Shirlee

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement & advice. I haven't made any tarts since Monday when I made the 100% soy ones that frosted (tried them last nigh - no scent whatsoever). Also on Monday I made another batch of tarts using 1.5 ounces of Heartfelt Candle Supply's Spiced Cranberries FO with 1 pound of the TCS wax. I popped 2 of those tarts into the burner this morning & they actually do throw out a scent but not dramatically so. I can smell it when I'm in the same room but nowhere else. I'm aiming to make tarts like the ones I buy from a vendor which scent almost my entire downstairs. I ordered some wax from another company to try but it hasn't arrived yet. I think I might try another company or two as well but I have to wonder how long this can go on. I'm thinking of trying another batch of tarts using the TCS wax & increasing the FO to 2 ounces per pound of wax & see where that gets me. Ravens, I would be happy to send you 8 ounces of my TCS wax to try & also a couple tarts. Unfortunately I tossed away the ones that didn't provide a scent at all but I can send you 2 of the Spiced Cranberries if you want to see what they are like. I'll need your address. I know I saved it but that was before I went to the hospital so heaven only knows where it is now. Blessings, Shirlee

SharonKay ... I know we sent for our wax at the same time. Since it's not working for either of us, perhaps the reason is a "bad batch?" However, I'm not real comfortable with the fact that a company can make the same thing over & over again & then whoops, a bad batch. If you do call Loren, please tell him I ordered my wax at the same time you did & it's not working for me either. Ask him if he can check to see if I got the same batch number as you. I don't think I have my receipt or packing slip anywhere around here but I'll look later today. Got a few things going on this morning. Blessings, Shirlee

Yes, I'm referring to The Candle Source container wax. Looks like there's a few company names that can be shortened to TCS. Maybe we'd better write it out in the future : ) No Ravens, I haven't called Loren. I don't know what the point of that would be. I know someone else posted that they didn't have luck with this wax & they called Loren but I don't think the mystery was solved to any degree. I have tried 2 of the tarts you sent me thus far & both of them gave an amazing hot throw. In fact, one of them was so strong that I actually shut off the burner & put the melting pan outside because it was overpowering! I only have 2 brands of FOs that I've tried ... some I bought from The Candle Source (The Great Pumpkin, Blue Spruce, & Gingerbread) & some I purchased from Heartfelt Candle Supply (Pumpkin Pie Spice, Warm Gingerbread, & Spiced Cranberry). Peak was recommended to me so I ordered 2 of their sample sets the other day & will try a couple of those when they come in. After someone else suggested using 1.5 ounce of FO instead of 1 ounce, I made the Spiced Cranberry & they are still curing. I can give them a try tomorrow night or Saturday. Okay Ravens ... just for the heck of it I went ahead & popped another one of your tarts into my burner after writing the above paragraph & then went into the bathroom & dried my hair. It's the Liquid Crack tart. The scent was very, very nice when I opened the little package. I finished drying my hair & came into the livingroom & could smell the fragrance right away. My husband then came out of his den heading for the kitchen to get something to drink & said "Hey, that tart smells nice!" I said "It's not one of mine," & he said "Oh." Lol! Poor guy was happy for me there for a minute : ) Sigh! Blessings, Shirlee

Ravens ... The only other wax I have handy is an unknown 100% soy that I purchased from a vendor on Etsy last year. It was advertised for pillars & tarts. I used it last year. If I remember correctly, the tarts smelled okay but there was no hot throw. In desperation I tried it again the other night. Made a few tarts after pouring a little loaf. They are all curing now & will be ready Friday morning but I'm not expecting much since I didn't have luck with it before. I also tried making another batch using 1 pound of the TCS wax & 1.5 ounces of FO instead of 1 ounce. They are curing & will be ready Friday night. I ordered a sample of another type of wax that should be in sometime late this week or next & I will try that as well. You are right, it is puzzling that this isn't working out for me because I know you & several other people have posted that you love the TCS wax ... but then again others have posted that they have no luck with it at all. Blessings, Shirlee

I wish that was the case Deb but no, that's not it. I make the tarts & they have a nice scent as I pour them & as they're setting. When they are set I then store them in a glass jar with a screw-on lid for 3 days (sometimes 4) before trying them in my tart burner. Right now I'm trying tarts from a batch I made 4 days ago. I used the TCS container wax (1 lb) & 1 ounce of the TCS FO called Blue Spruce which was highly recommended here. They smelled fine when I poured them & as they were setting. Two of these tarts have been in my burner now for about an hour & there is absolutely no scent whatsoever. I haven't been doing any highly fragrant cooking in my house or baking. I make sure the house is free from any cooking or cleaning odors before I burn tarts. I'm recovering from surgery so I'm not cooking or baking or cleaning anyway. Oftentimes I'll pop tarts in the burner first thing when I get up in the morning. This morning I popped in a tart from a woman who makes them & sells them online. Her tarts are the best I've ever had. Within half an hour to an hour almost my entire downstairs was scented with the smell of spice cake. As I indicated earlier, my husband can't smell these things either. He has, however, chastized me in the recent past for burning tarts that are "too strong." The fault doesn't lie with me or my nose, or because I try them right away after making them, or because I make other tarts & try previously made ones at the same time, or because I cook highly fragrant foods & burn tarts while I'm cooking or directly after. I don't know what is happening here. It seems I'm doing everything right except I used 1 ounce of FO per pound of wax for these 4 batches of tarts I made since I got out of the hospital because that is what I was told was the correct ratio when I asked. I did make a batch of tarts last night using the TCS container wax but adding 1.5 ounces of FO. Again they smelled wonderful while they were being poured & while they were cooling. They're curing in a sealed glass jar now. I'll post on Saturday after I try them to report on the outcome. Keeping my fingers crossed. Blessings, Shirlee

Made my tarts pretty much the exact same way ky-sam. Heated the wax to 175-180, removed from the heat, added the colorant, added the scent (1 ounce per pound of wax as was recommended to me here on the forum), stirred for 2 minutes, poured into the molds (metal tart molds), let cool, popped themout, & stored them in a glass jar with a screw-on lid for 3 days to let them cure before using them. No scent : (

No problem with my smeller CareBear ... lol! I have tried & true tarts I've been given or have purchased from others & they scent almost my entire downstairs just burning one of them. Also, this particular batch of tarts that I tried yesterday that didn't have any scent at all ... they smelled wonderful when I was making them. The entire kitchen smelled like a pumpkin pie bakery. I also asked my husband about the tarts I tried yesterday & he also indicated he couldn't smell anything : ( Blessings, Shirlee

Thank you Jewls819 ... I guess I never used color before because I don't remember this happening last year : ) Mystery solved : ) Blessings, Shirlee

Thank you EccoLights & IwantItgreen ... I will try increasing the FO. Hate the idea that I maybe wasted money on this wax. Hopefully increasing the FO will help. If not, I guess I can find some other use for it. Already researching other waxes. I don't want to give this up ... I really like working with the wax. Blessings, Shirlee

I'm using a small plastic measuring cup that had markings from .25 ounce to 1 ounce. I weighed that cup on a quality digital scale, then added my FO & measured again, so I am definitely getting the correct measurement of FO. I do the same with my wax ... weigh the container, then add the wax & weigh again taking the weight of the container into the equasion. Blessings, Shirlee

Sharon Kay ... I think I wrote you 3 PMs ... lol! Grab a cup of tea & read away :smiley2: Blessings, Shirlee

Ever the glutton for punishment, I decided to try another batch of tarts this morning but I used 100% soy (no brand name, bought it from a gal on Etsy last year ... lots of positive comments) & 1.5 ounces of a FO purchased from TCS (Gingerbread). I actually poured a small grubby loaf & had some wax left over so poured a few tarts. The top of the tarts had an odd look to them ... like a honeycomb pattern. This pattern was in the melted wax itself & was shiny, sort of like an oil slick, but a definite neat & even honeycomb pattern. This did not happen with the loaf. Here's what the tarts look like ... What happened? Those spotches are actually "in" the wax. They don't rub or scrape off. It sort of reminds me of when you buy a box of chocolates & they're old & turning "white" in some places. ??? Blessings, The Pathetic Tart Maker

Thank you all :smiley2: Blessings, Shirlee

Another tart-making failure. I bought highly recommended wax ... TCS container wax ... & highly recommended FOs, both by TCS & by other suppliers. I made some tarts last Friday using this wax & a FO called Pumpkin Pie Spice from Heartfelt Candle Supply. I heated 1 pound of wax to 175-180 degrees per the instructions, added 1 ounce of FO, stirred for 2 minutes, then poured my tarts. I let the tarts cure in a glass jar until this morning. With much anticipation I opened the jar & really didn't smell anything. I put one of the tarts into my tart burner & turned it on. It's now been burning for about half an hour & the scent is so faint you can barely notice it when you stand right next to the tart burner. The scent of the FO is very strong in the bottle. I am not happy. I'm not a wealthy person & I can't keep spending money on different waxes & FOs only to be disappointed time & time again. I'm going to play around with this a little more but if something doesn't work for me soon then I'm not going to be able to anything more than cut my losses & try to sell my leftovers on eBay or something Very unhappily, Shirlee

Thanks ladies. Unfortunately I bought the wax last year from a seller on Etsy. I checked today & she is no longer selling there. All I know is it is 100% soy pellets good to use for tarts & pillars : ( Blessings, Shirlee

I have been through the entire suppliers list as well as searched the internet, including eBay & Etsy, & I'm coming up pretty empty as far as finding new sources for novelty silicone molds. The only two I know of & have done business with in the past is Flexible Molds (which I really don't want to deal with again since their molds, which are rubber, stink to high heaven & they don't care) & Midwest (they have the best choices but unfortunately are closed until spring 2011). I'm looking for small pillar molds where you can insert a little battery operated light into the top, other small pillar molds, & molds that could be used to make Christmas ornaments. Can anyone suggest any sources? Blessings, Shirlee

Thank you very, very much barbaranj!!!! Blessings, Shirlee

Last year I bought a bag of 100% soy. I didn't have much luck with it (no hot throw) but hate to just throw it out so I thought I'd give it a try again. I remember it was advertised as an excellent wax for tarts & pillars & I THINK it was recommendedd to use 1.5-oz FO per pound of wax. I don't, however, remember the temperature I am supposed to heat it to ... nor do I remember the temp at which to pour. Could someone help me please? Also, I need to purchase some storage bags for tarts. I have 2 choices pressented to me on the website ... glassine or polyprophylene. Which of these will NOT leach out the scent of the tarts? Thank you ... Shirlee

Thanks deisel ... that helps a lot : ) Blessings, Shirlee

I finished 1 batch of tarts last night (HCS's Warm Gingerbread) & this morning I finished 2 more ... TCS's Blue Spruce & HCS's Pumpkin Pie Spice! I once again chickened out on using the silicone molds again & just used the metal ones. I'm not real thrilled with the fragrance at this point but hopefully after curing they will be good. Of course I used the TCS container wax. I'm kind of stuck at this point until Tuesday because I have no other large glass jars in which to cure any more tarts. I need to buy some gift bags. I am looking at the Kraft Tin Tie bags on the PaperMart site ... the ones with the little windows ... but there are 2 to choose from & I don't know which one to pick. One has a glassine liner & the other has a polypropylene liner. Which one will NOT leach out the scent? Also, how many 2-oz tarts (I'm guessing that's the weight of the tarts you get with these metal tart molds) can I put in a 1/2-pound bag? Blessings, Shirlee

Doesn't anyone know how to make these silly ornaments Maggie ... Good idea with the hammer! That would save a lot of cutting ... lol! Strike up the band! I just finished making a batch of tarts (hopefully ornaments) using TCS container wax & an FO I bought last year which was really nice but didn't throw much at all in my soy wax ... hopefully it will in this TCS wax. It's by Heartfelt Candle Company & it's called Warm Gingerbread. I poured it into little metal tart molds as I chickened out using the stinky silicone molds again. The kitchen smells heavenly right now ... lol! Tomorrow (I hope) I will try another batch of tarts using a TCS FO - Blue Christmas. The only problem I had was in pouring the wax from my pour pot into the little metal molds. It ended up dripping down the side & onto the counter which never happens when I use the silicone molds so I don't know what's up with that. I ended up having to pick up each mold & pour the wax into it & then put the filled mold down carefully. I didn't spilll any of the wax out of the molds but still had a few drips from the pour pot. Blessings, Shirlee

Who would've thought that standing & slicing off small curlicues of wax from a broken piece of slab would be so exhausting?!?!? I got maybe 1/4-pound ... possibly 1/2-pound ... of wax pieces cut before I had to go lie down in the recliner & rest! I will try again tomorrow. Blessings, Shirlee

Hubby won't take me out shopping today (he thinks I need to "rest" after my excursion to the doctor yesterday) but that's okay ... I'm going to try to make some tarts I am wondering if anyone knows how to go about making primitive wax ornaments for bowl fillers or to hang on Christmas trees? I'm thinking of making small primitive cakes (about 2 oz - I have a mold) & then wrapping them with tea stained cheese cloth & adding a hanger so they can hang on the tree. First off, I have no idea how to tea stain the cheese cloth. Secondly, do I need to use a certain type of wax to make ornaments? I plan to make the cakes & then roll them in spices to grunge them up a bit. I'd like to add a nice fragrance oil as well ... maybe gingerbread? Hope-hope-hoping someone can help :smiley2: Blessings, Shirlee

Thanks everyone! Mary, I'll check out the Other Topics area to read the posts : ) Thanks for the suggestions for spicy FOs. I will check those out tomorrow because ... are you ready ... I CAN MAKE TARTS!!!!! The doctor says I am healing "great" & she is extremely pleased! She said to go ahead & do whatever I want to do but to use common sense & listen to my body. If I'm getting tired then I need to rest. I don't even have to go back to see her! She said that everything looks so good that instead of another 4 weeks of rest & recuperation I will only need to lay off the lifting & the sex :rolleyes2 until the day after Thanksgiving which will be 4 weeks from the date of my surgery! I always have been a quick healer but this just amazes me! I'm sure all the prayers have helped so thank you all for those once again. Hmmmmm ... I wonder if I can get my hubby to cut up one of those slabs of TCS container was tomorrow for me :smiley2: Blessings, Shirlee

Thanks Sharon Kay! Guess I'll toss The Great Pumpkin. Do you know of a good spicy pumpkin FO or spicy anything really ... spice cake or what have you? I will leave for my dr appointment in about an hour. I bet I'll be the first patient to say "Can I make tarts yet?" ... lol! I'll have to go to TCS & take a look at those warmers. I geared more toward the primitive country look so the ones I have are punched metal with little bulbs inside. Blessings, Shirlee