TallTayl

My customers expect square, no issues whatsoever.

JC above beat me to it. Cake batter! Practice all you want without it turning to concrete. And you can eat the results. What could be better? The swirlability and working time depend a lot on your technique and formula. Oils that take longer to trace, like olive and lard, give more time to fiddle.

After being disappointed with tables and various table top displays, i built custom. Two 6 foot tall 5 foot wide wooden displays hold a ton of product at varying heights yet break down to take very little space in the transport vehicle. At my summer faire i have two set up matching, plus similarly designed ones outside.

It depends on the actual soy wax. Some, like C3 specifically say not to use beeswax in the technical documents. I tried beeswax in various % with a couple soy waxes and never found it to help with preventing frosting or with improving scent throw. Others may have different experiences.

A lot depends on your ingredients themselves in each product. Are you using fragrance oils or essential oils? Are you using the fragrance(s) at the appropriate rate(s) for the application? Some fragrance notes evaporate more quickly than others. Are you using enough base notes for holding power? Yes, some commercially made products contain scent fixatives to extend the scent. In the room sprays, i find that perfumers alcohol is a secret ingredient to distribute the scent into the air in a fine enough mist and with volatility to allow it to be smelled. Water bases or other less volatile bases allow the scent to sink to the floor in large droplets that won't smell for long. It's probably easiest to answer each product's individual question separately....

I KNOW JC! My formula is only 22% liquid, high in stearic to boot. With a little heat I defy most "rules" of soaping. I can even manage delicate swirls in florals and spices (most days, lol). When too cool I have to really add heat while the soap is in the mold or it won't SAP all the way to the ends. I don't gel, so the cool in the pot temps really help. Oh man OldGlory... I'd be in trouble if each batch took that long

I am a heat of the lye person. I add the hot lye solution to the oils in the pot with the highest MP first (cocoa butter) then add the next oil as the prior one melts. Liquid oils go last so I can heat them or not as needed. When making a lot of different batches, I'll often pre-melt all the cocoa butter and shea to save a little time. I can crank out a dozen or so different batches in a couple of hours start to finish. Did not like RT oils and lye solution at all. I need "some" heat in the process to keep the raw soap fluid enough to fully incorporate fragrance and color. I ended up with lye pockets, fragrance pockets and uneven color because I ended up having to work so fast with the cold mixture.

I'm one that prefers coconut milk as an additive rather than the entire liquid. A bit of coconut milk powder is easy to reconstitute and add to the pot. I only add it to coconut scented soaps to give a wee boost to the coconuttiness....

A customer exchanges money for goods or services. She has exchanged no money... She has not proven she will ever exchange money for your goods or services. She is, by all appearances, a scammer. A wick does not disappear after three half hour burns, sorry.

Lavender, Sage and Eucalyptus are surprisingly good together.

Beyond product liability, when you set up at a public venue you need to think about potential harm to customers. Outdoor markets have windy, rainy, snowy days. In the past 2 years alone where i live, wind gusts have blown ofer heavy displays and overturned tents onto people. Who pays for that injury? Markets more frequently have been adding that insurance requirement to avoid litigation against their organization. Many policies also cover your assets in case of the same. If you have an accident traveling to an event, or a flood in your production space your product and equipment can be covered. Insurance is just a business expense, just like proper filing in your state, county and city. All are costs of doing business. Factor all that into your pricing and it works out. Being prepared and operating like a bona fide business opened a lot of very big doors, allowing faster sustained growth in my case.

I searched Lebermuth when MW announced they were done and could not find the Patch FO. . Any idea what name it is listed as?

I believe in the work the Round Table is doing, along with the corporations supporting it. Not everything is a conspiracy theory. Likewise no ingredient is without a cost or risk. We choose what is best for us and respect other people's choices....

Is there a powdery note to it?

The bottom cooled quickly, more quickly than the rest of the jar sides, so the wax shrunk there.

Little clumps that easily break should not be a problem. Make a small batch of something simple and you will know quickly if it's good.

Shippability and requirements vary by flash points. Start reading here:http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52apxc_010.htm#ep999843

If the lye is still free flowing, has been sealed cool and dry it should not "go bad".

Lumina, i tried palm in my 8 oz tins and was not thrilled. Palm seems to need containers that are deeper than wide. If you have any luck, i'd love to hear.

continuing hijack for a bit - sowwy. Palm burns so different from what people are used to... I personally prefer it. No matter what scent I throw at it Palm wax buns and smells perfect. Made a nice set of wedding candles for a local customer who was thrilled with them. I called them "Frost Candles" Glass is my first hesitation. Heavy to haul around and ship. anti-Palm freaks is a big other. I use certified sustainable and organic Palm in my B&B products, but can't easily find that same sustainable cert for wax to allay their fears and pull the plug on their loud, vocal protests. Obtaining my favorite wicks is the third Nobody makes it easy, do they?

Have you asked them if they can order in a special batch? Of maybe they have some tucked away unsold?

Oh Candybee you stole my heart just now. I love Palm. LOVE love love palm. I would jettison soy in a hot second.

Aromahaven Lemon Verbena is nice

I love eucalyptus leaf from Peak. clears my sinuses right out and blends well with other scents.

Chicago tube had them, at least at one time. The mins were steeper than 4 cases. IIRC they were in the 1,000 range.