Miadrianel Candles

Well since nobody comented I decided to try it out and see what would happen. I talked to a local woodworker who made me a wood mold which was lined with formica in the inside. Neat thing is you can break apart the whole thing to take out your soap log. It worked great in the sense of insulation and all since it is made in 3/4 inch thick wood. On the bad my soap sticked to one of the walls. I pulled a lot of soap from that side which ruined my soap asthetically. I wonder if I can lube the mold with any oil like almond oil or something similar so it won't stick. Any comments are apreciated!! Dan

Hello everyone, I have smelled candles made with peak candles fragrance oils and oh my! Even a small candle will fill a room with it's scent. I have completely set my standard to no less than that. But I would like to know if there are any other reputable/customer oriented stores out there that carry fragrances of such quality. And what percents you guys use of these strong fragrance oils. Example, peak recommends 3% on some of it's oils. Do you usually use that amount? More? Less? Thanks in advance for your replies! Dan

Hello everyone, I recently saw a CP soap mold with the inside lined in formica. I dunno...never seen that here before. Is that safe?? Daniel

My wife and I sometimes have arguments about that. Somtimes she does have to remind me that I don't have to like everything we sell. And actually some of the things i don't, really are the ones who sell the faster!

Hello everyone! Not to advertise or anything but I just received Milk soapmaking by Ann L Watson. I love it so far. New info for me! But seriously so far i like the book. Dan

EccoLights, Thanks for your reply! I have learned a lot from this experience and grown a lot too. And will absolutely keep learning and growing. I have come to the conclusion that the word to repeat to yourself trough out this is..perseverance perseverance perseverance! Not one second of giving up. Dan

Thank you all for your replies! The thing is that we are in the process of opening a store. And I wanted to bring quality accessories like holders and candelabra to the store maybe in small quantities. I guess what we need is to bring quality things and different and unique apart from the dollar, department stores. If I had the equipment I would probably make my own in different metals with patinas and the such but making candles takes enough time as it is. Hell I'm thinking of making my own molds! A bit off topic but in the process of opening the store and working with all that goes into opening a store, I have met the most incompetent people ever. (sigh) I just had to vent there for a while. That's kinda why I almost feel that I have to make everything myself from accessories to molds. I have to also recognize that I have also met great people who help but they're less than the ones who really want to make you........anyway! thank you all! Dan

Hello everyone, I was wondering how many of you also sell candle accessories? Like candle holders, candelabra and stuff like that. If you do. Do they sell and what makes people buy them instead of going to one of the department or dollar stores to get them? Dan

Candles that are made as thin as a sheet of wax don't really last very long. I had made some that looked like the sails of a boat and they burned really fast. They look cool for decor but don't really last unfortunately. Dan

I though about something similar for a pyramid candle. Start out as one and then split into man other to burn as the base got wider...I didn't think it would be safe so I never tried it. But that looks really cool though. I have seen something similar in a german site. They're called Elam candles. Dan

Well I actually brought up a discussion about these candle at a friends Bday party and like you guys everybody had a different opinion. I have come to the conclusion that something cool could come out of it. I guess that they are really abstract since everybody sees something different. Almost like clouds or ink shapes on a piece of paper. I have a different idea I might still try and see what happens. Thank you all for your posts i love the amount of feedback I've gotten so far! Dan

DelphicScorpion, I used pigments in neon colors to color them. It can't be used in high quantities if you intend to burn them because it clogs the wick. So you have to test what works for you. Usually you can use a higher gauge wick for a smaller diameter to get a proper burn. But the key is to test test test with the pigment and wick. My intention was to create something similar to a water candle but more controlled and that it could burn. What I did was put a wick pin on a clean surface (no mold or anything) and used that to start building the candle. Your prepare your wax normally. If you want to further test this method use different additives for different handling characteristics I haven't tested that far. Now you let your wax cool. Whip it and let it become a slurry. When it gets hard enough start building a base on top of the wick pin base as wide as you intend your candle to be at the base. I use one of those things to spread frosting on cakes. Keep whipping the wax from time to time so it softens the wax on top and keep working higher. Before you keep adding you base wax should cool enough to withstand the weight of the wax that's gonna go on top of it. What you are doing is basically is building layers. The coldest wax you have you can scrape on your wick pin so you can start sicking a more thicker layer around it. If your wax cools on whatever container you use to whip it ( not to hard but still malleable) mix it whit more hot wax and whip it again so the cooler wax melts and the hotter actually cools faster. It is a somewhat complicated process even though it looks hideous...I guess I have no artistic ability to come up with something more creative for the process at least right now. If that doesn't still explain it just shoot a question here and I'll try to elaborate. I hope that if you try it you get something better than I did. But Whatever you get send me a pic I would still like to see it. Dan

Oh my ha ha ha my friends and family don't like them either..I guess I won't waste my time anymore. Case closed no more crazy candles! Dan

Here's the other one...hope it's not as..sexy as the other one! ha ha it's probably worse...

Hahaha thanks for the replies! I take no offense on them at all. It wasnt my intention for it to look johnson like but i guess thats the abstract part of it. I guess it looked like a stalacmite but you are all welcome to think otherwise : ) This was the first i made of this kind i have another that looks less johnsey! Yes it is blacklight reflective. The thing about it is that theres no core candle and its not a mold either. I wan't to see how far this technique can go or what can acomplished. I'll post pics of the other one later when at home and that your thoughts don't run so wild! Dan

Hahaha thanks for the replies! I take no offense on them at all. It wasnt my intention for it to look johnson like but i guess thats the abstract part of it. I guess it looked like a stalacmite but you are all welcome to think otherwise : ) This was the first i made of this kind i have another that looks less johnsey! Yes it is blacklight reflective. The thing about it is that theres no core candle and its not a mold either. I wan't to see how far this technique can go or what can acomplished. I'll post pics of the other one later when at home and that your thoughts don't run so wild! Dan

Hello everyone! I wan't an honest opinion about these pics i dunnu what to think bout this candle in particular. Give mr your most honest opinion you wont hurt my feelings! So shoot! Dan

Never mind, I made a search and now everything makes sense.... that gel looks like that because I used a plastic pipe and did not insulated it...the edges got cool faster than the center making that difference and shape...It seems that next time I use that mold I will insulate to get a more uniform look. That soap is just for me and my family it doesn't have to look great but I'm also trying to get more experience along the way! Thanks for your replies guys! Dan

OK...in my inexperience I ask..what is partial? gel...and what do I do with it? ; ) and what will happen.. Dan

oops heres the pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/41388514@N07/4518166891/

Is there anything wrong with this soap...other than being ugly! ha ha it seems a bit lighter on the edges...not normal? what went wrong? Dan

These candles are pretty popular arround here. Actually almost every candleshop here will have on stock "massage soy" which is nothing more than ecosoya advanced. I think its a novel idea also but it depends on where ya are. I mean here you don't need any insurance to sell candles as it is concidered to be made by artisans. But stupidly enough you need a license from the state to sell at artisan fairs. Dan

Hello guys! Which wax(paraffin for pillars) would put at the top of the list for scent throw (cold/hot) and where can I get it?? I am getting so frustrated looking for a great wax. I am trying to make our business grow and I am trying to offer the absolute best around... Dan

Ok, I am having a terrible time trying to get a local supplier for good wax. I live on Puerto Rico and well it's an island so what you can't find you have to order somewhere else. And there goes shipping and all the yadda yadda that goes with that. You can get pretty much everything to make candles here do not get me wrong. But the paraffin available is not of good quality IMHO. The only paraffin's available it seems is what people call here "translucent" ,Chinese which is the same as the translucent a little bit more opaque and of even lower quality than the previous and the "German" which comes in a case full of Chinese writing. And apparently has some kind of vybar additive added.(which from the mottling and bleeding really proves to be BS) All of these are from indrawax labeled ad 5861 I think I mean the cold/hot scent throw is nothing sompared to good quality wax. I know there's somebody buying fully refined wax here and their stuff is great in cold/hot scent throw but good luck trying to get any help from them I mean they have their own store and I actually called them inquiring to see if they did sell materials or knew where I could get any good paraffin locally and they polity said they didn't give any info( which I guess I could understand). I am tired of the BS with this stuff. I want to have the best product around because I as a person would like only to be offered the best candles. It is lacking at this time and I'm feeling frustrated Any suggestion on how I can get around this?? I thank you guys for any suggestions! Dan

Actually I have done that and they come out very nice! I love their look Thanks for posting!