wiscwicks

For anyone interested, I tried to Eco16. Disaster. Total wax layer residue on the sides. Although it creates almost a lumierie (sp?) or hurricane candle effect, so it's actually kind of pretty.

Just be careful with Little Green Bee. That was actually on the list of names I was thinking of using, hung up on it for weeks, but there were so many companies with similar names that came up when I did a search, that if someone forgot your exact name, they would end up on someone else's website. Little Bee Garden is cute. Little Bee does make me think of honey, bees wax, or flowers, sort of giving me a pre-conceived idea of what the products are made of, which is why I personally strayed away from that because I'm not actually making any products from bees wax, but rather soy wax. But your idea of adding Garden makes me think of a garden, full of different varieties of things. And since you're making a variety of products, that makes a lot of sense. If you're making soaps and bath products, what about something like "Pampered Little Bee". Don't know if it's even available, but the first image I get is then a little bee sitting in a beauty salon chair, or a little bee sitting in a bath tub full of bubbles and candles all around the tub. Putting Pampered before the Little Bee makes me think more about the action of being pampered, versus putting Little Bee first which makes me think the products are from the Little Bee. Does that make sense? 9 years at an advertising agency and I learned that it really makes a difference which words you put first and what word you're trying to emphasize on. People have preconceived notions with certain words, and you have to use them very carefully. Ask someone to give you their initial gut reaction when they hear your name idea, say the name to them, and then give them 5 seconds before they answer. Then you'll know if you're on the right track. Hope this helps "disect" some of the things to look at with naming. It's so hard because it really does set the tone for the entire line of what you're creating. Good luck, little bee! :-)

"For most FOs, I use an HTP105 that give a full melt pool after 2 hours, at about 3/8" deep (1 cm). I get about 70 to 80 hours of clean burning - no hangups." Do you have issues with the wax not burning clean from the sides of the jar? That's why I tried the HTP1212, in an effort to create a larger melt pool faster so it would reach the sides of the containers faster and possibly help with that issue. But maybe I was just aggrivating it with that thought process by creating a deeper melt pool faster in the center? Don't know. I just don't know which direction to head first. It's all a guessing game, but picking the brains of "the pros" who have been doing this longer than I have might get me headed closer to the right path. Thank you for your information!

4" containers (12oz Whisper Jars), C3 wax, no color, frag only. I ordered HTP series wicks from local supplier (www.nuscentscandle.com). Only wick to create a full pool reaching edges of container was the HTP1212. Tried double wicking with smaller wicks to avoid a huge flame, but just created two melt pools that never combined. Want to test other wick lines, but not sure the best route to start before ordering a bazillion from an out of state supplier, or paying a fortune in shipping by ordering a few here and then. I've read some comments about Eco line wicks, and someone wicked these jars with Eco14. CandleScience website states for 3.5-4" container to use Eco16, and Eco10 for the smaller jars. I know it's all a guessing game, but thought I'd ask for people's opinions on wick lines for soy, before I head off in the completely wrong direction. Nothing worse than starting a road trip and getting to New York, only to realize you were supposed to be in California! Thanks for any feedback on your own experiences with different lines. Lisa

when I do the box over to slow the cooling, I leave it for as long as I can, even up to 24 hours (also no lid, just in case you were doing that) When I did it only a few hours or just overnight, it looked fine, but then within a few hours turned into a disaster. The ones I leave under for 24 hours are definitely more successful, longer. Kind of a pain, but maybe someone else has an option to share because I'd love to hear it too! :-) I live in Wisc. so cold weather/house is a frustration here.

I'm not an expert because I just started making candles, but I quickly found I was having the same problem. I found a tip somewhere to put the containers on a cookie cooling rack to let the air get to the bottom, then a cardboard box over the candles to help retain the heat and slow the cooling process. That helped tremendously. House temp plays a factor too, so make sure you turn up the heat a tad if it's getting cold outside where you're at. Oh, and before you get too excited and pouring a ton of candles, test your wicks. I found I wasn't using the right sizes. Apparently for soy you have to "wick up" a few sizes. I still haven't found the right wicks that I like, but at least I'm closer and creating a pool that reaches the edges.

I quickly found a tip to put a cardboard box over the candle to help them cool slower, which works great. I pour, put a box over, leave for 24 hours and all the candles look beautiful. Tops as smooth as a baby's bottom, even around the wick. It does also seem to reduce the amount of candle that pulls away a few days later in the cold. (Live in wisconsin, so it's going to get cold!) I will definitely try washing the containers first. I actually hadn't done that yet, but that makes perfect sense. And because of the problem I was having with the "frosting" on the sides, I'm leaning toward just creating a line without color. I was trying to use dye drops, but because they are so hard to calculate and you have to use so much wax in one batch to try to dillute the color. It was hard during testing. Maybe once I can finally get a good wick combination, I can try to start adding color again, but I didn't want to waste all that wax, fragrance, and dye for test candles when I can't even figure out which wick to use. The jars are primarily 3, 12, 18oz whisper jars, where the 12 and 18 are both 4" wide.

Awesome. Thanks guys. Saved me the hassle of switching. I was considering a switch because I was having some problems with scent throw, but I think I was miscalculating the amount to put in. I'm new to candle making, so I'm still in the learning process. Thank you! Looks like the initial pick was right.

I'm new to candle making and have been working with C-3. I was thinking of changing from to CB-135 wax. On one site, their tech sheet says the CB-135 ships well in all environments, and can take a fragrance load up to 10-12%. Is that true? Does anyone have a preference of that over the C-3? Does anyone add anything to C-3 wax, to make it harder, or stop it from pulling away from the sides of the container two days after pouring? Disappointing to see a beautiful candle pull away two or three days later. Signed, Newbie Cheesehead Candlemaker :-)

I'm new to candle making and selected C-3 to start. Heat to 160-180, add dye, add frag, pour between 150-160 "slowly", then I put a cardboard box overtop to slow down the cooling.... that's what my directions say and it's been working fine - for the most part. Beautiful tops, great adhesion to the sides, no frosting. *Problem is, two days later, if the house is too cold, the wax does pull away from the sides of the jar. Any recommendations to stop this, or is that just the "beauty" of a soy candle? *Also, chose to use Libbey Whisper 3oz, 12oz, 18oz jars. Anyone have a successful wick recommendation with the bigger jars and this type of wax? Local candle supplier doesn't have all the different wick types out there, so I'll have to order from somewhere, and want to "aim close" to the right choice. I saw one recommendation in the forum here of eco 14. Signed, eager newbie with too many questions. Sorry it's so long.