Mtngrl

Ahhhhhhhh, so that's the secret to a deep black .... 20 drops. Thanks for sharing that. :smiley2:

I do! I do! Esp since it was my suggestion heheheheheheh. Thanks for doing that, Donita. Can't wait to see the slide show.

You've got some GREAT colors ... that blue is to die for! I'd also like to know which wax you're using & what color type - liquid, chip, whatever.

The horse is sooooooo cool .... it looks like it's running on a beach. Not particularly fond of the color (maybe it's my monitor), but it's still a cool candle! Where did you get the mold for the embed? That is definately one of the best looking horse embeds I've seen. As HeirloomOriginals said, it looks like it would run right out of the candle if it could, which makes it seem more dynamic, active, than other embeds I've seen. Love the idea about personalizing the pillar w/ an initial. That's very clever & makes it a very special candle.

Your candles look lovely. Before I made any of my palm pillars, I had researched them on the board. I kept reading that some amt of FO should be added to the candle cuz that wax has a funny odor. I take it this is not your experience? If so, out of curiosity, where are you getting your wax? I got from C'wic when they were having a sale on it. I'm glad to see another chandler who doesn't scent every candle they make.

Thanks Sharyl. Now that you say it, it makes perfect sense.

I"m diggin' what you did to the container. The snowflake makes ALL the difference!

D'girl, I'm thinking, "damn gurl, you should do a bigger pix! :p" It's hard to know for sure 'cuz the pix size is so dang small, but ............ ................. ......................it looks really cool. Yeah, what she said ... details! details!

ROFL I've read elsewhere how to make 'em but I'm having a hard time visualizing .... Could you have someone take pix to demonstrate the steps while you're making one?

Donita, ..................................What could I possibly say that hasn't ...................already been said before? ...................................................................That 2nd one ... ........................................A vision of pure lovliness! GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY or editing software. ........................................................

Love your layers, girl!

Good 1st efforts! 'Canes aren't so hard It's all about technique. All?

ditto. For testing FOs, I love the 6 or 8 oz tins.

Donita, you're so funny! Yeah, we wanna see pictures!

One of my favoritest places to buy molds is thru www.pourette.com. They're in Seattle.

From a reputable wholesaler who lives closest to you! Best way to keep shipping costs down is to use a supplier w/n driving distance.

If you want a 'warmer' burgandy, you could experiment using brown. I agree w/ Satin about using a toothpick to add black, or brown.

Ditto. I posted this in a different thread ... "I have recently started to do just that [Does anyone test fos in tarts...] w/ wickless candles in tins. I now refer to them as my "testers". I was coloring them, but the next batch of testers I do will be just wax (6006) and FO because that will create more flexible re-use options later. I've been using an electric candle warmer at work, & I do get a full melt pool so the throws, depending on the FO of course, has been steller w/ some. W/o the risk of setting on fire papers on my desk, this has been a great opportunity to hear the thoughts of others about various FOs as they're walking by." One of my coworkers really liked the idea of the wickless candles. She has a teenage son who loves to burn candles & she has some fire safty concerns. Wickless w/ the electric warmers, in her mind, reduces that risk. Of course, there's always a risk, however slim, that there could be an elecrical short in the cord that could cause a fire.... As far as selling them .... I think each seller will have to figure out if wickless is worth their time depending on the dis/likes of their region. As far as the wax when the FO has been completely evaporated .... hell yes I reuse it. Lol. Again, I'm just experimenting, learning, etc. I would "refresh" the wax by melting it down & adding some new FO. Probably be most inclined to use the same FO or a combo of FOs that included that scent.

Another thought I had, the reason I largely use the polys is to work on my marbling techinque. Being able to see what happens to the wax when I use my variable temp gun, as Top was pointing out (wish mine had the two blowing options, though), is EXTREMELY helpful. Once I master the technique, then I'll start making them in my metal molds. Maybe then I might want to add FOs, but right now, FOs are just too precious to waste on potential failures. I have it in my mind that C'wics website expressed a word of caution about FOs in the poly molds. It's also something that has been discussed from time to time on this board, new & old. The thing about seasoning my mold I figured out through experience, observation, & putting 2 + 2 together. The 1st poly mold I used I had severely stained the 1st time I used it. The others are ... knock on wood .... stain free.

Lol, are you being faceitous, Gerrie? I'm fairly certain extremly so w/ some lines. Just some of my thoughts regarding scented candles in general ... for whatever they're worth, I'm just sharing an alternative point of view. Too many lighted candles at the same time & with the same scent could be overwhelming. So, in my mind, one scented candle burning in a room is sufficient coverage, at least for that room. Or, several burning candles w/ different FOs could result in bad combos, but probably a lot of good ones, too ... I have thougts about that, too, but I don't want to digress. One purpose of burning several candles is to create mood, to create a greater degree of illumination of a room, scented candles may not be necessary ... like, when eating ... say you're having a romantic dinner. Another thing, since container waxes have the best hot throws, I prefer to spend my FOs in container candles, more bang for the buck, so to speak. So, if you want to create both mood & a scent, why not 1 scented container candle & several burning pillars? On the other hand, if I were selling candles, I'd probably make a lot more of my pillars w/ scents, but right now, everything I do is an experiement. I don't want to waste resources by scenting EVERY candle I make. We're all painfully aware how expensive this craft can be, especially to someone who's only in it for their own pleasure ... as in a hobby. Hope that helps.

I have recently started to do just that w/ wickless candles in tins. I now refer to them as my "testers". I was coloring them, but the next batch of testers I do will be just wax (6006) and FO. I've been using an electric candle warmer at work, & I do get a full melt pool so the throws, depending on the FO of course, has been steller w/ some. W/o the risk of setting on fire papers on my desk, this has been a great opportunity to hear the thoughts of others about various FOs as they're walking by. It's good to read more about other ppl's experiences with the tea lights & melters. Thanks for sharing. :-)

Now that everyone is scared of poly molds, let me try to bring some good cheer, and some alternative suggestions to what's already been suggested ... I do agree w/ Top that boiling H2O sounds like a very fesible (sp?) plan. First, according to an email I rec'd from a customer svc rep at Candlewic, the poly molds have a heat tolerance of about 280*f. When I clean my poly molds, & all others for that matter, I heat 'em in the oven, let excess wax melt down the sides then do a wipe down w/ a paper towel. Second, it has been my experience that the real trick in caring for poly molds is to "season" the mold prior to making a candle by coating the interior w/ veggie oil (as in the type you would use when making brownies or a cake, Canola oil is what I use) & wiping away excess w/ a paper towel. Then, fill your mold w/ molten, straight wax, & remove when solid. If there is any residual wax, just place mold upside down in your oven w/ the heat around 200, or a little higher if need be. Once residual wax liquifies, wipe down w/ a paper towel & call it 'clean'. You have just "seasoned" your mold. This should help reduce the risk of permanently staining the plastic. Reduce or delay, anyway. I haven't had poly molds for very long, so I'm not sure about the long term effect of color on the mold over some period of time. Third, NEVER use FO'd wax when using the poly molds; make 'em scentless. According to Alan, a lot of FOs have solvents in them, like aceton (sp?) ... as in the same stuff in fingernail polish remover ....., which is why your molds will become opaque ... the solvent is etching, or eating away at, the plastic. You can still use the molds to make mottled candles w/o damage IF you use mineral oil. I assume parol oil would also work. I'm really glad I have some poly molds. I was so sad to not have any money when c'wic had 'em on sale 1/2 price. Can't tell you how bad I wanted to place an order! Anyway, try the above suggestions & see if that doesn't help.

Ahhhhhh, how sweet! Nice to hear from a man who's in love w/ his wife. I was beginning to think such things were just made up romantic notions! lol.

Yeah, 'canes always take a little work just to get down the technique. Keep workin' it girl! You'll get it just the way you want it before you know it. :smiley2:

Too bad that lady had her head up her a$$! How aggrevating!!!!! 'Canes look good. The 2nd one though looks a little too thick, but maybe it's just the perspective of the pix. How do they look w/ a candle burning inside?