Candle Kitty

Dew point is actually a measurement of atmospheric moisture. It's the temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation, assuming air pressure and moisture content are consistent. Humidity is based on temperature and dew point. The higher the temperature and dew point percentage (we all know this) the higher the heat index because the humidity also rises. The higher the temperature but the lower the dew point, we get comfy days. Most people don't realize, but when you have severe weather in your area, watch the dew point. If the dew point suddenly and sharply changes and the barometric pressure bottoms out, you're about to get a tornado knocking on your door. IF we are to assume that fingernailing may be an atmospheric issue, dew point is everything because it's air moisture. Let's coordinate this experiment, Ducky. With you being in Alabama and me being in Missouri, the differences may be enough to get a rough idea about whether or not it's really an atmospheric thing in the southern states.

I'm actually afraid to show Erika how to do these, I know her and how she likes to play in wax. I'll ask her to test burn a candle and I'll come in a few hours later to double check and it's going to be looking like those. I DO like them, however, the glow off of them is just amazing

I've got tons of time on my hands and a thermometer in the garage where my workshop is. I'll pour some sleek candles and notate the temp, time, dew point, humidity and barometric pressure. If I get fingernails, then we can at least go off what I come up with. Hey, it's worth a shot, right? Anything to try to put these little PITA's in their place!

It's one of those things that you need to get the timing down, once the wax begins to harden, there's no chance of any more air bubbles forming but you've got to double check to make sure you don't have air bubbles to begin with or you'll end up with pinholes. If you can do a slow pour at the right temp, check the sides of the mold for bubbles, use a heat gun to release them or run a chopstick like Scented said and then drop it into a bath, you're pretty much guaranteed no pinholes. I actually softly tap the sides of my molds AS I pour, then place it in a bath and I've yet to get pinholes in sleek candles.

Maybe it's the aliens again, Ducky? Where's Top when you need him!

Oh my goodness, D, yes he DOES look like a relative! Sammy is a little cutie as well! I think Smudge's favorite right now is the Fruit Slices, he was really active when I was pouring that candle and he kept meowing at me like 'oh now I like that one, Aunt Stacey!' He jumped on my workbench earlier today when I was out there doing some cleaning up and he kept batting at my firestarters. Not sure yet what kind of kitty he's going to be compared to the others, he may just be happy to be around melting wax.

Thanks from another one! I thought I had that site saved but nope! I do now!

Not just you sweetie, I plan on doing the same thing with mine once I start selling, but I do it now with my new testers so they can get an idea of just how tall the wick needs to be for a good burn. Those votives scared me. I'm always whacking Erika in the back of the head and telling her to trim with flames a little smaller than that. YIKES!!

Oooh, D, that looks great! Glad you finally figured it out!!!

It's a sad day when you can judge when a season comes by whether or not there's fingernailing in your candles. :embarasse We'll never really find out what causes fingernailing, but I know from my experience it has something to do with humidity and I'm actually beginning to believe we help it along by how hot we pour our wax. Has anyone ever found fingernailing in rustics? Or marbles for that matter? I haven't and I've poured in extreme temperatures. I'm actually really starting to like rustics more than I thought, if I can figure out a way to just get the jump lines for texture then I'm going to start doing that and not worry about the sleek candles BECAUSE of fingernailing and other issues (pin holes, warming the molds, heat, heat and more heat). I've learned to embrace my jump lines, what can I say?

Wish I could pour a lot this weekend, unfortunately an emergency trip back up to KC for a couple of days is in order. If you can consider Friday as part of the holiday, then some Iced Tea, Sweet Snow and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. House still smells like a fruit salad from last night's pours.

I actually have an IGI distributor not more than an hour and a half from me and I made the mistake of having my latest wax shipped to me from Lone Star. My next case I'll go to Springfield to get, even if gas prices are high, my car gets good gas mileage. We had a thread about this not too long ago, we have no choice but to raise our prices and that really does stink because it's not fair to anyone, especially the customers.

Ya know, now that you mention fingernailing in marbles, I don't think I've ever seen them in any of mine, Ducky. Things that make you go hmmm.... Beautiful marble sweetie!

He's just so precious that there's no way I can take him back to her. Erika brought him over just for a visit the other day and when he flopped down in my arms, started purring and went to sleep, I just couldn't. Then I got really angry when Erika told me what he was in and the fact that he didn't have a litterbox sent me over the edge. He's too young to get a UTI or kidney infection. And he would definitely get heat exhaustion or worse in this weather.

Actually I like the surface imperfections on marbles, only because it reminds me of rough marble before the last wet sand to get it smooth and it adds character and texture to them. Awesome job!

Sorry if I haven't been around guys, I got into a bunch of Poison Ivy and I'm covered. Just now getting back to being able to pour anything, so I went on a rampage last night/this morning. Hope you guys like everything, feedback always welcome! Orange Ivory Marble one is my Orange/French Vanilla scent that I've yet to name. It doesn't remind me of Dreamsicle, more like the Orange Julius' you can get at the mall (God I love those things, YUMMY!) Rustic is Strawberry Cheesecake and it's actually a melon color, very light pretty pink/peach color. I couldn't change anything on the picture without killing the color and the rustic, I absolutely love that candle. And well the last one is my new candle buddy. His name is Smudge, his little nose looks like he has dirt smudges on it so that's how we named him. Erika put him in my hood of my jumper last night and he hung out there for about ten minutes just sniffing the air and purring up a storm. Sweet little kitten we saved from a neighbor (it's been 90* down here and humid and this woman puts him in a plastic cat carrier outside with no litter box and very little food/water. Don't even get me started on how I feel about that), loves to snuggle and he's been under foot since he found my workshop. I also did a swirl red/orange/white in Fruit Slices but I can't get a decent picture of it so I'm trying again tomorrow.

I keep putting in a complaint with the monitor manufacturers that they need to hurry up the scratch 'n sniff technology. I love that scent! Love the candles as well, very patriotic and adorable to boot!

I always think of what the secondary scent is and color that instead of the primary scent. white tea & ginger I'd go with a light tea color unless the tea overpowers the ginger then it would be an ivory. sage and citrus I'd find out what citrus it smells like and color from there (orange for orange, soft red for grapefruit, etc) sandalwood and ginger apple I'd smell to see what was the weakest scent and color that (if it's sandalwood, a light brown...ginger would be almost an off-white and apple would be red) amber vanilla would be a soft white.

If it's mostly shipping costs that everyone is seeing, I can vouch for the fact that UPS has used the rail system to transport their trailers coast to coast for quite some time now. I had to deal with that when I worked at the railroad. In the end, it all swings back to fuel costs. Railroads have to compensate for the rise in fuel prices by bumping up their shipping costs. Everyone else has to follow suit or drown.

I've noticed a difference, you should see just how proud Hobby Lobby is of their wax all of a sudden. Last year the slab price was $9.99 (I use cheap wax when I'm working on new techniques so I don't waste my quality wax) and when I bought a slab a couple weeks ago, it was $12.99. Had a feeling we'd see an increase in wax prices sooner or later. Too bad it has to come at a time when the gas prices are almost insane.

I almost wish I hadn't scented it Honeysuckle, I've got some yummy Chocolate Mint votives that occasionally scent the dining room, but the Honeysuckle overpowers them!

I love the octagon molds because of the tops. It's very elegant and when I do a jet black candle, it's really sleek. Thank you!

Teaches me to talk on the phone and drape a candle at the same time, I've got soft lines where I'm not supposed to, LOL! You can see them in the layers between the ivory and light brown. In the meantime, I'm finding a whole new appreciation for jump lines in cold pours. I did a mahogany 3 x 3 in Firewood (warning to anyone sensitive to the smell of burning wood, I would highly recommend you NOT get the Firewood fragrance. It made me sick to my stomach and queasy last night when I poured it and we had to air out the house before I could sleep) last night, rustic pour and I realize the jump lines are actually giving more character and texture. The jump lines on the Swiss Miss candle were on purpose. Overall, I like the candle and I've steady had Erika on my backside all day to snap a picture so she can start testing it. SO THERE, ERIKA, I GOT A PICTURE, YOU CAN TEST IT NOW!!

I'm hungry now........LMAO! Great job, they're beautiful!

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?p=477532#post477532 You can find the directions at the link above, but what I did different is that I stretched them out slightly so they wouldn't fit into the mold without going in at a slant and then did the overpour.