Abbiepql

For me, it would depend how you plan to package them. Container soy is awfully soft. I don't see that popping out of any mold! I guess if you used those foil liners they could peel that off. I offer a wickless melt that is contained in a tin you place on a melter and for that I use my normal container blend. Then I offer wax melts in a break away packaging - for those I use a combination of pillar/container wax so they pop out easily. I do up the scent on the pillar/container blend, as IMHO it needed it.

Jenny - I have been a customer of yours for a while and I have always experienced very good service with you & your company in general. Your product are the best, and that counts for alot to me. The fact that you care enough to ask for opinions, shows you interested in meeting the needs of your customers. There are a few vendors that I deal with routinely that I can always count on to have EXCELLENT customer service; Kentucky Candle Supply - Vickey is awesome. When I started in the biz she shared her knowledge extensively and continues to do so through her forum or over the phone. Her shipping is very timely, and if she is running slow, she communicates that to you - I appreciate good communication. On top of that her products are top notch, priced reasonably and she does the research to make sure she is not selling junk. Bitter Creek - the staff there has always been friendly and while their website is not very easy or nice to use, when I call to place orders I am always pleased that I am treated so nicely. And I love free gifts and samples. Royal Aromatics - website issues and shipping slowness aside, they are very knowledgable when it comes to their products and they are very personable on the phone. Columbus Foods - Mike is the BEST example of good customer service I have ever come across. He knows his products, his prices are good, he supports crafter's organizations...what more can I say? Lyschel at Candle Cocoon - Ships extremely quick, is very easy to talk to and knows her products. Additonally, her high quality standards are maintained in all her new additions. And since websites are part of what I do for a living, ease of use when placing an order is tops with me on grading good customer service - for that one I would have to give a big thumbs up to Wholesale Supplies Plus!

There are many factors that can affect the fragrance "strength" of a candle, and then there are even more factors to consider when using soy! I always consider first of all the type of FO - some scents are just light and won't knock you out due to the nature of the fragrance. Next I consider the quality of the FO, the better ones throw well with 3/4 - 1 oz usage. Lastely, I consider the amount of FO used. If I have to use over an oz, I don't carry it - as most of the FO I use cost more and it would not be cost effective to make them large scale. Another thing I would add - some scents MUST cure in soy. Give them two weeks, especially if they are spicy or a warm/heavier scent. Another word of advice - when it comes to strength of throw, use testers besides yourself! I can't smell diddly when I come in from my shop - I have testers that I trust who all have different types of homes and burn in different conditions.

Depending on what type of jars you are looking for, there is a distributor of Fillmore Container in Harrisburg, VA. I am thinking they only carry canning jars though. I drive up to their warehouse in Lancaster three times a year to get all my jars, except the Apothecary jars, which i have delivered in mass by a truck from Cleveland, actually cheaper than driving and paying gas for my truck.

I use soy/cottonseed with BW in a apothecary and wick with one only - lighter scents HTP1212 or 1312 - heavier scents LX30. No problems.

There are very few businesses IMHO that you can start without MAJOR capital or loans and expect to make a living and support a family. I went into this biz for a second/part-time income source, so I would be home instead of some place else for the rest of my waking hours of the day! My goal was to supplement an pretty hefty wage reduction when relocating and opting not to commute two hours a day to stay in my same pay braket. I put down on paper what I would need to make up for the loss of income and that was my goal for my candle business. Once that was reached I set a raised my goal to include paying off my hubby's master degree - maybe some day my goal will be for this biz to be my only job, but that is many goals away for me!

It has been brought to my attention and so I wanted to set the record straight here, the suppliers listed on the site for the convention are not necessarily going to be in attendence. The suppliers page is a group of links for suppliers that have donated to the convention for door prizes, goodie bags and the like...We will have some suppliers in attendance but at this early date do not have any specifics. I will work on the site this afternoon to make this clear, we don't want to give anyone the wrong impression.

I agree - it's not advisable to use it anymore. I never let my wax get above 200 degrees or it starts to turn funky. High temps for a short time are one thing, but held at temps that high, I believe it does actually change the composition of the oils. I have tested batches that have gotten that high and held high temps for a while. The wax was grainy and smelled aweful, had a burned GREASY smell! JMO - but HTH Abbie:-)

WOW, $6 a lb. for beeswax, that is very high. I buy from Candlewic for $4 a lb., in pellets no less. I could not afford to add BW even 1/2 oz if it was that much! Abbie:-)

I use the receipe with 50/50 witch hazel and distilled water but I add polysorbate 20 in equal amounts to the FO to help the solution mix, it won't always "stay" incorporated, but it seems to help "hold" it and in my opinion the scent is stronger and lasts longer when I use it. I don't color mine, they come out milky looking and I just use dark bottles.

Made some vanilla mint candles with this and they will run you outta the room at 6%! Always works very well for me!Abbie:-)

KY's Mulberry HI Type is awesome in my soy/bw blend.

I don't see anything on the site about cost and availability? Can we buy directly from Golden Brands? It mentions a minimum order, what would that be? Just Curious? Abbie:-)

Gena is great! I have used the following and all of them were super strong; Sweet Pumpkin Pie Gingerbread Strawberries and Cream Mysterious Morning Dew Twigs & Berries Coconut Twist Not a dude in the bunch!

This time of the year - If I get a day off - I consider myself LUCKY. I do about 4 hours a day in the evenings, about 10 hours a day on weekends. In about 3 weeks, for the holidays, I hire help and they work to process and package while I am at work. Hubby and son help closer to the actual holidays for all those gifts that I put off till the end! LOL The rest of the year I work weekends only and I do about 8 hours a weekend to keep up stock and fill orders.

The wick size sound good, but not in a zinc - they burn too cool. JMHO ~ Abbie:-)

I have noticed for sure that letting soy/natural wax solidify in a cold room will result in more frosting. I am lucky to have a shop to pour in so once the cold weather starts, I crank on portable heaters to keep it toasty. I instruct my wholesalers and private label customers to keep them at room temperatures as well, because if left in the cold even when once set up they are prone to frost more readily. Although not as badly as if when initially poured. That and pouring a bit cooler have helped with my frosting issues when it gets colder. I don't pre-heat my jars although I do let them become room temp before I pour if they have been in my cold temp garage for storage. I don't insulate them while they set up, but I keep the shop warmer than normal until they are solid. If you are heat gunning them to remove frost I have found tapping the top of the jar while the sides are liquid, to force trapped air bubbles up to the top will get rid of the frosting completely. Heat gunning does nothing for the snowflaking type frost I used to get when I poured too hot. HTH - Abbie:-)

Wow, you do have your hands full! A wonderful story and I can only begin to imagine how funny all that looked - rats on the camera battery being dead! A couple of years ago when my only child left for college I agreed to take in two little feral barn kitties that had been abadoned by their momma. Needless to say they light up our lives in ways my hubby and I never imagined and how I lived so long without the joy of being a cat mom I don't know. My marina is a FO addict. She knows when those bottles come in the mail and she will just sit there on the box until I open it and go through each bottle letting her sniff them! If she likes the FO she starts purring, if not she snorts. Last night I accidently left my smock out on the chair after pouring - it reeked of candy corn and pumpkin pie spice, but all night she snuggled inside of it foregoing her favorite cat bed to be surrounded by fragrance!

It will take a while once it hits the larger area at the bottom of the jar, but it works - like all wide jars it will take longer to get a full MP with one wick, but it will get there and two wicks in the top of that jar could get WAY too hot. I have wicked almost 2 pallets of these jars this way for fundraisers and they work like a charm ~ Abbie:-)

I have been making natural wax candles for over 5 years and sell TVG apothocary jars exclusively for wholesale/private label. I have used htp 1212 and later the 1213 since I started. That being said - it takes about 4 hours to get a full MP on most FO and it does mushroom a bit, but it beats the heck out of working with two wicks and worrying about jars getting too hot. I have three rather large wholesale/private label accounts and in over four years I have never had a problem with those wicks not cleaning the sides of jars if burned properly. I know that customers will let those suckers burn all day and that is why I wick them that way!

In my experience - have used beeswax and that did seem to harden up the bar, but honestly I think most CP and MP is somewhat soft - it's the nature of it. So many customers are used to those hard detergent bars they buy at the grocery store for a buck! LOL

I think Warm Vanilla Sugar is a vanilla "musk" blend - has a bunch of other stuff in it and vanilla is not what I would say is the first thing I smell, if at all! LOL I wore it for years from B&B and the dupes I get from RA and BNL are exact matches. Could be the FO is okay, you were just expecting something totally different? Interesting...

I find my container blend needs little cure time, but the soy blends for pillars needs at least 4 days to a week! HTH ~ Abbie:-)

Brings in volume, but if it were not for that - work! Friends and family are fine and they do buy a grunch, but at work they buy like mad. LOL I would lose some serious cashola if I quit working outside of my biz! Abbie:-)