Jillsthings

Okay, I did it. I just bought a heat gun from Harbor Freight. It was only $13.99. I thought the blow dryer was sufficient, but I got splattered in the eye for the second time yesterday, so no more! :-) Don't ask me how it shot all the way up to my eye, yet didn't get on the table....it's just my luck, I guess.

If you keep your thermometer in the wax until you're ready to pour, watch how quickly it goes up when you stir. Mine will be at 150, but when I stir, it goes up to 165-170.

Hmm, wonder if my husband would mind me spending even more money, lol. For $15, I mean...I might as well, right?

I use a hot pad/electric burner and put my pot right on it, but I set it to warm/low. It takes a while to melt the wax, but I find it's still quicker than when I did the double boiler method. I also have it set up right next to me, so I can actually sit at my desk and stir it, lol.

Yes, they are. Here is their website.

I'm new to all this, but from what I've witnessed in my own candles and read on here, the wick is too big. You may want to go down a bit. I'm not familiar with that type of wick, but I'd definitely wick down.

Yeah, I was testing the Wick It Premier 700 series, but I think I like the burn from the Eco's I normally use. Haven't tried the CD's as of yet. Maybe I'll get a sampler pack on my next order.

Okay, here we are at the very end of the third burn, burning around 3 1/2 hours each burn. I'm still hopeful that the sides will clean up a little better towards the end. Not sure how well you can tell in the picture, but the MP is literally right there at the edge, underneath the overhang, due to the top being slightly wider, so I'm thinking that as it continues to burn, it will have a full MP and mostly clean up the sides. Very hopeful for that, anyway.

I need to stop reading some of these threads. It makes me want to order more FO, but I already have plenty for now....I just need to keep telling myself that. Haha!

Thanks for your responses. I just measured the bottom inside, and from side to side, it goes down to about 2 1/2 inches, where the top is just over 3 inches. Inside bottom from corner to corner is about 3 1/2 inches. 3 hours in and the melt pool is pretty much exactly the same as it was at 2 hours, so it's starting to tunnel. I bought a few of these jars and really like them, so maybe I won't wait a couple days to finish my test burns, lol. I'm going to let this go for about another 30-45 minutes, then blow it out and relight it either this evening or tomorrow morning. Hopefully it'll catch up enough. :-) Thanks again!

Okay, so here is my latest candle. It's in a 12oz Libbey Cube that I found at the Dollar Tree yesterday. I had been looking at these cubes for a while online, but for a lot more, plus shipping. Anyhow, GB 464, 8.5% FO (Tangerine Dream from LS) and a Wick It Premier 790 (thought I'd try these samples out). The jar is 3 inches from side to side, but about 4 inches from corner to corner. The first picture is just over an hour in, and the second is about 2 hours in. I noticed after the first hour that it was burning a little off, so I moved the wick and now it looks more even to me. I just made these yesterday afternoon, and I'm burning them already because I mainly just wanted to test the wick. Oddly enough, I can smell the FO a little bit, though it smells a little more like a burnt orange, lol. After this first burn, I'm going to wait a few days before I burn it again, so I can get a better idea of the HT.

Wow! The gall of some people. I just read through this post and I just can't imagine someone being so persistent and that nothing has happened to him yet. Hopefully he is taken care of. I worry about all those that actually DID fall for this scam. Such a shame.

I use my blow dryer...hehe. :-)

That is really neat! Great job!

I think that's great that you were trying to help her out! I wish more people would be like that. My kids are finally getting the idea when I take someone's cart up for them at the grocery store. I've even waited for an elderly lady to finish putting the groceries in her car, offering to help, just so she didn't have to worry about putting the cart away. It amazes me the shocked looks I get, like they just can't fathom someone actually going out of their way to be nice. I don't see it as going out of my way. I'm walking up to the store and need a cart anyway, so why the heck not? :-) I'm still new at candle making, but I've learned not to fret too much if there's frost on the sides. I'm making the switch to tins, though, just because I think they look cleaner. I've had a couple candles frost on the top, though, and I hate that. Sometimes reheating the tops takes it away, other times it makes it worse....grrrr.

Yeah! That's so exciting. I know what you mean about not knowing if a candle is even lit or not because there is basically no HT. Ugh, it drives me nuts. I always wait until my husband comes home from work and ask him if he can smell it. I can't tell half the time anymore, lol.

I love how you display your soaps. So cute!

I have no clue, yet. I've got some files I need to work on (my part time job so I have more money to spend on candlemaking, lol) and then who knows what I'll get into. Maybe make some tarts. Maybe some Cinnamon Buns or Strudel and Spice.

I've been using the EcoSoya PB for my tarts. They seem almost as hard as the tarts you'd buy at a store. HTH

I have to say, that's one of my favorite things about making the candles. My house smells so good! You can't even tell we have 2 dogs, 3 cats, a bunny and a turtle, haha! I can smell it in the car when going somewhere, and I'm guessing it's me! I have a set of drawers right by my desk that I store a lot of my supplies in, as well as tarts and tealights. Man, oh man, do I love sitting at my desk. It smells soooooo good!

Haha! That's a good question.

Wow! They are absolutely stunning! Love them!

Yuck! I haven't ordered there yet, and now I don't think I will. Why would they put it in the middle? Seriously, that's nuts. You have to wonder who thought that would be a good idea....

Yeah, I've read that Mistletoe was a big seller, and my one aunt loves pine scented candles, so that's why I bought it. I told my mom that it'll be a made to order candle, haha. I'll only make it if someone really wants it. :-) As for the BNB, I love the smell of banana nut bread, but I've had candles in the past (from others) that I didn't care for. I'll have to try it the next time I place an order.

I made Mistletoe from CS the other night, and it about gagged me! I haven't test burned it yet, and I really don't want to, lol. I hate the smell of pine anyway, but that Mistletoe was just way too much. Ugh....