jcristan

i was wanting to start trying out gel candles. ive been reading that its harder to do then wax candles. is this true? is it more dangerious?

also, i saw on this one website where they had silk flowers in their gel candles, how is that possible? wouldnt it catch on fire?

i usually just set the jar into a shallow water and boil it.

for the c3 wax, you should use the eco-10 for your 3 inch diameter jar. as far as a soft soy wax, i dont use soy, but i think the c3 seems pretty soft to me.

Jars could be cheaper, but I'm seeing that your costs are high because you aren't buying in bulk. FOs may not seem worth it to buy in 8 oz. or 16 oz increments now, but trust me it is. Do NOT base your price of your candle on the cost it takes to test. Sounds like you are clearly in the testing phase of your candlemaking hobby/business.

yea I dont buy in bulks because I only pour my candles when people order them. I advertise them as freshly poured candles.

Ive been doing this for a year mainly for friends and family. i also used to work at a candle supply place and have knowledge of candles.

i did both ways. but when i wicked my jars first and then put it in the oven, the wax on the wick kinda melted.

so now, i heat the jar up first, then stick the wick in. i use hot glue, so its a little easier cause if the wick is not in the middle, since the jar is hot, i can still move the wick around till its in the middle.

1/2 ounce of FO to 8 oz. of wax = 6%

(1 oz FO to 1 lb. of wax = 6%).

I would suggest that you find FOs that can keep you in a strong scent throw at 6-8% to keep your costs down. In an earlier thread I noticed your cost per candle is a bit high and you want to only charge $10.00. Bottom line is, you want a good quality candle at a decent profit that is still affordable to your customers.

I wish when I started out I knew about the suppliers I know about now, that's for sure.

To help get you in the right ball park, what type of jar, wick, wax and what FO (supplier) are you using? Everyone here has opinions on quality FOs but it will help to know if you are at a good starting place.

Im using 12 oz squat jar, lx, igi 4630 all my supplies are from lone star candle, because they are only 10 mins away from me.

Wax - $1.18/lb divide by 2 cause its only 8oz i use

wick - .7 each

scent - 1oz bottle $2.00

jar - .90 each

dye - .5 about

so is half oz equal to 10% in 8oz of wax? should i be using only half FO?

if i use half of what im using now, i can cut down on my cost. but worried it will make a difference in how the scent throws.

It is called a 12 oz jar because that's its capacity in terms of volume. Depending on what you fill it with, the weight of the contents will differ. You may get 8 ounces weight in wax but if you filled it with feathers it would weigh a lot less! As for your fragrance load, 1 oz of FO in 8 oz of wax works out to be 12.5%. You might want to check your wax to see if it is able to hold so much FO. If not, you may find the FO seeping out after a while. Even if the wax can hold so much FO, it's wasteful using so much. You should be able to use half of that (or even less) if the FO is from a quality supplier.

Makes sense. I use IGI 4630 which holds 6%-10% FO. Ive been using 1 oz FO in 8 oz wax and its been fine for me, I dont see any oils seeping out. It does give me a really strong scent thow.

Yea i weight the wax out on a scale. So I use 8.35 oz of wax for the jar. I fill the jar up to the widest part and have some wax left over after I pour, (enough to make 2 tealight candles) and I use those to give out as samples.

LSCS.COM

They sell the one oz amber bottles for .35 each and .50 with the droppers

Its hard for me to center my wicks too. I use a hot glue gun so I have to make sure I get it the first time. I usually stick it in, then look at it from the bottom, and get my husband to check too.

ok, I have the 12 oz hex squat jar, but when i measured my wax, the jar is really only 8 oz. why is it called 12 oz when its only really 8 oz?!

I've been putting 1 oz of FO in because i thought it was 12 oz of wax. But ive been really putting 1 oz of FO into 8oz of wax. Am I putting in too much FO?

oh, and ive been adding up my cost of supplies wrong cause I thought it was 12 oz of wax.

that's an understatement!!!!!! I've also mixed Peak's Lav with amber & patch....really nice.

Ooooh, try vanilla & pomengranate = heavy on the van, light on the pom...great blend.

YUMMY. vanilla and pomengrante sounds good. I just poured a pom. the other day and it smells soooo good.

yes that should be fine

Thanks guys. I guess I wont truly know until i mix it myself.

any one tried mixing lavender and vanilla together before?

how about jasmine and vanilla?

how much of each did you add? how did it turn out?

yes you can mix them two together. The 6006 is already blended.

Igi 4625

nope, it shouldnt

http://www.candlecauldron.com/ - Some good starter information here...

Look to the right and click on the candle that says..

Candle pricing worksheet - You can print it out and it may help you..

thanks!

i havent tried soy yet. I would love to try it though. I do know that soy is kinda hard to work with (scents working with it). Im working with IGI 4630 right now and love it.

I agree with Stella as well. I've been making candles for 8 years, still have the day job too....with candles, I have great years and then not so great years....I like having a steady flow of $$ so I KNOW my bills can get paid and we can eat and go on vacations! LOL

Good luck to you!

Carrie

Thanks. I see youre from Texas? So am I.

Well, i consider myself new. I've been doing it for a year now, but never sold them. I also used to work in a candle supply warehouse.

What kind of wax are you using? size and size diameter? are you trimming them?

Paraffin