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jonsie

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  1. Since I only have a few available brain cells right now, I'm going to focus on your original question. Sorry if I attempt to explain concepts you are already familiar with; in some ways I'm offering my own explanations here to see if anyone can let me know if I am wrong. I still have a lot to learn about wicking. I get similar results as you do. I could get a FMP when burning in a room 70 - 75 F, but when I powerburn during the night and the temp drops to 60 F (it's Winter here right now), I don't get a FMP. Same wick, same candle, nothing changed, just the temperature of the room. The idea of having to account for the temperature preferences of every customer started to give me fits. Then it occured to me that if, say, Mr. Smith prefers burning his candles in a 60 F room, then my candle will likely perform much the same way any other candle that Mr. Smith has burned recently. Chances are my candle will have plenty of overhang and wasted wax in the jar, but pretty much any other candle Mr. Smith burns would likely do the same thing. I take a lot of reassurance from that. Now I'm not sure if you were asking how to go about engineering a candle, but this has been on my mind a lot lately so I'm gonna write out as I've seen it so far. I'm aware of two approaches (there may be more, not counting the "Don't Give A Damn" approach): 1) Clean the glass as you burn, and 2) Wick For The Second Half of Your Container. Clean The Glass As You Burn would mean a hotter burning wick and FMP within the first couple of burns (or even hours). Visually, this is preferred because it appears like the wax isn't getting wasted, and some people like to see the flame as it burns down into the container. The risk, and I may be wrong about this, is that the consumption of your wick won't be as fast as the consumption of your wax, causing mushrooms and an excess of wick rolling back over into your melt pool, thereby resulting in a bad flame up. You would be putting the burden on your customer to be diligent about trimming their wick. Wick For The Second Half of Your Container would mean being ok with your candle not reach FMP for the first couple of burns. And if I understand wicking correctly, you may even get some mushrooming during these first burns since there isn't enough wax to feed the wick. As your candle burns down into the second half of your container, the temperature around the flame increases since it isn't vented as much as it was towards the top. This melts the wax at a faster rate and allows whatever overhang remaining to disappear. As your wax melts faster, the rate at which the wick consumes the wax increases, and ideally there would be no mushroom because there wouldn't be any excess wick. And with minimal excess wick, then the customer doesn't have to trim it as much (if at all). I could be completely wrong about this stuff, but that's how it's been coming together in my head. Anyway, I hope some of the veterans can clarify things for me. Good luck!
  2. Thank you everyone for the great advice. Since I don't have any kind of wholesale commitment to provide this size, and my volume isn't all that high anyway, AND because the jars are more expensive than normal, I'll pass on this. But if any of those three factors were different, I'd find the space and make the purchase. In the meantime I'm going to limp along and maybe use that display space for all the EO candles I've been developing. And that will give me more time to decide if I should drop the Large. Morethanrubies, oh my heart goes to you! I don't have much advice for you because I haven't had to move with my candle business before, although I will be moving to a different country in less than two years. Have you tried wholesaling or consigning to local beauty salons or spas? Maybe if you post your dilemma as a new thread, you'll get much better advice. Good luck!
  3. Thanks for the feedback. I was making myself crazy trying to wick this Patch. I've started new testers with a Patch from a different supplier, so I'm basically starting all over again. But this time I won't immediately write off ash if I see.
  4. So according to Heinz Jansen, the wick stand I'm getting with Patchouli EO is "Wick forms rests of ashes". I'm considering lowering the % of EO I'm using in my mix, but I'm happy with the throw I'm getting so I'd like to avoid it if possible. I'm seeing this with CDNs and my local supplier's proprietary ACS wicks. So my question is, what is the worst that can happen with this kind of wick stand? It seems to be less of a hazard than a big shroom, but I'm learning new things here every minute.
  5. Did you have a pretty deep melt pool before you extinguished? My guess is that if you did a power burn and you had a deep melt pool, then once your candle cooled off, the melt pool contracted as it cooled, exposing more unburned wick. That is a good example of just how much wax expands when it warms up.
  6. Thank you both for the explanations and the ideas. That makes me feel more confident going into this. The larger pool diameter of the melter vs the tea light makes sense. And giving the customer options for returning or reusing the wax is good too. By the way, it's soy that I use. The cheapest options I have are the GW range ($105 US for 50 lbs). If I want Ecosoya Pillar Blend, it will cost me $194 US to get 50 lbs... ouch. I figured I try GW 415 and 416 to begin with. The materials here are so expensive! and Sharon... 3500 tarts??? OMG, I lost my breath reading that. Good luck to you.
  7. I'm completely new to the concept of Wickless, so much so that I haven't even used a warmer before. I'd like to learn more about making and selling melts because it sounds like once you nail down your recipe, it can be a low-labor/good profit product. But before I can convince my customers that they need melts, I need to understand more about them. Lots of my customers already have warmers because they mainly use essential oils in them. I can see some advantage in using a wax melt because it will not dry out or require water to maintain the fragrance. I also like the idea of the electric warmers since you don't have an open flame. The one scenario I don't seem to understand is: Using a wax melt with a tea light warmer. It seems like it would make more sense to just burn a scented tea light. What am I missing? Something else I don't understand is what to do with the leftover wax. I can promise you that will bug the crap out of my customers and they will not want to throw it away. And I know for a fact some will try to make their own candles out of it (I already get asked for spare wicks, sigh). It's not so much that they are cheap, but the community I am in is extremely focused on Reduce/Reuse/Recycle. I'm all for reusing but I am a bit worried about that. I'm lining up my materials to give this a try, but those questions have been bouncing around in my head, lol. Sorry for my ignorance!
  8. Those look very cool. I bought a tie dye shirt that make the shape of a peace symbol, and I love that shirt. I'd love to figure out how they did it, but I need another hobby like I need another hole in my wallet!
  9. I've been selling candles for over a year now, and I have always offered the Large, Medium, and Small of the Status/Metro jars. All three sizes seem to sell ok, and I guess if I had to pick a size that moved the slowest, I'd say it would be the Large size, but not by much. The Large size is also the size with the biggest profit margin for me... it takes the same amount of work to create a Large candle as it does the Medium and the Small, but I get more profit due to its larger volume. Anyway, Large Status/Metro jars are hard to find in Australia right now. I could arrange to have them shipped to me, and I'd have to pay an extra $0.35 a jar AND I'd have to order a lot more than I'll need for now. So I'll have to find a way to store them. I also have a feeling that long before I get through half of these jars, my local supplier will have them in stock again at the lower price. But stock supplies in Oz are very unreliable, and it is difficult and stressful to count on anyone else to have what I need on hand. Soooooo, I'm thinking about all of this BS, and I'm wondering if I should even continue to offer the Large size. I see other candle sellers offer only one jar size, and I gotta admit, I'm jealous of the simplicity. At the same time, I like offering a selection and how it looks on my display. Have any of you dropped a size (or sizes) and were happy about it? Or have any of you added sizes because your customers wanted more selection? I could use some advice on this.
  10. Many good issues have been brought up regarding FOs, EOs, and FPs, and I don't have the knowledge to address them all. However, I did do a pour test yesterday, with Group 1 having Pink Grapefruit EO added at 180F, and Group 2 having Pink Grapefruit EO added at 108F. The wax came from the same melt pot, the EO came from the same bottle, all the same equipment was used for both Groups, and both were poured at the same temperature (105-108F). I made six maxi lights from each Group. So six pairs of testers. I'd like to get some unbiased feedback on this, so if anyone would like to be a judge, I am happy to mail you one from each Group. Just send me a PM and I'll get these out to you. They'll be coming from Oz, so by the time you get them, they'll be nice and cured
  11. I get my Lavender EO from my local candle supplier here in Australia. According to their description, it is Lavendula officinalis, and based on its price, I'm guessing it is a 40/42, but I'm waiting to hear back from them for more info. I'd suggest starting with 4% and work around that.
  12. I've been using Bramble Berry's Lavender FO in my 464 candles. The customers like it, but generally they like my Lavender EO candles even better. The Lavender FO has been a good economical option for those who don't want to pay the higher price for my Lavender EO candles.
  13. Hi and welcome to the boards! Good luck with your newest addiction If you are just getting started with making candles, then I recommend starting with fragrance oils that are made for candles. They are much, much easier to work with than essential oils, and usually they are much cheaper too. As for suppliers, the best guideline is to try to work with the supplier closest to you to reduce shipping costs, especially for wax. However, no decent chandler can be content to use only those scents available within driving distance, lol. Peaks is wonderful (and the generous sponsor for this message board), Candle Science, Nature's Garden Candles, Cajun Candles, Lone Star, Bitter Creek North, and I am sure I am leaving out other good, big suppliers. This applies to coloring as well. Dye chips are probably the easiest to use, and the general consensus has been they perform well in soy. As for wicks, I have been very happy with CDN so far, but I am still new to corded wicks and haven't tried them all yet (I made the mistake of starting with wooden wicks). Different FOs require different wick properties so having other types handy is worth the investment. When getting started, it is generally best to pick one jar type, one jar size, a few fragrances and an assortment of wicks. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many options. There is plenty to learn from that small number of options. And some gentle advice, hehehe... the word "natural" used in reference to soy wax might incite some animated discussion here, but you may have come across some of those threads already in your reading. Best of luck to you!
  14. I do everything by weight, so the UV Stabilizer I am used to using would be added at .2% weight of my wax. So if I was melting 16 oz of wax, .002 x 16 = .032 oz of UV-I per pound of wax. I bought a scale off of ebay that lets me measure ounces and grams to such small decimal places so I don't have to rely on any volumetric measurements. Cajun Candles states 16 oz of their UV-I will work for 800 lbs of wax. So by weight, that would measure out to: 1 lb of UV-I / 800 lbs of wax = .00125 lb of UV-I to use per pound convert to ounces: 16 x .00125 = .02 oz of UV-I to use per pound I don't know how that would convert to tsp sizes So it appears they are recommending a lower amount than my current supplier recommends (.125% vs .2% weight). I guess I'll have to test it for my own needs and see.
  15. Thanks, ChrisR. The supplier I ordered from described their product as "reducing damage ... caused by harmful U-V rays, such as the sun, as well as any flourescent [sic] lighting." It sounds like it covers both the UV-A and UV-B. Although they didn't specifically mention UV-C rays, I'll cut them some slack since I won't be making any candles on the ISS anytime soon.
  16. Y'all might be interested to see how this turns out. I almost ordered the UV Inhibitor from BCN last week and I was getting the same quote as Richard... $85 to ship 1 lb to Oz, a total of $125. I hunted around and saw that Cajun Candles was selling 1 lb and 2 lb tubs of UV-I for $15 and $27, but their shipping quotes were vague. I couldn't input my shipping info on their website since it was Australia, so no luck with that. I ended up calling them and working most of it all out using both the phone and email. The ladies at Cajun Candles were extremely helpful and accomodating, and got my package in the mail that day. I paid $91.45 in USPS postage for Global Express Guaranteed (for the 2 lb tub), with a delivery date of this Friday. So now it is in the hands of the postal carriers to deliver as promised. But at this stage, I am thrilled that Cajun Candles went above and beyond to minimize the box size to minimize the postage, and get it out that same day. Anyway, this how I can justify paying $91.45 in postage to send $27 in goods to Oz: [1 lb = 453.6 g, 2 lb = 907.2 g] Cajun Candles: Postage: $91.45 UV-I: $27.00 for 907.2 g Total: $118.45 Cost per gram: $118.45 / 907.2 g = $0.13/g Ye Local Candle Supplier in Oz Postage: $0, but I drive to pick it up UV-I: $12.50 for 100 g Total: $12.50 Cost per gram: $12.50 / 100 g = $0.125/g It didn't take me long to decide if I wanted to pay an extra 0.005 cent per gram. And keep in mind I paid the highest postage to get it here the fastest. Cajun Candles offers other flat rate boxes that generally take 2 - 3 weeks to arrive, but are a lot cheaper. Now to wait to see how soon it gets here or if Customs seizes it as a suspected controlled substance, etc. And if the other suppliers haven't made their stock available and y'all need some, I'll gladly post it to you. This is enough to make 1600 lbs of candle wax, and that'll take me years to use up. Bart, if you are still interested, you are welcome to the first pound
  17. I just noticed your reference to soy. I'm stumped.Hi Spark, what part of Oz are you in? And I'm pretty clueless about palm so I didn't know about the temps y'all have to work with until I read this thread. And like you, I want my EO candles to be as simple as possible... I don't use any additives either, just soy from the box. Lavender usually has an FP around 160F, and the Chamomiles much lower at 135/140F. I usually add my Lavender at around 145F and I have very good HT in my soy. I haven't added my Lavender at higher temperatures so I don't know how it would behave if it got to 170 - 175F. As for the Chamomile, what kind of concentration is it? Is it in 3% Jojoba? If so, that might be your problem... that seems to kill the HT in my candles. If it is 100% Chamomile, I haven't had much luck with that either. It is sooooo expensive so I decided to hold off on testing until I understood EOs better. Amen to that! You need to join us in our other Aussie thread as we bitch about the suppliers here Again, I know zip about palm. But I can't help but think that if you added your EOs at lower temperatures you might get better results. Good luck
  18. I was completely out of UV Stabilizer (powdery kind used at .2 - .3%). I think some suppliers call it UV Inhibitor. I was in a rush so I ordered some from Cajun Candles because their price was cheaper and they had more shipping options. By the way, the people at Cajun Candles were wonderful to work with, and I hope to order with them again soon. But I just wanted to check if any of you had opinions on their UV Inhibitor, or if you have compared it to any other suppliers so I'll know what to expect once I receive it. I assumed it was all the same product but the price difference made me stop and think. Thanks in advance.
  19. I'm back to give an update. I submitted a question about a natural vanilla for soy to Essential Wholesale and they said that they didn't know of a good one to use, however they suggested trying Peru Balsam essential oil since it smells like vanilla. So I purchased some yesterday along with some Benzoin essential oil because it also smells like vanilla and works in soy too. I have to admit, they both have vanilla notes to them. I find that the Peru Balsam has a bit of a fruity note too, but its not too strong. The Benzoin just has the vanilla note, imo. I thought I'd start with a blend of the two so I added 2.5% of each and they are now curing. The problem is one of them is making my head spin. I think it's the Benzoin and it's hard to tell right now, but which ever one it is, I won't be using it again. It reminds me of the one time I took prescription asthma meds for walking pneumonia, and I felt super spacey and amped up, but not in a fun, recreational way, lol!
  20. Very interesting, Stella. I use GW464, so if my theory is correct with soy, maybe the palm has a quality to it that minimizes the breakdown of the EO? I'm really reaching with that, because I never would have guessed you would have had good results with it in palm. Thanks for telling me that. Agreed. My theory is based on mistakes and trial-and-error, and not deliberate controlled testing. I'm pouring more Pink Grapefruit EO in GW464 this week so I'll do a side batch at a higher temp to see if I can replicate the horrible fuel smell. I would love to talk with someone in the perfume industry to understand those same things. The folks at NGC seem pretty approachable so I may drop them a line.I acknowledge that I may be completely wrong and other factors could easily be at work here, so thank you both for being open to this approach.
  21. Thanks Bart. I've ordered 2 pounds from Cajun Candles and hopefully they are getting it into the mail before the end of their business day. Cajun Candles was priced lower than BCNs but the description sounded the same so I'm expecting it to be the same product (knock on wood). After breaking down the costs per gram, it comes out to just about the same cost per gram from ACS, even with the astronomical global express postage. I can't help but imagine that ACS is reading this and will ring me in the morning to say my stabilizer is ready.
  22. Candybee, I have tremendous respect for you and your knowledge about candles and soaps, and I appreciate how generous you have been with your time and information here at CT. So I feel almost blasphemous to come back here and explain why I don't completely agree with your suggestion to ignore FPs of FOs, lol. So please bear with me as I try to explain why I approach my FO temps the way I do. First, I want to say I agree with you that when mixing FOs with wax, the overall flash point of the wax doesn't change. No need to worry about your candle spontaneously combusting just because the wax was mixed with an FO with a much lower FP. So I think we are on the same page there. But based on my own experiences, I have learned that some FOs and EOs have better HT when added at lower temperatures. An example would be Pink Grapefruit EO, which has an incredibly low FP of 109F. In the batches I've made with the EO added at around 109F, the HT was strong and pleasant. But in one batch I did everything the same except I added the EO at around 145F, and the HT smelled horrible. Funny enough, it smelled great in the pot, and the CT smelled great too, but after pouring and curing and burning tester after tester, it became obvious the whole batch was bad. In my next batch I added the EO at 109F and had good HT again. I've had the same experience with a Peach FO, but my supplier didn't provide its FP so after trial-and-error I got much better HT results when the FO was added at around 140F. Typically, citrus EOs have low FPs and interestingly enough, citrus FOs have low FPs too. And since citrus EOs are extremely cheap and in abundant supply, I am willing to bet they are used as natural aroma components in many citrus FOs, as well as other FOs that need that certain "pop". I also have a pine FO that has a low FP of 140F and when I add the FO at higher temperatures, it doesn't smell horrible like the citrus, it just had very little HT. But when I add it below 140F, it has great HT. I can't help but wonder if it also uses pine needle EO because that has a low FP too. I don't doubt that you have had great results with adding your FOs at higher temperatures. And I think adding FOs at the higher temps is a good guideline. But I feel it is worthwhile to explain why I believe FPs are useful for determining the temperature to add the FOs. And I would hate for someone to write off a potentially great FO or EO if they could have gotten better results by adding it at a different temperature.
  23. Thank you Nadiap! You are right, I have plenty of UA and I appreciate the offer
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