julz81

thanks!!

i was just looking at the website, What product id number do you order?? there is so many and I can't even begin to figure out which would work for melts??

never mind wrong post

that is so great, Congrats!

That is soo cute!

Very nice!!

I love those! Great price too!

I'm still trying to debate which to try, hope to buy some soon. So to help all us newbies and to keep it all in one thread. would you guys be willing to post what wax you use and what your thought are on it, and Possibly where you got it.. I have been searching for through post for weeks now and still debating....

also what you tried and didn't like and such...

TIA

Welcome!

thanks Oh ok, guess I won't be making liquid soap then,, too bad really wanted to.. but don't want to chance having anything dangerous like lye til I get a locked room to work in...

So I want to look into liquid soap and see that you need KOH, I can't figure out what exactly it is, is it the same as lye?? Is it as dangerous?? I am avoiding making anything with Lye til my kdis are older, too dangerous.

and for the life of me I can't remember what vendor is C&S?

thanks for the help!!

Love it

Really like the 6 pack!! So creative!!

Love them!

Looks great!!

Thats right. The bars would be 3.5x2.5x1" and weigh approximately 5 oz ea.

If you go back to that link you posted and scroll down to the Milky Way tray molds I prefer to use those for my soaps. I typically use the "Handmade" and "Goat Milk" trays that make 8 bars of soap each at 4oz. I like these because my customers compliment me on how pretty the finished soap bars are with the nice borders and Handmade or Goat Milk lettering on them. They really do look nice. The loaf mold is nice too if you want a more rough cut looking soap. I just prefer a "finished" look to mine.

Milky Way soap tray molds can also be found at Peaks, Mold Market, or Milky Way molds. Here's a pic of some finished soaps from the tray molds:

Love these!! going to have to get some!!

Welcome!! I'm pretty new to the board too!

I really like them but only for cetain scents...

Being good at creating a tart has very little to do with creating a great candle. I only make tarts and have for a long time and sell tons of them. However, I know that making the leap to candles (which I'm not) would be a huge leap. Yes, you will at least be familiar with supplier names, some terminology, percentages, different kinds of waxes. Tarts are more forgiving. Candles, exact weight is important. Whereas it is important that you weigh fragrance oil for candles, you can use liquid measurements for tarts in a pinch.

That said, KY is a great tart wax for beginners and experts alike. The candy molds are not a great idea as they tend to be shallow, the wax will splash out, it's a mess, plus if you pour hot wax (which is fine when making tarts), it can warp those plastic candy molds. You can use the bite size Wilton silicone mold cupcake molds. They come in all kinds of shapes, simple and seasonal, and work great for molds. The petite size Wilton silicone cupcake molds also work great, they make a little bigger tart, however, you don't need to fill each cavity to the top if you prefer smaller tarts. Go on line and find a 40% off coupon for Joannes, Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Sign up for their emails or try a coupon site for printable coupons.

Below is a loose set of directions. Ideally, you will have all the proper equipment, especially a scale and thermometer, but I know what it is like to be a beginner and before investing in equipment, I've given you "loose" directions using household items.

Cover all your working areas with newspaper. Trust me!

Melt the wax double boiler style. Use a scale and measure out a pound of wax. If you don't have a scale, use a measuring cup and put in about three cups of the wax granules (KY tart wax is granule form). This is more than a pound. You can buy an aluminum pour pot OR any cheap aluminum pot. Maybe Dollar Store has a metal coffee pot like for camping??? Or use a spotless sauce pan (plus I would boil water in it a couple of times as a prep). Place a pound of wax (or 3ish cups) in the pour pot, set it in a larger pot filled with water, bring water to a boil and let wax fully melt. Ideally, you need a candy thermometer and get the temp of the melted wax to about 190. If you don't have a thermometer, once the wax melts, let it stay in the boiling pot of water for about five to ten minutes more. Watch the water level.

Use a pyrex measuring cup (ideal is 16 oz but 8 oz is fine). Place EMPTY pyrex cup in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute to warm up the glass. Be careful when removing, the cup might be very hot. I don't know your microwave. You want the pyrex to be hot but still able to handle it. Pour 1 oz of fragrance oil into heated cup. Now, pour melted wax from pour pot into the pyrex cup (for candles, it is important to weigh, for tarts liquid measurement will work) and fill to the 16 oz line. If you are using an 8 ounce pyrex, use 1/2 oz of oil and fill to 8 oz line. This is a FO load of 6% (actually 6.25% if you are a nerd). If you want a fragrance load of 9%, use 1.5 oz and fill to 16 oz line. or .75 oz FO and fill to 8 oz line. Some FOs give great throw at 6% with virtually no difference at 9% so why spend the money on extra oil. Some, on the other hand, I have to go to 12% (2 oz for a 16 oz cup, 1 oz for an 8 ounce cup). I have one oil I love that I can only use at 3%, need to heat the FO, and need to stir for almost 3 minutes, it's a VERY heavy oil. Any more than that and it bleeds/weeps/sweats out of the tarts (little pools of oil left in the mold and beaded up on the tart. Overall, 6% to 9% should be fine for most of the oils from suppliers often listed on this board.

Stir for about a minute, some say two minutes. I find that a minute is usually enough. Some oils will turn the wax in your Pyrex cloudy, stir till clear for sure. If you can't get it clear, you might need to add more hot wax as the oil is too heavy for the amount of wax and it is needs to be further diluted. Most of the time, a minute is fine but it can take longer. Add your dye if desired. Stir until dye is fully blended, maybe 10 to 15 seconds more. If you are using wax dye blocks, make sure you stir until it is fully melted. Or, you can actually scrape the dye off into your empty, preheated Pyrex, add your oil, pour in the fresh hot wax which will better melt the dye, then add the FO, and stir for your minute or two. I like to add dye last since I can better see if my wax is clear or cloudy. Then again, i use liquid dye and don't need to worry about scrapings being fully melted.

Now, carfully and slowly, pour into your molds. Immediately wipe the inside of your pyrex cup clean with paper towels. (When you start melting lots of wax at once rather than a pound, you will get quick enough to clean the cup and immediately be able to refill without the microwave step since the cup will still be warm from the previous batch; constantly turn/use clean sides of the paper towel. If cup walls gets too smeary, back in the microwave it goes and then towel again before filling with new wax). Let tarts harden. Once hard, I tend to pop the entire mold in the freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes so the tarts comes out very easy. Depends on the depth and shape of the mold. I always do this with my metal scallop shape molds, tarts drop right out of those if put in the freezer.

Scale (or see loose directions above)

Wax

Fragrance Oil

pour pot (or see loose directions above for alternatives)

larger pot to place pour pot in for double boiling method

candy thermometer (or see loose directions above)

dye (optional)

molds

lots of newspaper

paper towels

16 oz or 8 oz pyrex cup

1 ounce measure (2 Tablespoons = 1 ounce liquid, can use in a pinch)

Good luck!

Sorry I never said Thanks!!!! for taking the time to write all this!! So helpful!!!! thanks!!

Thats awesome congrats!!

I really like it too!!

Stella could you please send it to me too!! It would be so helpful, sending you a message now! Thanks!

the suppliers is Vhttp://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/

HI, a newbie here, been looking around the m&P forums for a few days and have a few questions.

So I found wsp supplier today, and saw they have free shipping and was really surprised. Is there a catch? lol such as are their prices way more than other sites? I noticed the base is little more than other sites but does it equal out with no shipping? what are your experiences of this supplier?

As for the shea butter and stuff like that, Are they available in stores like whole food coops or health food stores or just online? What is the best options for this?

For me just starting out, what would be your must have supplies that you would reccomend I get at the beginning?

thanks in advance for any help!!

I wish I had a local company but can't find any closer than two hours away.. My second thought was to use IGI 4794, heard great reviews about that too and more available from many suppliers. Any experience on that one?