TallTayl

I have used WSP, SKS, and several others in different sizes and shapes. None leaked unless overfilled. You have to leave head space beneath the roller assembly, filling only to the shoulder of the bottle.

Liquid soap is pretty easy once you understand some basic soap making. Liquid coconut soap is what i use for laundry, dishes, solid surface cleaning.... It is very cleansing.

Could be, but i tend to lean toward people just not understanding that "natural" does not always mean "safe" or not sensitizing.

Nice haul. My only piece of advice is to start with one container and learn how that wax works with one wick type. I use the CD/CDN/CSN (all similar) in C3. i picked a container and a size of wick with no other additives to see how the wax behaved before throwing in other variables. Quite a few people disagree with my method, but i don't add scent or color to a new container/wick/wax combo until i figure out the right wick. If i know how the wax behaves on its own with a given wick it is easier to figure out where a problem may be later. And it is quicker later to know if i need to go up/down a wick with each new fragrance. Good luck!

Candybee... They have "medical advice" for just about every ailment known to modern man. Scary stuff that advice given by untrained salespeople.

You are not missing anything. YL and DoTerra have mastered the mass marketing of ordinary essential oils, coining the term 'therapeutic' to describe them.

Hi ladybug, Page 2 of this thread has a few people's recommendations for fragrance rate, color, technique. Micas, food coloring, etc. work for color. 1 oz scent per 10lbs of salt, for instance, was a ratio one person used.

The box i made was from scrap 4'x8' sheets styro cut with a steak knife duct taped together. (Sounds classy, no? ) 4 pieces for the walls, one for the top. No bottom as it sits on my floor directly. I don 't have any coolers big enough to fit 2-3 soapers choice pails. I will try to remember to photo and post.And the belt heater would definitely melt PKO. The lowest setting is 30C/86F. Highest is 150C/302F.

I have it already, and tried it on a pail of palm. Was amazing. Another idea that works well for oils, but takes a little longer is a food dehydrator. A good soaping friend and beekeeper uses an old broken freezer with a hole cut in the top that just fits the upside down dehydrator heater fan. Keeps the pails of oils in a slurry state, easy to stir and pour. I made a similar warming box using just thick styro sheets from the home improvement store. Instead of a hole on top, i made a small platform out of 2x4's to raise the pails so the dehydrator motor could sit upside right beneath them. The box could double as a curing chamber for soap in a pinch by adding a vent for humid air to escape.

I live close to soapers choice, so buying the pails is like getting half off the gallon price. Saw someone in construction on facebook with a drum contraption to heat something. A light bulb went off. googled around for drum heaters and was amazed at the new options!

I got really tired of scooping rock solid soap oils from the pails, so i tried out an insulated pail heating belt from duda diesel. Changed my life. The whole 50 lb pail melts clear in a couple of hours. Stir, pour, done. I can now prepare 50 lbs of blended soaping oils in one go, saving hours and hours of measuring. Am going to try this out with wax next. The belt will supposedly safely heat a plastic pail to up to 150C. If it works like i am pretty confident it will, i won't need the new dipping tank or another water jacket melter so soon. Worst case scenario i can put two belts on the pail. Here is the one i bought: http://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=InsPHS

I get mine at the local Blains Farm and Fleet. $4.50-5 per 50lbs. Right next to the livestock feeds. ETA - here it is called Solar Salt

OG - do they self extinguish reliably?

Custom branding iron sounds awesome Candybee. I didn't hear an excessive amount of crackle in the premium. Mostly it made me stop once in a while and ask myself what that sound was

I have not burned enough from start to finish to really decide yet. i started with the premium crackle in soy tins and really liked the effect. The premium crackle burned nice and steady in the soy wax 8 oz tins. I need to repeat the burn tests with the others. Too many choices leaves me stuck :-/

An update to my libbey cube. The .625 with glass glow is definitely too big. Way too big. As in it caught fire too big. Back to the drawing board. In C3 soy in a tin the .625 was just about right unscented/uncolored. ChrisR, i just used regular scissors to trim the wicks. Not elegant, but worked ok.

Derp. The right address is http://www.woodcandlewick.com I had a redirect that stuck in my cache.

I can't see why not? It may take a try or three to find the right combo.

I finally tried the wood wick in my glass glow in the square libbey. I over shot the mark the first go with a .625 inch non-crackle. Been burning it for 6+ hours at a whack, trimming when it seems the flame is a bit too high. Once this one is burned out I think i'll try the .5 inch. Thinking the .25 inch will do well in the 3" diameter round status. http://www.woodcandlewick.com had a full set of all of their wicks. Whoever suggested that company, a big giant thank you! Web address fixed.

To cool large batches of lotions a paddle type mixer does the trick. The blend is votated - gently moved, constantly, around the vessel. Not enough to introduce air, just enough to release the heat evenly. A kitchen aid type mixer with a paddle works for up to a gallon in my shop. I bet for larger batches a drill attachment on a DIY stand would make quick work of wax.

Why even try to compete with flea market and bargain basement prices? Choose a different spin and different market. Secret Garden started on Etsy and switched over to facebook. She has fans world wide and still commands premium prices for her offerings. There's even a swap group for her stuff. Those ebay sellers could be relying on volume as the profit generator. They could also be treating their melting wax as loss leaders. Who knows what their business plan is? Who cares? Forge your own path.

I doubt we will see wax prices move until an awful lot of warehoused inventory everywhere is depleted. No doubt the soy marketeers did their jobs well. You can't say the word paraffin without ducking around here. Which really is sad. I have burned some really horrible soy, palm and even beeswax candles and some truly great paraffin candles.

Supply and demand... Good marketing on the soy side

I buy bayberry wax. The last carton was from S&P. It's not always available, and is ghastly expensive. The min is something like 25 kilos, with freight equalling the wax cost. There is a specialty market for it, but you really need to search for it. Not many people will pay what true bayberry is worth since they have no idea what it is or how precious. Beeswax definitely improves it. As Chris noted, it is super brittle. I have been melt casting tapers, losing one candle out of every 4-5 cast to sticking, even with loads of release spray. In the same carton i have had chunks that are yellowish to dark green, it all burns a wee little bit different. You have to test just like every other wax. IMO it is not the best choice for containers. It burns much like beeswax (similar temps), which is hotter than container waxes. It sure is a treat to work with though. Beings me right back to my NE roots.

Usually me too, in a blend though. Found a really nice Abrialis last year. Mixed with 40/42 it makes that classic lavender people seem to identify with.