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And I don't agree.. Working for Bitter Creek this many years I have tested literally thousands of fo's. In the beginning...pre-soy we would usually test the next day or a few days at most later. Many times we got nothing from those candles. A few years later, we tested a few of those candles again, for giggles and were FLOORED! Many of those same scents we wrote off as duds, were downright amazing. The difference, they had sat and cured. That was all. Think of spaghetti sauce. It's good the day you make it, it's amazing with a little more time. Candles are much the same way. Different scents just take longer to fully develop. If you axe scents at two days you may be missing out on some amazing scents!

Before burning to ensure stability soy needs to cure a minimum of 48 hours and paraffin an minimum of 24. That however is JUST the wax part so you can test for wick size, burn etc. Scent is a different ballgame. Different scents can take anywhere from the min of the wax up to several weeks to fully cure. If it takes longer than two weeks, I don't think I'd ever use those scents. But most take around 4-12 days I've found regardless of the wax type I am using. If they are good, they can only get better.

Looks to me like the exterior is cooling at a faster rate than the interior of the candles causing this. The solution is actually pretty simple. Either increase your pour temp a bit OR as crazy as it sounds, place a "tent" of newspaper sheets draped over the tops of them right after pouring to slow cooling down just a bit. But it's certainly the cooling rate causing it. Maybe even try bumping up the temp of your room a bit.

I've done larger than 16 oz by far with no issues and I can see no reason you can't use a larger container. Just be sure to always test burn for proper wick size/configuration!

Ditto! I use mine when I make Yuletide scent which is my year round best selling candle too! It always caused me asthma attacks! I also installed a vent to the outdoors that also brings in fresh air. Well worth it to not always live in what smells like a perpetual candle factory!

What size ECO wick did you use in each jar? I am nearly positive that a. the wick is too large if you are experiencing this and b. that you are using far too much scent. I don't find that with most scents I ever have to use more than 6%. I'd honestly lower the scent to an oz per lb right off the top. You are going to find that as long as you are realistic in your expectations as to what size area your candles will throw (a 2.5" jar should throw well in an enclosed are of 10 to 12 feet square with normal ceiling heights) that you are just throwing money out the door.

Little kids put play doh in their mouths. I would not use fragrance oil in them because of that. You could however use a small amount of a flavor oil or even a skin safe, ingestable EO such as spearmint, lemon, lime, orange...etc

Comparing an Eco 14 to a CD 14 is sort of like comparing grapes to carrots. A CD 14 and an Eco 8 are pretty comparable in size. Just because they have a number in common does NOT make them equal in size.

Yep they are SUPER easy to make!!!! I made them YEARS ago but hated the idea of all soy due to shelf life issues. The ones made with a paraffin and mineral oil (liquid paraffin) will have a super long shelf life, like a candle or room spray! These should be awesome sellers and someone had mentioned they took a lot? No more than a melt in fact maybe less because I actually can get 12% fragrance load into them easily. So they are actually stronger than a wax tart

Were you referring to me?

I am sure they would simply laugh and tell any person the same as I would. It's proprietary. I don't tell other candle makers outside my job/message boards squat about my candles. It's my bread and butter. The less they know the more I make.

Honestly Young Living EO's are a TOTAL rip off! There is absolutely no way you will ever be able to make melts using their oils. A melt even using EO will use about an oz of eo per lb of wax by weight. Clove EO from Young Living Item No: 3524 Customer Price: $20.07 clove bud eo from Camden Grey is that price for 8 ounces, Young Living is 1/2 oz same price! LOL

Micro is still too slow and too much hands on work. That is why I am thinking pressure cooker. It should allow me to be hands off the entire process. I may test it out this weekend. The worst that can happen is it doesn't work. I've tried so many unconventional things that people said years ago couldn't be done.... I may just be my own guinea pig once again. lol

I have one of these hanging out in my fridge with the cheese in it! hmmmmm maybe I need to put the cheese in a bag and use the "mold"! Sometimes I am thrilled to be single. I don't have to explain my crazy actions to a spouse this way. LOL

Serious question. We make HP in a crock pot. Could you use an electric pressure cooker to speed the process????? I am seriously debating attempting this venture as I have a soap idea that would be better HP vs CP in terms of appearance and I hate waiting for HP.......

Seriously google Cathy Flanders candle, you will see what I am talking about.

I call them on their story because it would take TONS of candles to create that kind of problem even with lead wicks and never trimming wicks. Sounds like Kathy Flanders and her games years ago. Personally I'd be leary of dealing with ANYONE that has taht kind of story to share. They likely will be YOUR worst nightmare too.

No, they are zinc, not lead.

Bitter Creek South has some flat lid that are 3.25" wide.

Indian Summer pretty please! Miss that scent and it sold like crazy for me!!!1

I just blogged on this a while back. Here is what my blog info stated on the matter with info direct from the CPSC. And I agree with Chris R....LABEL! Even if by common names it should have what's in it for YOUR sake. Cover your own butt! Here is the paste of that section of the blog which can be found here: http://bittercreekcandle.blogspot.com/2012/07/labeling-your-products.html I am a member of a number of online resources/groups/blogs etc. and lately I have noticed a large increase in the number of questions regarding what needs to be labeled on a cosmetic, soap etc. and what claims can be and can not be made regarding these products. The FDA guidelines often read with such gray area that I myself find it confusing and often frustrating to read through even after almost 15 years experience in the business!. With the busy holiday season just around the corner, this seemed like a super time to go back over the FDA website to help our customers understand what is needed in body care labeling. Good manufacturing practices are essential when creating and packaging Cosmetics & Soaps. Often times the gray area I talked about above comes from knowing the difference. Is it soap? Is it a cosmetic? Is it a drug or maybe it's a combination hybrid?! This has been very confusing over the years and this should help clarify this, or that is my hope at least. True soap is NOT included in regulations by the FDA but rather the Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/ Over the years this has been a STRONG debate in the world of hand crafted soaps and cosmetics. I actually recently got confirmation on what IS needed on a soap label and what truly defines it as soap directly from the CPSC. This is copied and pasted from a response they emailed to me: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates true soaps that are made primarily of fats and alkalis and that are manufactured for consumer use. The CPSC has no specific labeling requirements for such soaps. However, if the product meets the definition of a hazardous substance, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) it may require cautionary labeling as specified under the statute. Section 2(p)(1) of the FHSA, 15 U.S.C. § 1261(p)(1), requires that hazardous substances bear certain cautionary statements on their labels. These statements include: signal words; affirmative statements of the principal hazard(s) associated with a hazardous substance: the common or usual name, or chemical name of the hazardous substance; the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, distributor, or seller; statements of precautionary measure to follow; instructions when appropriate, for special handling and storage; the statement “Keep out of the reach of children” or its practical equivalent; and, when appropriate, first aid instructions. A product is determined to be a hazardous substance if the substance or a mixture of substances is toxic, corrosive, an irritant, a strong sensitizer, is flammable or combustible, or generates pressure through decomposition, heat or other means, and if the substance or mixture of substances may cause substantial personal injury or substantial illness during customary or reasonably foreseeable handling or use, including reasonably foreseeable ingestion by children. A determination that a product is toxic may be based on the results of animal tests or on human experience. It is the responsibility of a manufacturer or importer of a product to determine whether its product meets the definition of a hazardous substance and, if so, to fulfill its obligations under the FHSA for appropriate precautionary labeling. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does not perform pre-market clearance for household products containing hazardous substances nor does it certify those products. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act specifically excludes soap because soap is not defined in the act. In administering the act, the Food & Drug Administration interprets the term “soap” to apply only to articles that meet the following conditions: 1) The bulk of the nonvolatile matter in the product consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and the detergent properties of the article are due to the alkali-fatty acid compounds; and 2) The product is labeled, sold and represented only as soap. The interpretation goes on to state that products intended to cleanse the body and which are not “soap” as defined above are considered “cosmetics” regulated by FDA. If your product meets the definition above (1 & 2) then it would be subject to the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. If the product meets the definition of a hazardous substance it is required to be labeled for the hazards it presents to the consumer during reasonable and foreseeable use. I stand by my long time belief that "MOST" melt and pour soap is still considered a cosmetic and thus requires labeling per the FDA guidelines. If you look at a list of standard ingredients for melt and pour soap, you find that they are primarily comprised of detergents and other chemical ingredients and not fats (vegetable oils, animal fats like lard etc.) and alkalis (potassium or sodium hydroxide) or the product of mixing a fat and an alkali like sodium cocoate = soap created by the combination of sodium hydroxide and coconut oil. This is a list of a pretty basic melt and pour soap: Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sorbitol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Myristate, Triethanolamine, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Cocoate, Water. To me that isn't true soap and thus should be labeled as a cosmetic as it is not primarily a fat and alkali base. In this particular melt and pour, the top ingredients, Glycerin and Propylene Glycol are neither a fat OR an alkali. Although true soap does not require by law ingredients declaration, I personally find it a good practice to always label what is in your product. People often have allergies or are sensitive to a certain ingredient and this way, you are protecting them and yourself by letting them know in advance what is in your product.

It's easier to weigh what goes into the pour pot than moving the jar off a scale. I personally just do multiples of three when I pour, and put in the pot the correct weight of wax and then divide between the three jars. Weighing each jar is entirely too time consuming if you plan to sell your candles.

No but I would use HDPE plastic and not PET, PETE or PVC as eucalyptus, clove and cinnamons can break those down to name a few. HDPE is safe for all fragrances.

A 126 does burn smaller than the 1212. I have physically compared them. So 126, 1212, 1312.

Not a problem. Check your Pm's too. Sent ya on there too! We got ya covered!