DonC

I to got the email from Laura about her going out of business. It was sad to get this information. And I wish her the best in her new endeavors. Below is the email I got. You will notice that there was NO mention of ANY reasons for her closing. No mention of cost. Dear customer of The Natural Artisan, After 5 years of business, we’ll soon be shutting down the operations of The Natural Artisan (including the Web site, TheNaturalArtisan.com). TNA has been a tremendously successful, rewarding endeavor for us, but we are heading off to new adventures. We can assure you that this is the only reason for our decision to cease this part of our business. It is no exaggeration that many of you have become friends over these past years. It has been a real kick for me to watch the growth of your businesses in tandem with my own. We all know that there’s no handbook (still!) for making soy candles; yet, we’ve developed an impressive body of knowledge working together, sharing insights, tricks and tips with each other. That’s been one of the most gratifying parts of running TNA, the sharing that has gone on, in the spirit of advancing natural wax candlemaking. TNA.com will be processing orders through mid-April. We’ve done our best to update the Web site with current inventory levels; we apologize in advance if we run out of something but will contact you as soon as possible if there are any problems. All glassware orders will be for pick-up only, at our current facility in the mill in Gonic, NH. All remaining fragrance oils are being sold in 1# bottles only. We’ll stop taking orders at midnight, Sunday, April 20th, (existing orders will be shipping no later than Tuesday, April 22nd). All sales are final, thank you. At that point, we’ll be selling off our remaining inventory to another regional distributor. Please look for a follow-up email announcement regarding this partnership. We’re referring all future business to this distributor, as they have the reputation and ethics that give me the comfort that I’m handing all of you off to someone worthy of your patronage. From time to time, we’ll be selling additional inventory through our account on eBay, FYI. I apologize if you’ve received multiple copies of this email. We aggregated the email addresses from multiple sources. I can assure you that your address has not been released or sold. If you have any questions or any needs we can address, please, as always, don’t hesitate to be in touch. From the staff at Excellent Dog Enterprises LLC and from me, thank you very much for the privilege of serving you and getting to know you. Warmest Regards, Laura Laura Mitrovich President, The Natural Artisan 10 Main Street, Suite 108 Gonic, NH 03839 P. 603.926.2277 F. 866.379.8710 "A good, slow burn"

I will try to respond to everyones points. First of all they weren't "a little off center". In more than one case the wick was about 3/4 of an inch from the side of the 3" container they were in. I am not perfect, and don't claim to be. But my candles attest to the fact that do my best to acheive it. You would need a tape measure to tell if mine are off center and if they were off, it wouldn't be by much and you can't tell it with the naked eye. The "digging" I did was simply going to the website. Their business address was listed as: The Company Name 123 Main Street Some Town, NH 00000 Tel. 603-555-5555 Elsewhere on the site it said to contact: Jane Doe 222 Elm Street Another Town, NH 11111 Tel. 603-555-5555 The 2 towns are over 30 miles apart with the same phone number. I checked 2 of the other retailers in this general area that sell their candles. I found a total of 11 candles between them that had wicks that were "WAY" off center. The person who said that the store selling defective products is liable for any damages caused by them is correct. My sister is married to an "ambulance chaser" and he said that under the law, a lawyer would be negligent if he didn't name BOTH the mfg AND the retailer. As for my getting involved any further than I have already, I am not going to do anymore. I did tell the store owners that they should look at them and left it at that. As for the competition aspect of it, the other company appears to be marketing their candles as "high end" products and their prices are quite high for this area. Mine on the other hand are aimed at the everyday person and are priced accordingly. I don't consider them to be competitors at all. I just think that their product is made in a "shody" way and that it is unsafe. Like I said, I am not going to go any further with this issue. I would however like to respectfully disagree with the person who implied that off centered wicks are not unsafe. The "uneven" heating of ANY glass is dangerous period. You are very fortunate that you have had no problems, but I am sure that on this board alone there are countless "horror stories" of candles breaking and exploding due to heat. Again, thanks to everyone for your replies. It has been very interesting.

Hi Blazerina and thanks for the reply. I know the people who own the store and they are very nice people, but very green in the business. They just opened last month and have never had a store before. I know for a fact that everything in the hand crafted section is there on consignment because they don't want to get into wholesale just yet. I also did a little digging into the other company. They list their address and phone number in one town and their contact person has the SAME phone number but lives 30 miles away in a different town that is just down the street from the country store. Seems a little fishy to me. I am in the store almost daily. It is the "gathering spot" in town so I will keep my eyes open and will take your advice and mention it again to the owner. I don't think that she fully understands the ramifications if someone is injured burning a candle she sold even though she didn't make it. I will try to address it in a nice way because they really have their hands full with opening a new business. The company has a "Retailers" page on their site and I am going to check out the other stores and see what the product looks like at a few of those as well. I know I should probably just drop this whole thing, but it really pi***s me off to see someone pawn this type of crap off on to people because it makes the rest of us look bad and puts others in danger. I work my butt off putting out a good product and sell them at a price that everyone can afford. She sells hers for 25-30% more and they are junk. So I am going to stay on it!!

"If you like my product, tell EVERYONE. If not tell ME!"

Well, you live in Georgia, (Rainy night in Georgia) and you live in the mountians, so how about this: Mountain Rain Candle & Crafts or Misty Mountain Candle & Crafts As for checking for the availability, once you decide on a name, call your Sec. of States office and they will tell you if it is available. If no one else has registered it with them, it is legally yours.

Thank you all for your replies!! I am really torn about what to do, if anything at all. It just REALLY bugs me that someone would go to all of the trouble and make a beautiful candle like theirs and then have it be a total fire hazard!!! I have considered that it could have been an employee that did this and that the owners would probably want to know. (I certainly would) Then I thought they might not have any employees. I am sort of leaning towards saying nothing because it really isn't any of my business. But on the other hand, they are REALLY unsafe and could seriously hurt someone, or worse. Guess I'll have to think about it somemore..............

I have my candles & tarts on consignment at a local country store that has recently reopened. They have a gift section that they sell only locally hand crafted items. I was in there the other day and looking around at the "other" candle company's candles. They were really nice looking candles and the way they were presented was flawless. They are soy poured into old fashioned mason jars with the wire bail on them. Very nice looking indeed. Then I decided to take the cover off of one to see what it smelled like. I was blown away at what I saw!!! The wick was not only off center, it was almost touching the side of the jar!! I figured, oh well, everyone makes mistakes and put the cover back on and put it back on the display. Then curiosity got the best of me. So I checked them all!! Out of 14 candles, only TWO had a centered wick. The rest were ALL way off center!!!! This is a small company from a very ritzy town and the prices attest to that. Their website is absolutely beautiful just like the candles "appear" to be. I immediately brought it to the store owners attention, but she didn't seem to be interested even though I told her that they were dangerous to burn with the wicks that way. So what if anything would you do? Would you contact the company and tell them? or would you just leave it alone and wait for someone to burn their house down? Just curious........

You can try here as well. Looks like they have them 50% off !!! Better buy a bunch of them!! http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/StoreCategory.aspx?CatalogID=3&GroupID=742&CategoryID=1383&CategoryName=++Surplus+Glass+Jars

Yes, it is that simple:smiley2: If you are going to be there for the event, you can use a regular wicked candle as well, just make sure nobody lights it:p

I had one of my customers give me a container to refill for them and I had the same problem with the old wick tab. Out came my trusty ole Dremmel Tool with the smallest grinding tool I had and PRESTO...........it was gone in less than a minute!!! The lightweight aluminum was no match for my tool and was easy to remove. If you don't have one, I will bet one of your crafter friends does! HTH

dont kow anything about this company, but they have them. HTH http://rochester.hostforweb.net/~candleco/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi?cart_id=5015110.21147*yV6i44&product=Containers

Thank You Jami..... I sort of thought that was probably the case.:smiley2: Thanks for your time!

Hi everyone, I know absolutely nothing about Shea butter, but I answered an ad this evening from some guy selling his inventory. I told him I might be interested but that I needed more information. Below is his response to my email. Could someone tell me what they think??? I would really appreciate it:o Hi Don, The shea that you can get varies in quality, and it can go rancid as it gets older, especially poorer quality products. All of the shea that I currently have is about 14 months old, and still smells fresh. It has a light nutty aroma that it should have. There is also a 10 lb sealed block of refined shea butter, which is the white stuff. That has never been unwrapped. I also toyed with the candles, I have some made up that combine shea, soy wax, and peppermint. There is also a few bottles of pure peppermint oil, and I believe I still have candle tins, and possibly, but no promises, some soy wax. There is also some of the liquid black soap made from the shea, and some shea/ grapeseed massage oil in very sharp looking spun aluminum bottles. To be honest I do not have a total inventory of everything that I have as it has been a while since I last worked it. I believe packaged there is enough to take about 10K retail, not including the unpackaged raw product and jars. There are many small 1/2oz jars that were sold as lip balms as well. Probably the best thing for you to do if you are serious would be to come by and take a look at the stock. I would like to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 1K for what is left, I think my cost on all of it is around $2500, and like I said, at the prices we were working it there is roughly 10K retail, plus the unpackaged stock as well as high end clear bags, the packaging vat, signage, etc. Let me know if you are interested and thanks. Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!!

You could always get really creative and put together your own kit from your own supplies. That way, she would have everything you want her to have and it would have a more personal touch as well.......:highfive:

Another good place to look is on Craigslist. I see them all the time on there starting a 40 or 50 bucks.

Like I said, I use the sheet, but I place it in an old filter basket from a coffee pot which fits perfectly on the top of my pour pot. Then pour the wax into that. The wax then filters through the sheet filtering out all of the "stuff" you don't want in your candles. It works great!! You could do the same thing by placing the sheet over the pour pot and using a rubber band to hold it in place, but that would be a PITA. With the filter basket, you just sit it on the pot and pour and then remove when done. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!

I have been having the same problem with my presto. I couldn't figure it out at first, but quickly realized it was the finish on the pot(its old) was breaking down. I use the filter holder from an old coffee pot that fits perfectly on top of my pour pot. I tried using coffee filters but that didn't work cause the wax wouldn't go through it fast enough. Now I use old bed sheets cut into squares about (12 inches) that I put in the filter holder and it works PERFECT!! The wax pours right through the cotton and into the pouring pot. You won't believe the CRAP that it filters out of the wax!!!

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but it is probably a good start. HTH............ http://www.wicknclip.com/recommendations.html#p700

Yes Grama the wick pins will be centered:wink2: Artcwolf, you have it...............that is my plan.:highfive: As for the chime candles, let me get this mold made first and see how it goes before I start another one;)

Ok, lets see if I can explain this............ I talked with my boss today about it and he is willing to do all of the machine work on the prototype. He will also do the production part of it if it works out. I should probably get it patented as well, cause someone will certainly pick this up and run with it. The mold would be in three parts(easy to clean). The top would have the wick pins incorporated into it permanently. The center would be machined to hold the votives. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, whatever. That is still up in the air. The bottom would be able to be removed like the top, thus eliminating the vacum issue and allowing the votives to slip out easily. The bottom would also be machined to make a small indent in the botom of the candle to allow for the wick tab. So....you place the "bottom" on the table. Place the "center" on top of the "bottom" and secure it. Pour the wax into the "center". Place the "Top" on the center, secure it and leave it to cool. My theory is that it will cool perfectly even and will eliminate any possibility of cracking, and hopefully eliminate the need for a second pour as well. The repour is the part that bothers me. I'll have to figure that part out after the mold is made and I can test it. One option I thought of was after pouring and securing the mold together, turn it upside down to cool. If a repour was needed, it would be done to the bottom of the candle. Does any of this make any sense at all?????

Well Stella, What about a mold with built-in wick pins, no vacum problems, would hold 24 votives, would be a sealed metal unit that once filled and set aside to cure, would cool evenly all around including the top? All made of teflon coated aluminum............ Hows that for a "new mouse trap"? Is that better than a cardboard box?

This should be an interesting thread;) I would like to hear what everyone would call the "perfect" votive mold. I haven't heard ONE person ever say they "enjoyed" making votives. I guess it is mainly because they are a pain to get out of the molds. Anyway, I work in a precision machine shop and have the excellent resources to build anything I want. That said............ How would you make the perfect mold? What would it be like? How many would it make at once? etc., etc.

Hi Violet, Yes I was talking about your landlord..............not you:yay: I don't want to start trouble, but if it were me, I would ask him about it. That is a very serious fire hazard! and he is not only putting himself at risk, but your family as well. I realize you are in a sticky position, him being the landlord and all...........

Hi Violet, Now THAT is STUPID! and very dangerous.......not to mention that it is probably illegal as well. That compares to the thread I saw here recently about the people burning candles in their windows next to their curtins on halloween!!!!!! Stella..... We are the same age and grew up in the same era. My parents and grandparents heated their homes entirely with wood. Like you, we used whatever wood was available and never had any problems either. Whatever it took to keep us warm. We lived up the road from a "box shop" and needless to say, we had an endless supply of pine to burn!!!

I have been burning wood in a stove for more years than some of you have been walking and talking and consider myself an expert on the subject. Contrary to popular belief, creosote IS NOT caused by any particluar type of wood such as pine or pine cones. It is caused ENTIRELY by not burning your stove properly. Creaosote buildup happens as a result of the gases resulting from the fire cooling too quickly before they exit the chimmney. Airtight stoves and improperly used heat exchangers are the biggest culprits. Woodstoves are sort of like candles in a way. If you burn them properly and with common sense, they are a wonderful thing!! If you burn them like an idiot, you will burn your house down. FireStarters are perfectly safe to use in your fireplace or woodstove. The "logs" you buy at WalMart and elsewhere are nothing more than wax and pine wood shavings. People start chimmney fires.......not what they burn in the stove. 1. Clean your chimmney every fall. 2. Burn your stove "hot" for 3 to 5 minutes every day. and 3. Use common sense.............. Sorry for the lecture..........but it bugs me when I hear people say that pine causes creosote and chimmney fires. I've been burning pine myself for years and never had a problem.