JanetsCandles

It's a bit different than cornstarch. I got mine at BrambleBerry. The INCI says it is Tapioca Starch, which is very different from cornstarch.

Unfortunately many of my craft shows won't allow people to burn anything in the booths. I usually am burning a tester here at home so when anyone comes to see what I've got, it leads into other sales just from that.

I do, and I make my own for "chunk" or other shape candles. Last year I was making them with cookie cutters, bending the shapes and then putting them in all sorts of pillar candles. I use a lot of ice cube trays for embeds, or do special made molds for it. Or for regular chunk candles, just chop it up with a nice big butcher knife.

Maybe she forgot? Or she was using a vat for the melting and didn't want to contaminate it? I'm not sure. I've always done it like normal, then whipped the wax. Never caused any trouble for me.

http://www.sks-bottle.com/Lip_Balm/Lip_Balm_Containers3.html These guys are good. No minimums, seem to be excellent with pricing, and they are in New York state, so your shipping isn't going to be a whole lot either.

Looking good!

I have intuit. I can't complain at all about the service with it. I chose intuit because I had nothing but problems with Square when I tried to sign up with them. I got married last year, started taking the CC payments earlier this year. Had my information changed (last name matched social security number ect) for over 6 months when I tried to get it. It declined me for taking anything but cash with Square (and why the heck would you do something like that in the first place...). When I spoke with a customer service rep, I was only allowed to communicate through email with them, no phone contact. Then was given a very snotty attitude for my trouble. They apparently didn't care that the name had been changed. When I went to Intuit, I was flagged as well for review, spoke with someone via phone, and was approved (very politely) less than 5 minutes later after I explained my circumstances. I doubt I'll bother trying to switch to Square in the future. First impressions mean a lot.

You and me both, Candybee! I have a hard time with going into hardware stores for the same reason. But I do it for both candles and soaps. Amazing the stuff you find that can be used for either one.

(It's either that or I'm a horrible mother). I'm working on soaps again this week. My daughter comes up to me, she's got a weird dirty spot on her arm that looks orangish. I made the poor child cry because the first thing I said was "Oh, crap. Dreaded Orange Spots!"

I personally want my own storefront. I've been working toward it, but the economy is shaky this summer, so we might have to wait another year. I don't want to, but I also seriously don't want to go out of business because no one has the money to buy product. *sigh* Figures, huh?

Silicone has a couple issues. One of them being that it actually pulls heat away. It is a common substance in cooking products and industrial products for protection from heat (among other things, it's used for pot holders and also gaskets inside very hot engines). It has great heat tolerance from that. But with candles, it works the exact same way as if we'd make a "grubby" or textured candle using an aluminum mold and ice cold water. I've used multiple shapes in silicone cupcake molds, and we still get the same texture you are describing. I've used a heat gun on them in the past to get the surface to cooperate, but the hot water is probably easier.

I actually make a line of meditation candles with both EO and FO in them. Some of my customers prefer the idea of having the EO in the candle, but the smell is too much for them just on it's own. So I blend, and everyone seems pretty happy.

That's one reason I started with the soaps/lotions. Although, I'm busier this year than I have been in quite a while. It's rare to have big orders in June for candles for us. I was counting on it for project working time this year. Go figure.

I started with candles. I am working more heavily with soaps now too.

I personally dislike the problems I had with gel candles (there is a lot more to learn, IMO with gel than with the other waxes). I use primarily paraffin and palm wax for my candles. The paraffin is easier for my special shapes candles, and I prefer palm for my containers. First thing I suggest is to read a few beginner pages online, and read the forums. You WILL come up with questions, and some problems with what you are working with. A lot of things effect candle making, humidity and temperature of the room around you can do a lot either for the good or for the serious problem aspects. Other stuff can cause problems too. *shrug* It's a learning process, even for those of us that have been doing it for years. That said, welcome to the board and hope to speak with you again. Hope you enjoy the craft!

Another thing you can do as a more temporary fix is to put a "pin" through the torn edges. Almost like you would with a safety pin, but you'll need to take it out again before you pull on the sides. Unfortunately, most silicone molds cannot be repaired, and most silicone and polyurethane molds have a life of only a few years. The actual materials they are made from will actually degrade over time, and they lose their elasticity. Some of them actually start to shred or string off as well, it just depends on the molding material. If your molds are round on the outside, you could make a sleeve to go around them that would help hold it into place for a while longer. But eventually they just won't hold together anymore and will start to leak at the very least. I'd suggest pouring a "master" from wax (I'd recommend paraffin instead of the beeswax, just as a cost consideration), then making a new mold from the master copy.

They are paraffin, Mannie. I'm actually having trouble getting a burn without the drippage just now. Mainly because we've got the swamp cooler on and it's creating a bad draft in the middle of the test burn. It'll be a while before I can get these out to sell because I am having trouble getting it tested properly. *sigh* Maybe soon. Maybe.

My newest toy. These are a tiny rose pillars (stands 2 inches tall and 1 inch in diameter). I am putting them into one of the Anchor Hocking hurricane votive glasses with sand and some very tiny seashells at the bottom of the glass for decoration. I'm still working on tweaking the burn a bit more, it's not a bad burn, but I'm trying to see if I can get it a bit longer (although, really how long of a burn can you get off something that tiny anyway??). Hopefully soon!!

I'm thinking about using BB's Energy FO in my batch this coming week. But first, finishing up candle orders LOL

Try a 105 in it. I've got no idea how Mulberry performs, if you have to wick up or not, but I've used the 105 in that diameter status jar (was from Lonestar, not Dollar Tree) with the 4627 and a very sweet cotton candy FO. Didn't have problems with it.

What is popular for you guys? I figure things like Lavender, Vanilla, peppermint (maybe) and a few others, but are there any really popular sellers out there for whipped body butters? Also wondering if it's possible to make the whipped butter unscented and then keep it as a master batch, adding scent to individual amounts that you're about to add to jars in the first place. Anyone tried it before?

For double wicking, probably the HTP 41 or the 52, depending on your FO. I'm betting a 41 will likely do it though. That's where I'd start, anyway.

Strangely enough, I had a pack of Avery labels (matte white address type labels) that flat out wouldn't stay stuck to the jars. However, all the other Avery labels have. I'm thinking I had either an old package or something weird with it. But other than those, most labels I've used have stuck to the glass without a problem.

I'm using HTP-126 on mine. The jars are 3" in diameter or so. Although for some really "sweet" fragrances, that doesn't work well either. But they have to be trimmed back well or the flame is higher than I prefer.

I am actually having more luck with HTP wicks in the glass glow, especially in my 9oz status jars. I know they won't get a wide enough melt pool for the 12 oz jars, but that's OK for me, since I'm not carrying them at this point. I do notice that it leaves a ring of wax around the outside until it burns further down. It then melts off without a problem. The glass is also fairly warm, but not enough to burn you after about 3 hours burn time.