FireStarter

Thanks guys! I may try using a wick setter too.. that is one thing I haven't tried yet.. ehhehehe...

I got mine from Peak. I also use an empty pen casing and slide the wick through it to push down on the wick to help it adhere. Then I do all around the sides of it too.. Oh and I meant the mold sealant, not plumber's putty.. sorry! (Got the plumbers putty to use instaed of the mold sealant because that stuff still gave me leaks with the pillars) But yeah.. I used it to stick the tabs to the jar, which worked really really well, and it comes off easily after the candle is done too. Leaves a little residue, but I clean my jars by hand and make sure everything is off of them before I use them again.. I decided to finally try the stickums because it seemed so much more simple, but then the sliding happened. So, maybe I'll try ordering from somewhere else and see how they work, or just go back to the mold sealant.. :undecided

Anyone use these?? If so.. does this happen to you? I center my wicks up, with the wick stick ems. Pour my wax, cure, etc. Burning the candle.. everything is great.... until i have about 1.5 - 2 inches left in my jar of wax, then the little bugers slide over to the sides......??? I do burn on a level surface, and this has happened to i'd say 8 out of 10 candles. I think I'm going to have to go back to my plumber's putty.. meh.

OMG I do this too.. hubby thinks I'm nuts.. hehe

My first thought when I read the name - Electric blue! After reading the description - Vibrant Yellow or orange.

Denial??? What denial??? I have no problem!!! I love FOs!!! Hehe:p

From CW... has anyone tried it? I poured two candles with it over the weekend and I am definitely pleased! However, I was wondering if you all have experienced this... to me, the scents aren't blended. I can smell the vanilla really strong at some moments, and then the lavender at others. With the candle burning downstairs, upstairs I can smell the lavender, no vanilla. Up close, I can smell both, but the vanilla is wayyyyy stronger. Maybe it's my nose, but just curious if you all have found this to happen with this FO or any others.

It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but just FYI Peak's blueberry muffin is dead on. But, it is probably more muffiny than you'd want with the BB/Pom. That sounds FAB!!!!

Welcome, welcome to your new addiction.... and to the forum! I order FO from Peak frequently, and have yet to be disappointed. And I too have way more FO than I need! LOL

Hey there CandleMama! Would you PM me with the lady you got yours from on Ebay? I've found two that sell for the same price, but would prefer a "referred" person LOL... My hubby is willing to do it for me, in fact would insist, but I can't find a big enough presto pot in the town I'm in, and so if I have to order it online, may as well order it complete already. TIA!!!

Meeeeeee too, except I use GW444 (Isn't this the same as GB444? - pardon me if it's not because I use the two interchangeably on there.. oops!) and I haven't finished testing. I've got a case sitting here that will probably take me a year to get through LOL... of course I have 2 school age kids, a 3-month old, (all boys!) 4 dogs, and a hubby in school and I work full time.., as well as tutor a 17-year-old in algebra... ugh. LOL.. I rarely have time to make candles, but somehow I fit it in.. WHY? Because it's the only thing that keeps me sane!!! Haha

I use stearic acid (PSA) for a few reasons.... it hardens the soy wax (I use GW444, which is 98% soy and 2% soy additive), allowing for a longer burn time, and it also helps to smooth out the tops a bit more than without it. I don't add anything else to my candles at this point, although I want to try out some CO.

Hey, ya thanks Stella! That is some invaluable information. In fact, I've printed it out for my notes! I remember reading on the forum a few of your posts regarding tempering. I'll have to do a search again and find them, because I know each wax is different. I did pour a few candles last night (before having read your post here), and poured them hotter than I usually do, as well as into heated jars, then insulated as usual, and the frosting was reduced significantly; although not completely. But hey, it's a lot less than what it was!!! However, I apparently didn't stir enough because I used color blocks for the first time, and I have little dots of color on the bottom where the undisolved specks settled LOL. I added them while the wax was still around 180*, but ended up adding more as the wax cooled because I didn't know how much I'd need yet. Anyway, thanks again for that info. It is recommended to heat my wax to about 185*, but I'll try heating it a bit hotter next time to see if that also makes a difference. @CandleMama - I generally don't have an issue with wick clogging in the swirls, because I try to use less dye than I normally would in a solid colored candle. So for example, if I wanted to make a solid red candle, I would use about 5 - 7 drops for the entire candle, whereas in my red swirl, I used probably 2 - 3 drops, and 1 - 3 drops of yellow, so my total concentration isn't more than 7 drops in a pound of wax - my theory may be wrong though LOL. That, and since most of the color seems to settle towards the bottom, the candle is about to putter out by the time it gets down that far, so I haven't had an issue thus far. Just try to keep your concentration minimal. However, I am also testing different wicks now because I don't like the one I've been using, it seems to go through my wax much faster than I'd like. I'll make a note to test these wicks in the swirls to see if clogging becomes an issue.

Thanks CandleMama I will definitely check it out when I'm there next. I never noticed it before, but then again I've never looked for it at WM. Linda, have you ever tried using the CO in your candles? If so, did it help with the frosting at all? I make them in my basement, which is definitely cooler than the rest of the house, and yeah, in snowy months it's almost not worth trying to make them it seems. A little frosting isn't bad, and I can tolerate it, but to the extent that I get it, bleh.. they look ugly, IMO anyway.

You know, thinking about it, I suppose it could work with dye chips/blocks too. Maybe just put the chips in while the wax is still hot enough to melt them, but just dont stir it until it gets slushy. Of course, you would want to make sure any fragrance you added was done before the color, and make sure it's mixed real well before adding the color. It's worth a shot, and considering i just ordered a ton of color blocks, I may try it and let ya know how it works out! Besides, i'm itching to try out these new fragrances I just got.. hehe

Thanks DNJ! They're alot of fun to make, but can get rather messy LOL.. I want to try so many different colors!! @Linda, when I lived in Arizona I didn't have any frosting at all. Up here in Wyoming, it seems to be inevitable.. which is why I want to try the coconut oil. I also get wet spots galore here, which also wasn't an issue down there, so I'm certain that the cause is that the candles are cooling too fast. Pouring slushy does seem to help the tops some, but not with the frosting. It's not as noticeable with the swirls, but the solid colors have all come up with frosting. I've tried insulating the candles, and pouring as low as 90* but still, the persistent frosting. It does seem to happen less, the cooler I pour. I just hate waiting that long to pour my candles! I currently use GW444, and haven't tried any other waxes, except for IGI 4625 for pillars, of which I have made 3.. LOL

Here are some more pics of the one in my avatar.

Lol.. it's actually really easy. I just heat my wax as usual, add the FO at the recommended temp, then let it cool until slushy, like really really slushy, then add the color (I use liquid dyes). The trick is to just add one to two drops of each color, depending on what color scheme you're going for, and only stir the wax around maybe two to three times at most. The dye will settle towards the bottom of the wax when you first put it in, so when you pour it into the container, it will mix even more on its own. You can mix two, three, or several colors together, or use just one to get different shades. My avatar is one that I made with blue and yellow, and the attached photo is one using red and yellow. But I overdid the red on accident because it started pouring out of my dropper, LOL.

LOL Willow - Murphy is my back seat driver haha! While I do tend to get more of the lumpy tops with a lot of my candles up here (not much of a problem down south for me), the PSA seems to help that for me.. however, the frosting I get is the white star spots all over the sides and tops, but I will try stirring them after they're poured to see if that helps with the lumps! Something I hadn't thought to try. Some of my candles I can't do that with though because I make color swirls, where I add the dye right before I pour and only stir the wax two or three times around before pouring, as I don't want the colors to blend too much. But I'll definitely try that with my solid colored ones to see if it helps! LB - Thanks, I DO have a Walmart here, if nothing else!! LOL.. I will check with them for the CO because I really would like to try some before I buy bulk, and if they carry it at our WM, even better because then I don't have to pay on shipping!!

I have a couple of questions for you folks! 1) For those of you who use the Coconut Oil 76 degree, where do you get it? I have found a few sites, and the cheapest I have found is $9.57 for 7 lb. I haven't found any locally, as I moved to a small town. 2) I have read that in candles, CO-76 is primarily used to increase scent throw in veggie waxes, but also that it can eliminate frosting?? Is this true? 3) Has anyone used anything other than CO for frosting issues successfully? I use GW444 currently, with about 6% PSA (plus dye and usually about 6% to 8% FO, depending on fragrance). When I lived in Arizona, I had absolutely NO frosting issues. But now, living in Wyoming, I can't make a single candle without frosting, and it's bad! I mean, like A LOT. I have tried various pour temps, (usually between 100 and 115 degrees, even as low as 95 degrees) as well as cooling slowly (using tin foil around the jars, and covering the jars until completely cooled - No peeking!! LOL). I'm at a loss. Having never had to deal with the frosting before, I haven't had to try to get rid of it, but now.. ugh! Any help is appreciated..! TIA.

Well that settles it for me then.. Black orchid from SS it is. I think I'll probably end up getting the Midnight Orchid from CW as well in a few weeks though LOL... ugh. I just can't help myself lately.

Yeah I imagine they (dill pickle) would sell for gags pretty well lol.. i saw that and thought, hmm.. my son would love that one.. hehe.. now the beer concentrate. Not sure I'd go for that one unless I could drink it LOL!

hmmmm.... black orchid is originally what I was looking for. I like the scent description of Southern Scentsations because it has a hint of vanilla...... however...!!! I also am drawn to the other one.. maybe I'll get samples and give em a shot. Thanks so very much!! Other suggestions are also welcome!

Hey all, I'm looking for an orchid scent. I ordered the midnight orchid from CW because it sounded like exactly what i was looking for, but they're out of stock foe two to three weeks. anyone know of anything comparable, or better? TIA:yay:

oooooh lucky you!!! Let us know how it goes!!! Thanks for your replies ladies! I think I'm going to order some spiced apple tea, some bayberry plant, and some juniper. I'm considering a Candy Corn as well. Hmmmmm.... I have Peak's Bayberry, and I like it OOB; haven't tried it in wax yet. I have a 2.5 month old, a 12 yo, and a 7 yo, and haven't had much time for candlemaking lately LOL