inherowndominion

I liked Mr Missy stuff for the most part, but what gets me is that some of the scents that are body safe aren't listed as such. For example white clover and gingered currant. I was told when I emailed them that they ARE soap safe, yet they aren't listed that way on the site....that's mostly what keeps me from ordering, I never know what's what

I should say too, just for reference, that I DO plan to test with a 105, I was just wondering if anyone had a similar problem. I just totally have a hard time believing that a 126 is too big of a wick!

I'm now trying to make a parasoy blend. 4627 and 100% soy wax. I'm using straight sided 16oz jelly jars. I used a 126 wick and a 1212 wick (in 2 different jars of course). I like to test "side by side" I decided not to let it cure despite the soy because I really just wanted to see if the wicks would work and I don't think not letting it cure would affect the depth in anyway. I poured them almost to the top. After about 4 hours, the wax pool depth was like 1" on BOTH the jars, though perhaps only slight deeper on the 1212. I thought, ok, I should wick down. Though I find it hard to believe that an HTP 105 is going to cut it when both of the waxes (soy and 4627) generally you've got to wick up and even using 100% 4627 an HTP 105 barely does the job. I know when using straight soy an HTP 105 has never cut it for me, ever! Has this happened to anyone else? I'm worried about that kind of depth! Could it be just because it's an intial burn, though I'd think the initial burn would be more shallow than if it was lower in the jar. *baffled*

Thanks so much! I think you are right... The HTP 104 did eventually burn all the wax, but it took until a little more than 1/2 through the candle. Do you think customers will deal with having to wait that long for it to burn evenly? I personally would rather it burn properly, but not sure if you guys have had complaints if that happens. There is some hang, but it's so small, almost like a "film" rather than real hang. I've heard the same thing about the soot, the air tunnel. I decided to fill them just under the shoulder, and there was a lot less sooting. However, when I did power burns, the 104's did soot, but I think that's to be expected (didn't trim the wick, power burned 8 hours or so). The regular 4 hour burn didn't produce much soot at all, just a little along the rim and I think you are right, it's the air tunnel thing. I will keep testing to try to get rid of it, but if that's the best I can get, I'm happy with that, it's very little. I'm using about 1oz of fo ppw, so I think if I go any lower the throw isn't gonna be great. And I've found another little problem... The HT seems to NOT be as strong when I power burn them, what I mean is: Once the 8 hours are up, when I go to blow out the candles, the throw doesn't seem as strong. Is that normal? I just hate not to use the 4627 because I know it's supposed to be the best throw out there, and that's what I am really going for. I'm hesitant to switch to zinc core because I know they produce more soot than the HTP and I really don't need that! Thanks again for all of your help! I'm testing like a madman, but it's nice to know you guys are there to help me with the next step!

They do tend to curl, but I can't wick down....HTP 104 is the smallest wick I can use for the jar, and even that leaves hang....going any lower would fully on tunnel. So frustrating!!!

I'm using 4627 in 16oz smooth jelly jars, not wide mouth. I'm using HTP 105's, pouring at about 170, adding FO between 180-190. Cooling in the oven, preheated. I'm pouring just below the shoulder of the jar because apparently if I don't, it soots up really bad around the rim. I've tried several different scents and I keep getting the same issue. Now instead of sooting up around the rum, it's sooting up in just one spot on the rim, but really really dark. Almost the flame scorched it, but it couldn't have, as I trim the wicks and I even have the EZ Setter so the wicks are perfectly centered... I thought at first it was pockets of FO that maybe didn't mix, but I made sure it was very well mixed AND it's happening with nearly every scent. Anyone had this happen??? I'm so baffled...

TKB is the way to go if you want bright colors. If you want your soap super bright, try adding titanium dioxide first to whiten up the soap and then adding the mineral colorants (which I prefer over the liquid, you gotta use a lot of liquid colorant most times to get a really bright color). Also, I've noticed if I don't let the soaps gel (they take longer to cure then though) the colors are brighter...

I've actually used M&P molds for my left over soap before, I even insulated with plastic wrap. They DO warp after a bit though...

Welcome back to the soapmaking world! How much salt and sugar you added depends on what you were hoping the result would be. But, I know a lot of people add salt and sugar to their soap, but at what rate depends on what they are hoping to get out of adding those ingredients. As far as the kaolin and silk, I don't see a problem with that. I've added kaolin to soap on several occasions, gives it a nice slick feel, great for shaving!

Thanks for the suggestions! I noticed actually that the 126 has the nicest melt pool, but do you think that's too big of a wick? The 105 is leaving a film on the sides of jar, but not really a "hang" so to speak. But it takes the 105 a little more than half way to get a full melt pool. Think customers will deal with that? The 126 seems to be burning faster than the 105 (duh!) and thus the candle won't burn as long, but the 126 has LESS soot than the 105, course it's not all the way down yet, a little over half way I'd say (I always test in 4 hour increments, then make another candle with same wick and test in 8 hour burns just fyi). It's just a regular mouth jelly jar, just like a mason jar, 16oz and all, but not wide mouth. So do you guys think a HTP 126 with 4627 in a 16oz regular mouth jj is too big?

Thanks for all the info you guys!!!!! That's a lot to process. Here's what I did: I used 4627 in smooth jelly jars 16oz, NOT widemouth I tested with htp 104, 105, 126 The 104 didn't seem to get a full melt pool after 4 hours, no way The 105 got a MOSTLY full melt pool after 4 hours, but had soot The 2 other candles (different ones than the 4 hour-at-a-time testers) I did power burns. Both had full melt pools after about 5 hours, but there was a WHOLE lot of soot. I tested two different FO's, both with the same results. Different companies, totally different scents (lemon sugar, baby hugs) Now I'm trying an HTP 126. I'm also trying another 104 but I didn't fill it nearly as high as I'm wondering if I'm not getting a full melt pool because of the way the jar slightly tapers, so I filled it to just below that taper. Mind you, to me, the jar looks like it's too empty, not sure they would sell that way, but who knows. It's been suggested to me to try to use zinc wicks. But don't they soot MORE? I was told to try a 60-44-18 for the 16oz jelly jar...what do you guys think? I tried using about 1 oz per pound of the FO, and I've found now that the throw is awesome, but mostly it's the melt pool\sooting problem. The soot is REALLY bothering me, yet I was told by some candlemakers that soot is the nature of the beast so to speak when it comes to paraffin. The soot seems to be worse if I don't trim the wick, but even when I do, with the 105's (not sure about the 126 yet), I still see soot on the rim. The wick is totally centered too. Any suggestions on what my next step should be? That's where I'm REALLY confused, where do I go from here? Keep trying the HTP's or switch to zinc?

Thanks you guys!! Well, I burned my one candle for about 10 total hours so far. I noticed once it got down an inch or so into the jar, it had a full melt pool. Maybe it's the shape of the jar? I saw somewhere on the board someone had posted that it's normal not to have a full melt pool on the first burn because likelyhood is then the jar would be too hot. Any thoughts? At first I thought for sure the HTP 104 was going to be too small, but now I'm wondering. If hang is normal in the first hours of burning a candle, then the 104's might be big enough. I certainly don't want the candle getting too hot. The throw seemed great, until I let it burn overnight (trying to do the torture test thing), then it started to smell more like burning wax than the FO (baby hugs)? Anyone else ever had that happen, or more importantly, know WHY that could have happened? I suspect it's the wax or maybe the FO didn't mix in evenly. Also, on a weird note, the blue colored wax turned a little yellow, but just where it melted (about 1/4"-1/2" deep). Is that more 4627 problems? There is some soot in the jar and it DID mushroom, ugh, I've NO idea how to stop the mushroom no matter how I try and try. These are my first test candles with this wax, but not my first candles ever, and I've never been able to get rid of the mushroom. That's SO FRUSTRATING! I'm not sure if there's any "Acceptable" level of soot when it comes to paraffin? I tried to take a picture but the soot doesn't wanna show up on camera LOL Do you guys tolerate any soot at all? I'm just trying to get a general guideline here. The wick also seems a little off center in the jar, even though I'm sure looked centered when I poured and once the jar was cool, like it's not staying in place. Is there a trick for that or something? I'm going to burn it all the way down and see how it goes...thanks for all your support you guys!

I agree! I ordered clamshells and got them in 2 days! Plus, I don't know if they still have it cause I ordered it a couple of years ago but their Chocolate Covered Strawberry FO was sooooooo good!

I made two test candles with HTP 104 wicks and 4627 at about 1oz ppw of FO. I made lemon sugar and baby hugs. Used 2 drops of color for each. I'm using 16oz jelly jars, smooth. They came out looking awesome, but it's not getting a full melt pool even after 5 hours. I lit them again this morning, same thing. The lemon sugar isn't throwing at all (could be the FO? good in CP, but it's pretty light in the candle), the baby hugs is throwing ok, but there is hang on the sides of the jars. I have 1212's here, but I think that would just be TOO big, what do you guys think? I ordered 105's and 126's, but they are going to take a bit to get here. I'm wondering if it's even worth trying to test the 1212's. That seems awful big to me and I can't even imagine the soot that's gonna give off! Any thoughts? Thanks guys!

Thanks you guys!!!!! Ok, sounds like that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to try it with a warmed pyrex first cause I have one of those, and then if it goes well, I think I'll buy a metal pot (holds more wax). Thanks!!!!

I have a presto pot, the kind with the little spigot and I've got a question. I realize this mind sound counter productive and stupid, but if you could humor me...LOL I'm debating getting a pouring pot to use with the presto. I'd pour the wax from the presto into the pouring pot and use that to actually pour the candles. I like the spigot and everything, but trying to turn it on and off, holding a jar candle that's very hot and so on is actually becoming quite the pain. My question is: Will the pouring pot reduce the temperature of the wax a lot even if I warm the pouring pot? Or should I heat the wax up in the presto, put the wax in the pouring pot and THEN add the FO, colorant, etc? I really hope this makes sense! I hate to use yet another tool for candlemaking, and I LOVE the presto pot, definately makes things easier, but the spigot is so difficult to work with when it comes to jar candles...

The lye storage question, oh boy do I know all about that. I'm a soap maker, and I get 100 pounds of lye at a time. I keep them in 5 gallon buckets that I line with a plastic garbage bag. BUT...(there's always a but isn't there LOL) make sure wherever you are going to keep it, that it does NOT get humidity in the container. OH BOY that SUCKS when that happens. Not only does the lye clump up (and then you've got to break it up while lye crystals are flying everywhere) but it will end up giving you a "film" of crusty stuff (think creme brulee) once you mix it with water and it's cooled. Straining that stuff is terrible. Truth be told, you don't HAVE to strain it, it doesn't hurt anything, but it does end up making your soap look bad, with little "bubbles" all over it. So, buckets, bags and a consistent temperature and humidity would be the best advice I could give! HTH

If your just starting off, don't go buying expensive soap molds because likely hood is, you'll have to perfect your recipe and you'll have a preference for one bar shape over another, whether it's beveled and so on. Honestly, go to a warehouse club or Aldi or some other such place and grab some cardboard boxes and line those puppies, that's what I did before I went and bought linerless molds, then eventually went back to the old school wooden ones. Cardboard boxes come in all shapes, sizes and depths...so you'll have a good selection. Keep in mind, IMO, if you are going to swirl CP soap, the more shallow the mold the easier it is. Trying to swirl a soap that sets up quickly is hard enough, but swirling it when your mold is 4" deep is even harder. But shallow molds are generally harder to cut the soaps evenly, there's always a trade off! I know there's a place that sells milkway type molds that are shallow and makes 4oz bars, but again, it's an expense, and then what if you hate it? As far as M&P molds, I have used them for CP before, but they ALWAYS end up warping over time. They are good for awhile, depending on what kind of CP you are doing. If you insulate, then it's going to get hotter and warp faster. I know some CP makers don't insulate at all, I do, so mine warped pretty quickly. For a newbie, I still think cardboard boxes are the way to go! HTH

Welp, I'm on my first test batches of 4627. The consistency IS weird, not quite vaseline, reminds me of 76 degree melt point coconut oil mixed with vaseline LOL Anyhow, I was told by BCN that using an HTP 104 wick in a 16oz smooth jelly jar would like be enough. But now I'm reading all this stuff on the boards and sounds like I'm going to have tunneling going on and I'm going to have to go to at LEAST 105 or 126. Does that sound about right? Or has anyone had success with 104's in 16oz jelly jars. I only made 2 candles, so I'm not wasting a whole lot of wax until I test burn and find out... I LOVE BCN, don't get me wrong, and maybe it WILL work, but seems like everything I've read it likely won't. It's hard out there for a newbie! *wink* I was using 1212's in 100% soy wax because I tried using 104's and it tunneled, and when I called NG she told me to use 1212's. Now this was a couple of years ago when I was truly green about all this stuff, and I asked her if that was the next size up, she said yes! I found out later that 1212 was actually 3 sizes bigger than 104 but they don't carry 105 or 126's. Blerg! I'm doubly upset because the wick stickums I ordered DON'T stick. Now mind you, I've only made 2 test candles that are cooling in the oven right now. But trying to pour wax at 180 degrees with rubber gloves and a presto pot that only has about 13 oz of wax in it (have to tip the pot because the spout isn't actually low enough for that little wax!) while the wick is moving around because the stick um came off isn't easy. Then spilling it all over the place because you are attempting to adjust the wick in the clip, then the wick clip fell INTO the candle and LOL!!! What a day over just two candles! I need new gloves LOL And I need some silicone instead of these stick ums I think. But, I can say, I'm enjoying it all the way. One thing I've learned on this board is that you gotta "pay your dues" so to speak, and I'm on my way to doing that. I'm taking meticulous notes and everything and I'm patient. I'm a soap maker, and that didn't happen overnight either. I got the lye burns to prove it LOL!

First, I gotta say that I buy my candle dye from NG and they have the little flip top caps. I found the following to be true with this kind of bottle: 1. Make sure the cap is really tight before you open it for the first time 2. Make sure the bottle is UPSIDE DOWN before you squeeze a drop out. I've found that not only does this keep the dye off the actual cap because it doesn't tend to "drip" onto the cap, but it also gives me exactly 1 drop and so is easily measured. Just squeeze GENTLY 3. If I do get dye on the cap, I usually rub it off with some of those alcohol swabs that come in the individual packets. I got them at costco for testing my blood sugar. They work great. It does take a few to get it clean, but it takes the dye off and there isn't any pieces of cotton stuck to the cap. 4. I store mine on a shelf next to each other, not in bags or anything. But again, this is for the bottles of NG dye, not sure if it would work with other bottles. If the cap is leaking from the base, perhaps using some electrical tape around the base would work?

It not only depends on the oil, but also where you get it from and how strong it is. Some place dilute their EO's, but if you find a place that has a good EO then scents like lavender, patchouli, lemongrass, you can get away with usually even .5ppo, unless you want it real strong. I generally do .7ppo for lighter scents like citrus, which have a tendency to fade for me. If you are using really strong mints, like peppermint or camphorous like eucalyptus, you can do a .5ppo unless you want it to be like a medicinal type bar then you can go to .7ppo.

Hello again all! I've got a little bit of a confusing situation. I'm looking for a good wax to use in my container candles, which are pint sized mason jars. The wax place I talked to recommended using 4627 because it's got a great throw and adheres well, but then they are telling me to use 4630 because it's "easier to work with" and not so messy (I don't really care about that) but they didn't elaborate on what "easier to work with" really meant. They also told me to use 51-32-18z in these candles. Someone else on the board told me to use those with J223, will they also work with 4627 or 4630? Also, which wax do you all recommend? I'm not even sure of the difference. I'm more concerned with throw than with single pouring or it being a pain. I'm such a newbie I know, but you are guys are certainly helping with my experiments. I'm nowhere near getting to blend my own or perfect it, I just want to be able to finally make a batch of candles that are good enough to give as gifts LOL *Jess

IMO it depends entirely on the FO or EO. EO's tend to need less pp, I can get away using 6 oz for a 9 pound batch. But the normal rule of thumb is .7 to 1ozppo.

I'm not sure if the spots are powdery or oily, if you used TD or not. One place to look is your lye...I've noticed with my lye that if it gets exposed to humidity, when dissolved and cool it will leave a "crust" on top of the water. If you leave the crust in there when you make the soap (contrary to popular belief, no the crust won't harm the soap if it's properly sapped), it will leave white streaks and spots. If this happens to me, I skim the crust off the top before I mix.

Wholesale supplies plus has a good guest bar mold. http://wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=1989 This is what I use for sample bars.