TallTayl

1 hour ago, KrisS said:

I moved a couple of years ago from a small house into an even smaller 1300 SF apartment.  I don't have a craft area.  Everything is in the closet in the guest BR (the closet of doom).  If I'm playing with anything, I have to take things out of the closet.  It makes motivation hard to find.

 

I know the feeling all too well. 

One step at a time I am improving specific work areas of my studio. I just can’t deal with all the confusion and delays caused by something not being where I need it when I need it. 
 

Had an epiphany about organizing recently: the less you have the easier it is to organize. So, I pulled loads of things out of the space and set up stations, beginning with the shipping area. The peg boards were at a local Aldi store. I have been thinking of peg boards, but most peg board material is flimsy and the pegs are trouble to source when seeking specific kinds. Voila!

the pegs used in the $14 set are simple dowels. I cut some to an inch long for the boxes that hold stickers. 
 

longer ones hold other things that will likely be moved and refined as I go. 
 

the little boxes are from dollar tree. 
 

the mini pallets I made into a shelf are also from dollar tree. 
 

the peg boards came with a wood like shelf and a wire basket I will use elsewhere. I got 4 sets so more pics to come to keep me motivated. 
 

Brainstorming is fun!

we are getting close, I can feel it. 

I miss so many of the vintage suppliers. It was so much simpler to make a nice wax product when I started oh so many years ago. 

Depends on how much time I have. If leisurely then I often let it drop to 160-180 then add FO. If under pressure to get them done right away when it hits optimal melt temp for the blend. 
 

16 hours ago, BenderSF said:

So many great suggestions!!

 

I'm absolutely terrible with names, so I can't contribute any suggestions myself, but I'm curious, why the heavy focus on "scent"?  We have the "Fragrance Discussion" forum, of course (which is actually my favorite), but the other sections of craftserver never really struck me as "scent-centric."  I love a lot of the suggestions, but they only seem to capture a small part of what craftserver has to offer.

My perspective is about choosing a clear focus. Initially CS was formed by a fragrance company, then it took a few meandering paths into other things briefly under evolving leadership.  We’ve  always leaned to the initial specialty of a fragranced arts centric forum, versus an all encompassing craft hub.  For instance, polymer clay, paper crafts, etc have their own specialty communities. We can do anything, but we can’t do everything. This community is the premier spot for making anything that involves fragrance.

what we need now is a catchy, sharp identity to take it to the next level. The discussion portion will still be here in a forum format, albeit simplified and reorganized.  Everything will remain, just better organized.  We will be adding a new shiny front where people can find a clear path to learning and mastering their new hobby, and potentially turning it into a thriving business. 
 

47 minutes ago, Kris10Tackles said:

I remember LOVING the Blue Hyacinth and Fresh Cut Stems.

Fresh cut stems smells more like rose when lit. Still lovely.

I have a list of requests for the labs, one is to get a greener stem scent. Blue hyacinth can be next on the list to test for shizzle.

38 minutes ago, KrisS said:

 

You should list the old stuff.  Some of us may be dumb enough to take it off your hands.  I genuinely miss some of the oldies.

 

I've said it elsewhere, but I'm waiting for the day when it's acknowledged that while IFRA is definitely needed, it was utilized by the big fragrance companies to force manufacturers to utilize their synthetic chemicals with IFRA as a tool to make that happen. The forced reformulations have been a challenge.

Oh man if you lived close by I would load your car right up.

14 hours ago, Kris10Tackles said:

I’m just so excited to get Tonic and Provence! I knew as soon as I smelled the sniffies you sent a while back that I wanted them!

BlackBerry came in 2 versions.  Both threw well in my wax.  One is named “concentrate”, with a heftier price per lb.  I need to really be able to discern a big difference, but I want one of them really badly myself. 
 

@AudraT : garden scents… the blue hyacinth is a nice one, serving for spring, garden, and early holiday seasons. I love herbals, especially when they smell like the plant and not a perfume.  Let me see what we can do. 

On 9/20/2023 at 5:02 AM, KrisS said:

 

I have a couple of OLD FOs dating back to 2005-ish--yup, you read that correctly.  Vanillin has discolored one--still smells as good as it did 15 years ago.  A few others are as fresh as the day they were bottled.  I'd never make candles for someone else with them. However, it performs without issue for me in wax melts. These were in amber glass bottles, so there wasn't leeching from the plastic bottles.

I have some at least that old. I’m really trying to just purge old stuff. If I didn’t like it enough to use by now, why keep it? It’s hard. It feels good when it’s gone though, as if a huge weight has been lifted.
 

back to skin contact stuff, the latest revision of IFRA (50th), has much more stringent restrictions in the expanded categories. Many of my formulations had a drastic reduction in common categories. Most are still listed as AOK for no contact, like candles, melts, air freshener, etc. 

3 hours ago, Kris10Tackles said:

Opened up CS, saw this post, stopped reading when i got to the link 🤦🏻‍♀️and didn’t read any of the other “instructions” 😆😆

I got you. 😊

I have a new lb if it plus maybe 4 oz if you need it. 
 

I can ask our labs if they have anything like it. 

As a little thank you for helping choose the new CS fragrances of the month, here's a member perk coupon code. Clementine Coriander, Pinion Wood and others are included in this offer.   

To order, Visit my site at: Fragrance Co-Op - Scenter Square, Inc.

Add your screen name "handle" on the order comments for an extra gift.

If the cart overestimates shipping I refund overages of $2 or more. UPS, FedEx and USPS are available. The cart only knows about USPS. If you would like me to compare UPS and FedEx, please note it in the order comments.

Coupon Code: CSFO20

Coupon Code Valid til the end of the month, or until current stock runs out. We can re-order any/all of them as needed. Turn time for restocks is approximately 3 weeks at this time of the year. I'm deep in the heart of the holiday season scents now, and am ready to think about Jan/Feb/March if you wish.

Myrrh - Is in stock!.

Considering next:

Tangerine Ginger

Effervescence (a fizzy one)

Sun Ripened Blackberry

What would you like me to order next?

6 hours ago, TallTayl said:

The coco waxes I use I try to hit 200, especially if I am adding palm based additives. I do try to cool a little before adding fragrances. 

To clarify a bit: when heating candle wax blends, I aim for the temp of the highest ingredient to ensure it is all going to blend correctly and cool without any surprises. This usually minimizes graining and cavities in waxes that have a high stearic component. 

Ignoring the glaring annoyances with the combustibles on the top, this wick caught my attention.

looks like a corrugated wooden type wick.  or a  wooden wick with some sort of spacer between flat wicks.  The air channels would definitely assist with combustion in hard to burn wax and fragrance combos. 
 

has anyone seen these before? I’m intrigued. 

2 hours ago, KrisS said:

You said you added FO at 205.  How high did you heat the wax?  I don't have notes in front of me, but I'm thinking I had to go a little bit higher than that with the coco waxes.  225, maybe?  @TallTayl What was your experience?

The coco waxes I use I try to hit 200, especially if I am adding palm based additives. I do try to cool a little before adding fragrances. 

The powdery layer is likely excess stearic that cooled faster than the rest of the blend. 
 

CDN are different from CD. Same threads, just an additional chemical soak to make them withstand vegetable wax burns more effectively. 
 

sp487 is primarily stearic, castor and a smudge of beeswax. When used alone it looks like a “wet” palm wax candle. 

CDN wick series work well in the coco83:so 487 blends in my studio.  I don’t add additional stearic to the blend, since sp487 contains it already. Stearic is usually palm derived, so the extra chemical treatment on the CDN wick often improves the burn and hot throw. 
 

for a container that width I would be inclined to double wick cdn5 or cdn6. I’d place them fairly close together, with tabs touching, or possibly even overlapping a bit.

my gut tells me the stearic is throwing a wrench into the works. I could be wrong…

I could easily create a full time job just testing all of the new wax blends introduced every week. 

Great discussion.  So much depends on what it is, and what’s in it.

wicks: primed wicks are sealed within a somewhat impermeable coating and resist oxidation. Unprimed wicks (spools) seem to change a bit with variations in humidity.  I have some older spools that developed mold from being exposed to high humidity. Those just won’t work well since the strands of fiber are not clear.

wax: organic substances oxidize over time.  Paraffin and similar are inert and seem to last forever.  I’ve had some soy wax that aged to a stiff state that no longer wanted to burn, but have also had some that survived for many years with no apparent ill effects. 
 

fragrances:  some of the discussion can lean toward the solvents and diluents used at the time it was made.  We’re substances in the bottle once considered “ok” to use, but now not so much? (Phthalates for one).  I’ve had some bottles that seemed to use soybean oil as the diluent,  those smelled horribly rancid within a year. Vanillas and other resins oxidize to deep browns with time.  The chat I had with the labs suggest fragrance oils be used and rotated within a year or two just because of the chemical degradation that happens within the bottle.  This is especially true when there’s a big air space. Seems like a lot of the life span of these fragrances depends on the original quality of what went into the bottle. 

before the big supply issues it was fairly safe to use just in time inventory management, but then we all resorted to overbuying and hoarding just to have what we needed.  The accountant prefers we use it up, lol.  The project manager wants a nice big supply to pull from.  For candles and wax melts where skin contact is not a worry of the IFRA folks, I’m less worried about aging of the ingredients if they appear and smell fresh.  Skin contact, though, I like to be a bit more careful and use as fresh as possible. 
 

Sometimes when small wicks are close they help feed each other energy. 
 

premier 700 series are nice all around wicks too. 

Have you experimented with spacing the wicks at different distances.  Sometimes with jars like that, placing two smallish wicks with the tabs practically overlapping helps spread the energy and keep the candle lit a bit better

apothecary jars with the neck area are usually a big challenge to wick well. Anything more than 3” is a double pain in the butt. 
 

you could also try the cottonwood wicks.  They are a wide, flat natural fiber wick that often plays well with veggie waxes. 

2 hours ago, ellajoan said:

Is this wax worth the jump in price from 464?

I only use it to blend. I didn't care for it as a stand alone container wax personally.  It's crystalline like container palms.

44 minutes ago, Darbla said:

TallTayl, the things you summarized there, that I had been reading over those years were creeping up on us, is a huge part of why I've pretty much given up on this hobby and y'all don't see me around here as much as used to.  It was always a hobby that would've been nice if it had turned into a business for me, but I started seeing all that going on before I got to a business stage so I gave up.  I really hate it for all of you that have a bigger investment in it.

It is discouraging, but we love it so much we find a way. 
 

one way is to take a risk and go out on our own bypassing the middleman. Together we can absorb the rush and costs, and get unique things. 

5 minutes ago, SOAPFREAK said:

I thought of this at 4 am this morning!!!

We can do anything on this forum. I have started a nice collection to start us off with.