joyofsoycandle

LOL OMG!!!!!!!!!! That is hilarious!!!!!

thank you for your help!! :highfive: oh also, the recommendations they gave me from wick it were waaay to small, i wonder if he was thinking for paraffin? He said a 740 or 45. So for votives would you say about a 725 or 730 or do you think those are too big? lx 12 & 14 works for me now but wanted to try these and see how different they are also.

the jar is approximately 2 3/4 inches and im using ky puresoy in the jars. thanks!

I just got a box of samples from Wick It. I was wondering where you would all tell me to start testing at. I have never tried these types of wicks before. They are the premier series wicks. The sheet it comes with states like 8 different sizes for my container size, and so I was wondering if you could please let me know where I should start for an 8 ounce jelly jar, standard size mouth. My votives are doing well but want to check these wicks with the votives also just to see how they differ from the lx's. Any idea where to start for votives? Its the ky votive pillar wax, I am now using about 8-9% FO and no dye. Thanks! Laura

Ok, im not real professional I guess LOL. I cut the wick with sharp scissors because they are 7 inch wicks so I cut them in half and retab the other half so I have another wick. However, when I go to trim the wicks, I always use finger nail clippers. They fit down in the jar perfectly and cut it well. As far as my votives with the lx's I havent had any problems with the wicks. So hopefully no other issues once I try them in the jar. I am going to try CD-12's also. Someone mentioned trying those. Well thanks for all your adivce everyone!

So what size do you think I should try first in the lx, a 24?, do you think that sounds right? the lx 28 or 30 as first mentioned here sounds a bit too big maybe? Again its a 8 oz jj with 100% soy and no dye, just FO. I am just getting too much mushrooming with the htp 104 and 105. Thanks!

Those are so cool! I love those colors! I bet she will love those candles!

ok i ask because the candles ive made in an 8 ounce jj with 100% soy are burning well, good scent throw all that, just mushrooms too much. Since the lx's work so well in my votives with no mushrooming I thought I would try them in the jj's just wasnt sure what size. Right now I have a HTP 105. Thanks.

It seems the LX wicks arnt mushrooming as bad as the HTP's and would like to know what size LX would compare to a HTP 105 please. Thanks.

Well I definately didnt mean to make this thread take a turn. I agree there was alot to fix on the website. It just seemed everyone was assuming alot of things which I didnt believe was fair. Such as that he hasnt tested anything, or that he hasnt done this that or the other thing. Yes testing is important, I just dont agree that it really has to be taken to the extremes of what some people make it seem. Yes he most likely needs to test more before marketing the candles. However, I always hear people saying they have made candles for 4 or 5 years, and still dont feel they have marketable products. I just feel if youve done it that long and havent gotten very far, maybe its not your cup of tea. I could have a bachelors degree in college by that time. I dont mean to be rude or sarcastic, its just that unless you go beyond the norm, and make specialty type candles, something fancy or that type of thing, the basic jar candle or votive or basic pillar isnt something that takes years to perfect, in my opinion. However since my opinion is not the same as most here, it will cause controversy. Anyway sorry to make this thread take a turn, wasnt my intention. And the point that he has just started and needs more time is true. I just feel people assume alot of things on here which isnt always fair. Guess my point took a turn in the wrong direction also. Anyway, I have made candles for about 5 years, and I took a break for a while, and then I did switch wax, and so now I feel that I am kinda starting over because its a whole new type of wax. But I dont feel like I am a complete newbie that needs to test for years before having marketable products. It didnt sound like he had something difficult in front of him either because he has two styles of candles and only 7 EO's. I did miss that they are available in several different sizes however. And that makes for more testing. I guess I just do not see what others do about testing taking as long as most make it seem. It didnt take me even a year to market my paraffin candles. I didnt have a ton of scents, and only had cinnamon buns, jars and votives. However it didnt take long to test them, i guess because I had plenty of people to help me also. And I always got comments on the great quality of them. So, to end this, I just was trying to mention that every situation is different, and people shouldnt be so quick to assume things. Some people dont document every single detail of there candle making on this site, so there may be alot we dont know.

Ya know whats funny is that I knew, i just knew that that someone would say the blood would be on my hands. LOL. I think that alot of people here are the ones who take things to the extremes. I dont claim to know it all. I just stand up for myself and I speak my mind and im not afraid to. It seems people get offended here if your opinion is not the same as theirs. That is immature. The ONLY thing that matters, is that the candlemaker THEMSELVES has tested there candles. What do you all expect, documented testing from each person here to PROVE there candles are worth something? I dont feel the need to prove anything. It seems like people here need proof that your candles are good. If all you do is post your problems on here, then that is all people point out. But I come here when I have problems to ask for help. I dont come here and point out every single time my candles do well. I guess this is the type of place that you can ask for advice, but dont let any personal opinions be known if they dont match up to anyone elses, or there will be huge controversy. There are alot of people here who are intelligent and have a lot of knowledge and thats why I ask for help when I need it. However, just because I ask for help doesnt mean I am incompetent and do not know what Im doing.

So are you supposed to test burn the same candle 50 times or more before its worthy of selling? And also, the tarts that the lady was testing, she was using an oil warmer. If the flame is too close to the bowl, any tart will smoke. That does not mean that the tarts are no good. It means that the flame was too close to the bowl because she was using it improperly by fixing it up with a bowl not meant for the warmer, and using a warmer meant for oil. So, to get the seal of approval from everyone here, does it mean I need to test say a 8 ounce jar in blueberry muffin at least 25 times or however many someone decides before its worthy of being called a good product? "Could it be a fluke? YES. You may have no air pocket in the first one. The second one might. Or a FO pocket. And that flare up could be disasterous" So what if I test the same candle enough times to where I believe its been consistent in its burning qualities, and then there is a air pocket, or a FO pocket. Well, that statement scares me into thinking why even bother with making candles. That statement tells me that no matter how many times you test a candle there could still be a air pocket or FO pocket or some problem of some kind. I see everyones point on testing, and i definately believe in testing. However like i mentioned, what do you all expect, someone to go deep into the lab for a year or two and test 25, 50, 100 candles of the same type and scent for a year or two before they are worthy of being a good candle? If people dont use candles in the way they should, they could have dangerous problems. Such as the lady who was using a oil warmer with the bowl too close to the flame. I did test the tarts in my own warmers, a tealight warmer in two different styles, and a electric warmer. They worked fine, no smoking. My boyfriends mother also tried some and didnt have any issues. All we can do is make candles in a way that trys to accommodate for stupid people. But we can only do so much. If they dont use them the way they should, there could be problems. My point is that If i test several candles and each has been consistent in its burnings, what more do you want, blood?

I would also recommend the pillar kit from peaks. Or anywhere you would like to purchase one. Peaks seems like a real good kit, it comes with 10 lbs of wax and several scents, and it seems like you get more for your dollar with that kit as compared to some other kits. As most have and will tell you, different waxes are preferred by different people because of what qualities they are looking for in the wax. So, i think the best start would be in trying that kit. Those will be smooth pillars like you were wanting. HTH

Im probably going to get alot of slack for this, but how can you all assume he hasnt tested his candles, just because he hasnt spent a year or more doing it? And to Bruce, I have made candles for the last five years and they were paraffin, now I switched to soy so Im learning it all over again plus I quit for a while and restarted. But I just dont find it as difficult as people make it out to be. Yes I have gotten on here and asked alot of questions because I do find soy to be a little more difficult to master than paraffin. But, I mean really, how long does it take to test a candle? It doesnt take 6 mths to test a candle. You burn it, you make sure it performs the way it should, and if it passes the test, then its worthy for marketing. I think people act on here as if its a scientific thing and you have to go deep into the lab for the next couple years before anything made is worthy of selling. Im sure someone will disagree, but I just had to say it. I think people are being way to harsh. The only thing I agree to that he did wrong was the comparisons. There was no need to compare. But I feel like everyone is just picking this person apart when hes trying to correct things. No one is perfect.

I just want to say one thing, I do not believe that the amount of time someone has spent on candlemaking completely determines whether or not they really know what they are doing. There is NO set of rules that states that a candle youve made is not worthy of selling unless youve spent over 6 mths testing it. I do test mine of course, I test it the way a customer would most likely burn it. I marathon burn the candles and I use the tester sheet off of this website, and if they meet the expectations, then they pass the test and if pass the test, then why wouldnt they be worthy of selling. Even if it only took me 5 days to figure it out. So I guess my point is that I think people make WAY too much of a big deal on how long people have been doing this. People can learn and do things at different speeds. And also everyone is assuming that this persons candles have not been tested. How do we know they havent been tested? I just dont understand how it could possibly take so long to burn a candle and make sure it does what it is supposed to, and performs the way it should. This person doesnt have alot of scents or alot of styles of candles, so its not quite as difficult as someone who has 50 or more scents and several different types of candles. I just think people are assuming things. Anyhow the only thing I think that needs correcting on the website is to boast the products simply by mentioning the good qualities and benefits of that product, and leave out comparing it to anything else. That looks as if its believed that one is better than the other. And the misspellings need corrected and the other website technical type issues mentioned. But, other than that, I dont believe that people should make such accusations that the candles are not tested and that someone doesnt know what they are doing unless they have done it for a certain amount of time.

I definately do not agree with people putting down one product to make theirs look better. However, I DO want to know the actual facts, not just peoples opinions on which is or is not healthier for you, as far as which does or does not emit more toxins, and that type of thing. Which is what I personally am trying to do. I have been looking things up and trying to find out all I can. I am not the type of person to bash paraffin to make soy look good because I use soy. However, I want to use whichever products poses less risk to use. So I would like to see more facts about soy and paraffin, because it seems alot of them are just opinions. I think everyone would love to make money from what they love to do. I am selling some candles I make already to people at my boyfriends work, but ONLY the fragrances I already tested. Yes, I have burnt the candles down to the bottom of the jar, and observed every detail of that candle before I decided to sell it. Anyhow, I think that regardless of when someone started making candles, as long as they have done the proper research and have tested what they are selling, and know for certain it is of good quality, that it doesnt matter if they learned how to do it all in a week or a year. Some people can easily learn things and some it takes longer. So, I dont agree with the negative comments on the paraffin that are in the website mentioned in this post, i would delete those things. I would just state all the known benefits of soy and leave it at that. And if you have tested your products and are definately sure of there quality, then I dont think anyone should be concerned with how long it took to do so. One week, two weeks, 1 yr, 5 years. I know alot more experience comes with time, but if you have tested, and do know that your products are of good quality, then what would be the harm in selling them if you have done your homework and know what you are selling is worthy of selling. Peoples opinions here seem to state that no one can be ready to sell unless they have been making candles for so long....etc. So, again, if its worthy of selling and you know so by testing, then go for it. I dont care how long anyone has been doing what, as long as they know what they are doing! I do like your website, and would just take the suggestions that have been mentioned about mispellings, and correct any errors and those types of things. And as I mentioned I think its best to just mention the benefits of your products being made with soy, and not compare them to paraffin. Anyone can mention the benefits of a product without putting down another product to do so. For example....I would make a statement such as "Supports American Farmers" rather than stating an opinion that Soy Promotes American Farmers, and Paraffin supports foreign oil. Hopefully people see what im saying, it can be done to mention the benefits of soy rather than having to compare it to paraffin. So I would just be sure that you mention the benefits of your products being made with soy, rather than comparing it to paraffin. There are benefits of both.

"Small amounts of formaldehyde were detected and quantified in the fumes of burning paraffin candles. However, formaldehyde peaks found in the chromatograms of soy- and beeswax candles were similar to or slightly higher than that of the blank." I may be stupid or slow to understand lol but to me, it says that in testing...that paraffin DOES emit toxins. So what does else does it mean when it says "formaldehyde peaks found in the chromatograms of soy- and beeswax candles were similar to or slightly higher than that of the blank" I take it that means that there was little to no toxins found to be emitted from soy and beeswax candles?

Does anyone know whether or not soy actually does not produce toxins and whether or not paraffin really does?

actual facts about paraffin and of soy. All I can find when I try to research things is what peoples websites who sell candles say about one or the other. Is there a website that states the actual good and bad of both? I would like to know the REAL comparison of the paraffin and soy. For example does paraffin really emit toxins, and does soy or does it not? I hear it doesnt, but what are the facts. Does anyone know of where I can find this information? Thank you!

ok thanks. the melt pool is great once it gets through 2 or 3 burns but its got hang up on the sides until it catches up much later. I think I will try the HTP 105, I didnt know if trying a bigger one would help with the mushrooming. Thanks for the advice.

no its around the whole outer edge during the first couple burns. but the wicks are mushrooming real bad if i burn for long amounts of time.

but what if your customers use tealight burners. she is using an oil warmer, so im assuming that is why its smoking. I guess I will just tell people that they work best in tealight warmers meant specifically for wax tarts. So they dont use oil warmers! lol.

I am using a HTP 104 for a 8 ounce standard mouth jelly jar. I am going to try a htp 105 next. It gets a real good melt pool as deep as it should be. Throw scent well. However through the first couple burns it kinda has a little hang up on the side. I wonder if its the oil, its my mamas bberry cobbler from just scent. Anyhow the wick mushrooms really really bad when you marathon burn it. Is there another type of wick that wont mushroom that bad?

How much would I mix of each to make blackberry sage? The sage is stronger than the blackberry. Thanks!