candlemom

For the countertop spinning racks, try:

http://www.palaydisplay.com/c-364-countertop-spinning-racks.aspx

They seem decent priced. Also, check on ebay, I knew I saw one earlier.

HTH

Theresa

Wow- that looks so realistic- you did a fantastic job.

Theresa

Thanks Jenn. Sorry I didn't mean to exclude you. I hit submit and had to walk away from my computer and came back saw that you had replied under Trae's reply.

I was thinking that one coat was not going to be enough. I did 2 coats last night and will do the other 2 today.

Thanks,

Theresa

Thanks Trae

I found these really beautiful terra cotta clay pots at the Dollar Tree.

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My mother saw them at my house and asked if I could make her a candle in one of them. I told her I had no idea but would look into it. Upon researching, I discovered that unsealed terra cotta pots are very pourous and can become a fire hazard if not sealed properly. My question is: I got some Mod Podge and was planning on using that to seal the clay pots. How many coats should I use? The back of the bottle says that if you are using it as a sealant, to apply a thin coat and wait 15-20 minutes. I could have sworn I read somewhere and now cannot remember to save my life where I read it at, that because the pots are very porous one coat is not enough. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much,

Theresa

Tucker,

I wish you the best for your surgery and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. I agree with everyone else that only you can decide what is best for you. I hope that you will pop in from time to time and let us know how the fish are biting and how you are doing.

Best wishes,

Theresa

Donita,

That is beautiful. But as always, your work is completely amazing. I cannot wait to see what you come up with next.

Theresa

Welcome to the board. Your candles look wonderful. Can't wait to see more.

Those are so neat looking- would love to know how they did that.

Also here http://www.123inkjets.com

I agree with Candle Man. Try 123 inkjets. I use them all the time and have never had a problem. And they have FREE shipping which is always an added plus.

HTH,

Theresa

Those are amazing. Absolutely beautiful.

They look very cool. You should try again...but wait until the kids start fussing and fighting again!!

Thanks. But since they got grounded from the Playstation, they have been good as gold. I just started making pillars, so I wish I could do that on purpose. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know where to begin to make that happen on the tops of the candles. The picture above is actually the bottom of the candles.

Theresa

That looks so good. I just finished dinner and already am ready for some ice cream. You did an awesome job.

Theresa

I was trying to remake 2 of the pillars I am desperately trying to wick correctly, all while my kids were fussing and fighting, my hubby was fussing at the kids to stop fighting and my 19 month old was stripping in the living room. I got preoccupied trying to figure out what in the world my kids were fighting about, trying to put my sons clothes back on and didn't melt enough wax to fill the molds. I figured this out, of course, after I had poured the melted wax into the molds. So, I decided since they were just for me, I would melt some more wax and just pour the non-colored wax into the mold. It looked OK when it was still hot. Later, I came back when it was cooled and discovered this. Personally, I think it looks kind of neat. It just frustrates me that all my boo-boos are neat looking. If I tried to actually make this, I am sure it would not look the same. Anyhow, just wanted to share.

Theresa

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Thanks - that wouldn't have been good.

Kaybee, thanks for the link.

Thanks Jeana. I am using HTP wicks. I started with 104 & 105 and this one had a 1212 in it. It was burning beautifully for 40 hours then splat it overflowed. I think I am going to redo this pillar with a 126 and see what that does.

Theresa

I know that some of you prefer to have your pillars leave walls as they are burning and some of prefer to have your pillar totally consume themselves. In any case, how thick should the walls be when you are burning it? And if it is to comsume itself, should the walls of the candle fold inward and the meltpool be at the top of the candle at any stage of burning? If that makes any sense. The reason I am asking is that my pillar seems to be confused as to which one it wants to be. When burning, it seems to want to leave a little wall about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick and about 1 inch tall before it starts to slightly fold inward. Then last night, a part of the wall started to bulge and broke in half and wax went all over the pillar plate. Is that because the wall was too tall before folding over? Also, I have noticed that when burning the walls of the pillars when I touch them are sticky- is that normal???? I am using KY's votive/pillar blend. Any help / suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Theresa

Twisted sisters- that is just too cute:D Sharyl55- thanks for suggesting those companies. I use to order from Lonestar all the time when I first starting making container candles.

Eugenia- the 4.5X4.5 molds, they do not have wick holes. But I have several other molds that all have the wick holes, so I will try the twist on those.

The UPS man just delivered my HTP wicks- YEA!!!

Sheila- that is a neat idea- I will have to try that- thanks:grin2:

I am going to play around with the HTP's- wish me luck:D

Thanks again everyone for such great advice,

Theresa

Thanks everyone for all your help. I am not sure if I want to stay with flat braid or not. I had the hardest time trying to thread the booger through the wick hole in the candle. If I could find them pre-waxed and precut, I would be in heaven.

wvcandleguy- thanks for suggesting square braid. I was wondering if it was just me or if my wick actually looked off centered to anyone else.

Mozzie- I have never thought of using beeswax to prime my raw wicks. I will have to try that and see if that helps.

topofmurrayhill- Yes they are soy pillars- I forgot to include that info in my first post.

dustpuupy- I will look into getting an EZ Wick Setter- I have heard very good comments about them.

I am off to find someone that has a sampler pack of square braid. I will have to try the beeswax and see how that works in my soy pillars. I have ordered a sample pack of HTP wicks and they should be coming today. Anyone else use htp in pillars? I have ran across some sites that suggest using htp in pillars, but most say use in container candles. I will have to get some square braid and test those and the htps and see what works.

Thanks,

Theresa

Thanks Scented. I don't like the walls of the 4.5X4.5 pillar either. I tried the 45 raw ply wick and that was definately a hassle since my mold doesn't have a wick hole at the bottom. I coated the wick with wax and made more of a mess and still had the time of my life attempting to thread the wick up through the candle. Then when I finally got it, I ended up with a huge 4 inch flame- too high for me. I seem to have the worse time with raw wick. I ran across some info about htp wicks used in pillars- so I ordered a sample pack from Peaks- so we will see if that works better.

Good afternoon:grin2: I was so excited, I made my first pillars. YEA!!!! Now getting them to burn right, that is a different story. Researched different wicks and decided to give flatbraid a try. The one pillar is 4.5 X 4.5, it was suggested that I start with 36 ply. I did and it looks like it is burning kind of funky. Like one side is burning and the others are not. Or is this normal? See picture:

[ATTACH]4922[/ATTACH]

I made another one same size and after burning it for 4 hours over the last 5 days, this is the way it looks.

[ATTACH]4920[/ATTACH]

I also made 2 other smaller pillars- Both are 3.5X3. They seem to be burning well except for one side seems to be "melting" faster than the other, leaving kind of a wall.

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Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Theresa

I got J&J through them also and just love it. I also ordered Vicks Vapor Rub, strangely enough that is my top seller right now. Vicks is super strong. Buttermint candies is another strong one. I ordered Eggnog, Donuts for Santa(not really impressed with this one- that is just my opinion, it was a big seller for me around xmas time), & Cotton Candy from them. Candlesource has really good prices. HTH

Theresa

I had the same reaction when I first made bath jelly- it was so easy to make and I never thought it would turn out like it did. The first one I made, I also made bubblegum and had my boys test it out for me and see what they thought. Well, now they cannot take a shower without it. Hope your little guy enjoys it as much as mine do.

Theresa

Check at Michael's craft store- I saw some with different designs on them when I was at Michael's and they were on clearance for $1.00. HTH

Theresa