Fern-Marie

I ordered a bunch too, on Sunday...my first order with them, and I got an e-mail notification today that UPS will be delivering them tomorrow! How do they do that! Now, that is fast. I can't wait. Oh, I hope it's as good as I have heard. Can't wait for the Apple Butter. yummmmmm.

Hi Pixi, Good idea to do the tarts without color. A lot of ppl here do that with soy because of the frosting problem. 9% is the maximum FO for that wax. That's 1 1/2 oz. You'll do fine. Any problems, we are always here. Don't let them get too warm after you've made them...they seep. Keep the tarts out of the air conditioning, or you will be horrified and buzz your hair like Geek. No fans blowing on them either. Nice, steady, even temped area, with air flow that is not drafty. OK? I like to leave them on the stove and shut the fan and A/C off in the kitchen before I pour. Let us know how you do. Good luck! Fern-Marie

Well, right off the bat I can see that you have a good sense of humor....this is good. You will need it. I have not added anything to my tarts...I have customere who forbid it. They want the pure soy. A lot of ppl do add a bit, I am sure that info is here somewhere. I'm pretty sure I've seen it. Fern-Marie

Lavender...ahhhh...quickly became my faves. NG and CS Both are fab. Never knew I liked it until I got some for the garden, ran my hands over it, and matched it to the FO samples I had. That's how I knew whose to buy. Love it.

Have you made the tarts yet? Why are you jumping right into blending...you brave, brave, soul?! One thing I can caution you about EZ...it is often inconsistent in the mfg's batching. I gave up on it because just when I would get the wicking and such down pat, I'd get another batch and the wicking wouldn't work and I had to keep starting all over again. Pitiful. And what a p.i.t.a.! That was my experience, and a few others. So, yeah, tarts and wickless are good. TL 25 and TL 28 on the tealights...though I use light colors and I think that the TL 25 worked best. Make sure you pour at a low temp 110-115ish. Heavy colors can frost like crazy. Good Luck to you, and welcome to the board.

Just one more thing that makes you scratch your head. It never ends! Hobbie gone amuck is an odyssey! lol Honestly, I would consider trying a regular warmer. Those electric ones are too inconsistent from product to product. If you read the manufacturer's instructions, you may be able to go up a size in the watt of the bulb...just don't overdo it, they are dangerous. If you know anyone with a tart warmer that uses tea lights...that's the thing to do..test it on a friends. I'll almost guarantee that's your problem. I hope it works out for you. I know how disappointing and frustrating it can be.

So I thought, well jeese, this is an experienced candle guy here, how bad can it be? Guess what, that's about right. Yup, that's what it looks like. You did it correctly. It's ugly like the rest of ours are. Gonna burn it? I'm interested in what you think of the hot throw...and compare the throw to paraffins. I'm trying a blend now. :rolleyes2

I LOVE these jars...not readily abundant in my area so I get the tureens from CS. Also fit great. Someone posted once that they went to their nearest True Value Hardware store and they order them for her. What the heck, they sell canning supplies and they are in that category. If you have a hardware store that sells Ball canning jars, jelly jars, Masons, etc., you can always ask them to get them for you.

Julie, is it the electric warmer with the light bulb that heats it? I have a pal here on this forum who contacted me months ago about her tarts not getting a throw. She used the electric burners. She sent me tart samples and I tested extensively and finally made tea lights for her to burn them. Her wax was a higher melt point than my soy. It took awhile, but fortunately we found the right combination of wicks and wax for a hotter burning tea light. She tried higher watt bulbs also...nearly burned the house down. Watch those babies!

I did a lot of checking on these before I sold them. IMO, Miss Margie is correct. Also, I will add that some ppl are dumb enough to leave the covers on...that may cause a problem. In addition, the large jars will crack the sides of the warmers. A properly fitting jar...that which fits on the black heating element without overlapping, is what should be used. Unfortunately, on the packages of the warmers you will see a picture of a large jar...dumb, dumb, dumb. Not gonna work. It will take over a day to melt it well, then it takes so long to melt, ppl will leave it on there and not shut it off just to avoid the extended melting time. NO, I'm not kidding. They tell me this so proudly too. :rolleyes2 Short, squatty, tureens such as the ones sold at Candle Science are perfect. They fit as though the warmers were made for them, and they get fully melted within a half an hour to forty five minutes. And they're tough...I've dropped quite a few of them and not so much as a chip or crack occurred. Remember: When you purchase warmers, you are the consumer. You have the right to expect the product to perform properly under normal circumstances. Be careful of accepting liabilities of a manufacturer. You have no control over manufacturing of the product. Fern-Marie

Haha! I just placed my first order with them. I read that their Apple Pie FO is a dupe of Home Interiors...that's why I ordered. Then, of course, I didn't want to place an order for one thing and pay all that shipping. I do hear good things about them, hope I heard correctly!

Julie, if I can make a suggestion or two: Check that the temp of the melted tea light is high enough...sometimes the taller burners don't get hot enough. Take it's temp. Be sure that the tea light you are using gets a flame that is hot enough to melt the tart, and warm it enough without being so hot that it burns off the FO. It isn't as hard as it may sound, I don't mean to make it sound that way. You would be surprised how temps can create havoc with tarts. Hope it works out for you.

Hey Bre, How ya doing? Hope your well. Wanted to tell you, I just got the WalMart digital. I have not gotten a stable temp with it yet. It registers all over the place. I put in a new battery...nothing different...it is a full 15 degrees off. A friend of mine has the same one, and has no problems. So she got one from that Harbour Freight and tested it side by side, and there was only one degree difference. I think I must have been whacked with a gypsy curse! I am going to try the "Professional" thermometer at CS. I am desperate for another thermometer. It is $16-17 dollars, but if it works...I'll be a happy camper. If not, I am going to invest in a more expensive digital. What else can I do but keep trying. It is alarming to me that ppl are out there unaware of this problem. I am stunned that it is such a problem! Hope all is well for you, Fern-Marie

"When did candlemaking become so confusing?" Hmmm, let's see, for me it started somewhere around last week. Yep, I'm pretty sure. No, now wait a minute, now I'm not really sure, let's see maybe it was...oh, no that was something else, ummmmmm.....hmmm...

Well, I sure am glad that I am not the only one. Who would believe that something so simple could be so difficult. I mean, we're talking thermometers...this isn't nuclear physics! This is a basic kitchen instrument. It's scary to think that so many ppl are cooking with the 'average thermometer' and they are off by as much as they are. Do you know how dangerous that can be? My most accurate one is, in fact, a meat thermometer. The one out of 4 meat thermometers that was accurate. I changed the battery in that digital one...still off. The wax is liquid and it's telling me that it's 115* Well, it's something to remember when someone is having trouble with scent throw, sink holes, frosting...and all the other problems that can occur because the thermometer is not accurate. I notice that we all kept the bad ones, too!! lol That's the problem, if the industry started getting them back en mass...that'd shake 'em! Thanks for sharing, everyone.

I am having a problem with this. What the heck is so hard about getting an accurate thermometer? I have purchased some 15 or more, and no two show the same temp. Since temps for additives and pouring are so crucial, what do we do? I just got a new Taylor digital at WalMart...it is a full 15 degrees different from the one I've been using. Now that's not only pitiful...it's horrifying...and dangerous. Not getting a scent throw??? Could this be why? I would like to see a bunch of ppl test their thermometers with another thermometer side-by-side....see what you get. I would be surprised if you are not surprised. Are you sure that your thermometer is accurate? If anyone knows where I can get a really good and accurate thermometer...please let me know! Thanks, Fern-Marie

Just to jump in here...I use this wax too. The manufacturer's suggested temp for adding fragrance and dyes is 180* Pour very cool...110-115. Make sure you keep the candles out of drafts...a slow, steady, even temp, to set up. Don't put them in the microwave or oven to cool...not enough air flow. With any luck, you'll be on your way.

Henry, Lol. Dh is grumpy this eve. too...must be something in the water. The test is really interesting. It is really hard to get away from those LX wicks. I keep trying others, but nothing compares to them. The trick is finding the right one. I don't want to use another, I will if I have to obviously. I agree totally on the burn characteristics. I would be ashamed to have one tunnel, or hang up. Right now, I just need to get the scent throw issue resolved with this particular wax. This is a fickle craft, and ppl can be, and should be demanding about what they burn in their homes. I don't know that sometimes I'm not too picky. Is there such a thing? I have faith that your testing will not cease until you are completely satisfied and it is perfect. Can't wait to see where you end up. Thanks, Fern-Marie

One suggestion, artistically speaking, the plaid undercloth pulled my focus away from the candles. Maybe it's the picture set up? But you don't want something that will stand out and detract from the candles. Plain would be better, I think.

I've never heard of them, but would be very interested on opinions on their products. Please post when you have had time to test. Thanks, Fern-Marie

NO, not at all, I'm right with you. How else can I learn. Do you think that flickering is not necessarily a bad thing? I worry about it because I am afraid that the candle will look unstable. This is one of the things that I noticed outside of the CBA2...every wick, and three other waxes all flicker. So, I decided that it has to be the flame just sucking in the air (?)...'cause why would all of them do it? I am not partial to CDs myself, and I don't particularly like the HTP burns either. YOU got me on the LX wicks and I love them. So, they are always my first choice. Do you have to 'cure' this type of wax? In your opinion, do you think that ppl prefer all natural soy, or do they mind the blend? Or, do they just care about scent and that's as far as it goes for them? Hope you don't mind me picking your brain. Thanks, Fern-Marie

Ya know, I don't think I've ever had lemon chicken...I've heard of it, just haven't had it. Anyway, I love the lemon scents! Can't get enough of them. Henry, thanks for that link. I am parusing. I did repour today with several wick sizes and added FO at a higher temp. I will wait a week to start testing. Hopefully, that higher temp will do the trick. I would love for one of the LX wicks to be successful. How is the JoyWax test going? Have you made a decision? I'm very curious. I think that I might give it a try, and I just happen to have the NG Carnation. How much/many of those red soy dye chips do you use to get that beautiful red?...I can't believe that there is no frosting You seem to hit on an awful lot of successful trials. Between all of the wicks and the different waxes...I wish I had your gift. I am glad for you, but, man, am I frustrated that I can't get the CB135 to throw at this point. I went through the CBA 1 & 2 deal as well, and I sure do miss that CBA2! Always threw great...ugly as hell, but threw great! Thanks a lot for the info, truly appreciated. Fern-Marie

Well, I poured 5 today with 5 different wicks...all in the small 4 oz jjs. I will pour a couple more tomorrow. I still have a couple of different sized wicks that I want to try before I climb to the top of the roof and jump! I'm taking it slow and easy, slow and easy, slow and easy....:tiptoe: I will definitely let everyone know how it went.

You have no idea how convenient it is to just pop in the microwave. It is so much more pleasant. Though I find that the Presto pot melts an awful lot of wax in a much shorer amount of time...by weight. It surprises me how fast it melts. But, I do love that microwave! How come you can't put paraffin in the microwave anyway? I was not aware of that. What about the parasoys?

I have been curious about this wood wick for a couple of years...I would LOVE to see what it looks like naked! I understand that it adds a nice wood burning smell and crackling sound to candle burning. Searched extensively awhile back and was unable to find them. Please, let's see 'em! Thanks, Fern-Marie