JacquiO

Seamless aluminum and concave tops and also preferably a wick pin to fit the seamless mold. Seamless because seams are a PITA to to shave and polish away. Concave because when you seal it with putty or wick plug or screw a flat mold won't stand straight unless it has a raised base (but those types of molds typically have seams also) Wick pin - a candle makers best friend. Just seal the hole in the bottom with metal tape or putty and forget about the wick until after the candle has cooled. No messing with trying to thread your wick and get it taut and you're guaranteed a centered wick every time.

These two video tutorials have helped me the most although there's more out there. I did a Google video search for felting soaps. http://video.about.com/candleandsoap/How-to-Felt-Soap-With-Wool.htm I did my first six today and I thought they were easy and fun. It didn't take me 10 minutes like Suzanna Anna said but I got better as I moved from one bar to the next. First I think the hardest thing was gauging how much wool to use. I found that it was best to take a strip of roving that is long enough to wrap all the way around your bar lengthwise then split that up into 2 to 4 thinner strips and then try to flatten and stretch those strips out as thin as you can. I think I can get about four bars out of 1oz of roving. If you buy the roving like the one at Vogue Fabrics you don't need to comb it. It comes in finely combed strips about 4 feet long. http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/store/home.php?cat=574 I took photos of my progress today but it's getting late so I'll post them some time tomorrow.

:yay:My wool came in the mail today. I can't wait to start tonight! I opened one of the packages to see how long and how much was in a 1oz roving. Then I put it back in the bag and put it on the ground and walked away. I came back a few minutes later to find my cat rolling around in the my brand new wool! That cat hair in there's no extra charge. LOL.

I took the plunge in to soap and B&B after 8 year of just making candles. Hmmm...now when's the last time I made a candle?

I would have kept making the jars. This is common for container candles. You really shouldn't let them burn past half an inch. The way to fix this isn't by using different jars but by using different wick-tab sustainer bases. You should buy the pre-tabbed that have the at least 9mm high collars. This way the wick burns out before the wax gets too low in the containers. Personally I like to buy waxed spools of wicking and cut and tab them myself. It's hard to both find pre-waxed spools and/or 9mm or longer pre-tabbed wicks. Candlesandsupplies and Wicks Unlimited are the only two suppliers that I know of that sell primed spools of waxed wicking but another boardie may know of others. Candlewic can also custom build wicks with the high collar sustainer bases but you really have to buy in bulk. For testing purposes you can still go with your pre-tabbed wicks but once you look to market you may want to look into custom built wicks with safety length tabs. http://www.wicksunlimited.com/safety_lengths_clips.php

What exactly constitutes "proper soaping oils"? And how come it's only with Carrie's recipe that I have this issue? Not that it's a big issue. I use all the same "grocery store" bought oils in Quietgirl's recipe and don't have any separation issues so I don't think it's my improper store bought oils. Like I can afford to buy bulk and pay shipping from Soaper's Choice when I can get my oils on sale or at wally-mart and still have wonderful feeling, looking, and smelling soaps.

They would be both the same. Your mold can only hold so much wax be it chunks or not. If your mold holds 2lbs wax then you're probably looking at about 1.5 pounds chunks and half a pound of wax to fill it in. Best thing to do is just pour in you chunks to the top and melt a pound out wax for the overpour because there's really no way to know exactly how much your gonna need. Not to mention it's going to vary every time. If you want to be really anal about it pour a straight candle and weigh it in the mold. Then when you do your chunks you can weigh that in the mold and you'll know exactly how much more wax you'll need for the over pour.

It's best to buy a set of cheap aluminum cookie sheets to use exclusively for candle making. They have more uses than just making chunks. You can use them in the oven to clean your equipment and heat you molds and jars. Also I always pour with my molds or jars on my cookie sheet to contain any accidental spillage. At Walmart I found a set of three cookie sheets perfect for this type of work for only $3 and while your there pick up a pack of bamboo skewers for $1.

These little stainless steel teapots are great for pouring in small molds or containers and even doing layered candles. We picked up abut half a dozen at a local restaurant supply shop. I also have a few stainless steel creamers I've found at various flea markets for as little as 50 cents.

This is why chandling is a art and takes a little craftsmanship. Your experience is expected like Top said , iIt's shrinkage - an attribute of all paraffin waxes. The art is knowing when to poke the holes and do the repour. Do it too soon and you get air pockets in your candle. Do it too late and you get those telltale rings where the repour went over the the edge of your first pour where it shrunk away from the sides of your mold. This is why in the beginning I gave up on making large pillars then I discover the wonders of veggie wax which has little to no shrinkage but... and this is a big BUT (as in pain in the butt)..it does have a tendency to crack if cooled to quickly. As far as your plastic tub mold all household molds like that plastic or cardboard are perfectly usable but they are one time uses and have to be cut and peeled away. If you wanted to try and make a candle using a yogurt tub like that poke a hole in the middle of the bottom with a small nail or large embroidery needle. Spray your tub with some Pam. Wick it and seal your wick with putty or duct tape. Then pour and repour to about 1/4 inch from the top. When cooled remove your wick seal, snip the top of the tub in several places and gently peel away from you candle like banana and viola! It won't be perfectly straight but it will be an interesting looking candle. You can even layer some colors in it too. Whenever pouring into molds with holes on the bottom be it one-time household molds or professional molds always place your molds on a baking sheet or pan with at least a one inch lip. This way if your seals leak you won't have wax all over you counters and floors. Also I just wanted to point out that you mentioned pulling this wax from various jar candles. Well there is a distinct difference between jar candle wax and pillar/votive wax and that is adhesion. Jar candle wax (called container wax) is designed to adhere to glass and will not pull away from a pillar mold. Pillar wax is designed to pull away from your mold so you can release it and if you pour it in glass not only will you get large wet spots but often it can slip right out of the glass container. HTH, Jacqui

I bought mine from soap wizards but I've had a hard time time getting a straight cut with it but I'm also one of those people who can't draw a straight line. I'll sell you the one I have for $8 plus shipping. PM me if interested. http://www.soapwizards.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jqnnmod0

Yeah after re-reading your post it sounds like you were lye heavy. If your using the 50/50 solution run your weight and percentages through the soap calc. and for instance if it says use 5oz lye and 16oz water measure out 10 ounces solution and add 11 ounce water (or milk if you'd like).

I'm so sorry to hear you had such a negative experience. Looking at your recipe I'm seeing a lot of hard oils. Olive oil alone makes a very hard brittle soap. I almost broke my crinkle cutter trying to cut it. I've just started making CP myself and I've been making HP soaps for about 2 years now and I have not had a single bad batch. First off go to Wally-mart and get a $10 or better stick blender. No more stirring for 30 minutes. You'll reach trace in less than five. So far I've only used a couple recipes found right here on craftserver. http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36294 http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51804 Queitgirl's recipe is the best IMHO but it does require purchasing some stuff online like the palm kernel flakes and the shea butter but other than than that you can get everything else in the supermarkets. The other recipe I use from Carriegsxr6 that is very similar to the one you used but it has soybean oil instead of the castor. If you look at the ingredient label on some store brand vegetable oils you'll see most are 100% soybean. I use Crisco instead of the vegetable because it also has a little palm oil. Personally I think using the crisco really softens the bars so they are easier to cut and is a great ingredient. The only problem I have with this recipe is that the oils tend to want to separate on me. In order to keep that from happening I have to stick blend it to a medium-thick to thick trace so if you need to work with a thin trace to do swirls and designs I don't recommend this recipe but for a straight bar of soap it's great. I like using carrie's recipe for my goat's milk soaps as well. The other thing I've been doing with my CP which I don't do using the HP method is let my lye and oils cool to about 90 degrees before combining them. Many soapers swear this is the best way to work with cooled ingredients where as others soap hot with no issues. Like I said I haven't had a bad batch yet working this way. I also use this soap calculator at 5% superfat and follow it to the tee and it's never steered me wrong. http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp You can rebatch your soap and try adding some oils. It may still zap because it's not fully cured. I used only CPOP (cold process oven process) method so far and none of my soaps zap after putting in the oven for an hour or 2 but I still cure them for 4 weeks before giving out. Personally I would put aside your bad batch and just start over anew. You can always go back and rebatch later but it might make you feel better to just go ahead and do one good batch and JMO but I would recommend adding some fragrance, maybe some color and some exfoliating additives. There is nothing in the world like the smell and feel of your first batch of handmade soap in the shower. Good luck! Cheers, Jacqui

Thanks. I really like the TKB pop micas. The colors really stand out. The swirling is easy. Just watching Billie's videos helped me with the top swirl.

http://www.aaacandlesupply.com/ http://www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/ http://www.bittercreeksouth.com/ http://www.houstoncandlesupply.com/ http://www.peakcandle.com/ http://www.justbynature.com/ http://wickscandlesupplies.com/

I purchase about 95% of all my candle making supplies online. Ebay and the classies here on craft server are great too because you can get great deals. Ebay is also great for the pricier equipment - I've gotten great deals there on scales, heat guns, shrink wrap sealers I even got a point and click laser thermometer gun for $23 on eBay auto. The candle suppliers were charging $60 or more. The key to ordering from a supplier online is finding those closest to you. I have my main suppliers in NY, NJ and PA so I usually have my supplies in 2-3 days. There's a supplier by state link in this forum category at the top but it's not that complete. If you tell me your city and state I may be able to refer you to some suppliers closer to you.

Unscented baby wipes are great for wiping down that little layer of wax residue when it come to cleaning candle containers or melting pots. For getting the wax out of old containers - put jars on a baking sheet and bake at warm or 200 degrees max. Remove wick tab with tweezers. You can easily grip and handle the hot jars with a good set of lined dishwashing gloves (another must have). Empty cardboard milk or juice cartons are great receptacles for left over wax. Cut the top off and just pour your melted wax in it and when your ready to use you can just cut and peel the carton away. Heat guns are also a great tool to have around when making candles.

It may have been a status jar or tumbler - you can't tell how large in a photo. A pound of wax will make about a 3X3 inch pillar. If you haven't got one yet purchase a good digital scale. I like the Escali Primo scales. It's affordable, has a tare function (must have) and has no delay in the display. http://cgi.ebay.com/Escali-P115SP-Primo-Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Pink-NEW-/360249321637?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item53e08868a5

I'm cracking up!

These are my most recent I made for the spring soap swap. Both scents are from C&S's special $5 per lb FOs. The Rasp/Lemon Pop is scented Blackberry grapefruit which soaped beautifully. The Grape/Lemon Pop is scented in Lavender Lemongrass it accelerated a little but smells awesome.

This is my first CP soap ever. I colored it with rose clay and the fragrance is rose FO blended with clove EO. I followed this CT tutorial to help me through my first batch: http://www.candletech.com/soap-making/cold-process-soap-making/ The bars are short because the loaf mold I bought said it was for 3lbs CP but I think it meant 3lbs oils where I was calculating for oils and solution. Now I know better.

TKB Trading - They have loads of micas and supplies as well as recipes and video tutorials to make and/or sell your own mineral make-up. http://www.tkbtrading.com/

These are the wools getting to start. I'm so excited! If anyone wants to attempt it with me this is where I found the roving and at around $2-3 an ounce so it's not to expensive to try: http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/store/home.php?cat=574

Here's some more I'll never get talented enough to emulate but wow!

I just purchased a few ounces of merino roving yesterday to try my first attempt at soap felting. Has anyone tried this? I've been surfing through google images for some inspiration. Now I'm off to find a bamboo sushi roller before my wool arrives.