Caramel

It looks like one of those standard craft boxes, but fancier. I am sure you could do the same with wrapping paper. Or look for those boxes that has that floral design on the outside (I forget what it is called). I wanted to do something like this as a sample or gift set (like Pacifica- theirs was nice) or with round paper mache boxes. Very nice!

Yeah, I was thinking that this was a case of wicking up due to the vanilla. Please candleg*d! *L* I think the other fragrance did well with the CDN 8 or CDN 10. Man, I admit that this "hurts". *back to my stool!* (Thank goodness that it is not too high from the floor... and that there is an area rug there to cushion the fall. *L*) BBL!

Hi, Kimmeroo! Sorry, it is 2-7/8" diameter x 2-3/4" high 6 oz Libbey jar http://www.candlechem.com/images/Libbey%20Round%206%20oz%20Jar.jpg

Ok, so after my last test session, I adjusted according to Stella's suggestions and I am still going to throw myself off my stool! *L* So I melted enough wax/FO to test six 6 oz tumblers. I will admit that the FO has vanilla in it, so I used the following: CD8, CDN8, ECO8, CD10, CDN10, ECO10. The 8's eventually drowned out (the ECO 8 started to get smothered by mushrooming during the 3rd burn; the other two began drowning out during the 2nd burn). So there was never a FMP acheived. The 10's did slightly better, but the CD/CDNs began to drown out, as well. The ECO10 had a high flame, but kept a 1/4" FMP... but began being smothered by the 3rd burn. I also tried larger RRDs and HTPs with no success. So... it seems I will have to try the 12's and 14's... but I am afraid it will be too hot for the jars. *sigh* We shall see. Will also try a different FO using the same test range (8s and 10s) before ruling them out. Oh, and I burned for 3 hrs during each session, instead of 4.

Just dropping in to say hi and welcome!

lovinit- Hi fellow newbie and welcome! I did what Topofmurrayhill mentioned and bought my supplies a la carte. I looked up this site in addition to a really nice candle site and chose a wax that was easy to work with, then I bought sample size FOs (this IS addictive, so beware! *L*) and I used the wick suggestion that the supply site mentioned for the wax and container size (I started with 2 oz tins, but found it was not what I wanted to use). One of the best pieces of advice I got and read (albeit too late) was to test in the type of jar you want to use. Saves money and heartaches. *L* I am still in the testing stage, so I cannot offer much advice (though I try to help my fellow boardmembers and newbies), but I will say don't be afraid to ask questions, use the search features here and just shop around supply sites to get an idea of what type of candle you want to make (which searching the galleries and various threads here can prove to be a big help). It is a lot of work, but so much fun... when not frustrated (not all of us win the wick lottery right away. *L*). Again, welcome and enjoy yourself!

Hi! I, like you, bought some soy candles from some popular companies (Pacifica and Illume, to be exact, and I plan to get a Glade one) and I found that the burns were smoother and more "perfect" that what I get with 464 during my testing. After reading here, I am quite sure additives are used or they are a parasoy blends. Just my observation. *S*

Hi! From one fellow newbie to another, I don't know about tins (I switched to glass early on), but I have been reusing my glass jars for testers. I have read, here, that some do this because it is used for testing, only, and not given to customers. So I would think this is ok. But I would also wait for a second opinion from others who are pros. As for how to recycle more quickly? I used the oven to melt the wax and the loosen the glue on the wick (I use glue sticks). It has worked for me and allows me to clean up all 12 of my jars at one time. I have, also, found that using hot, soapy water (I use Dawn) to clean the containers work with getting all of the wax and glue residue off, in addition to any glue from labels (I label my jars with the wick info and "weight"). HTH!

The 8 and the 10 were the better performers, but the 8 mushroomed more and seemed to "drown" the flame a bit due to the large mushroom. It was really strange, though, that the 16 was burning like a 8 or 10, but with a high flame... the jar was not too warm or hot. It was really weird. I used Citrus Strawberry from Nature's Garden, no dye and no additives (at this time, was thinking of adding CO for throw, but decided I needed to try getting a good wick WITHOUT anything added, first). I trim the wick to 1/4" before each burn session. I was burning the candles for 4 hours each time. Since you say this is incorrect for the diameter, should I scrap these and start over, testing the next batch at 3 hour intervals? But some were doing this during the second and third hour, which is why I was frustrated and wondering if it was the FO or if I should give up and try something else. *praying to get to this point* *L* Yes, the curling is killing me because it burns too much or too hot on one side. But since all three jars caught up on the third and fourth burns, I was ok (and the jars were comfortably warm).Stella- Thank you, as always, for the response. I am really trying hard to get this down. I am thinking on trying the another batch with CDN 10, CD 10 and ECO 6 or 8. I figure I should try these to compare. I have a hard time trying to get CDNs, so perhaps back ups that perform comparably would help... or should I forget this? Thanks again for your help and feedback!

The 12 and 14 wicks are a bust. I am really upset because it seems as if nothing is working! Should I be worried about mushrooming, this much if it is not affecting the burn? Because it is ugly, but they burn... I need help or divine intervention... grrr!

Today's update: I did the 3rd test burn with three candles (CDN 8, 10, 16) and they all caught up and created a FMP that either was at or a little over 1/4" deep (CDN 8 has a thicker hangup flim than the 16 and 10, but I think that is due to my botched centering). The biggest problems has been the mushrooming-- it is horrible, except for the CDN 16, which was small compared to the other two. But, the CDN 10 and 16 flickered a lot more than the 10. Also, the CDN 10 container was warmer than the 8 and the 16. I am a bit confused by my results, so I decided to burn the CDN 12 and 14 container to see what my results will be this time around. Something TOLD me to burn them all at the same time, but I didn't listen. Will see how these come out in 4 hours, but my gut is also telling me that this FO is not working well (plus, I think it is sinking to the bottom of the candle during cooling).

Ihave it and it smells good oob, but I was thinking of blending with Coconut Lime and see how it does.

Ok, so here are the results of the 2nd burn test: Started at 5:27 PM, checked on testers in hourly interval, Ended 9:30 PM CDN 8: This one burned almost a FMP w/thin hangup that was barely 1/4" deep. It maintained a steady flame and had no mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but had med mushrooming at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was luke warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reach FMP during hour 3. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021948 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021952 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021954 CDN 10: This one burned almost a FMP w/thin hangup that was barely 1/4" deep. It started w/a steady flame but ended up high w/minor flickering. Had small mushroom during the 2nd hr check, but had lg mushrooming at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was luke warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reach FMP during hour 3. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021956 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021959 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021960 CDN 12: This one burned a FMP a little over 1/4" deep. It started w/a steady flame but ended up high w/minor flickering. Had lg mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but had a huge mushroom at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was warm to the touch. The burn reached FMP during hour 2. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021963 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021964 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021968 CDN 14: This one burned a FMP a little over 1/4" deep. It started w/a steady flame but ended up high w/flickering. Had lg mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but had a huge mushroom at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was very warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reach FMP during hour 2. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021969 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021973 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021974 CDN 16: This one burned a FMP w/thin hangup that was 1/4" deep. It started w/a steady flame but ended up high w/minor flickering. Had slightly sm mushroom during the 2nd hr check, but small mushroom at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reached FMP during hour 3. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021977 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021979 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=338137274&albumID=963670&imageID=11021983 (added pictures)

It's me, again. *L* I have been testing my CDN wicks and I have been getting weird results. I forgot to take pictures from my 1st test burn, but I am in the middle of my 2nd and I will post those. I will give you my notes: As usual, I had issues centering, but it was not bad. The glass jar hold a little over 6 oz and is 2-7/8" dia x 2-3/4" h. CDN 8: This one burned a FMP that was barely 1/4" deep. It maintained a steady flame and had mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but had none at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was luke warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reach FMP during hour 2. CDN 10: This one burned a FMP that that seemed to be 1/4" deep. It maintained a steady flame and had large mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but was smaller at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reach FMP during hour 2. CDN 12: This one burned a FMP about 1/4" deep. It maintained a steady flame and had no mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but had a large one the end of the 4th hr. The glass was very warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reach an almost FMP before hour 2. CDN 14: This one burned a FMP that looked to be over 1/4" deep. It maintained a steady flame and had large mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but had a med one at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was luke warm to the touch. (?) The burn reached FMP before hour 2. CDN 16: This one burned a FMP that that looked to be over 1/4" deep. It maintained a steady flame and had no mushrooming during the 2nd hr check, but med one at the end of the 4th hr. The glass was very warm to the touch. The burn seemed to reached FMP before hour 2. So it seemed to me that the 8 and the 14 were the ones to watch on the next burn, but does that seem right? It is very odd, so I will be adding pictures after my 2nd test burn. As always, all feedback is welcomed and thanks again!

Hi Stella, Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I am testing the smaller jar right now. As for your question about resuing wax, I found one of the threads here (http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78753&highlight=burn+test+candle) about testing wicks. I still had plans to do a full test, just was trying to test wicks without wasting much product. But, oh well, I will continue to try doing it the old fashioned way. Thanks again!

Those are awesome!

I don't make soap (experimenting with candles), but I found out about the plastic measuring cup the hard way... I use glass now.

Antonia and Stella- have I TOLD you both how much I flove you, both!? You always seem to take mercy on me. *sniffle* Stella- I was not able to find CDN wicks in small samples (and I had already placed my order for the month... I am trying to stay on my self-imposed budget! *LAM*). I guess I will HAVE to find these in small samples. I would rather not double-wick (hard enough trying to get ONE wick to work:rolleyes2 ), but will, if I have to. It is also beginning to look like I need to get another jar, but I love the clean lines of this jar. But thanks SO much for the info. I will begin making my list for next month...

What results should I be looking for if I am wicking for the bottom of the jar? I was advised of this and tried it... I got 1) tunneling, 2)thick hang-up left on sides, 3) drowning. Stats: * Using round cylinder 3" height x 3 3/4" dia * 464 wax * 1 oz pp FO * Trying HTP, CD and ECO wicks from previous test trials that did not create a FMP on 1st burn (I don't have the sizes at the moment) Please help me before I blow up my house in frustration! *L*

Honestly, I think it was the fragrance, now. I am testing them again with a stronger scent. But I need to make sure they are ok to use in my state. I can't wait to order from them. I am thinking I will stick with NG and CSci since I buy the majority of my FO from them, right now. I will also try Alabaster's. WSP is too much, shipping-wise unless I am getting a lot of stuff.

Plastic: http://www.herbalhut.com/detail.aspx?ID=10637

I was trying Ginger-Peach and Hyacinth... I may add some Vanilla to see if that makes it "pop".

tootie04- You are a GENIUS and don't know how helpful that was! (I never understood wicking for the last half of the jar, in the sense of how it affects the first half). So when would you anticipate a FMP? Because I am stumped and REALLY need help (I have experienced tunneling or drowning wicks during my last tester). You could PM me, if you prefer, so that I will not overtake this thread. Sorry for hijacking!

Great job!

I was thinking of trying this, myself.I like the 464 because it seems easy to use, but I am not having luck with wicking (I am nt sure if I am on the right track or what I should cancel out: mushrooming or how fast I get a FMP).