deb426

You could call them bath blobs

When I use blueberry cobbler from CS, it has that same yellow color, so much so that if I use navy blue dye it comes out kind of teal. I combat it by adding some purple. Not sure if that would work though if you are trying to keep the tint a light blue. It works for deeper blue.

Well, I guess we can all look down our noses at her operation if we want but it looks like she's doing a pretty good business to need industrial equipment and employees, etc. Perhaps the video was designed to give an idea of production but doesn't show every step.

I'm thinking fresh mown grass and the outdoors/fresh scents. I don't think breakfast at all. I guess it depends on how you grew up and/or what you do now.

I agree with Robert to a point but power burning is not that unusual of an activity and we should realize that people do it. If they want to burn my candle underneath their curtain, that's on them. But I know for a fact that some of my customers power burn their candles and, therefore, I feel a sense of responsibility, morally if not legally. I have a few customers that I actually underwick for because they are all day burners (they own stores, shops, whatever, and burn all day).

Interval testing is how you make a properly burning candle so that is what you start with. The power burn is just to make sure nothing bad happens if your candle is burned in that manner.

Look, I didn't mean anything against you, honest, so stop taking it that way. I have no doubt that you are very intelligent. But I am allowed to have an opinion too and the OP is asking about container candles, not pillars. I just don't see how wax can explode out of a container candle when it hits an air pocket. Pillars, yes. Container candles, no. In a pillar, the wax is free to flow once the side is compromised. But in a container, the wax is going to stay inside the container and drown the wick. She should not be afraid to burn her container candle because she thinks it might explode. (And anybody who burns a pillar on the edge of a sink without any type of container under it to catch wax deserves to have their sink clogged. That is also my opinion.)

I wasn't trying to be snippy. I apologize if I came across that way. In my post I said I thought the candle makers that told you that were wrong, not that you did anything wrong. I was only trying to reassure the OP that her candles weren't going to explode because she said she was afraid to burn them. I, too, was only trying to help.

Your candle is not going to explode. Wax is not going to pop out of the container. If it hits an air pocket, the flame might flare a little, it will seriously tunnel and then go out. BTA - if you heard this from experienced candle makers, they were full air pockets themselves, in my opinion. Either that or they worded it poorly.

I make soy. Your original question was testing a new wax. If I want to test a new wax for something special, I test it with parameters that I already know from using my regular wax: same jar, same FO, same wick. Quite honesty, at this point I don't test too many new waxes. Been there, done that, don't want to go back. But I occasionally try something new, like a project in paraffin.

If I am testing a new FO in my regular wax, I buy 4 ounces. I make a pound of wax up and play with that pound. I can get three testers of my most popular container out of a pound of wax. If I like it and it works in my system, I'll use the rest to make a few to test the market. If its well received, I'll get another pound. If it turns into a great seller, I'll get 5 pounds. If it turns out hard to sell, I will try to mix it, rename it, or use it in another project to get rid of it.

I use two series of wicks. If I can't get that FO to work with those wicks, I give it up. Life is too short and there are too many oils out there that will work with my system.

I test with a known FO but no other additives. When I want to try a new scent, I will usually get 4 ounces. 1 ounce doesn't tell me much. I only get 1 ounce if its a freebie or if I am really looking for something specific.

I didn't know paraffin wax could go bad. What happened to it? Just curious. And that's a lot of tarts!

If they return the jars, I am happy to take them. I reuse them for other crafts or tester jars but I don't reuse them for candles to sell. I would reuse the lids if they were in perfect condition. I never seem to get any lids back, though.

Let it cure for a week before you burn it. And more FO doesn't necessarily mean more hot throw. Your wicking will affect how your candle burns. My best advice is this: pick one container and one FO and perfect that before you move to the next one. You are all over the place and will only frustrate yourself. You have too many variables. You are moving on to the next thing too fast. And 2 ounces of FO is too much. Your wax should never need that much FO and you will have a difficult time wicking properly. Plus its way too expensive to make candles using 2 ounces pp. Start with 1 ounce per pound and test from there. If you must, use 1.5 but no more than that. 175 degrees is usually fine to add your FO but this is one of these things that you will have to work with yourself and is part of your testing process.

Shipping is insane. I filled up a cart with 20 samples for about $20, and shipping is $15. They (UPS, USPS, somebody!) are gouging us when the cost of shipping is almost as much as the cost of the products. But I know all of you already know that, and maybe that's for another thread. I'm just in sticker shock on this thread!

Try again, maybe you had a glitch. I just ordered 3 pounds of oil, 1000 wicks and some other miscellaneous small stuff and my shipping was only 11. I'm only a few states away from CS, though. I have always found CS to be one of the most reasonable on shipping.

My advice is to just sit and read, read, read this forum. There is already a ton of info in here, just waiting to be read.

With respect to your system, are you just making candles with samples that are new every time? How do you know what wick to use if you haven't burned that FO yet? Each scent you use needs to be tested for the best wick. For example, Very Vanilla might use an Eco 6 in your jar but Hazelnut Coffee might need an Eco 8. The wick will effect your hot throw so if your candles are not wicked properly, your throw will not be as good. You can't use the same wick for every oil.

Whatever, Stella. I do a lot of outside shows in the summer. My candles are subject to temperature changes. Sometimes it happens. Even at their longest, if the customer lights the wick, its still fine. I trim them to a half inch instead of a quarter inch. It gives me a little breathing room. It is not a "torch."

I trim my wicks but keep them just a little long. I use soy and I've had it swell enough that the wick is too short if I don't leave it a little long to begin with. But even if it doesn't swell and they light the wick when its a little long, the worst that will happen is that the flame is a little larger than I would want.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback, I will make the bottom bigger and the scent name smaller and repost to see what you think. How about the colors? Is it too pink? I want men to also purchase them but not sure if it talks to a man....lol

I think that Crocket and Tubbs would have loved it

Sometimes removing one label at the top before you print will help it feed better. Also, trimming a teeny, teeny, teeny strip off the top helps the printer grab the sheet better. Try either or both. I do both just to make sure because I hate to waste a whole sheet of labels. When it does misfeed, I still keep the sheet instead of throwing it away. I figure that maybe I can use the scent name sometime in the future or my brand name by cutting that part out. I just put them in a folder.

Pretty. I'm thinking the scent name is a little big, maybe?

Naked and Crazy!

I looked through your prior posts and they all deal with your disappointment in your products. I don't really know what to say to help. Have you tried giving one of your candles to a friend to try to see what they think?

Are fire starters the only thing to do with old bits of wax you can't identify? Like the butts of candles from various manufacturers that you saved to try to make use of? I'm in the mood for Spring cleaning and want to use up stuff like that that's been laying around.

If its just for you, you can melt them down and add FO to make tart for your melter.

Both are just too adorable!