Misty

Some of Yankee's names are trademarked, and some aren't. I don't know if "Home Sweet Home" is. But you can use the name, "Love Spell Type". You just couldn't use "Love Spell" alone.

It really does irk me that any company can trademark a common every day term that they didn't create. Just had that much to say.

I think I saw them at WSP (wholesale supplies plus).

Woodfields makes molds like uplands did.

tam1116, you should have insurance if you are selling.

I think Lebermuth sells 25lb minimums to suppliers too. I know they used to do dupes at a 25lb minimum.

I use woodfields molds. They are wooden, and have a silicone liner. They are very user friendly. The mold comes apart very easily, and the liner rinses out quickly when you take your soap out. They have sheet, log and slab molds. I usually receive my order within a week from him. I have two slab molds and one sheet mold from them.

I agree, wax is outrageous, and shipping for it is insane! I also have a good stash of FO, but I'm like the rest of you, a couple of more years, and I may retire myself. I love what I do, but I won't run my store if it doesn't profit.

Oh great! Thank you kitn!

How do those of you that use this, list it on your labels. I got some in a co-op, and just used it in some soap, and am trying to find an INCI name for it, but I'm not having any luck.

Do you all just put "activated bamboo charcoal"? I saw a soap on etsy that had activated bamboo carbon on it, and wondered if that was the nomenclature for it. Thanks!

I would use a double boiler on the wood stove. That way you can somewhat control the heat. Over a fire, I would just boil water to sit a pot of wax in, after you remove it from the fire. Then just set the pour pot of wax in it to melt. I don't think they would have put wax directly over the fire, even back then.

One other thought is, had she trimmed the wick before she lit it? If not, she could have had a torch going from the beginning. It wouldn't take too long to get a deep melt pool going that would cause the wick to lean. Especially if she was power burning too.

It's cheaper through the soap guild. Last year I paid $500, and that included my membership in the guild.

Did you use two wicks, or one. CBL130 is a pretty hard wax. I have used cd wicks in it, and have not seen this happen. But then again, I don't power burn that often. If the melt pool was deep enough, I guess it could lean over. She must have burned it all day and half the night. I don't have any experience with eco wicks.

I did use the coffee bags from Nashville wraps, and I would put the salts in a food grade plastic bag first, and then in the coffee bag.

You need a new stick blender. I could never get a good trace with two beaters.

Good start. How was the burn. How long did you burn it? What was your percentage of fragrance? What wick did you use?

I would make notes of all of this, and then keep records. Keep notes on each burn, to see how well the candle performs all the way to the end. Then you have a starting point for your next candle.

Well, I have insurance through the soapmaker's guild, and it also covers candles. You do want to cover everything that you sell, because it will be used by the consumer, and there will be consumers that don't use it properly.

Yes I do test each fragrance to make sure it throws well. It may smell strong OOB, but you just don't know until you actually test burn it. I have had fragrance throw like crazy when I pour it, only to find out that when I light the candle, it doesn't throw at all.

The only way to find out, is to do what your customer will do, and that is actually burn that candle. That way you know exactly what you are giving your customer.

I guess my biggest reason for not reusing containers is that I don't know what they been through. If they have been dropped or bumped, there could be a hidden fracture that could cause a break at a time when the wax is melted and hot. Also, with vintage or used, you are kind of guessing about wicking. When you order candle specific containers, you can test them.

Some EO's will get ashy if you soap too cool. Peppermint and lavender both do that with me. I keep my soap at 115 degrees when adding these two in.

I would just decide if the show was worth it, as an expense. In business you need consistency. If you can't do the show without raising your prices, then maybe the show isn't affordable.

I wouldn't want to have to work with different prices either. That could get confusing.

Well, I use RRD wicking in my natural wax pillars. It is spooled, and I wick the pillar mold with the loose end going into the mold. So it is going to be the top of the candle. I certainly am not going to unspool it, so it must be right since my pillars burn fine.

Without knowing your formula, I can only guess that maybe you don't have enough emollients to keep it packed together. Also, I don't leave my mixture in the mold very long at all. If I do, it seems to come apart when I try to unmold it. I don't leave it in for even five minutes.

I include in the selling packet, a list of scents, with a description of the scent. I do leave a few sample candles at the school, as well.

Where are you located?