EricofAZ

Might want to try a different wick. The ply wicks work pretty good and they should fit through the hole. I think what you're looking for is a hotter flame and not necessarily a larger diameter wick. I've also had success with ECO's. One thing also to keep in mind is that the beeswax may not be as pure as you need for wicking. Might need to filter it.

I figured hot coffee would come into it sometime. Most people think Ms. Liebeck was a scammer but the real case was about 700 prior burn victims, Ms. Liebeck's skin grafts and crotch burns, and coffee that was served at just below the boiling point. That didn't get in the press. The backlash was unnecessary. There was no need to lower coffee to 100 degrees or give stupid labels like "warning, coffee is warm." The facts were misreported by the press for sensational story lines. Pure and simple. Today, every juror believes that injured people are really scam artists and they abrogate their duty when the refuse to disclose this to the judge. So the best backlash I saw was a bicycle manufacturer who got sued for a product defect (it happens when you make a million bicycles, some will be blems that end up breaking when they shouldn't). So the manufacturer sold accessories with their logo and name on it. The best of which was a coffee cup with a full sized 16 page operator's manual!

You know, the issue of feedback is important to buyers too. While I agree that the advertisement was clear if you take time to read it, the company could have tried to work it out. I am mostly a buyer on ebay. Mostly not candle, just other stuff. Been ripped off a few times. Sent one guy to jail for fraud. Here's the thing with feedback.... The policy to prevent sellers from leaving negative feedback to buyers is well thought out and appreciated. I have never left negative feedback unless it was absolutely necessary to warn others. A few years ago I bought a computer part. False advertising. Several attempts on my part to contact the seller just got the silent treatment. Buyers have 30 days to make the feedback decision so on day 29 I left negative feedback and used my 80 characters to warn others. The seller then immediately left me negative feedback for the sole purpose of retaliation. He offered to cancel both feedbacks which I refused. So now my buyer status is tarnished and not because I didn't pay, but because I got a used broken defective product that was advertised as new in the box and after being unable to resolve it, I warned others. I am so glad now that seller retaliation is stopped. I know there are buyers out there that are jerks. Sorry about that. I'm not one and I shouldn't have a black mark.

RJ, Well, um, er, gosh, uh, gee, hmm.... I don't have a scientific basis for this. I used pure IGI's for a while to get used to them before blending. They reacted as advertised. Good CT or good HT or both. When I started mixing IGI's the only change I noticed were whether or not the wet spots reduced, or shrinking changed. IGI's say there are additives and in some cases say that adding vybar is not necessary (which makes me think the vybar is one of the main additives). There are additives for mottling, so the IGI mottling wax has this in it. When I mixed with wax that has no additives like Genwax 128, I noticed the HT was a bit better. This happened with 4786, 4630, and a few others. The Genwax by itself holds about 3 percent. 5 or more percent and it sweats. But for some reason when I mixed with IGI, it would hold the full IGI rated amount and more. I could load to 12 percent and even experimented with 18 percent (bad for wicks - shrooms - but great for tarts). So it is my best guess that the IGI is overloaded with additives because I think if not overloaded with additives the dilution would take away from the FO load and HT and not enhance it.

Yeah, I have about 10 dozen bottles in storage and I'm thinking about either breaking the presto pot out and pouring again or selling the scents. I don't want them to go bad over time.

WARNING: Fire. You are about to light a fame. If you don't know that a flame is hot or can lead to more flames, don't use this candle. Its not for you. LOL, sounds like a beer I know. http://www.arrogantbastard.com/

Nice pattern, looks like palm. Great job!

yup, high FO load. Genwax and HL don't hold much. My theory is that the IGI has too much additive and diluting it a bit seems to work OK. Not sure if that theory is correct, but I've noticed it with other IGI's that I diluted. The FO load doesn't sweat out and the 'shroom is tolerable. Not sure I'd sell it, but for personal use its fun.

Welcome to the forum. Be careful about buying FO's locally in stores like walmart or dollar stores. The ones formulated for candle wax from the suppliers you read about here are good to use. The stores that sell oils for warmers or other use may well have alcohol in them or water with emulsifiers. The alcohol, of course, will burn hot, blue or clear, and superheat your jar and crack it (been there/done that). The emulsifiers precipitate out in the pot and leave a water mix at the bottom. The water won't boil out unless you get the pot hot enough to boil water which is usually too hot for most waxes. Also, the FO's for candles are made to blend with the usual waxes that are sold and that is a real plus. If you ever get into gel wax, you need to be very careful because not all candle fragrances are gel safe.

I rarely prime the wick. The first burn for the first few minutes will do the job. Rarely will the wick be dry, usually by the time you fiddle with it getting it in the wick holder at the top, the wick has drawn up some of the palm or whatever wax on the outside. After it cures and you light it, the first burn will prime the core in about 5 minutes or so. However, if priming to the core is important to you (makes for more stable and repeatable testing results) then you might want to use some high temp micro wax. You can get microcrystaline in 200 degree or so melt point blocks. The key is to melt a pound or so in the presto and put a few yards of raw wick in it for a few minutes. You'll see the wick "foam" which is basically the air in the core expanding in the heat and escaping. When the foaming stops and you can move the wick around in the pot with no air bubbles, its primed. Then when you remove the wick, draw it over the edge of the pot to remove the excess. There are two reasons to prime. One is to get rid of the air so that the wick draws only wax and has no air in the core that can cause a flicker. The other is to make a stiff wick that will stand up in the jar when you pour. I found that the first reason is the only valid reason. Thus the pre-primed wicks from vendors that only cote the outside are a joke (buy only primed wicks that are primed through the core if that's what you want). The second can and should be resolved by using a wick holder. Like Stella says, the curl is in the braiding.

I guess I should share a recipe. You won't be able to do this easily, but I did this cuz its a bunch of stuff laying around and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Been burning the candle for a couple of weeks now (4 hours at night) and its about at its end but still very strong. Balmoral 16 jar http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c24,p1074&title=16-oz.-Balmoral-Glass-Jar-Container This jar holds less than 16 oz (that size is based on water weight to the rim not wax weight to the lid line). I think it holds about 12 oz of wax. So the recipe will give you some left over. Good for tarts. 5 oz hobby lobby 133 wax 5 oz generalwax 128 5 oz IGI 4730 harmony 2/3 oz lavender FO 2/3 oz pumpkin pie spice 2/3 oz sage No dye HTP 104 wick Burns nice on a 4 hour burn. In the middle of the candle there is some hang on the sides that eventually catches up. At the bottom it has a pool about a quarter inch deep and the sides of the container are touchable. If it burns more than 4 hours it seems to be OK (I test my candles for abuse). There's a little black on the rim now that the burn is about to the bottom. I've had to trim a few small mushrooms due to the FO load.

Two observations. First, the container is pretty small. Hot throw is determined by several variables, the most important is the pool diameter. At an inch and a half diameter, the pool is not that big. Wider jars will be worth looking at. Second, I think your FO load is light but if I'm reading the numbers right, you are using about 4 to 5 percent FO load and I generally go to 8 or 9 percent. 6 percent is the norm.

I tried a bunch of different waxes before choosing. When I started I bought some paraffin on ebay that was unmarked and came in 5 pound bricks. It was fun. Dunno what it was but it threw well. Then I went to soy after reading all the hype about how great the throw was and bought 135. What a sent killer! Then after a few months of playing I found this board and lurked. So after trying a lot of soys and palms and paraffins, I've settled on a few that work well for the purpose.

Yes, I like this. Great job!

Hi. The brother is working pretty well for us. MFC9970 I think is the model. I don't recall the lower priced one but the copy tray on mine is legal size which you probably don't need. I just refilled the black with brother toner replacement bought on ebay. It works great. I'm going to change the color ones this week because the small toner starter kit is running out. I know they make a printer only but its hard to find a store that carries anything other than the all in one multifunction ones. You might care if it is inkjet or laser. The inkjet is way more expensive than laser and its very hard to find good refill ink for the inkjets. Ou pretty much have to buy the replacement cartridges and they are spendy. Buying toner in a bottle for the laser is way cheaper and easier. But that's not the only decision. The ink will do photos better than the laser, better quality. I'm happy with the laser quality on photos for letters and letterhead and print lettering but when I need fine art I turn to the inkjets in the office. The more complex and vibrant the image is, the more it tends to be an inkjet thing. Also, the laser is a plastic toner and if you spray over your labels with a gloss like krylon, etc, it will melt and run. The ink doesn't do that but the ink is not so good with water and moisture unlike the laser. So keep in mind what kind of coating you might be using on the labels. The ink doesn't rub off when touched by hand and fingerprints. The laser can do that. If you are going to laminate, then either is fine. Laser tends to print on just about any paper. Inkjets will also print on regular paper (badly and they bleed a bit) but when you go with glossy, you need to buy the paper that is compatible with that kind of ink (dye inks and pigment inks use different paper - chrome inks are a blend of both and need very special paper). Laser won't print well on glossy paper.

Yeah, a few of us in AZ. Pam is right, there's no supplier that you can buy from locally that has good stuff. Snowdrift farm is in Tucson and they sell FO's but I read where they are going to be closing soon. Bummer. Add general wax to your list, they're in Hollywood and shipping is pretty cheap, but their wax choices and prices are not so cheap.

Ravens, its gritty inside and I need to filter it. If I filter it twice through one of those restaurant oil filters it starts to work better with a wick. But its too much work for me so I won't be buying any more. I'm open to wick suggestions. ECO seems to be the best and CD or HTP next in line. I wouldn't sell any though.

You might find that the flat braid works better with beeswax. A 32 ply to start with then go up or down to suit your fancy. ECO 4 also seems to work well with that wax also. Another thing that works is to filter the wax. Melt it and pour it through one of those restaurant oil strainers. Not sure where the best place is to get this for you, but this is what I found locally at a restaurant supply and it works. http://www.stacksandstacks.com/cooking-oil-filter-kit-by-empire-comfort-systems?id=815&sku=179916&AID=10273848&PID=500871

Well, its been a while since I messed around with C3, but I would start with an Eco 1 on that jar and go up maybe if necessary to an ECO 2 for paraffin. Might take larger with soy, but an ECO 6 seems way too large.

I have the container blend from TCS. Can't keep it lit with a wick. I tried running it through a filter before mixing the FO/dye and that helped a lot, but still some wick problems with the flame dying out. Its gritty out of the box and whatever the 'other stuff' is, it doesn't like wicks. Might be good for tarts though.

I don't know about Libby, but I use the genwax status jars and they are well made, thick glass, heavy, solid bottom, good top and affordable. I'm happy to use them. I don't think a jar has to be libbey to be a status unless libbey copyrighted the name. After buying several cases of these from Genwax, I just can't see myself using others due to price.

I buy "stuff" on ebay from time to time with paypal. I've seen other sites link to paypal and link only works for a short while. If you don't get your password right, or go back shopping, or want to confirm things a second time, the link times out. Its a PITA and I can see why some folks who lose their shopping cart because of the timeout get fed up and either go away or use their credit card. I've had this happen a few times and using the back button doesn't get the shopping cart back, the cart on most websites empties out once you go to paypal so if PP times out, go back to square one and start over or go have a beer and forget about it.

Very nice, I like the colors.

That flame is too small to make that kind of melt pool. I'm going with either a freshly poured candle that someone lit for a photographic moment or a gel top. The way the lower wax blends into the clear has me leaning towards a freshly poured candle.

Boheme, you're new to the forum and welcome. Please don't take this the wrong way, but that tutorial about tissue paper is only good for forever candles that don't have a wick in them. You can insert a glass container in the top that is designed to hold a tealight and do it that way, but please don't wick a candle with tissue paper embedded in it. That's a great way to start a nasty fire and the folks who put out those tutorials ought to be ashamed of themselves. Another way to put graphics on is to print on sticky paper and just decal it. You can coat it with clear gloss if you like, but again, no wick. Some people put the graphics on the outside of a glass container. Watch the heat buildup if you do that. If you are going to wick the candle and burn it, there's really only one safe way to put graphics on and that is to lightly carve the graphics into the wax or use a kistka to add wax to the outside.