Chefmom

I think it all comes down to the wax you are using and the fragrances you are using. Some fragrances just don't work...and you can make yourself well and truly nuts trying to make one particular fragrance work. If you are really in love with a fragrance, and getting poor throw by all means try different temps and pour temps etc...its the only way to know. It might work, it might not. I did in the beginning, but these days if a fragrance doesn't work for me in my system I usually move on, there are just so many fragrances out there!! Keep good notes and you never know, you might stumble upon something new and different with experimenting...I love experimenting.

I use an official calibrated chop stick until I can easily eyeball it. I'm damn good at eyeballing, but I do double check on a scale after the candle has set up, I'm rarely more than grams difference. I've tried the one at a time on a scale, but I don't like to move a container with wax in it because it sloshes around. After pouring and pouring the same containers you do get the gist of your container, but having a chop stick on the outside of the container does help give your eye something to look for, or even measure and put a piece of painters tape on the outside until you learn to feel it.

I have used the kind that TallTayl mentioned with the leash, but I'm so old school. I still use the kind passed out in culinary school, the ones Chefs carry in a pocket, but I have moved up to the digital versions instead of the ones that you calibrate with a wrench (stolen from hubbie). I still check them periodically...old habits die hard and have never had one lose calibration, even tho they regularly are dropped on the floor and treated poorly. The only one I've killed is one I dropped completely in the hot wax, but I rigged up one of my old chocolate dipping tools so that I can extend it more easily into the wax pouring kettle.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was shocked to find it took a whole week for her to master candlemaking. Kudos for building a successful company and maybe she meant that learning how to pour well etc took a week...but that is really the simple part. Unless she had a leg up with information of a wax and wick combo to start with...and never trialed other combos. Who knows, but I do agree. It does make it look like candle making is just the easiest thing to do, hey...it's just some string and wax with perfume. Right?

In my opinion blocks are a royal pain in the bottom unless you are making vast quantities of wax in one color. They are a pain to shave bits off of for small batches of wax. If you are making under 5 pounds at a time chips are great if you want the color of the chip, or a little mixing etc. You can cut them in half, but getting exactly half isn't absolute. But measuring is super easy, one chip to one pound, or a half pound etc. They are consistent etc. If you want to mix your own colors and be in total control then liquid is best. Obviously write down everything, and even keep labeled samples (I sample all my colors in a little silicone mold for reference). In the end it comes down to you, your preferences and your system. I like the ease of just chucking a chip into wax, but often I like my own personally mixed colors.

I know that a few people have posted links on facebook soap groups...naturally I forgot to bookmark them. I've seen lists that included specific brand names to avoid as well. I did pull this up with recent testing for extra virgin olive oil tests. It's becoming more well known, and I think more tests are being run. http://www.nclnet.org/evoo

That's a great experiment!! Thank you for the link. I have read over and over from other soapers that "superfat" doesn't matter in hot process, it's not enough of a percentage to make a difference etc etc. I urge everyone to give it a try for themselves. I have done the tests for myself by making one big basic master batch with many different oils and butters as a superfat with very different results. Never say never...not until you do the test yourself even if its just to see for sure. I do wish I would have photographed them at the time tho...

I personally make soaps with vegetable shortening that is soybean oil based and am pleased with the soap. I do not see DOS issues that many write about. My daughter requested a vegan base soap that kept GMO based oils out and no castor oil. So...I did come up with a recipe that ended up being a very good soap. I honestly was surprised. I always recommended using castor to keep up a good lather and this soap had amazing lather. My shortening was recently pulled from the shelf, most likely to join the other brands to reformulate with palm oil. I am currently going to start testing soybean oil mixed with a touch of soy wax to try to simulate hydrogenated soybean from the vegetable shortening. If not...well....it will be back to the testing pot with those soap bases. I have also read that some people are combining olive and sunflower oil as well. I haven't come up with a strong opinion on sunflower, but I do like avocado oil, used with olive, not in place of it tho. It came out as a fave in my hot process superfat added after the cook tests...but cocoa butter was my big winner.

I read about this quite a few years ago. Since I don't usually make Castile I have been using the Costco brand that was on the "passed the tests" lists. This year Costco is not on the list any longer...so I may switch my olive to pomace. For the kitchen I use ONLY California Olive Oil. It is grown and produced in the US, and has passed the purity tests every time, every year. It's too high of an expense to use in my soap at this time, so after my Costco oil is gone I will look into ordering pomace. I just can't get how it can be put on the label as 100% olive oil and it isn't...truth in labeling...grumble grumble...

Just put the candles aside, and make more!! I usually make something else, votives or pillars or even just make some soap, since I use some of my candle fragrances in soap as well. I have gotten ahead of myself and tested too soon to find a month later when I smelled a candle I thought was a failure and found that it has a strong scent and burns fine once I light it up again. I also usually pour a LOT of testers, that way there is always something to burn or test. Whether I am trialing wicks in a new pillar formulation or just playing with unscented wax in a new jar...there is always something to test burn sitting around. ...as OldGlory has stated...this hobby is quite time consuming. Take good notes as you go!

I don't have a whole lot of advise past I feel your pain. I had my tealights down pat. Perfect. Then Candlescience stopped carrying the TL series wicks. Sure, a few places carry one or two sizes of the TL's but not the range that I was using, and the one place I found my most popular size was more expensive and didn't carry anything else I used...so I didn't want to order just for some wicks. Off to Candlewic and their custom wicks will make me any size I want, but I really don't need 500 of the three sizes I use the most, I preferred the smaller 100 packs. I did order some of the wicks that they sold in 100 packs, but they look very different from the Candlescience ones. The prime is much thicker and they are too long, so everyone will have to be trimmed. I never had to do that with the candlescience ones. I have some set up to test this week, so I know whether I can go ahead and order in bulk. It's very frustrating when a supplier drops things suddenly or changes things without noting it. But it could be a mislabeling of a LX-8. The downfall with LX wicks is that they really don't look too different between some of the sizes. Labeling is very important.

I remember buying some straight sided molds that were votive sized a few years ago, but they were on clearance. They looked like ity bity pilars and I thought they were cute...I don't remember where I stashed them tho Maybe just use a 2-inch pillar mold but only pour it 2 inches deep?

...another chop stick user! And I can freely admit that I only stir in the beginning and then just before pouring.

I have always solved the how much does my jar hold by taking the jar, making a candle to completion (topping off if necessary etc) and then putting an empty jar on the scale to zero out the scale (tare) and then putting the completed candle on the scale. That's how much wax/fragrance that jar holds by weight. multiply by the number of jars you are making and that is how much mixture you need. Then make the wax and add the amount of fragrance to equal that number. I always add an extra ounce to 4-6 jars just to have a tiny bit left over and then just pour that into a silicone for a wax tart or something...just in case. It's the same way I used for years to calculate the exact amounts of cake batter for various cake pans, then I could make my recipes fit the various pans used.

It's funny that you talk about food shortening and soy wax together. In my humble opinion, and with my very trained nose....and my many years in the commercial baking industry....Nature's Garden's Joy wax has the exact same smell and texture, creaminess as the doughnut frying shortening I used to put in the fryer when I was the Midnight Doughnut Girl.... I only ever tried one slab, and gave up quickly with it because every candle I made had an "essence of doughnut" scent to it...great with cookies or baked bread scents....but it made me ill with lilac....

My vote is the black lid....I LOVE the black lid.

OH! That's cool. What kind of rubber do you use?

I'm a minimalist...my favorite is the black lid and no bow. Clean and classy....but again. Offer up several suggestions and allow the customer to choose. WONDERFUL work on the label by the way.

OH! Beautiful kitties, and a lovely story as well.

I once had a case of wax and a box of supplies coming from Peaks. I'm counting down until the UPS guy arrives. He comes...with just one box, the other was "damaged" in transit. The supplies made it no problem, but the wax box was the one damaged. So now I have to get on the phone to find out where the box is and how I can get it to me etc. I go through Peak's customer service, she puts me on with the UPS people who tell me that the box was very damaged and will be sent back and a replacement sent to me. I told them NO-NO-NO....even if the items inside of the box are ALL BROKEN it doesn't matter...it's wax slabs and will just mean that I don't have to open the box and whack them with a hammer. I heard crickets from the other end for a good 30 seconds (...some people don't get my humor...) She finally says to me...very slowly.... "So, even if the items inside the box are broken, you still want it delivered and will accept the delivery?" YES!! Wow...getting through to some people.... So the next day the UPS comes back with my dented and semi crushed box...but mostly intact.... There is a big form with handwriting on the side of it that said...."Customer has stated they will fully accept package even if the contents are broken..." I had a good laugh over it....Yes, two slabs on the top were broken, but that was all, I still had to take a hammer to the case.

Congrats Sojourner...it's so great when it all comes together!! You go girl!!

VERY nice!! I love the red and black piece. Keep practicing!! If you are going to hit youtube....Simon Leach's videos are great. He is a master teacher.....and I love the accent. ...I had my studio time today, had some stiff black clay to use up by rolling slabs, so I made more soap dishes.

I can give a second to NG's Christmas Cabin...a lovely spicey pine. I have used NG's Bergamot..in fact I have half a pound on its way right now. I haven't use it alone, or in candles yet, but I've only used it in a 50/50 blend with florals. So far it has stuck in the hot process soap that I've used it in.

I agree with Jcandle above....unless it was a special custom order, something that isn't available on the commercial market I really wouldn't bother. Floating candles are available by the box very cheaply online. I actually like floating candles on my table or outside on the patio in the summer, but even as a candle maker I don't make my own....I buy them!! >>gasp<< If I had a brick/mortar store I would just buy them wholesale and offer them by a dozen price or something....or offer to order them as a special order type of thing. I have tried over the years to make a good floating candle that doesn't dip to one side or blow through the side and drown itself....I found them online and just pick them up every now and then when they are on sale or something. I have looked at the molds...and the cost of molds....I have considered making my own molds....but then I just wuss out and buy a box...

Lemon. Lemon, lemon, lemon. Lemon with Vanilla, lemon with grapefruit, lemon with other lemon....naturally I'm stuck that I haven't found a truly great lemon for my candles....grumble. But grapefruit and lemon is lovely in soap. And lemon with herbs, lemon with vanilla is great in lotion and soap.