KoalaGirl

Hi Everyone, this is my newest effort. The ''white'' part in the pink soap did not turn out as planned. I believe this is called glycerine rivers? caused by overheating. I had the soap under a styro box and covered with loads of towels. There is a small crack in the top of the soap which suggests overheating? The effect isn't what I was after but it's growing on me!

Wow they look great! I love the body shop Satsuma!

Thankyou all for your encouraging comments! I have a question: I have used the soap {only 2 weeks cure but I couldn't wait} and the black oxide on the top comes off on the washcloth. Will it still do that when its fully ''cured''? If I left it on the side of the bath {acrylic} would the black oxide stain the bath? I know I should test it but I don't want to end up with a permanent black stain on my bath in the interests of research! Thanks for any insight.

This is the first batch using colour. The scent is Oakmoss & Amber. I'm loving soap making!

Is a non drinking candle maker supposed to do with a beer stubby holder with a built in temp gauge?? Stick a candle in it of course!*super banana*

Hi all, I have been asked to wick a container that a girl has given me. She loves it and wants it refilled. When she bought it, it was double wicked. I've never double wicked before and told her I'd give it a go but since it would be too expensive for her to pay for all the wax/FO used to test it, she would just have to hope that it burned ok without being tested. I have told her there are no guarantees it wouldn't tunnel etc. The jar is quite thick, 3 1/2 inches diameter and 3 inches high. It is round, with straight sides. I will be using CB 135, no dye and about 4% FO. I have HTP wicks in most sizes. I want to err on the side of caution and risk it being underwicked rather than overwicked. I am thinking maybe 2 HTP 62 or even HTP 52. If anyone has any experience double wicking this size jar with this wax and these wicks I'd love to hear your suggestions. Thanks

Thanks for your reply's. Yes it CB135. 8% FO. Poured at around 140 F. I suspect that its the ambient temp that they are stored in that causes this. It looks as though it began as frosting {white and powdery} but just kept growing! It probably doesnt affect the burn/scent but it sure looks ugly! I have just remelted the top of one, so will store it away to see if it happens again.

Hi all, I have a few container candles that were made about 6 weeks ago. I noticed that some have got what appears to be something growing on the top of them. They are round raised white powdery looking things. Almost like big flat warts! It is summer here and the weather has been often hot and humid. I have had this before but only on candles that are around a year old. I tried a search for 'powdery looking warts' {among other terms} with no luck. Can someone give me a clue as to what caused this or tell me what its called so I can search for info. Thanks for any help.

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Im over metro's so if anyone is wanting ncs 226 gr clear metro's, I have about 5 or 6 doz {I notice they are out of them again}. I live on the central coast nsw. Will sell them for cheap if you want to pick them up.

Hi Bart, NCS has CSN wicks! Oops...just had a look and all but the tealight wicks are out of stock...sorry!

Hi all, does anyone have any experience using permatex {the red high temp silicon} to stick wicks to plastic {polycarbonate} cups? I am thinking of using it to ensure wick stays stuck since a wandering wick could cause the cup to melt? I use it in glass jars but not sure if it would 'react' with the plastic. I will test it of course, but just wondering if anyone has used it this way. Thanks

Can someone help me out here please, since I'm clueless as to who you guys are talking about.

Wax weighs less than water so therefore you only need to multiply the weight of the water x .86 to give you the same volume of wax. Try to forget about volumes when candlemaking and work with weight only {use grams instead of oz''s/lbs as its much much simpler}. Yes, the wax you have poured already will still be fine to remelt when your FO arrives in a few weeks. Just keep it covered to keep out dust etc.

Hi Minx and its nice to welcome another Aussie to the forum. I lived in Launceston for a year, a long time ago. Tasmania is a beautiful place! A good way to determine the amount of wax needed for a new sized container is this: place empty jar on scales and tare weight {bring it back to zero} then fill the container with water to the wax level. Multiply that weight by .86 and that will you the amount of wax {by weight} that you need per container. Hope that helps.

Why not just plop {is that a word?} the whole block out and fit it into a new clam shell? It probably wouldnt be a bad idea to sacrifice one by test burning it. That way, you will know if it has or hasnt taken on a smell of plastic but I doubt it.

Jill, I had massive problems with this fo last year. Previously it had burned beautifully. I discovered what the problem was so try this: Leave the bottle of FO to sit for a few day and then very carefully pick it up and look at the bottom. Gently swirl the bottle {slowly} and chances are you will see a dark sludgy substance that had settled on the bottom. My supplier denied there was a problem but there definately was and whatever the sludge was, it was clogging up the wick soon after lighting. I even strained the oil through a science labs filters but could not get rid of all the sludge. It was fine to make tarts. I have since bought more CS Dragon's blood and was pleased to find that it did not contain the sludge and therefore burned as it should.

FWIW Here is my experience with seeping FO. Keeping in mind that a slow cool is better for adhesion, I had a flash of genius {or so I thought} to put my jars on a raised cooling rack under a styro box. I then put a hot water bottle {filled with boiling water} under the cooling rack. The tops came out the smoothest they had ever been! I was so proud of myself for being so clever. However, the next morning, the wheels had fallen off my new found genius status, when I saw that the tops were completely covered with FO. Seriously covered across the whole top and and a couple of millimetres deep! My thoughts: Did the heat at the bottom of the jar {nearest the water bottle} cause the FO to rise up to the top of the jars? I thought that FO would sink. At least I now know that seepage and cooling method/temps are related.

He is probably confusing them with 'lead' wicks.

Hi everyone. I am currently burning a candle that has been made the same way as I've always made it using CB 135. The candle has only cured for 3 days. I am noticing that the wax seems to be melting quicker than I remember {a full melt pool in a shorter time}. The weather, when I made it, and for the 3 days up to when I first lit it, is unseasonally warm. It was probably about 28 degrees celsius when I made it and hasnt dropped below about 20. I am looking at this candle and thinking that it could be wicked down. My question is: Do any of you take current weather temps into consideration when wicking i.e. bigger wick in winter months, smaller in summer? I am hoping that the wax just hasnt had time to harden properly over the short {3 days} since I poured it. It would be a pain in the butt to have to take climate into consideration

Im still living in the dark ages.....using a hair dryer! I want a heat gun but am a bit confused about what to actually buy. Heat guns dont have a flame, right? I dont want a flame. Will a heat gun blow the melted wax everywhere? {my hairdryer wont, if its on a low blow setting and I'm very careful}. Richard, being from Aus, can you recommend which one does the job without the drama of flying melted wax?

Hi Jaime, my Tiger was a Red Heeler {cattle dog}. They look very much like a dingo in the face although have a much more solid body.

Hi Jaime, just want to say, I love your dog! I thought I was looking at my old dog Tiger for a minute! Brought back some lovely memories :-)

Hi Erico, if you want them, I will get them on my next order {soon} since I dont think they post to USA. I checked out the postage rates and they are not cheap! Regular post is $24 up to 750gr weight. Registered padded post bag is $22.35 up to 500gr or $35.85 up to one kilo. I have no idea how much each spool weighs and how many you could get in the packs but I'll email them and ask. Here's the link. www.naturalcandlesupply.com.au

Erico, if its of any use to you, our local supplier here in Australia sells 50 metre spools of HTP13 for $7.80.