EricofAZ

Well, I want a good steady flame, not one that goes wildly hot and high and then low and cool. Just a good consistent flame. Then I want a good throw. If it is weak, I won't buy another. Then it has to be cool enough on the glass that I can touch it and the glass has to be wide enough at the base that it won't get knocked over.

I don't care about color. I assume that will match the FO. Most candles that I have bought have been very light color. Not sure why, I just seem to be attracted to very light tint even though some I make are darker tint. I can't say what FO I like, I know it when I sniff it so cold throw is important. The name should match the smell. Often I pick up a candle and the smell doesn't make me think of the name and then I sniff again to decide if I like it anyway and just about every time the answer is no.

I don't care about labels other than I want to see the candle as it burns so have some good unblemished glass area for me to look at.

Wet spots don't bother me too much but they are noticeable and they do turn me off.

And to the tune of Mary Poppins.... "these are a few of my favorite things..."

Stabilo is the CD. The CDN has an additive to resist the acidic nature of natural wax.

http://www1.stimpson.com/~stimpson/WicksUnlimited.pdf

Make sure all your electrical items are on timers. You can buy timers for the wall sockets. There's no fun in waking up only to realize that you left the presto going overnight... or worse ... waking up in the middle of the night to check it and finding out you didn't.

Make sure you have good ventilation. I would also consider a remote phone down there and an intercom or a two way radio (they're cheep these days). If you have a slick cement floor, expect to slip when the wax and FO spill so figure out what you want to do about that.

One more thing to Bruce's suggestions... I found that when I go from hot wax tank to water, if its too fast, there's a drip or two. Eventually that adds up and then I have some floating wax that needs to be scooped out of the water.

I made the mistake of diving into soy for the first tests. Bad.

C3 is good, 464 is good. 415 is kinda good. The FO has to be a good thrower in soy and two things you need to know 1) every wax manufacturer wants you to believe their soy is the best and 2) every FO producer wants you to believe their FO throws well in soy.

Um, #3, they are both self serving statements.

Your soy choice is fine, the FO might not be. Research here more and learn about soy FO that throws well and percentages to mix. Learn also about curing time and when to test burn and how. Then come back with some info and this forum will absolutely come alive for you.

You mentioned that on a warmer it was better. That tells me the room is not the issue. So, did the warmer created a larger melt pool? Usually the larger the melt pool the better the throw.

From Einstein and myself, welcome!

(Einstein is the cat that owns me and helps with printer jams and whatnot.)

There was a company that recently had to recall 7 million tealights for this very reason. I wonder if the folks who make the plastic holders changed their formula and are making plastic that is more sensitive to heat. It wouldn't surprise me if some company decided to dump them on ebay now after the recall.

Bliss,

Unity candles seem to be popular. I was making the centerpiece with glass inserts and the pillars carved, but they are all in storage now.

You don't need your candle to smoke to be effective. Oregon Trails has "Bug Off" essential oil blend that works wonders in candles, lotion bars or a body spray. http://www.oregontrailsoaps.com/products.php?cat=9&scat=41

Or if you have any of the following EO's you can make your own: orange 10X, lemon eucalyptus, citronella, lemongrass, litsea cubeba, peppermint, spearmint, catnip (especially effective, but stinks).

Yup, I bought some from a member here, wessex I think, and it works fine. Real EO. Just get a decent sized melt pool or set several out.

The pouring temperature is important. I would think the instructions with the kit talk about that. If not, look it up here. Not sure how you can keep the heat at the pouring temp. Usually the best way to hit the pouring temp is to take the pot off the heat and then pour when it cools to the right temp. Rarely can a pot be kept at the pouring temp.

My first reaction was that it might be overwicked. But since you use the TL-15, that's not likely. I use that same wick for the most part in tealights with plastic containers. Sometimes I use TL-10 but I have to filter the wax to do that.

Don't over FO the thing. If you do filter the wax and get a good clean paraffin to burn, the Tl-10 should be more than enough. Don't go to TL-21, that's overkill.

Snazzy. Makes me want to go raid the candy drawer.

Fascinating. So he's not demanding that you send anything and if you do, he can defend himself on the fraud that he did not ask for anything.

This guy is slightly smarter than he writes (but only slightly). He must know that he will be found out and doesn't care or he wouldn't handwrite from the same location. Apparently, he just plans on defending if that happens. Meanwhile, people voluntarily mail him replacements?

Reminds me of a guy in Tucson back in the early 70's or late 60's that advertised "invisible tie clips, $5.00." People bought them. He was arrested for mail fraud and was let go because he actually did supply an invisible tie clip. It was a paper clip with instructions. Yup, you know, those cheap paper clips that could be bought like 1000 for a buck back then? The instruction were to place it on the inside portion of the tie near where it went through the cloth holder section on the outside portion of the tie, and clip it to the shirt. It worked for a few minutes.

Some soy does not frost, especially without FO. A touch of coconut oil I think helps with that. I make soy unscented and uncolored for table candles and they are just fine. A touch of paraffin also helps, but coconut should do the job.

I've been in this boat. When I remelt and repour, I add a touch of FO to it. Not a lot, about 1 or 2 percent.

I won't pay more than half the wax price in shipping so that means I need to look around for other suppliers, etc. If you live in the same shipping zone and it cost that much, go surfing the net, sista.

I did search, in fact, I asked this a few months ago. Top and Stella and others I think have posted some good info about how a wick will bend one way or the other and how that can be predicted. Apparently the RRD direction if I read correctly, has to do with the core and the wick's ability to draw fuel (molten wax). I don't think Top ever addressed this issue.

From WU:

RRD - This is a round wick with a uniquely braided cotton core designed with tension threads that give the wick a slight, but effective, curl

during combustion. The wick is directional in that capillary action flows more freely in one direction. Due to their intricate design, the

RRD series provides a centered burn pool, self-trimming burn characteristics and a consistently high rate of fuel flow. These wicks work

well with viscous fuels such as vegetable wax, gels and one pours. They are effective in containers and especially useful in pillars due to

their concentric burn pools.

So what they are saying is that the direction effects the capillary flow.

Might be cheaper to go to a restaurant supply place and buy a heavier duty pour pot. They have them for surprisingly reasonable prices.

I don't like burners. Certainly no gas stove with open flame. I have a hot plate with a ceramic looking solid top that does well. Sometimes I just put the pour pot in the presto and warm it up that way for cleaning.

I agree about the molded wick vs. the pin. My cotton core are mostly pre-tabbed and I just rip the tab off. I use the square braid for the palm pillars, though I haven't made any of those recently.

What tool are you using for the vertical center cut in the middle photo?

You might get more help on the vegetable wax forum. I'm not a big soy person, but from what I did try, I would expect very little hot throw with soy that is less than 1 ounce of FO per pound of wax. Basically, you're going kinda light on the FO. Also, I have not had good results from NG. I think a stronger FO and more of it will make things start to come alive for you. And always weigh, don't measure by volume.

Wonderful. Your colors and mixes are a delight.

Certainly off to a good start. You're doing a great job.