Henryk

IMO, you are not going to have any good luck with pure bayberry tapers unless you make the dipped "pencil" variety (much smaller than the standard 7/8" taper diameter). Even then, they are going to burn phenomenally fast. I too played around with 100% bayberry wax in tapers and votives - it just doesn't make a good candle IMO. Be careful - you may be reading about "100% bayberry tapers" on the web - read on and you'll see its usually a mix - assuming that is even stated.

Like palm stearic? My guess is if you mix any palm with soy you'll get what you want. Also, since you will probably poor cooler it will probably give you the effect you want anyway. The down side I can think of is that your soy may frost more.

Just saw this thread and wanted to say that I've been using two browns - both really nice - very little frost. "Plain Brown" from KY and "Deep Cocoa Brown" from BCN. Both are flake dye and both are nice browns - not that blackish, coffee brown or that orange-brown.

HTH

One thing I found by accident and have been doing for a while is tempering the wax. Its pretty neat - just let the soy sit until its not just like cough syrup (slushy) - but until its starts setting up in the pot - they stir it all together - lumps and all - if its too lumpy to get an even top after you pour, heat just a bit and stir together. It looks like it won't work - but really does.

Like Geek - I make sure the glassware is clean and also a bit warm.

Now, after you burn it - you will still get some frost at the burn line - and it will especially stick out if you use a lot of dye.

The only "no frost" soys that I'm aware of is CBA and Greenleaf GL Soy. There used to be Astorlite S1 - but that is no longer sold. I can still get CBA to frost if I burn a container for a LONG time. GL does this a bit less. There are FO and dye factors also. Seems to me more frosting with liquids and certain FOs - if you are heavy with them.

Thats interesting Geek. Never thought of that.

I know one company that makes and sells candles, they are labeled soy, but since they also sell wax and supples, they have no problem telling me what they use - the wax was not 100% soy - it was a wax blend by one of the big companies. (Mostly soy).

Guess its a legal question.

Here is some I poured last year. And at this thread you can find more info: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17855

EDIT: Also check your PMs per your other questions.

Thanks Bruce,

I don't use ours very often, but it does seem like having the different settings would be a good safety idea.

I have saved the info (pretty sure I have the all PDS type info in it) from the Astorlite site for those waxes (and others) before it went down a while ago - if you want it, you can PM me with your email address.

Don't feel bad. I had the wax (ordered in the fall), but never had the time to make them this year! This year I ordered some colored beeswax sheets a week before Christams from Candlewic to do some things for Christmas and was worried they wouldn't get here on time, they came 3 days after the order and I wound up not having the time to work with them anyway!

So, the moral of the story is, you will have time to make and test them - and have them all ready to go for next Christmas! One less thing to worry about!

Mine have a 40 watt bulb. They work well for my paraffin, I can't help you with soy though, I don't use it. The meltpoint of my wax is 128 if that helps.

Thanks everyone.

Dee - I bought 2 - a ceramic type one which has a 25 watt bulb, and the other a tin one with punched decorative holes which came with a 40 watt bulb. I'm a bit worried that the 40 watt bulbs may be too hot - especially after reading the "smoking tarts" thread.

Bruce - never new they made ones with different settings - where do you buy those at if you don't mind me asking?

For a tart newbie, what watt bulbs are usually used in the electric variety - and do you find you use a different wattage for soy vs. paraffin tarts?

Thanks!

If any of you are using FO in palm waxes try one without (IMO the ones I have tried don't really throw much anyway) using the SAME technique and see what happens with your particular brand. It could be the FO type.

HTH

You really need that NTS2 treatment with palm waxes IMO. So thats the RRD line or the LX line (the latter sizes 24 and up).

See - you didn't have to worry at all - they came out great ! (BTW, don't forget to mix beeswax with that bayberry for your tapers).

I haven't looked at the moonglow ones, but the swan creek ones - theirs matches the scents they sell. For example, one FO they have I like I think they call it "lemon icebox" or something like that - they also have the drops of the same FO type.

Hmm - RD 6 ? Are you sure that might now be an eco 6 (made by wedo also - as is the RRD series) - I just never heard of an RD 6.

Swan Creek does this in one of their lines - see http://www.swancreekcandle.com/kipaja.html . The pellets themselves are also sold by the scoop at the displays for tart burners - see http://www.swancreekcandle.com/waxmelters.html .

Looks just like a BW pillar should - very nice and smooth! What type of mold did you use, and for the wick - do you mean a #6 square? Just asking because that would seem to be kind of big for that diameter of candle - guessing 2.5" ?

If you bought it for lip balm its probably refined cosmetic-grade - thats fine - you can use any type as long as its clean. I use the refined all the time and from what people have told me I can use smaller wicks in BW votives than they do. I don't do BW votives too much but when I did I used an LX 16 - this was in refined BW.

As you probably know, beeswax is rather opaque - like soy. So you would probably have to add a lot - but my understanding is that those pigments are really for overdips only.

The other thing I can say is that "white" beeswax really varies from suppliers. I've been using a couple places lately - and if you want WHITE white beeswax, candlewic is the place to go - their white BW is in flake form - and its probably the most white I've come across (its on sale right now if you are interested).

HTH

I've tried them.. Yup, about 2 hours. But I have to admit they smelled fantastic. Don't tell anyone I said that...lol

DW bought home one of the xmas scents the other day - I told her why don't she just slap me in the face and be done with it! Yes, I have to admit - they do throw like crazy.

Oh yea? And maybe if all of you paraffin and soy users would quit drilling and plowing away at the earth my beeswax would be cheaper. j/k

I would have deleted it but I don't think we can do that anymore.

Well duh, shouldn't have posted - google came up with http://www.perfume.com/aquolina/pink-sugar-1023736.html - for some reason I thought that it was supposed to be a dupe of VS's Pink - I smelled that and it was nothing like the Pink Sugar FO I have.

Sorry to waste everyone's time.

Generically, are the pink sugar type FOs supposed to be a dupe of some brand name - if so, what?

Thanks!