use.

Tarts/melts are just scented wax that has been poured into some sort of a mold. These are usually discussed in the Home Scenting section.

I started making candles. Now I make candles & melts among other home scenting items.

I also asked them, if they could bring it back, with a pre-sale price like they do other scents..that they are wanting to bring back in..

I have not recieved a reply to that question..

But if they would do that..it would be alot easier for everyone..we could just order directly from them..

I will post here when they reply...

Agree that ordering directly from them would be easiest. And with the posts here it looks like 10 pounds is a very easy goal. Guess the only thing left is to see if it is still body safe. Thanks for posting and keeping us up on things 8-GRAN-ONES.

I've known some people who have spent good money getting FOs duped. Turned out to be a wast of money for some of them. While the dupes worked well in candles the performance wasn't there for B&B or soap. Just because it smells the same didn't mean it was a composition duplicate. I'd be in for a pound or two if it was from the same manufacturer's original formula that worked well.

Do I understand that they the supplier is willing to order it and sell it from their site - or - would this be a co-op and the FO would be shipped from them to you and then on to us? Of course, for $30 a pound, I would expect the supplier to get the assurance from the manufacturer that it is original - and also whether or not it meets current IFRA regs.

I've found out that manufacturers will sell FOs that have been specially formulated for a customer if that customer has not ordered in a year or two (or another period of time as specified when the formulation was made.) That would make it cheaper since the supplier wouldn't be involved. The problem is identifying the manufacturer since suppliers can deal with several.

But my mailbox is across the street, coming out of the curve. I've been thinking about moving the mailbox, but I figure he would have some kind of complaint about that too.

If you'd like to move your mailbox all you have to do is draw a diagram. Show where the box is now and indicate where you would like to place it. On his way up the mountain (if I understand correctly) your box would be on the right side of the road and he could safely dismount. And then take the diagram (and photos if you could manage it) with you when you go see your Postmaster. In a lot of cases they will approve it. However if your box is currently co-located with others relocation may be disapproved with the justification that making another "stop" would decrease fuel efficiency.

Worst that can happen is they say no.

The biggest change that affects me is the Flat Rate boxes. Medium up a buck to $12.35 and Large goes to $16.85. I didn't notice if it said anything about Regional boxes ... fingers crossed they stay the same.

Postage going up on letters and packages, too. Don't know how this will affect the shopping carts of any of you who have webstores. Here's the link:

http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_114.htm

I used my new one I just got a Kmart with this sale and noticed compared to older ones from at least 4 years ago the new ones are a little bit smaller. Am I crazy or has anyone else noticed this as well?

I have the old ones and they were 8 quart. I believe the new ones are only 6 quarts. They are smaller ~ you are NOT crazy, Hay Creek!

Hi Granni - Just wanted to throw in a couple of personal observations/opinions. If you are getting a good throw and only have a bit of film on the inside of the glass you should be happy. So many here struggle with soy hot throw. And, as you can see by your soy/para blend, anytime you change up your wax blend the throw will change and you may need to change the wicking also. Even putting additives in may cause throw and/or wicking issues. Then it's back to testing. It's exactly like going back to square one when you start playing with additives or blending your own wax combo.

If the wax looks murky you may want to bump up to a hotter wick. Hot wax is always clear. But please keep in mind that overwicking may affect the scent throw and may cause some problems as it burns at a lower level in the jar. I've found a lot of store bought candles are over wicked ... the faster it burns the faster you will need to go to the store for a replacement which is a great profit maker. HTH

ETA: Thought about this a bit more and maybe just changing the wick to a different type may give you what you want. So may varieties out there ... CD, HTP, RRD, LX and on. Just means more testing - but that seems to be a never-ending chore!

It could be any of the things you mentioned. I've never poured outdoors, have no idea what that wax is, and never put a candle under a box to "cure" unless it was palm. I have pre-heated glass containers and I do know what percentage of FO I use. Sorry, can't help more.

Wow! I'm getting to post with a Marine! I am assuming that it is you who is in the Corps and not a spouse or relative.

Yes, I am the retiree. I'll email since you your pm capability isn't in place yet.

Keep testing, no matter what method you like to use, but keep an eye on your inventory. Try not to be as foolish as I have been.

There are many of us who started out buying all 3 or 4 or 8 or 14 of a specific aroma to compare against one another. And then why pay $2.50 for one ounce when you get a pound for $16? Now there are 15 ounce bottles just laying around collecting dust ... or 3 of an aroma that are exactly the same because they are from different suppliers but the same manufacturer. If I had it all over to do again I'd follow Scented's advice.

Wasn't he the one with an exaggerated post count, like hundred thousand gazoodles of posts?

Yep ~ 885,475,972 and was last here lurking in November. Everyone is welcomed here - and I still give kudos to Peak for being the sponsor. It's great to know that members "from other boards" have a great place to come!

And please don't forget about the Bridal Shows. If you don't have a line for the Wedding Reception you can always develope something for use at the Showers.

Another local source is your newspaper (hard copy, not the internet version.) See if there is anything upcoming in their local events requests from churches or other fundraising events.

If I told you the first thoughts that came to mind, I would never get off of probation!

Oh, I can see it coming now! Do you know a man whose nickname is DustPuppy? Got in trouble ALL the time ... but then again he had NO filter in the off-topic area. Geez, I miss him!

I want to say Lebermuth...

BINGO! Thanks Beth. Thanks NurseNancy - didn't know about New Directions.

I know I've seen them ... they're 1 or 2 pounders; not talking about the large quantity drums. This should be quick & easy since I think there is only one who does it.

Poorly burning candles will produce more of the fuely odor, due to incomplete combustion, the same thing that causes soot production.

Alan - Just wondering how to incorporate the fragrance oil load with your incomplete combustion statement. Can an abundance of a "citrusy" fragrance load cause a poorly burning candle? Just asking because when I used 9% I did notice the fuel smell and had some minimal sooting but when I backed down to 7% the soot and fuel odor resolved. Could it be something in the chemical composition of the citrus FOs that affects the combustion and, as an adjunct, will throw the fuel odor if used beyond a certain percentage? Hope you can understand what I'm driving at ...

A couple of years ago Impact was manufacturing them (the little larger ones with the indented circle on the bottom of each of the 6 cubes). When Impact discontinued them I found them @ ICS. At that time they told me they had their own mold ... but I don't know where they are manufactured.