Fern-Marie

I just did this last nite! I was just too tired to bring them back into the house...so, they are out in the car. Glad to hear that I am not going to regret it.

...saw the temp thing and literally gasped! I also use a microwave on occasion, and I never, never go over 200...I try to stay around 180 if adding dyes, other than that...155-160. I think it does cause more air bubbles, but I let it sit still to cool, and after I pour, I tap the jar on the cutting board to push any air bubbles to the top. Sounds to me like you are trying to make one jar at a time....? I wondered why. Be careful with those temps...we don't want to hear of anyone getting injuried. Best Wishes, Fern-Marie

Hi Geekrunner, Please, clue me in on this....real pinecones, like, from the back yard? You dip them in scented wax and sell them??? That sounds like something I would buy! I got a bag of Cinnamon scented pine cones at K-Mart some years ago...man, were they strong. I placed them within the branches of the Christmas tree, and various spots around the house...it was wonderful. I just LOVE pinecones. Any info you could share would be much appreciated. Thanks, Fern-Marie

You're entirely welcome. LOVE the Northwoods and Cabin motifs. My dream home. My husband would love that, but he would rather live in the Northwoods, and I am not quite ready for that! It took me years to adjust to living 50 miles outside of Boston! If he had his way, we'd be living in Northern Maine, in a log cabin. His parents retired and moved waaayyyy up to Sebec, Maine. It really is beautiful country.

Ohhh,noooo! What did you do?! Are you alright? Poor you. Fortunately, nothing like that has happened to me. Surprisingly. I weigh mine too and set them aside. However, sometimes, I accidentally bump one and have to re-adjust the lid, or move them as they are setting up, and I know I am causing cracks. Same with tea lights. I sure hope you feel better soon. I am really sorry for your accident. Man, just what you don't need right now, especially with a child to care for.

Hi Dixiegal, I use CB Advanced 2, and I order it regularly from Candle Science. They're really very good, and very helpful, great prices, and they do not mark up to make a profit on shipping. They have a lot of different soys, including the CB Advanced Just a suggestion, I highly recommend their FO: Christmas Cedar. Smells fantastic, and is going over very well for me. Congrats on the new Grand-daughter! Best Wishes, Fern-Marie

Hey D how's your week going? Any problems that I should know about???? We could all use a laugh once in awhile....I sure did when I ruined that whole damn batch...which is still hiding in a box by the way...however, the box is behind the hubby's recliner...hiding in plain sight...smart eh? :tiptoe: I was just thinking .... the cracks you're getting across the tops, are they straight across, like the center from side to side? I found out something that I was doing that was causing cracks across the top...you won't believe how dumb it is either. If I moved the candles while they were setting up, or accidentally bumped the wick and knocked it off center and had to re-align it....the tops get cracks going right across. Took a few tea lights, or so, before I realized what it was. I was blaming that darn tempermental soy....duh. So, set 'em when you pour, and leave 'em alone, no matter how much you wanna peek. I hope your trouble is that simple, wouldn't that be nice for a change!

What is the "veggie modifier"....I am not familiar with this?? Thanks

I have not added anything to mine. I know ppl use stearic and bw. I want to try to make soy without having to add anything...try being the key word. Believe me, I have thought of giving in on the au natural thing and going for an additive quick fix. But, right now, I want to keep it as just soy. I suppose when I get tired of torturing myself I may have to break down. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. FernMarie

Tops, un-be-freakin-leivable. How many times I have wondered what the heck it is in there that won't melt, even at 200. Exactly what I thought was that I should try to filter it...it actually looks grainy. The time I wasted...arrrggg! At least I can put that one question to rest. Thanks for sharing that little bit of info. I will commit that to memory.

Quixote Girl is absolutely right. That is exactly what I am doing. Catch the holes while the candle is still warm in the center, before fully set up, that is the time to hit it with the heat gun. Just a quick pass to melt into the hole, don't overdo it. Also, since the center is still warm and slushy, I move the wick gently from side to side very gently to help fill in any holes that may be there that I can't see...these are the ones I fear. Moving the wick also helps to keep the heat gun from hitting the wick and causing the wick wax to melt, and messing it up with the nasty white swirlies. I wouldn't have known what would happen in doing this, but I had nothing to lose. It works for me.

I have given up on trying to figure out why, all of a sudden, I am getting sink holes. I went back and made candles exactly to formulation of previous batches where I got no sink holes. I poured higher, poured lower, slowed down the cooling process, tried putting them in a warm water bath to slow the cooling and stabilize the environment, box tops, closing off the room so no drafts could get to them....the whole gammit...all to no avail. So, I give up. I'm tired of beating myself up over it, and frankly, it is wearing me out mentally. Got to the point where I was thinking about it half the night....it became an obsession...and questioning myself with 'what am I doing wrong?' Now, I watch and wait. When I see them forming, I blast it with the heat gun, and move the wick around to chase out any pockets or air bubbles. I just have to check on them about a half an hour after I pour. Seems to be working, and the tops are setting nicely. I figured that for all the time I wasted trying to figure it out, and blaming myself...I should just accept it as a soy flaw, and deal with it as such. Assume that it is going to happen, and be ready to blast the sucker! It is still frustrating, but I have to be satisfied with being able to fix it. I am tired of fighting with it.

I used the last of my Burgundy chips today. I am going to start replacing the chips with liquid dye. I brought the temp up to 180 in a small bowl with just a few ounces of wax and a red-based chip. It didn't work for me. I just do not have the time to stand there and mash the colored specks up against the side of the glass trying to get them to melt and blend. I tried a second at 200...still had specks. I tried the 'soy dye chips' ... absolutely no difference. That's it, I am done with the chips. So, one color at a time as I run out of chips will be replaced by the liquids. It's a shame that the mfgs. can't do better with this. It is so much more convenient, I think, to just drop in a chip. I ended up waiting for the specks to settle, and poured very slowly so as not to stir them up and pour them into the candles. What a pain! Just one thing, will I have to re-formulate everything to switch to the liquids? I don't want it to turn into a big financial loss over coloring. Do I have to be concerned with replacing wax and wicks, or is the liquid just as compatible with soy wax and wicks? Thanks.

Hi Holly, I use CB Advanced 2 Soy. I don't know what I am going to do yet. They are soooo bad. Forget trying to use any kind of red dye...at any temperature...they do not melt completely, Tops is right on, all my red colored candles have 'freckles'! My husband is due home today from visiting his parents up Northern Maine....I actually looked for a box to hide them in before he gets home and sees them. I don't want to frighten him!! I am going to persevere, only because it pissed me off so bad! I will try pouring hotter. That's the only thing that I haven't tried. Some day, I will be so good at this, I will laugh at these times...ahhhh. Just when I think everything is going so smoothly...OY! Good luck with your project today...I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

Amen Ike!!

....and so began my hellish week. Those darn Cinnamon Sticks candles. I had the exact same problem. I never experienced such frosting...never. It wasn't even attractively 'quaint'...I closed my eyes and woke up in soy hell!! Also, Everytime I use any red based dye chip, I get little specks on the underside of the candle. Out of frustration, I tried taking a little bit of wax out of the pot, and putting the chip in, and heating in microwave. I still had to take a spoon and mush it against the sides of the glass, and still ended up with specks. HenryK is exactly right - it seems that even higher temps will not dissolve the chip reds. What happened to cause the horrid frosting...I have no idea. The sink holes were a nightmare. Very frustrating week. I have worked to exhaustion on saving the batch....it still looks like hell. I even broke down all of the candles and tried to redo them...still frosted. I may have to break it down and use for tarts. I think I will invest in liquid dyes...I've had it with the speckled wax...too time consuming. Lots of good info here, makes me feel better to know it isn't just me.

All of my EZ Soy candles look exactly like that after a burn. I have to assume it's normal....I sure hate to think its snot! Ya gotta love Tops!

D, we must be living paralleled lives - how 'come every time I have a problem, I come on here to see what to do, and you are going through the same thing! I always pick up on your messages, because you always seem to have the same problems as I am every time. I should just look for all of your threads. I have had more problems this week than I have ever had. What the heck is going on!! Everything I made this week is cracking, frosting, airholes so big that they rival the BIG DIG...what a crappy week. I think that from now on, I will wait to see what is going on with you before I even measure a pound, then I can read how to fix it before I ruin another 4 lbs of wax! It's like a fore-shadowing of things to come. I sure hope we have a better week...sooooon! Yeah, it's the pressure...me too.....but breathe...not me, everytime I breathe, another hole appears!! I'm holding my breath. Hope all works out for you.

I'm so glad you worked it out. I am having a blast playing with these labels!

Thank you for the info. I am going to have to switch FO suppliers for the apple-based fragrances. I am trying NG first, I have some other fragrances from them, and will try their apple cinnamon and home sweet home. The new Christmas Cedar from Candle Science is out of this world! A votive scented my whole house...not obnoxiously, just really nice Christmassy smell. I have tried it in EZ and CBA2...beautiful. Thanks again, Fern-Marie

Thanks Island Girl. Home Sweet Home...that was the other one I couldn't get a throw from, and it's my sister-in-law's favorite. I was thinking about putting an order in with NG today...glad you mentioned them! I will give them a try....Who is JS? Thanks again, Fern-Marie

I don't know what program you are using. I got the free Avery download...the Set-up Wizard is awesome...worked perfectly the first time that I printed. My problem is finding a label look that I like! The program works hand-in-hand with Microsoft Word also...a little trickier for me. Nothing like the frustration of computers sometimes...makes you wanna pull your hair out! Best Wishes.

Hi, I can't seem to get Hot Apple Pie or Apple Cinnamon to throw a good scent. Anyone use this wax and knows where I can get these fragrances in a more compatible form, I would really appreciate it. It's just the 'Apple' based fragrances that I am having trouble with. Maybe it's just a bad case of candle nose. Also, if a fragrance is light, but nice, not a strong thrower, is that a bad thing? I know that strong candles give me a horrid headache, so I'm thinking I can use a lighter scent as an advantage for ppl like me. ? Thanks.

Hi Bonba, I don't make lotion, but I checked out your thread because I love warm lotion. So, just for the input, there is a nifty little gadget made by Conair...put lotion in it, and plug it in, and turn it on-in a couple minutes it warms the lotion. I have it right on my bathroom sink, and I turn it on before I shower. It only heats up what is in the tube so that you aren't constantly heating and reheating and causing bacterial growth in re-warmed lotion. Ahhhh, heavenly. I am a gadget fanatic!