EricofAZ

I have about 8 ounces of Berts redwood and ceder left. I'd be interested in a dupe if it came out as well.

Thanks. I figured that folks who bought cut/curl would not want to destroy the candle so having a tealight holder at the top or oil chamber would be more appropriate. Besides, the testing process would be a bit heartbreaking methinks.

Only time I poke holes is when using palm wax. 4786 does sink, so repour is good, but hole poking is probably not necessary with a primed wick.

With 4786 in a container, I've had better success with ECO and HTP wicks.

Do your candles burn down like a pillar or do they have an oil chamber or tealight holder in the top?

I use it, but not for FO. Cut/curl/carve stuff. I add microcrystaline to make it more pliable. Holds dyes and pigments and mica pretty well.

Interesting. So the generic carve is so generic that folks feel like they will not be congratulated for a good find? Peer pressure? Something unique, on the other hand, gets the interest?

I buy the raw sheets from online labels. Then if they have a corresponding Avery number, I use Word Perfect to set up the template for printing. if not, WP can create a custom label template.

Web folks can be rip offs or flakes. It abounds in that industry. SEO stands for Snake Oil so be careful about going down that road. If you have a good honest website with good content and set it up right, the monthly SEO fee is probably just wasted money. That said, I came across a guy in my home town that is doing a great job, albeit slow. www.wildcatseo.com If you get ahold of Greg, tell him I said hi. If you want an ecommerce package, $4500 is not out of line. What may seem "simple" to you may not be simple at all. The code has to work with the web host and there has to be some security. There is absolutely no excuse for not giving you the log in or let you have access to the code.

pcbrook, you can generate the code easy enough at that website above that I posted. You can type a message up to about 300 words and the code will display that when scanned. Any of the smart phones that have Google Goggles or some other qr reader will scan and read what it says. Just about every product in a store now has one so folks who go shopping and want to know more about what they might be buying just need to photograph it with the smart phone. It began with Toyota? years ago as a way to identify and track auto parts. Think of it as a 2 dimensional bar code.

I like carving. Unfortunately I'm going on 3 years + with most of my candle making stuff in storage and the wax in the closet. The dvd's from Candlefun are worth watching. I have a few and have had a ball making them.

Scented, yes, there are some EO's out there that cost several thousand dollars per pound. I don't see them in candles. Most folks who sell "Aroma Therapy" candles with those expensive EO names sell the candle for about the same price as what you would build out of an FO. So my suspicion is sky high on that. I don't know about mixing eo and fo. Never tried it. Might require wicking changes. Maybe its just that the mixes of eo's that I've used have worked out well and close enough to the FO version that it worked. I'm sure that, like any mix, there will be the oddball ones that just need their own build.

Scented, I agree, claims are not good. My warning label says it is just Relaxing EO candle and not to be a substitute for medication. Perhaps I should have phrased this differently. While I am quite ignorant as to whether real EO's can help folks, I am pretty sure that FO's that smell like EO's are not the same and I hate to see people sell FO's as aroma therapy candles. I don't use the phrase "aroma therapy" on this candle. It is just a relaxation candle and the "BP" note above is for me. I call it that for myself, but don't label it that.

Does anyone use QR Codes in place of bar codes? I don't know if stores would use those at the checkout counter. They are easy to make and free. I saw one website where you can type in your own information and it generates right there. http://goqr.me/ But I think its more for information on the product and not so much for the cash register of a store. Any thoughts? I have seen the threads here where there are companies that generate a registered bar code for a fee. Is that still the way to go? Thanks, Eric

Bag of flour? Now that's quite interesting. Powder extinguishers work, but a bag of flower is brilliant! I'm going to have to remember that.

Scented, you pointed out the cost of testing. Having built a bunch of EO candles, I have not yet seen any testing difference between FO and EO. If the ratio of oil to wax is the same, and the wax is the same, and the container the same, then the wick should be the same. So a 12 percent FO test should be the same as a 12 percent EO test. Yes, there are some differences, but not enough IMHO to warrant a wick change. EvyStar, well, the toxic issue for FO is something I won't address. I don't know. I know people who break out in hives with EO's in the bath tub. Pick your poison. However, if an EO Lavender has "healing" properties to it, then the Lavender FO is a fake. There are no healing properties to FO's other than "ah, smells nice, relaxing after a hard day's work" I'm not sure that EO's are healing by adjusting the body chemistry but I do know that FO's cannot do that. Some websites claim that EO's do have healing properties. I do warn people that therapy candles made of FO's are a bit of a rip off. If they charge one penny more than a regular scented candle, run like the wind. I see a few websites that explain this. Glad to see an EO forum.

Oh wow, I did not realize there was now and EO forum. Guess I was away. I haven't made my blood pressure/relaxing EO candle in a while, but here's what I put in it.... Bulgarian Lavender Lavendin Basil Clary Sage Lemon Valencia Orange Ylang Ylang Clove Bud Was a bit spendy for the real EO's, but worth it. The mix went in at 12 percent so it was strong. Love to hear other ingredients. No FO's. Only EO's. Eric

I'm a musk guy. I like that Armani Mania that is no longer available.

The subject of candle fires in homes has come up from time to time. I read where about 18,000 homes annually in the US burn down because of candle fires. This seems like a lot on one hand and yet compared to the number of homes in the US, might not really be that many. Recently, a neighbor lit his kitchen on fire. The Fire Chief circulated a letter today to all the condo residents listing the 10 top reason why fires begin. I was surprised to see candles so high up on the list. 1. Cooking equipment. Either splatters or unattended cooking, this is number one on the list. 2. Children playing with matches 3. Candles - left unattended, placed on uneven flammable surfaces, using unsteady holders or placed too close to combustible materials. Should be kept out of the reach of children and pets. Please extinguish the candles when leaving the room. 4. Heating equipment 5. Smoking 6. Electrical equipment 7. Inadequate wiring 8. BBQ grill in the yard 9. Flammable liquids 10. Fireplace http://www.tucsonaz.gov/fire/announcement/prevent-accidents If the listed reasons for a candle fire are the top reasons they occur, then I might adjust my warning label to include this information.

You said you measured it out, did you mean weigh it (which would be correct as noted above) or did you mean you measured by volume to a level in a glass jar that is marked out? If the latter, yeah, once you melt the air space will go away and you won't have as much as you think.

I hope she doesn't sell. the whole idea of insurance is to protect the ones that are injured through your product. If a million is too much, then she's saying the lives of her customers don't mean much. I hope she never hurts anyone, but if she does, that facebook page needs to be on a poster 4 feet tall for the jury to see.

I see I posted 2 1/2 years ago. I will suggest that adding microcrystaline wax to your normally high temp hard wax will soften it up a bit for carve and curl.

I'm sure there is a balance. Years ago before I ever started making candles, I asked a local candlemaker if she taught classes or would explain what wax she used, etc. She said no, I don't do that. We are not interested in teaching others. Then she went and waited on someone else. I haven't been back since. Having been on the receiving end like that, and also not necessarily wanting to give out my formula, I've thought about this. I might go ahead and tell the buyer what wax and additive I use just in case they have an allergy or something. I will tell them that the formula / mix ratio is a trade secret, its why my candles work well. I might direct them to the local hobby lobby or Michaels store if they want a kit. I probably will not tell them where I get stuff, but will tell them that I have a pretty good log of my products and if there is an issue, let me know and I'll get in touch with the supplier to let them know. I like to think that we can have sufficient disclosure to show that we are good and paying attention to detail and know what we are doing and why we do it the way we do... while at the same time keeping our secret formulas to ourselves.

I use a little play dough (the old style) to hold the wick to the wick bar so it won't pull in when the wax cools. The mold sealer and the wick centering tools at Peaks work out very well for me. I anchor the safety tab, pull the wick snug, twist it 6 times and stick some of the sealer on the centering tool to hold it. Works fine.

I can tell you that I am a fan of the HTP as well. I like cotton core, HTP, Eco the most. I don't use the square braid for your wax, but do use it for palm. I'm well settled now with the 60-44-18 cotton for the 4625 three inch pillars.