WhitePineCandle

To the latter point about expansion, you'd likely need a business loan, depending on how much you want to expand and how quickly.

Thanks Stella and Mparadise. :smiley2:

I've been making tarts, though I have made some candles as well. I stir the fragrance in for maybe 20-30 seconds when the directions say 2 minutes. I never thought that might not be long enough for everything to bind. As for cure time, a few days to a few weeks, depending.

Some of the scents I use have a decent scent throw but not as good as paraffin. I'm scenting at 5.75% and wondering if there's anyway for the scent throw to be enhanced. Not looking to add more FO.

Same here, except I used the CS frost palm container. I've made dozens of candles without any air pockets. Tarts with the starburst palm wax is another story.

Thanks, M Street!

Anybody? Nobody?

Did some searching but couldn't find anything, so apologies in advance if I missed a discussion somewhere and please point me in the right direction. Otherwise, are there any additives that can be added to palm wax to increase scent throw? Would a universal soy additive work? I read somewhere in another thread that this was possible. Many thanks.

Candle Science sells 8oz. Libbey apothecaries, but if you look at the specs, it's 10.9oz by weight, 14.5oz by volume (to overflow), and the manufacturer's specs say 15 oz.

Backlinks are sites that link back to yours. For example, people here who have links to their web sites in their signatures have created a backlink. It's not hard to rank highly on search engine for a very specific term, especially if there aren't many pages out there with that term. Unless your site comes up in the top five search results on page One, don't expect many visitors from search engines. The fact is being on page 2 of the search results is really no better than being on page 20 or 200. Given the competitiveness of scented candles, soaps, etc., it's no surprise you site doesn't show up in the first 100 pages of Google. From what I've researched, it will take your site longer to get indexed if you register with the search engine.

It's a waste of money to pay people to register your site on the search engines. There are only three search engines to focus on : google, yahoo, and msn live. They'll eventually index your site even if you don't register with them. It'll happen faster if you get some backlinks.

I like my Maine Coast scent that I had custom made.

I am finding that with frost palm you need to use more dye to achieve the same shade in paraffin.

Definitely try using a smaller pouring container, like a measuring cup. Much easier to control the pour. I usually am able to remove spilled wax with my fingernail once it has dried.

I've switched from 4630 to frost palm.

Zinc core wicks generally work best in paraffin. I've used LX wicks, too, and didn't think they were any improvement.

I've often debated sampling Fresh Bread whenever I buy from CS just out of curiosity. By the sound of it, I'm not missing much.

Candle Science's oils are excellent. Alabaster also has some good oils like Mac Apple. Those are the two main companies I buy from.

Hm. Anise is the most notable ingredient in absinthe. Absinthe literally smells like Nyquil (or vice versa). If you can't smell anise, it's not a true absinthe scent. I guess you could mix with with whatever you'd mix licorice with, say vanilla, clove, spice, etc.

It's an interesting point, and the reason why I'm just in the beginning stages of reworking my 6-month-old business. I thought I'd sell retail on the Web and do fundraisers, though I knew Web sales would be extraordinarily difficult without my candles being out there for people to touch and smell. Not to mention trying to attract visitors to my site is a bit like whispering in a hurricane. I've decided to stick exclusively with fundraisers and eventually wholesale accounts. I've looked at the numbers every which way trying to squeeze a penny here and there, but the fact is one will always make more money on a per-candle-basis selling retail than wholesale. But for me the trade-offs are worth it and I wish I'd gone that route from the start, but I guess I couldn't resist the allure of higher retails sales

I had Alpine Aromatics make me up a custom absinthe scent a while back. Smells exactly like the bottle of absinthe I bought last year. Dunno if I'll use it or not. I already have licorice.

I just completed my first three fundraisers this past fall. I limited the selection to 6 scents in one size. I have some inventory I want to get rid of, so for the next couple of fundraisers I may offer up to 10.

Not that I've noticed, just a better price.

I've got a bunch of FO that I've had since 12/2007. Haven't noticed any weakening in the scent. As has been said, the key is to keep oils in a cool, dark area.

My girlfriend is a veterinarian and she says it could be an allergic reaction.