Mtngrl

The way I do it is to open Word. I use they draw tool bar to create a representation of the mold - there's a way to specify the eact size of the circle (excellent feature). I then create different size circles, smaller ones, to represent the burn area. So, for a candle that is 6" in diameter, you would probably want to start w/ 2" circles for the burn area.

I'm sorry, your question is a little unclear to me. Would you please rephrase? What I can I say, it's Friday & it's after 10 pm. I think I'm entitled to be totally stupid now. :rolleyes2

Ditto. It's too easy to put it in the freezer & leave it too long ... yeah, those cracks suck! lol

Those free samples are great. I'm sure Peak's truly beneftis from doing that. I've gotten some FOs that I would never have tried 'cuz it's a scent I thought I wouldn't like, but then I try it & usually like it or love it! Peak's seems to be very customer svc conscience; so, the next time you order online, follow up w/ a phone call to let them kow you didn't get one w/ your last order. They just might make your day & send you two. Let me put it this way, if you don't ask, you definately won't!

Those are very cute. I wonder what kind of paint they used. I think painting them is a nice touch. :smiley2:

Here's a way totally different from everyone else's... When I 1st get a mold, I coat the inside w/ vegetable oil, wiping out the excess, pour plain, melted wax into the mold & top off as if I were making a candle. When the wax is solid, I remove it from the mold & weigh it. I then make a note of the amt of wax that particular mold can hold. I know some vendors will include the amt of wax a mold will hold, but I've found there are some inaccuracies. When I'm ready to actually make a candle, I know the maximum amt of wax to use, & just weigh out that much wax on my scale (or just a little less), & then put it in my presto to melt. It's always my hope to end up w/ just the right amt of wax, but there's always some left over, especially since I usually add FO to the mix. I'm still new enough at candle making that I make no more than 4 candles at a time, & that's only if I'm feeling particularly mentally sharp that day. Most the time, I just make 1 or 2 at a time.

That's a good question, & I don't have an answer. I use 6006, which I know is a veggie/paraffin blend, but I'm not sure if that veggie is soy or otherwise. :undecided I do know when I burn the 6006 using HTP wicks, I get a lot of smoke & soot. It'll be intersting to see what others have to say.

I stopped making candles end of June, and am just waiting for cooloer weather to set in to start anew. 90's-100's w/ no air conditioning & very little air movement iin the kitchen was just torture! After a few weeks of not making any candles, I started test burning the containers I had already made. I discovered that the FOs I couldn't smell before, I now could. It's also been my experience that when I started using heavier FOs (heavier in the sense of stronger) in the candles I was making, I could then only smell those - none of the weaker/softer ones. So, my conclusion is that heavier/stronger FOs kill my ability to smell lighter/softer/weaker FOs. In other words, "candle-nose."

I've bought some from Hobby Lobby for like 50 cents (I think ... it's been awhile).

I use the liquid dyes from Peak's. I know what you mean about the math, I feel pretty much the same way. When I 1st got my liquid colors, I would melt 4 oz wax & add varying amts of color drops to get a better idea of what the color would like when solid. 4 oz - 1 drop 4 oz - 2 drops 4 oz - 3 drops 4 oz - 4 drops. Obviously, 4 oz X 4 = 16 oz = 1 lb. So, instead of testing a whole lb of wax, I just test 1/4 lb. If I like any particular shade, let's say I was making a 1 lb candle ... 1 lb wax to 4 drops color (1 drop x 4) 8 drops (2 drops x 4) So you see, we're getting back into math. Then I read that some ppl use a white tile. They mix a little color to their wax, drop some colored wax on the tile, let it solidify, & viola, there's an idea of the color you'll end up with. However, I find that's not really true, but sure does beat the heck out of all that math! I think you'll find you just have to play w/ the color a bit. Just don't have precise expectations on the final color & you'll always be happy.

Hi Tinwoman, welcome to the board. I re-use containers all the time. I set my oven to 150*f (which, for my oven, is really 200*f), I use a cookie sheet & line it w/ some newspaper. Anything that I need to melt out the wax, I just place on the cookie sheet upside down, let the wax drain out, & then wipe w/ a paper towel. For glass containers, I will then use a glass cleaner, which seems to cut thru the greasiness of the residual wax.

Embedding photos isn't that hard, but it does take some patience. The first one is always the hardest. I think that if you allow yourself 2-3 'canes as experiments, you'll feel really good by your 4th one. The first 2 I did I remelted. The 3rd one was pretty good, but now that I have it worked out to use one piece of paper the size of my mold, I feel confident that my fourth one will turn out very well indeed. The only thing holding me back is leanring my new photo software ... cuz the pix I want to use, have issues! lol. Hang in there, keep working it - you'll get it & be very proud of yourself for not giving up. I sent you a PM, too.

Is it my monitor? Those look brown; certainly not a fugly! :smiley2:

Lola, those are GREAT. Now I want something sweet to eat!

Those are really nice. Like how you did the layers.

Those are nice. What are they scented?

Those look great. Really like the pecans. LOVE that banana cream pie. If it was sitting on my kitchen counter, I'd be getting a spoon out of the drawer!

Hey Tracie, You're the 1st Tracie w/ an -ie. When it comes to wax most ppl recommend buying from a supplier close to you in order to save on shipping. Based on all the reading I've done, esp on the old board, Peak's is reputed as having some of the best FOs on the market. But since they don't carry all scents, I know many ppl go to other vendors to fill in the gaps. I'm going to send you a PM, too.

Loving those! They are dynamic & exciting!

Those are really cool, Donita. Love the background paper designs. Did you buy design paper (like the stuff they sell at the hobby stores for scrapbooking) or printed it on the paper?

Way to go Devra! Those are GREAT!

Ditto what Mary says. The best teacher really is trying it & learning from each experience. You just keep working it, Lola, they'll get better & easier w/ each one you do.

For getting back into candle-making for a week, those look fine, but for selling? They don't knock off my socks. Have no problem w/ the FOs. The designs are ... what? I think I've been visually spoiled by some of the candles here. The green, brown, off-white candle would be more appealing if, one idea would be irregular shaped chunks w/ the off-white as the overpour. The embeds are a little too simplistic, I think. I mean, the one with the leaf, I look at it & my mind says, "eh, it's a leaf" & then wanders on. I guess I would say that it doesn't hold my attn for longer than a second or two. Perhaps if you had more leaves, & different sizes could be more intersting. Same thing w/ the yellow embed. It's a great yellow, but after a second, my mind wanders off it. Maybe if you had some other colors? If those are votive size candles, I too would be concerned about a potential fire hazard. Last but not least, WELCOME TO THE BOARD! Look forward to seeing more of your creations.

I like those. I'm just curious, what scents would you have picked? If it were me I'd pick something that would reflect each of those countries, but since I've never been out of the US, I would be clueless. :rolleyes2 Don't know that I would have layered the scent, though. Ahhhhhh, the beauty of making candles ... there are soooooooooo MANY variations, & all of them good!

I was wondering how that would turn out ... I'm a bit curious if you notice any air bubbles since there is a depth differential between your flowers & paper. But from the looks of it, I don't see any bubbles. Do you find it easier to glue the flowers on paper & then embed rather than gluing the design on the outside of the shell?