jonsie

I am agreeing with ChrisR on this. The learning curve on chandling is expensive and steep. I live in Australia, and a 50# box of any soy wax costs $75 in U.S. dollars, and that is if I DRIVE to the supplier and pick it up myself. I doubt that helps you, but it sure helps me when I vent about it, lol.Your great deal on your 444 might get eaten up on the cost of your testing and additives to make it into a consistent, reliable pillar blend for a variety of fragrances. Unless you can lock in this great deal on 444 for the duration of your candle hobby, I'd stick to the recommendation to use a pillar blend for pillars and votives. If the seller told you it could be made into a pillar blend, then I'd hit them up HARD for advice on how to do it. And please know we aren't trying to sound superior. You may very well find a cheap way to make pillars from 444. We are only trying to help by suggesting your goal might be an expensive longshot, and if you want to make pillars for the long run, then you should consider a different wax. Sincerely, best of luck to you, Susan

I really, really wanted to play around with soap playdoh for my young daughter, so I followed the discussion on this other thread (and I linked it to the page I found most helpful): http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19344&page=4 I agree with what's stated in the other thread that you need more cornstarch to firm it up. And alternatively, add glycerin to soften it if too much cornstarch is used. If you don't want to follow the link, this is the recipe I used: 4 oz MP soap 2 oz glycerin 1 cup corn starch color and fragrance optional Melt MP as directed. Add glycerin and mix. Add color and fragrance and mix. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup cornstarch and mix. It should become a sticky ball. Continue to add remaining cornstarch as needing, using your hands to knead it into the mass until you reach the desired consistency. This kneading is almost too much work for me to make this a marketable product. It will get harder if you air dry it but typically you can pick it up and knead it back to pliability. Good news though is that generally these components will not dry out like regular Play-Doh. However, you may feel the tackiness of the glycerin and MP on your hands. In the bathtub, a chunk of this will not hold up like a regular bar of soap because the corn starch dissolves easily in the water. So don't expect it to last for 20 baths, but of course that depends on how it's used I have been impressed with this recipe because it doesn't dry out like the regular Play-Doh. And you can scent and color it however you want! My neighbors think I am a genius because their kids love to play with it and would like more. Good luck and hth

Brown, I think you went above and beyond, and I admire you for that. Chances are you may win some extra business that way. My only concern is that this customer doesn't sound very smart, and in my opinion not the kind of business I'd want to encourage, lol. I like Scifichik's suggestion of providing 'gentle' instructions and a replacement product, therefore offering a great learning experience to someone who might otherwise be a liability.

Agreed. Waxes are usually designated as a container wax (made to stick to the container) or a pillar wax (made to pull away from the container/mold). Well done researching the Vybar, but I would keep the 444 for your containers, and get a different wax for your pillars and votives.

I am agreeing with Nadiap. I get a result like that when I pour too cool. I've also seen that happen to me if I apply heat to the cooling process and the candles take too long to cool.

That looks typical to me too for soy. However, no harm in experimenting with other veggie additives. I suggest buying some container palm and adding 1% to see if you have any improvement post-burn.

Welcome, Britty I spend a good deal of time in Ga, mainly in Atlanta and Conyers. Candles were barely a twinkle in my eye at the time since that was many, many years ago, but GA was good to me anyway. come to think of it, that is where I learned to sew. Hope you find the help you need, and good luck!

I completely understand about not enough time. I haven't poured a candle in weeks and won't be able to until after my daughter's birthday party on Saturday. Then I'll be sure to pour some testers using dried-out wicks and some fresh wicks to see if there is a difference. And by the way, did your wicks arrive sealed in any way?

Sabrina, I'm so sorry to hear it's been discouraging. Thank you for posting your pictures because they are very helpful to me, and maybe I can offer some suggestions. First of all, your wicks are different than what I've received! Your wick looks exactly like what the illustrations depict on the sellers' websites. If you look at my pictures below, you'll see that my wicks do not look like that. It appears that your two pieces of wood are very different in size, whereas mine are both the same size. Based on what you've said in another thread that you ordered these from the UK distributor, I am going to make an assumption that the original manufacturer has a Version 1 of their wicks (which is what you got), and then a Version 2 (which is what I got in the pictures below). It wouldn't surprise me that the UK distributor doesn't sell very many of these and only had the old version on hand to send to you. And as you probably remember, the wicks pictured below were ordered from the original manufacturer so it supports the multiple version theory. I am curious if your wicks felt greasy at all. My fingers usually feel oily when I handle any of the wooden wicks that had been kept sealed. This also means if I leave a wooden wick out in the open air, it dries out. I can usually tell which wicks have been dried out just by looking at them as they are a lot lighter in color and doesn't feel greasy. The fourth picture below shows the color difference between a new wick and a dried out wick. I mention all of that to suggest that maybe your wicks from the UK distributor are not only the older version, but have dried out as well. I haven't tested any candles with dried out wicks, but now I'm realizing it is probably worth trying. This may explain the drowning of the wicks. But even with fresh wicks I occasionally get one in a batch that drowns so there is still a lot of variables to work through. But most of the time they burn beautifully and make a wonderful crackle. Good luck!

We have some Reject Shops in nearby suburbs, and I love them. I didn't think to see if they had bubble solution when I was last there so I'll try to remember for next time.

I completely understand. I haven't poured a single candle in the past 3 weeks because real life has been so hectic. I miss it terribly. After this weekend I should be back to testing. Good luck!

Thanks Tammy. I'm very jealous you have a Sams Warehouse! But I am sorry to hear the bubble stuff flares up your children's eczema. I'll see if I have any luck with any of my liquid soap supplies. I may also ask the local soap supplier if they have any suggestions. Maybe they know of something that won't be irritable to sensitive skin.

I am learning you can be kind and supportive without handing over what makes you unique and successful. You can "be as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a lamb." But it is a difficult to do that in craft like ours that has a strong sense of community. I know of a very popular supplier here in Australia that had pretty much their whole web site copied over with descriptions, word-for-word. The copycat even used their same domain name except for one letter difference. They had to spend money on an attorney to send a Cease-and-Desist letter, and fortunately the offender stopped. Considering how kind and trusting this supplier is, it is a shame they have to experience (and pay) for that. What I can take from his experience is to: watermark your images lace your descriptions with direct reference to your company name, and your personal experiences trademark your business name and your logo (expensive, and not for every small business) when dealing with your customers, emphasize your experience with the product and your customer support If someone is immoral enough to take short cuts and copy whole aspects of your business, chances are they will take short cuts in the quality of their products and in their customer service. Try to take heart that their business model shouldn't last for the long run, and keep your chin up. I wish I had better advice, except to say a good product will speak for itself.

Sabrina, I can't wait to hear your opinion!

OH HOW I MISS WALMART! For some reason, bubble stuff is expensive here in Australia, a quart might cost $8 Aus ($6.50 US). I think it is shipped into the country pre-mixed so we are paying for the transport of the water

I've been spending WAY too much time planning my daughter's birthday party, a Strawberry Shortcake theme (the cartoon character). When I read your question my first thought was, "that's easy, the colors are pink, red, green and white!" I cannot wait for this party and all the planning to be over! As for your question, I'd suggest three layers: yellow, then red, then white.

I think Unity is only claiming the patent on 2-stick wooden wicks sold retail to us home crafters. And I don't believe they make the wooden wick used in the WoodWick candles, but that's just a guess. I also have no idea who makes the single-stick or how to get my hands on them.

I've been using color blocks. You can chop, chip, or shave off how much you want to use and weigh it so you can have exact color matches. I find it caused slightly less frosting but I don't know if it is because it has a parrafin base.

I think we call those 'wet spots'? At least I always did :embarasse I haven't worked with your wax either, but I am guessing because there is a thick glass base to your container, the bottom wax cooled a lot faster, causing the lower section to pull away from the sides, yet the top adhered nicely. So some suggestions I would make w/o adjusting your formula yet are: 1) Heat up your glassware, and see which heat ranges give you better results 2) Try pouring at different wax temperatures 3) Try letting your candles cool off more slowly, such as covered with a box or in a closed oven. And if you don't get better results doing that, then I'd attempt to drop the BW as much as you can. Good luck. Soy can be a beast.

Sabrina, I ordered them directly from Unity. No improvement in quality. The WoodWick candles that made me fall in love with the wooden wicks are made using a wick of just one piece of wood. So I was surprised by these Unity wicks with the two pieces of wood. I didn't write them. I had ordered these wicks from another supplier and got the same quality/style wick. Yup, a bit discouraging!

Sabrina, I don't understand the picture either because that is nothing like what I have received. The picture implies that one piece of wood is smaller than the other, in both width and height. But all the wicks I've received the two parts of the wick have both been about the same size, and look sloppily glued together. Even the wicks directly from the patent-holder are like this.

Thank you Sharon. I'm not sure if I have access to blue Dawn here in Oz, but I'll definitely look for it.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask about this. I'm also not sure of the right thing to call it and therefore had a hard time searching for it in the forum search function. Basically I'm looking for a good recipe for bubble solution for blowing big bubbles. I've seem some basic kitchen recipes similar to this: 1 Cup water 2 T glycerin or light Karo syrup 4 T dishwashing liquid Mix and enjoy. The problem I have with these recipes is the dishwashing liquid can be so variable, and it seems I might have good results from one batch but not the next. Now that I have some soap bases and additives around the house, could I possibly make something better? Any suggestions?

This is a Linen scent, 22 oz. I'm not sure how many hours I've burned it so far. And I've already wiped out some soot awhile back so it could easily be a lot more than what you see here.

I don't know much about Alibaba.com but it seems to connect buyers with the manufacturers. And like Candybee said, be prepared to buy by the pallet, skid, or truckload. So if you have a LOT of storage space, you could open your own retail shop, AND with all of that stock, you could become "the middle man" with a side distribution business.