MissMori

Is anyone else in love with them? I got some free samples (my order didn't arrive, because they were making some of the fo's I ordered,) that I'm loving. Has anyone used their Acai & Blackberry yet? So good oob. I'm not sure about the Chestnut & Brown Sugar. Seems more chestnut without much sweet sugar to it. Cool citrus basil is a winner. My husband wants it all to himself in soap. Papaya... sweet, fruity. Would be great in a blend. I'm going to test it in a candle to see if it does anything weird. Laurel & Cranberry... hmm... so nice. Another great one. Perfect in a candle. More laurel than cranberry... starts floral/herbal, ends with the cranberry.

I was hoping to find out who manufactures the Reddi-Glo chips now so that I could by in true bulk (25 kg or so.) Yes, you now think I'm crazy, because I've only made 3 candles (didn't post about my 3rd,) but I already know I'm addicted. Could be worse, I could be out trying to score some dope. (Did that made me sound really old? I don't know the lingo, I've never done drugs, so I wouldn't know.)

Thank you for the replies. I checked eBay. Found a couple that sell large quantities, but would be more expensive per piece than what I have now. I've always been a bargain shopper, so I just can't bring myself for pay 25 cents for something that I can get for 10 cents.

I'm looking for new larger molds. What are Mr. Do Right's molds made of? It looks like HDPE plastic. Has anyone made their own molds out of silicon? I'm wondering if there is a silicon sheeting material (kinda like ply wood sheets) that is rigid enough to bolt together like the Mr. Do Right molds.

I've been looking for Reddi-Glo dye chips in bulk, but the largest package size I can find is 4oz. Does anyone know where to get larger quantities or if there is a new manufacturer? Thank you!

Natural Oils International has a brief list of the shelf life of oils. http://www.naturaloils.com I would go ahead and make your soap with the formula you listed earlier in this thread. Try sf at 7%. Let the bars cure and see what happens. It looks like you have enough oils with a long shelf life. You will never know unless you try.

Thanks. I'm a bit impatient, but I will try burning the whole candle. Oh the hours of agony!:rolleyes2

Ah, I thought it was a chemical that I had no idea about. I've super fatted up to 12% with no problems. I have a bunch of bars that are over 5 years old that are SF at 8%. No dos, no funky smell, colors have faded a bit, scent varies. Just my opinion: rancidity has everything to do with the stability of the oils used rather than the SF. If you use oils with a long shelf life, your bars will not get DOS. If you use oils with a short shelf life, your bars may get DOS. You can formulate an awesome bar of soap using oils and butters with long shelf lives. Do I get change from my 2 cents?

What's sf?

I'm using NatureWax C3, HTP 105 flat wick, container is 3 1/8" in diameter, fragrance is Citrus Paradise (from Genwax, no longer on website.) I get the 1/8 to 3/16" ring of unmelted wax with every burn. I let it burn about 1 hour the first time and then 3 to 4 hours each subsequent burn.

I'm making container candles in jars from Genwax (10oz. Monticiano jar, 106 HTP wick.) When I burn the candles, there is about 1/8" to 3/16" around the edge that does not melt. Is it supposed to melt? Why or why not? Should I change the wick (larger/smaller)? If so, why? Did I mention I'm a newbie? I've now made 2 candles!

Trying to make the wax a little harder. Maybe it's just me, but C-3 melts in my hands. Living in Southern Ca, I'm a bit concerned that my candles will melt. I told you, I'm a newbie. :embarasse

I never would have guessed. I've been making soap for 10 years, but away from all forums for about 5. I don't even Twitter, Face Book or anything else. My husband constantly complains because I only use my cell phone a few times a month.

Thanks for your reply. I'm using Genwax's Monticiano 10oz frosted jar, NatureWax C-3, and HTP 105 flat wick, added Vybar 260, and a UV inhibitor. Oh dye.

Ah, thank you. Never heard of it. I've made exactly 4 candles in my life. The first three don't count because it was a class and someone else picked out the wax, wick, fragrance and container, and controlled the temperature. All I did was pour. I've made one when I did it all! Woohoo!

You're suffering from scent fatigue. Professional sniffers and formulators often sniff coffee between scents to help reduce the effects of over exposure to strong scents. Likening it to eating, the coffee cleanses the palate.

Excuse the newbie question... what is GG?

I made my first candle last week. I used citrus paradise fo from genwax (it's not on their website any longer.) When I burn the candle, it smells like citrus with burnt rubber undertones. Is this normal? I used NatureWax C-3.

Litmus paper comes in pink and blue. Both are treated with dyes that change color. Blue litmus paper turns red when exposed to acidic environments, red litmus paper turns blue when exposed to basic environments. Lye is a base or alkali. You can get a little kit that has the paper strips and a chart that will tell you how alkali your soap sweat is. You can also test the soap itself by either dissolving a bit of soap in distilled water or testing the lather. You can get the strips on Amazon, lots of places. Your soap supplier may even have them. The sweat can be caused by a few things: 1. Fragrance oils come out of solution and pool. FO's will try to get out of the soap itself. They are made with volatile substances that do not want to stay mixed with others or want to vaporize. You want the fo's to do this to some extent. When you smell a bar of soap, you are smelling the volatile substances. I have soaps that have very little fragrance until used in the shower. When the soap is dissolved in water, the fragrance can get out of the solution and therefore be smelled. 2. During the saponification process, glycerine is created. Glycerin is hygroscopic, meaning it readily takes up or retains moisture. The sweat could be glycerin pulling moisture form the air. 3. Thin trace or lack of emulsion. You stir & stir so that the oils and lye solution form an emulsion (trace.) If you didn't stir long enough, had a false trace, or the soap fell out of solution (became un-emulsified) then you could have water pooling. But it doesn't sound like this is happening to your soap. Since you didn't use any fragrance, I'd say it is caused by the glycerin pulling moisture from the air.

Oh, forgot to answer the questions. I can't tell if the soap is good. If you are concerned that it is dangerous, only way to know is by testing pH. If it doesn't zap, it probably isn't dangerous. I'd let if cure and then use it to wash hands a few times. If your hands don't show signs of irritation (although could be caused by something other than the lye,) try it in the shower.

So, did you lick your soap or happen to have the correct litmus paper laying about? Here's what I would do: let it sit a couple of weeks. Give it a chance to cure. If you can wait, give it 30 days. I have soap that I made about 5 years ago still sitting where I put them to cure. Through 110 degree summers and 40 degree winters, 5 years unprotected, standing like naked soldiers. Yeah, I know, you don't need to tell me... anyway, the soap is P.H.E.N.O.M.E.N.A.L! Color has faded, but pretty. Scent is strong. Soap gets better with age.

I am NOT suggesting you do this. Some soap makers test for "zap," now you may want to sit down, by licking the soap. The zap feels kind of like when you touch your tongue to a 9v battery. It zaps. I am NOT suggesting you do this. A better way is to get some litmus paper and test the sweat to determine the pH.

Thank you for the replies. I'm brand new to candle making. What is LLC? Limited liability company? NO. Thought not.

Hi! New here... been elsewhere. Has anyone tried fragrances from Scent Works or Sweet Cakes. I use A LOT of their oils in soap (CP) but am new to candles. Their fragrances are amazing, but not sure how they throw in soy candles. Any advise or reviews? Thank you!