AlwaysWondering

Anybody else have experience with JKL?

Are you looking for a name that will sell all year or a name to suit the winter months?

Being good at creating a tart has very little to do with creating a great candle. I only make tarts and have for a long time and sell tons of them. However, I know that making the leap to candles (which I'm not) would be a huge leap. Yes, you will at least be familiar with supplier names, some terminology, percentages, different kinds of waxes. Tarts are more forgiving. Candles, exact weight is important. Whereas it is important that you weigh fragrance oil for candles, you can use liquid measurements for tarts in a pinch. That said, KY is a great tart wax for beginners and experts alike. The candy molds are not a great idea as they tend to be shallow, the wax will splash out, it's a mess, plus if you pour hot wax (which is fine when making tarts), it can warp those plastic candy molds. You can use the bite size Wilton silicone mold cupcake molds. They come in all kinds of shapes, simple and seasonal, and work great for molds. The petite size Wilton silicone cupcake molds also work great, they make a little bigger tart, however, you don't need to fill each cavity to the top if you prefer smaller tarts. Go on line and find a 40% off coupon for Joannes, Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Sign up for their emails or try a coupon site for printable coupons. Below is a loose set of directions. Ideally, you will have all the proper equipment, especially a scale and thermometer, but I know what it is like to be a beginner and before investing in equipment, I've given you "loose" directions using household items. Cover all your working areas with newspaper. Trust me! Melt the wax double boiler style. Use a scale and measure out a pound of wax. If you don't have a scale, use a measuring cup and put in about three cups of the wax granules (KY tart wax is granule form). This is more than a pound. You can buy an aluminum pour pot OR any cheap aluminum pot. Maybe Dollar Store has a metal coffee pot like for camping??? Or use a spotless sauce pan (plus I would boil water in it a couple of times as a prep). Place a pound of wax (or 3ish cups) in the pour pot, set it in a larger pot filled with water, bring water to a boil and let wax fully melt. Ideally, you need a candy thermometer and get the temp of the melted wax to about 190. If you don't have a thermometer, once the wax melts, let it stay in the boiling pot of water for about five to ten minutes more. Watch the water level. Use a pyrex measuring cup (ideal is 16 oz but 8 oz is fine). Place EMPTY pyrex cup in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute to warm up the glass. Be careful when removing, the cup might be very hot. I don't know your microwave. You want the pyrex to be hot but still able to handle it. Pour 1 oz of fragrance oil into heated cup. Now, pour melted wax from pour pot into the pyrex cup (for candles, it is important to weigh, for tarts liquid measurement will work) and fill to the 16 oz line. If you are using an 8 ounce pyrex, use 1/2 oz of oil and fill to 8 oz line. This is a FO load of 6% (actually 6.25% if you are a nerd). If you want a fragrance load of 9%, use 1.5 oz and fill to 16 oz line. or .75 oz FO and fill to 8 oz line. Some FOs give great throw at 6% with virtually no difference at 9% so why spend the money on extra oil. Some, on the other hand, I have to go to 12% (2 oz for a 16 oz cup, 1 oz for an 8 ounce cup). I have one oil I love that I can only use at 3%, need to heat the FO, and need to stir for almost 3 minutes, it's a VERY heavy oil. Any more than that and it bleeds/weeps/sweats out of the tarts (little pools of oil left in the mold and beaded up on the tart. Overall, 6% to 9% should be fine for most of the oils from suppliers often listed on this board. Stir for about a minute, some say two minutes. I find that a minute is usually enough. Some oils will turn the wax in your Pyrex cloudy, stir till clear for sure. If you can't get it clear, you might need to add more hot wax as the oil is too heavy for the amount of wax and it is needs to be further diluted. Most of the time, a minute is fine but it can take longer. Add your dye if desired. Stir until dye is fully blended, maybe 10 to 15 seconds more. If you are using wax dye blocks, make sure you stir until it is fully melted. Or, you can actually scrape the dye off into your empty, preheated Pyrex, add your oil, pour in the fresh hot wax which will better melt the dye, then add the FO, and stir for your minute or two. I like to add dye last since I can better see if my wax is clear or cloudy. Then again, i use liquid dye and don't need to worry about scrapings being fully melted. Now, carfully and slowly, pour into your molds. Immediately wipe the inside of your pyrex cup clean with paper towels. (When you start melting lots of wax at once rather than a pound, you will get quick enough to clean the cup and immediately be able to refill without the microwave step since the cup will still be warm from the previous batch; constantly turn/use clean sides of the paper towel. If cup walls gets too smeary, back in the microwave it goes and then towel again before filling with new wax). Let tarts harden. Once hard, I tend to pop the entire mold in the freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes so the tarts comes out very easy. Depends on the depth and shape of the mold. I always do this with my metal scallop shape molds, tarts drop right out of those if put in the freezer. Scale (or see loose directions above) Wax Fragrance Oil pour pot (or see loose directions above for alternatives) larger pot to place pour pot in for double boiling method candy thermometer (or see loose directions above) dye (optional) molds lots of newspaper paper towels 16 oz or 8 oz pyrex cup 1 ounce measure (2 Tablespoons = 1 ounce liquid, can use in a pinch) Good luck!

I have really enjoyed this entire thread, almost makes me want to try my hand at a candle! This is a great group and it is threads like this where you all shine!

I have tried getting sprinkles to stick to my tarts. I never time it right and give up! Either the wax was too melty and they bled their color/melted or the wax was too cool and they didn't stick once I moved the tarts and left a bunch of divets on the surface of the tarts. It really is all about perfect timing.

Aroma Haven's is excellent, too.

I'm always curious about other's calculations. Do you use 16 oz of wax and 1 oz of FO for a total of 17 ounces? Or do you use 15 oz of wax and 1 oz for a total of 16 ounces. That does effect the percentage. I try to use as little FO as possible that will give me maximum throw so my tart FO recipes are all over the place. Curious what option candle makers use when they say "1oz pp"

Thanks, Jo.

I'm sorry if I've asked this before, I feel as though I have but can't find the post. I'm mostly interested if you use them. Do your tarts melt quickly and completely. How is the throw. I ask this as I believe all JKL electric melter are only 12 watts which seems very low and in turn would effect throw. Scent might last longer but have weak throw in my opinion. But would love real life experience.

Me, website only. I think about craft fairs/craft shows and local Farmer's Markets but never get around to it. What is your primary source for selling and secondary sources?

Congrats on the account and thank you for sharing these wonderful picture. They all look perfect to me! Love the colors you choose.

Oh, I don't make candles and not planning on it, I just enjoy reading candle posts and was curious. I was just making an observation that it seems to me, based on posts I read on this board, some people use several different waxes for the same type of candle. Now that I've read these responses, seems everyone mostly used one wax per type of candle, with the exception of Stella.

This makes perfect sense to me! But when I read some of these posts, it seems to me that they use this wax and that wax and mix and match. Maybe I'm reading the posts all wrong or misunderstanding. I see advice about try this wax with that wick and fragrance oil and if that doesn't work, add some of that wax, etc. To me, just don't use that scent instead of testing with all these different waxes. I'm with you, Jackbenimble!

It's important to measure "throw" time in terms of hours. If two cubes are throwing for 3 days straight (some do leave their melters on 24/7), that is beyond fabulous. If you are melting them for 4 hours a day, for three days (12 hours total) that is very good. Anything beyond 12 hours of good throw is bonus. Many of my tarts do throw for longer than 12 but I advertise as 12 hours being the expectation with an 18 watt electric warmer plate melter (my testers use this). I have some scent that will not throw for 12 and I note that in the scent description. I have no idea if customers are using a tea light melter which is hotter than let's say a Jackel 12 watt electric melter. Knowing the melter type helps to more accurately determine you throw time. Hotter melter will throw stronger but for less time.

I find it interesting in reading chandler posts about what seems to be so many different waxes you use. I understand you select your wax, containers and wicks to get the best melt pool, throw, flame size, burn time, etc and all of this can change based on your fragrance oil. Or something like that. My question is, however you sell (shows, parties, web, retail), at any given time, how many of your candles have the same wax. Or if you were selling 12 different fragrances, are you using 12 different waxes/blends. I was thinking about this while at the craft fair I attended yesterday. Wondered if each candle a booth had was actually a different kind of wax. For tarts, my wax is the same. It is my own blend and I have changed it over the years and will still try to tweak it now and then but otherwise, it is the same recipe for all 300+ scents I carry. I adjust the oil (amount, supplier, recipe) to get the best throw and realistic scent, but never the wax recipe. I continue to be amazed and delighted as I read the candle making threads.

We struck up a friendly conversation and she seemed to be concerned about the look of the frost. Being a nice person (what a concept, you should try it some time), I told her I might be able to help her out. I am going to email her the link of this thread.

We poured our version of "Sinus Relief" after dinner and eyes are still tearing!

I don't sell at craft fairs/shows, only go as a shopper. There was a seller there of all soy candles and they were frosted. She didn't have lids on her jars. I was trying to see them through the eyes of someone who knows nothing about candles (and that might as well be true for me) but since reading about frosting and wet spots on this board, I knew what it was. I struck up a conversation with her, told her I make tarts but only sell via web, etc. I mentioned to her, very politely, that I know some chandlers don't like frosting. She said she would love to get rid of it but didn't know how. Well, neither do I but I told her I would ask. (I did tell her about this board and strongly encouraged her to join!) I thought you have to add paraffin but she said she doesn't want to do that. I think I also remember that some dye causes frosting but not sure if that was colors or brand or type of dye, liquid vs block, etc. I have her card to email her. She said she uses 464 and nothing else. I guess my question is was I right to tell her some dyes cause frosting and that paraffin would help? P.S. Lots of handmade soap sellers.

Thank you. Great ideas. I will try the local hardware store and Dollar stores. I was mainly worried about the lids, I wanted those rustic looking ones. I didn't think about buying lids on line and the jars in person at a store. I imagine a ball jar lid is a ball jar lid and they will be the same size lids on line for the same size jar, right? Duh!

I want to fill jars with mini size Christmas tarts. I have mini snowflakes, gingerbread men, trees, etc. as well as prim buttons. Put a country ribbon on it, hopefully find jars that have rustic or prim lids rather than shiny gold. I know of Fillmore Container. Would like to compare prices and shipping. I need very basic jars and hopefully the same place for lids. Only need a dozen, maybe two dozen. Any other good glass jar supply companies I should compare to Fillmore? Thanks.

Thank you all so much. Plotting my order right now! I'll post my sniffing reviews after they arrive.

I have the JS Apple Butter, Nana's Old Fashioned. It's good BUT I don't get any buttery notes as the OP requested, just apples and spice. IMHO.

Thanks. I thought that was the issue with palm wax for tarts, the melt point. I remember it was not such a big problem years ago when most tart melters were the tea light type which are hotter than the electric ones. I was wondering if palm had been somehow reformulated but guess not!

I'm amazed at how reasonable the FOs are at The Candle Source, especially for the 4 oz size at only $4.69. Normally you don't see that "$1 per oz" price until ordering a pound or more. Overall, how is the quality. They all have hits and misses but how would you say more hits than misses regarding accuracy of scent and hot throw? I did a search but most reviews are very old since the search function has not been fixed. Thanks.

Now I want them all Is FMC Fillmore?