Brentleecandles

Wow! Those are grrrrreat!!

nope, i'm not using liquid potpourri. Bought all the wrong stuff because I thought I new everything...then found this forum and went and bought all the right stuff

very good looking....maybe one day mine will look good enough to post

Yeah, I thought I would just go and buy a little wax, a little FO, or even liquid potpourri because it's cheaper. Then I would pour the wax into some molds (homemade not store bought) let it set, and watch the money flow!!! Boy was I WRONG!!! This all started with a book I bought at a discount store about making homemade candles. After reading the book, I took a stroll to hobby lobby and thought I was making my "business investment". That first trip turned into several trips a week, plus the trips to the dollar stores, wal-mart, home depot, and countless other stores getting new wax, FO, additives, molds, supplies, and the list goes on. So here I am now, hundreds and hundreds of dollars less, not a single wicked-candle made to my perfection, and a completely addictive new hobby that I have developed an enourmous passion for. I'm currently only selling wax critters, so I am geting some money back, but it seems as each day passes, I see something new that I have to attempt and that means more money going to supplies. It's amazing how that works. I've attempted just about every wax product I can think of, but I'm still nowhere near the SAFETY and perfection I need to be to even give a wicked product away, let alone sell one. So I'm dipping away at wax critters, and pouring away at tarts. If I'm not doing that, I'm spending countless hours on this wonderful forum reading and researching. And then there's the experiments with 'canes and balloons. THOSE THINGS ARE ADDICTING! And finally, I have to blame DONITA for sparking my interest in pressed flowers. I've joined thier Yahoo! group and went on a walk around the neighborhood picking flowers earlier today. Well, I just wanted to vent and say thank you to everyone who is a member of this forum for inspiring me to take on not only one, but two new and very enjoyable hobbies. By the way, I see soaps and B&B in my future. So to everyone that thinks that you can profit from candles...GOOD LUCK. Perhaps one day down the road I will have perfected the art enough to actually sell or give someone a candle with my name on it. Until then, may I pour many pots, and meet many great people here at CandleTech. -Joe- http://www.myspace.com/133226919

YIKES!! Well, I'm batting .500 now, My first attempt was great.....and then came balloon #2. I thought al was going well until I heard a nice little pop! Is there anyway to remove water from wax? I had about 8 #'s in my pot when the balloon busted and I'd hate to see it go to waste.

I see says the blind newbie!! Thanks for the help

i mean after you pull it out of the pot, what do u secure them with? sorry for the dumb Q's Joe

if you don't mind, what do you use to keep the balloon suspended? Joe

when making balloon candles, once you remove the balloon from the wax, do you set in down, or suspend it somehow for cooling? thanks so much Joe

I know this may sound like a dumb question to some, but what is the importantance of heating the wax to 180 +/- and then allowing it to cool before using it in certain applications? What is the difference with just melting it to say 150 +/- and then using it right away without having to wait for it to cool? The reason I'm asking is because I'm new to candles and I like to know the science of the wax so I could possibly experiment with different techniques. Sorry for the long question. Thanks, Joe

does anyone know of any soap making magazines that talk about, ideas, advice, trends, and whats going on in the industry i.e. new products?

does anyone know of any candle making magazines that give advice, ideas, and show what is going on in the industry i.e. trends, new products, ect.?

thanks for all the help. I'll get the hang of it soon. I hope

i know this may be a dumb question, but when making wax critters, can i use frangrance other than FO? the critter won't be lit, so i don't thnk it poses any danger, but i'm still a newbie. I was thinking of using some scents that i have in Bath & Body oil or Potpouri oil.

thanks for all the advice. I attempted to make a 5" cane with hobby store wax and had a disaster. Maybe I tried to early in the learning stage, but its so hard to not attempt all the fabulous candles that are discussed and displayed in this forum. Thank you all for the countless nights that I get absolutely no sleep because I'm reading the forums until I hear the birds chirping.

I'm a newbie and was wondering if there are any suppliers in the Panama City, Florida area?

those look great....hope someday I'll hear the same about mine

Okay, so I attempted to make a hurricane shell with a picture of my daughter embedded in it and it turned into a disaster. I'm a newbie to candle making and maybe I'm attempting this to early, but I had to try. I'm using straight parrifin wax with no additives. I poured the wax and then applied the picture to the edge of the mold and held it in place until a film cooled enough to hold it in place. After that I let it cool to form a 1/3 inch shell. Then I poured the rest back into the pot and let the shell cool completly before I removed it from the mold. Thats when my heart sank. The wax around the photo completly fell off. Can someone please tell me if it was a rookie mistake or have any advice before I attempt it again?

Not sure if this will work or not, but what about putting "inspired by" before the scent name. I see it all the time for perfumes and colognes. Not sure it would have any legal bearing but it's a thought

Thanks so much, I found a bourbon and coke scent and that seems to be as close as I'm gonna get. Has anyone had experience with Taylored Concepts?

I'm looking for a scent that would replicate Jack Daniels and Coke. Does anyone have any suggestions about where to buy or what scents to mix?