Chefmom

Very good to hear!! And yes, the initial smell can set some people back. I grew up in the horse world, so to me it smells like horse liniment and various things around an average stable, so I didn't think it was as bad as many people described. The first time I made it my daughter walked in just after pouring and turned up her nose and looked at me in horror. Then she pinched her nose and said "there is NO WAY anyone would want to BATHE with that smell!!" Yet hours later my husband and son were both saying "wow, I really like THAT one!!" We all smell things differently. I'm wondering if the lavender scent will come through at all. I've read that people use tea tree, cedarwood and eucalyptus as complimentary scents, but I've never scented mine yet.

Personally that is a deep melt pool, I would test those with one or even two sizes down wicks and see what that looks like. I love the amber colored jar tho!!

While using a purchased candle as your "control" might seem like a good idea, the issue is you have no idea of the wax, fragrance or wick to even try to compare your made candle with it. An overall comparison for burning and scent throw with a commercial product is one thing, but some commercial candles aren't very quality...which is one thing that led me to make my own candles. I also wick my containers to burn for the bottom, the very first test I do is a partially poured container, between 1/3 and 1/2 full. I pour several different kinds of wicks and usually about 12 containers. No scent or color, I just want to see what wick series seems to work best with the wax. Burns are made, notes are taken etc. Then the winning wicks get poured into partially filled containers with scent and color and the test is then repeated. Winning combos will include not only scent throw but how the wick does in the lower part of the jar/container and which ever stands out to me will get poured into a full container and then tested top to bottom. As for the glass getting hot, I don't take surface temps or anything but do a basic "pick it up and feel it" to the glass. If I can pick it up and hold it, it's cool. If I can pick it up, but need to put it down its still acceptable. Only if I can't pick it up at all do I consider it too hot. What that means in actual temps I'm not sure, it's just the scale I have used for myself. My tests tend to be more tedious than some, but I do like getting to know every component of my set up and it makes troubleshooting easier when you have good notes and tests to fall back on.

Is your aloe vera juice at room temperature when you add the lye? I just bought some recently to try. Thank you! Great job!!

Without making health and healing claims on my soap....I think it's a great soap to try for problem skin issues. Pine tar shampoos and soaps have been used for a very long time for just that, sensitive skin issues, eczema, psoriasis, dry skin etc. This particular recipe has been noted to be conditioning for people with several different skin issues, and I use it with infused herbs as well. The smell of the pine tar is pungent, but in my opinion it mellows nicely as it cures. I have a dog shampoo that is for problem dog skin and its a pine tar shampoo, although after using it I started using my tea tree soap on my dogs, and I'm thinking that my own pine tar with tea tree might be a good idea. Changing my Pugs diet has made the biggest difference in his overall life and so far he hasn't had any skin issues this year...he still gets baths because he always likes to get dirty.

I don't think you will have any issues. Sodium Lactate is something I started using with all my recipes because I primarily do hot process and it really makes the batter looser, and even with my cold process recipes I have just gotten in the habit of using it with every recipe. The only difference I can think of that you might run into is the fact that your soap may take longer to set up than my timeline. I have read that people use it in cold process to help the soap retract from the mold and allow a clean surface for unmolding. Without side by side tests I don't know if that is true or not. Good Luck!!

I have Crafter's Choice white silicone molds in the oval large, oval guest and rectangle bar shape and they are all straight sided and nice and heavy. They are pricey, but I'm pretty sure this mold would be straight sided. It says that it is 3-inch wide. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/round-basic-silicone-mold.aspx

First, I don't have TallTayl's experience with beeswax, but it is one of my favorite waxes. At one time I made myself a little nuts trying to make a container candle with 100% beeswax. Between molten glassware, tunneling and black sooty wicks I threw in the towel and turned to pillars and votives. I did a lot of swearing at my beeswax votives, sticking like crazy in the molds, then the wicks heating up my little votive glasses to scary temps. So....onto the pillars. I made some nice ones too! Square braid wicks and beautiful burns. However...the next batch of beeswax didn't burn the same...it was like starting over when the next batch.... I almost tossed in all beeswax and gave it up until I started playing with blends. I was able to blend an ALMOST 100% beeswax pillar and make a consistent burning candle, batch to batch. White or Yellow beeswax, no matter the supplier. I had an "ah ha" moment and decided then and there...make the candle that the wax made best. I don't waste time and product trying to make a container wax work in a pillar. I don't try to make a pillar wax work in a container. I stuck to what the wax did best. Beeswax makes beautiful pillars and beautiful dipped tapers. I keep them unscented because scented candles are best in containers in my opinion. As for wicks, stick to what beeswax works with, pretty much all beeswax people state square braid, and that is what I also use for mine It just seems to have the just right shape and wicking action for beeswax. I'm not sure what you mean by "healthier" burning wick. All wicks must go through chemical processing to become wicking material. Sure, they are made from cotton, but they are processed to be a wick. There is no "healthy" burning fuel, combustion is combustion. We all strive for complete combustion, but it can never be considered "healthy" in any way.

I bought some slabs of Michaels paraffin with coupons back when I first started making pillar candles. To me it is just a straight slab paraffin, most likely the 140* melt point range. It makes a nice translucent pillar and blends well. It holds the basic 3% fragrance To me its like the IGI-1343, basic paraffin slabs. I know Peaks carrys it, Candlewic also carries a straight up 140* melt point slab paraffin at a good case price. The prices Michaels had was silly, my local one stopped carrying candle supplies like that a long time ago.

In theory I would say yes, it will soften the soap. Simply because you are adding 20% on top of the recipe and that is a lot. I have not made this recipe with pine tar without sodium lactate, so I can't say for sure. If you make it without please post your findings because it would be good to note what happens. I don't usually line my molds for this recipe, they come out cleanly, but for the sake of the tutorial I lined them, it's a good "insurance" habit to be in, especially when making a new recipe or using new additives etc. This recipe was an existing recipe before I used it for pine tar, and it sets up well. If your 100% tallow or lard set up well on their own, then I would think only a little more time might be needed with the addition of pine tar.

Yes, I would think that hunters would prefer unscented pine tar. I recently made a batch of lavender soap and it went next to the pine tar, I have a feeling that lavender and tea tree would do well with the scent, however it will be a balance to figure out how much scent to use and not get lost. The pine tar scent does tone down during cure tho, if the added scent sticks it should all blend well.

Pine tar smells like....earth, smoke with a far off essence of pine. It's not pine like freshly cut Christmas tree pine, but more of if you are walking among pine trees and you dig at the base below the pine needles to the earth. Not just "dirt" but rich organic earth with pine. And it's smokey since it is a refined product. The day the soap is made it's pretty strong, it fills the room. But it does settle to a nice fresh scent in my opinion. If you want more piney smell you could add tea tree oil (I think tea tree smells piney anyway). I have read that hunters like the soap because if it leaves any scent on your skin it will be a outside type of scent.

The old TL-21 burns about 25 minutes slower than the HTP. HTP is usually 4 1/2 hours, and the TL-21 is almost 5 hours. The CS TL-18 was 5 1/2 hours, sometimes close to 6 hours.

I've posted before my distress when Candle Science discontinued their TL wick series. It's a great little wick and no one else really seems to carry it, if they do it might be one size only. Some suppliers will have a generic "tealight wick" without stating it's the TL series. Before ordering custom wicks from Candle Wic I bought some of their standard TL-21 in pre-set packs. I've been pleased with their custom wicks that I've ordered before, but they had the standard packs on sale so I picked them up. Months and months later I finally pulled them out to put into tealights. When the first one was lite it didn't burn so well, I dug out any old wick I had and poured a whole bunch of testers. My go to wick was always TL-18, but I use TL-21 for darker colors. So....the photos are marked with the kind of wick and clearly show the CW wick is bizarre small...it doesn't even look like the same wick at all. I just can't believe that there would be that big of a difference between the same wick with two different suppliers. All the tealights are straight 6006. I've used it since I first made tealights without any issues because I found the TL-wicks first thing and loved them.

Yes, I'll probably have to contact Candlewic...I dug out my photos and started marking them. I really don't think they can do anything, I bought these wicks last year, but never pulled them out until I ran out of plain white tealights and needed to make more. I am SO glad that I fired one up and saw the burn before selling any!! I'll start a new thread to post the photos, I've already derailed this thread...

No, I have never tried a CD that small. I would have to check and see if I even have one that small to try.... I have used LX-8 and it was in the top, but not the best for me. I use straight up 6006 and used a TL-15, 18 or 21 depending on the color. Beautiful burn, steady and 5+ hours. I had two left over TL-13 from a test sample and when I tested Candle wic's TL-21's they burned weaker than even the TL-13 instead of the bold TL-21 from Candlescience. I would have never thought there could be so much difference in the same wick series from two different suppliers. TL-18 is the one I used the most, and CW only has that option in the custom wicks. I hesitate putting down the money for 500 customs if their standard TL-21 burns so poorly....I bought 300 of the TL-21's when they had a standard wick pack sale. I'm kicking myself now. Currently Eco-.5 and HTP-42 and 52 are giving the best burns, LX-8 is right behind them, but I can't get that 5 hours mark like the TL's gave me consistently. I wish there was a ECO-.25 to test!! ...grumble...

Thanks!!

So....wading through tax deductions and trying to get better organized this year for next year. I'm going cross eyed googling little questions and concerns that pop up. However, I'm not getting a clear picture of one thing. When you order from a supplier and pay for shipping. Is that shipping part of your costs of materials or is it general cost of doing business? I have always considered the shipping as part of what the items "materials" cost. It's the chef training and food costs that are drilled in me. In my head $100 of coconut oil with $20 of shipping is actually coconut oil that costs $120. However I'm not sure that the tax man feels the same way. Do I need to separate the costs in my paperwork? I don't use software, my accounting training of 28 years ago is on paper, and I still do it all on paper. ...hubbie is laughing at me constantly because I still call it "food costs"...

Nothing exciting. Taking inventory of my soaps to see what needs priority to be made...what fragrances I need to re-order, and test burning tea lights while I work. I'm still grumbly over Candle Science dropping their absolutely perfect TL wicks. I ordered some from Candle Wic last year, in one size up from what I have used FOR YEARS and they are burning sickly and weak. You would never know it was supposed to be the same wick series. Night and day difference. So...more bloody testing.

I have tried the basic light hand and body lotion, the goat milk lotion and the thick lotion bases from Essentials of Catalina. My daughter liked the goat milk, but the odd smell of it wasn't my fave, although a fragrance would most likely cover it. I love the basic light lotion for that light, quick quick to absorb into my hands with NO GREASY feeling. It's my go to for when you just need a very light lotion. The thick is the one I turn to in the winter. If in great need with really dry or crackly I turn to my hand salve, but if I just need a lotion, then the thick lotion is perfect. Its creamy and also very quick to absorb and it takes my fragrance at a very low rate, which is nice. I wanted to make my own...but read a lot about it and decided to stick with salve and soap and I liked the base so much I never did make that first trial lotion.

I can second Candybee with CandleScience's Lavender FO. I work a lot with lavender essential oil and that is the only fragrance version I have come across that makes me think of the essential oil, and it has held well in my hot process soaps.

A smaller wick doesn't mean shorter in length, it means smaller in the amount of wax it consumes. I don't know what wick series you are using, but just to say....the LX wick series. LX numbers their wicks, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 24. The LX 8 wick is pretty "small" meaning that it can only consume a small amount of wax and if put in a large diameter candle, only a small tunnel can be melted and consumed. As the numbers go up, #10 can consume a little more wax, #12 more than 10. and so on. Think of it as you would turn on your water faucet. If you only turn a tiny bit only a drip of water can come out, if you turn it a little more, more water comes out. If you turn it on full blast...all the water that the pipe is capable of putting through the faucet comes out. Wicks can "wick up" various amounts of wax depending on how small or large they are. The LX is the name of the series of wicks The number is the size of the wick, how much wax is capable of being consumed then you can choose a length of a pre-tabbed and primed wick, that length is to make less waste. Order short wicks for small containers, tea lights, votives etc. Longer wicks for deep containers and pillars etc. Every wick series has a different name, usually when we talk about helping with issues it's good to know what kind of wax you are using, what series of wicks you are using and the size of the jar or mold that is being used. It helps narrow down info.

Your jar isn't hot at the bottom...right now, because the flame is near the top. What Chris means is as your candle burns down and the flame gets into the jar and towards the bottom...THEN the flame is going to be so big and so hot by the time it reaches the end of the jar that the heat could crack the glass. While I don't pour my votives directly into the jar, I make votives in a mold, then they are burned in the same kind of votive container. It takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours for the flame to melt enough wax to reach the edge of the glass. If you have a large and deep melt pool in just 20 minutes, then it's a clear sign the wick is too big. While not an issue in the first burn, it will become a safety issue with subsequent burns. If you are going to continue that candle to the bottom of the jar then do yourself a favor and place it on a safe dish incase the glass breaks and sends burning hot wax out. Only a tealight will have a fully melted pool of wax, top to bottom. A 2 ounce votive that is molded traditionally burns 12-15 hours. The votive mixture I am trialing right now is burning 16-20 depending on the wicks used.

Candybee, yes, for the most part the bubbles are white. I have a few pucks that were the left overs from the last batch. I keep them at my kitchen sink to wash my hands with and when I first used them the lather had a slight beige/off white color. But once it was used the lather is white. For the photo I had a bucket of warm water and a nylon bath poof to make a pile of bubbles to play with. It was a windy day and the bubbles were breaking down kinda quickly. I honestly was expecting brown or tan bubbles when I first made it, but they are mostly white to white.

I started a blog at the end of last year, mostly as a way to share the things I do with far away friends. It also allows me to make a log of what I have made, and when. 10 years ago I could easily remember everything I made and when, with what materials etc...but that was 10 years ago. I am able to put together a blog post and it gives me a time stamp of what I have going on. In the future I hope to promote an etsy shop linked through the blog and my facebook, but for now I mostly write about what is going on right now...pottery first and foremost and soap and gardening will pop up as well. I have fatigue issues, so sometimes being at my computer is all I have the energy for. My blog link is in my signature.