izzy2

I recently ordered some supplies from another US supplier and when the goods were delivered to my door I had to pay another $23 CDN on top of the $35 that I already paid for the goods. Is this for duty/customs? Whenever I order from Peaks I don't pay anything extra. I know Allan does something so that we don't have to pay the extra. Will other suppliers do this? If someone sent privately would I still have to pay the duties? I want to order some apothecary jars that I can't get from a supplier in Canada (the ones with the metal lids) but if I end up having to pay a lot more for duty etc it's not worth it. Can anyone chime in here?

hmmm, no wonder us women are challenged when it comes to measurements! Kudos to you Bruce for actually telling the truth! LOL

I just received some samplers this week and was letting my DH sniff them. His buddy was over and said the candle I had burning smelled awesome and asked if I made it. I said yes and my DH then says "do you have any done that he can get". I replied no that I was going to do some testing this weekend and he looks at me, rolls his eyes and says "yeah, more testing". :rolleyes2 I think he thinks that this is just another passing fancy for me and I'm using testing as an excuse (to not get my product out there). They just don't understand the wick thing. Hell, I don't blame him. Neither do I sometimes!

Welcome! :wave: I agree with everyone else. Get a starter kit and experiment with different waxes. I'm not sure which is a better wax between parafin or soy (I am currently trying out IGI 4786 for containers) but I think it may come down to personal preference. Order a sampler pack from Peak's (their FO's are amazing) and try them out. I'm still in the testing stage myself so still have a lot to learn. Your first step was the best one and that was coming here to this board where everyone is very friendly and willing to help. I've learned a lot since coming across this board. And another tip is ask questions and then more even if you think they are the dumbest or most simple questions. I can vouch for myself that I've asked more than my share of dumb ones. Best of Luck!

This week I received my samplers from BCN and today I received my samplers from Peak's. I'm in Heaven! My favourite from BCN was their chocolate chip FO and I really like Peak's amish harvest, spiced cranberry and on and on. Can't wait to get pouring.

Hey thanks for all your replies! Now off to try some other wicks!

Thanks Melly! Will try that and see where it leads. Edited to add: Happy birthday to Ethan!

Does anyone know of a place in Canada that sells the apothecary jars with metal lids? Canwax has them but S.J. said they won't be available until January 2006 because of problems with her suppliers. Can anyone help please? TIA

I double wicked a 10 oz apothecary jar with 36-24 z's and scented it Hyacinth. Within 1 hr to 1 1/2 hours I had an almost complete melt pool (it was kind of off a bit because my wicks weren't perfectly centered ) and it was about a 1/4 inch deep. Is this is too fast a melt pool? If so should I try single wicking it or go with smaller double wicks? (Is there such a wick smaller than the 36 z's?)

Testing IGI 1286 and IGI 4786

aww, come on who can pass up the smell of "eye of newt and lizard's tails"? Actually it kind of has a smell of black licorice to it. Didn't have any black dye chips so coloured it orange instead.

Here is a small Halloween container that I just poured today. Got the container at the dollar store. It is scented "Witches Stew".

My nephew would love this. He races in motocross and his is a Kawi. Hmmm, maybe that would be a good xmas gift.

Thanks Robin! I'm going to try soap this weekend using your tuturiol. Might as well learn from the pro!

Ok, thanks for the replies. Really do appreciate it!

When a recipe says to use approximately 4 to 6 fluid ounces of liquid how much do you use? Is this where the discounted water comes into effect?

Ok I went to the link that sudsnwicks provided and have a question (although it might be a stupid one) :rolleyes2 Do you want a few different oils that will give you a characteristic from each column? (i.e. almond oil gives you stable lather and conditioning. Coconut oil doesnt give you a stable lather or doesn't condition but it does create a hard bar and fluffy lather. So would this make a good bar since it has a characteristic from each group?) Does this make sense or am I talking in circles. Thanks for everyone's replies.

Does anyone have a good newbie recipe to try? I have no idea what kind to make and I have no idea which oil does what (like lather etc, feel etc). I want to do a small one or two pound batch. A couple of items I have on hand are cocoa butter and coconut oil. I will pick up what else I need when I get a recipe to use. I've checked out the Miller soap website but like I said I have no idea what ingredient does what. Can anyone suggest something easy but something that will still produce a nice bar? TIA

Hey Jokerjen, that's great. It'll be nice to play again. Good luck with the job!

Congratulations on a successful weekend!

Here's a handy tool that someone (sorry not sure who) posted not too long ago that will help. http://featurecart.com/jpeg/index.asp HTH edited to add: this tool will help you resize the picture

Your Dh helps make the pics! Nice display and congrats on the great show!

Congratulations! Way to get your foot in the door!

Thanks! This testing and wicking is sure a pain in the a$$. :rolleyes2

Thanks everyone for clarifying this!