Wessex

You hit it right on the mark, IMO. One thing I want to mention is that wickless (tarts) can have a MUCH better throw than even a properly wicked candle. So once you get the candle wicked properly, it still might not get as good a HT as the tart. This is just my experience, others might have candles that throw as well as tarts. If so, I will pay to find out how, LOL. Cheers, Steve

I use liquid dyes from several different places and never had a problem with any smell. I have heard that if you use more than the recommended amount of some dyes you can get a chemical smell. Cheers, Steve

Candybee, I agree with you about the HT on tarts and wickless candles. I am testing new spring scents in palm candles right now and the HT just seems so weak by comparision! The candle warmer I have set up to test how long my tarts are lasting I had to move into the furthest back bathroom because it was filling the whole place with scent! (wow, talk about a run-on sentence, LOL) I am definately getting alot of interest in tarts right now. Haven't started testing my tureens yet, but going to have to do it soon. Cheers, Steve

According to the people at Aztec, IGI said it is a new manufacturer. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, total retests across the board . I hope not. Cheers, Steve

No idea, didn't even think to ask at the time, was in the middle of a bunch of stuff. Will let you know when it gets here. Cheers, Steve

Another update: Aztec is replacing the bad wax at no cost to me, thumbs up. They have the new GG Palm from IGI and are sending me that. It is from a new manufacturer, so I am a little leary of the wax. Will let everyone know about the new wax when I get it. Cheers, Steve

Howdy All, With my last shipment from OBI I decided to order one of the oil warmers (the ones with the glass bowls) to see if it worked with wax tarts. It does seem to melt the wax (soy blend) easy enough and has decent HT. Do any of you sell them as wax warmers and if so, have you had any complaints with them functioning well for the tarts? BTW, prices for the warmers are going up the first week of March (give or take) when they get their new shipments in. About a dollar (more or less) for the 2-in-1 warmers and about 25 cents (I think that was what he said) on the basic plug-in style. I did not ask about the oil warmers. The prices have been going up over the years and they have not been raising prices to keep up. That is why the large jump now. Thanks for any help. Steve

let's see here...2 posts, 2 endorsements for the same website....hum... Steve

The only thing I can say is that while testing soy blends for tarts, I had no problems with 100% PB holding 9% FO load. This was just with one FO I tested, so can't say what other FO's might do in the PB. I still have several of the straight PB tarts still sitting here and after 2 months there is no FO sweating or leakage. As far as the difference between the 2 sites...can't offer anything, sorry. Cheers, Steve

Maybe handmade, but I'm thinking in China! I would guess the quality is not great. Cheers, Steve

The 6 oz tureens I get from CS fit great on the 2-in-1 warmers from OBI. Steve

Sorry, little off-topic. But I remember making candles in milk cartons way back in elementary school in the 70's. Put a wick in the carton, put ice cubes in and poured wax in. When the ice melted had really cool looking "swiss cheese" candles. I'm sure they were not meant to be burned, LOL. Something like that at a class for the kiddies would be fun. As far as teaching adults...nope. I would have to teach them what I consider the correct way, then they would have my candles! Heck, had a customer ask me to sell them some palm wax and I am still thinking that one over, LOL. Cheers, Steve

I test unscented candles because: 1 - some customers have requested them. 2 - it gives me a good baseline with a certain container to help with wicking issues that may pop up with some FO's. For instance, if I can't get a good burn with an FO at 6% because I would need an "in-between" wick, would cutting the FO to 5.5% or 5% get me a good burn (assuming the HT is still there). I have found that knowing how the unscented wax burns gives me a good idea of how much to cut the FO percentage. I don't think testing unscented candles is a waste of time at all. It adds to my knowledge of the burn characteristics of the wax and container. Cheers, Steve

It should say right on the bottle if it is B&B safe. If not, go to the website, it says which ones are safe. Steve

I have tried several blends with 464 and the best paraffin I tried was the 4630. Had great appearance with smooth tops. I did not try the J50, though. Cheers, Steve

What type of wax? Remember to always include the details of the candle/tart/soap/ that you are asking questions about :smiley2:. I'm going to assume you are using soy. With no additives, you don't need to concern yourself with curing for optimum scent throw, but I am not really sure if soy needs to cure for any other reasons (as I have always cured because of FO). That being said, I would give it a day at least. But somebody who has more knowledge on soy may want to chime in here. I know with palm wax, I have gotten repeatable test results with unscented candles with 1 day wait. Cheers, Steve

I would cancel it and tell them to go stuff themselves. They don't live up to their end, they don't deserve your money. Steve

Depends on where you are located, shipping is the real expense. There are many cheaper places, but the shipping may make it more expensive. Location, like in real estate is key to finding a cheaper supplier, :smiley2:. Cheers, Steve

I also got this email. Since I needed some warmers anyway, I just went ahead and put in an order. Was also going to call tomorrow to see if it applied to warmers. Of course, they have new ones coming in, so I did not want to order too much. Let us know what they say. Cheers, Steve

Yep, you need a tax ID. Steve

I don't have alot of experience with soy containers, have only been testing for a couple months. The only tip I have is try pouring hotter. I included a pic of two jellies. They are a blend, but the straight 464 I did was similiar, just don't have a pic handy. Everything was identical other than the pour temp. These were photographed 3 days after pouring, and are now about 1 1/2 months old and have same appearance other than there is more frosting on the cool pour candle. HTH, Steve

OK, maybe no lawsuit, but how bad will you feel if your friends waste money on a crappy candle, or if they get burned, or if their house burns down? BTW, the insurance company will sue, not the person. As far as easier to ask a question...that's not going to make it very easy for you as most people will just not answer. There is a wealth of good knowledge in the archive, and many, many helpful people here. But you have to be willing to put in your time and sweat. I tend to ignore questions that are easily answered by researching. Again, not being crappy with you, just realistic. I am trying to help you, but I am not going to spend my time coaching people who are not willing to do the basic research. HTH, Steve

Not to be mean, but I would suggest you do LOTS of research on this board and other places before you even attampt to sell a candle. It appears to me you don't really have any of the required knowledge and skills to make a sellable candle. If you don't know what a full melt pool is, how can you even begin to test? I am just being realistic here, not trying to be a killjoy. It took me many cases worth of wax and several hundred candles tested before I was confident in my candles. It takes some people years. If you do not do the testing (i.e. due diligence) and something goes wrong with a candle, not only do you look bad, but you have opened yourself up to a lawsuit. Again, not trying to be an ass, but you MUST research and test, test, test, before even considering selling a candle. It is very time consuming and expensive. Please take this advise as constructive, not mean. And please utilize the search feature on this site before asking questions. Most things have been answered over the years and are available here. Cheers, Steve BTW - the tureen jars is one of the more difficult jars to wick, IMO. You might want to start with something easier.

This website has been dead for quite a while. At least my computer can't access anything. Steve

CS does not have a showroom (that I know of). When I go to pick up supplies, it is a loading dock in an office/warehouse complex. Steve