fredron

Okay here's my problem today. I have a fragrance which smells great, & sells like crazy, but it also soots like crazy. I use J50 in a 10oz square shaped jar, which I've used for years, with excellent results. With this particular fragrance, which is blueberry and pineapple, no matter what wick I've tried, zink core 60-44-18, Fil Tec , Premier 700, and in larger jars which are refils, I've use 0-8 braided. Results are the same-good scent throw cold or hot, but smokes like a chimney. The oils are from Natures Garden, and again I've used their stuff for years with good results, and neither fragrance smokes when poured alone.

Any ideas?

225 degrees seems awfully hot, but do you warm the mold? I've had excellent results pouring at about 175-180 and warming the mold with a heat gun. Then I just let it sit. The only time I've used a water bath is when I poured chunk candles & needed the molds for another pour because of a deadline.

I'm not sure Michaels will sell decal set. They may. What you're looking for is a good model railroad/model airplane hobby shop. They will sell Testors Paints or Champ decals and will have the setting solution.

A couple sources just in case you don't live near a hobby shop are:

Wm. K Walthers Co (Chicago)

America's Hobby Center (NYC)

Both of these will ship on line.

Fredron

I use 6228 also, and so far haven't had a problem getting it, but I've also used Candlewick's CBL 141, and never noticed the difference. The determining factor has been that I live close to Early American Candle, who carries 6228, and I pick it up. So use CBL-141 the same way you use 6228.

Fredron

To get decals to work properly, you need a decal setting solution. You can get it at any good hobby shop that sells to model railroaders. There are a number of good ones and they all work about the same. After you wet and place the decal, take a small brush and brush on the decal set before the decal dries, especially around the edges. Capillary action will suck it under the film. This stuff works fast, and will wilt a decal if you work it too long. I've ruined a few in my time. In the case of a really big decal, you can soak the decal in it after the paper is removed, but then you REALLY have to work fast. the secret is to put it on, get the decal wher you want it & LET IT ALONE TILL IT DRIES. After the decal sets up, if there are any wet spots or air bubbles, you can poke them with a needle or pin, and paint on the decal set. It will flow into the air hole & snug it down. Let it dry again & the spots will disappear. JUST A NOTE: If the candle has a shiny surface to start with, you may want to use a dull spray first, then apply the decal. That helps to hide the shine.

Then you can spray a clear coat over it, and it is permanent.

This may sound complicated, but if I can do it, you can do it.

Fredron

Thanks to all.

I'll be making PURPLE, BLUE HAWIIAN, and a new one I'm working on, HARBOR LIGHT.

Got a craft show next week, & the inventory is low. Ill be busy.

Fredron

Okay, I asked before if anyone had duplicated a particular candle fragrance-not much response. So let me try something else. Does anyone know an FO supplier who can analyze a candle from a sample and come up with a formula. Early American Candle's FO manufacturer will do it, but wants an accompanying PO for 25#, which is a little over me at this time.

Has anyone tried to duplicate Bridgewater's Coastal Light fragrance? It's awesome, and I'd love to have it in our repetoire, but I can't seem to get it right. They list amber, exotic woods, peony, & mimosa as the ingredients, and I can't get a handle on the exotic woods. I've tried several woods including cedar, sandalwood & balsam, but none seem right.

Anybody else tried this one?

Wick pins are shipped to your supplier loose in a box, with perhaps as many as 500 in the box. As they are thrown around in shipping, some are bound to be deformed. Your supplier should inspect them when packing them for shipment to you, but hired help being what it is, they probably don't. You should inspect the pins before using them, and if only lightly deformed they can be easily straightened. In straightening a badly deformed one, the bottom flange can be deformed also, making the pin useless. Your supplier should replace the badly deformed ones. If they won't, find another supplier.

I've tried wicking after pouring and don't care for that process. The votive wax can melt the wax in the wick, causing it to lean, causing the same problem as the bent wick pin.

We've been selling smoke eliminator for a couple years, and it's become very popular with our customers. We get the FO from Natures Garden in Cleveland.

It's a real nice citrus fragrance.

Fredron

Waxes 'n Wicks

I use 2 different ones. Cinnamon Stick, from Natures Garden, and Red hot cinnamon from Candles and Supplies. Both are good and strong, but Red Hot will curl your nasal hairs.

I'm confused about the mineral spirits. I use mineral spirits to thin enamel paint, and it leaves an oily residue that stinks to high heaven. I can't imagine using that stuff anywhere near my candles.

All I've ever done to clean/contition my molds is warm them & wipe them. I don't use mold release of any kind and I've never (knock on wood) had any kind of a release problem.

As for the bubbles, the heat gun should put a stop to them, just heat the end of the first layer & pour the second.

Good luck.

The question isn't if the pins are bent, but if they're not perpendicular to the base. A 1/2 degree lean can put the pin way off center in a pillar candle. The same thing will happen to a lesser degree in a votive. The further up, the further out. Use a combination square to check the perpendicularity.

I couldn't get a good sense of the smell when dipping q-tips, due to the fact you sometimes have to add more of one fragrance oil than another due to the strength of some FO's. What I've done is dream up the fragrance I'd like to attempt, determine the strength of the FO's, and make a sample. I've had to recalculate a few, but you do get pretty good after you've made a few.

One of my recent goofs was one we call Jazzy Orange. That one took 3 trys before we got it right-but friends loved even the test ones. One friend actually liked the first one better than the one we settled on.

Go for it-it's actually fun.

Maybe I've been extremely lucky, but I've never used anything to release wax from molds, and never had a problem. I use 6228 for pillars, tarts, and votives. I bought some silicone spray a couple years ago, but never needed it for candles.

My windows slide like butter though.

Fredron

Waxes 'n Wicks

Lighting the world one candle at a time.

Anyone out there have a good color for Nag Champa? I guessed with the dragon's blood in it, it should be a reddish brown, and that's what I made, but anybody know for sure?

Thanks

Fredron

Waxes 'n Wicks

Lighting the world one candle at a time.

Early American Candle Supply in Pittsburgh, PA will print small peel and stick labels on a strip. Don't know if it's what you're looking for, but I get 100 for $4.00. It includes the disclaimer, our company name and phone number, which I put on the bottom of the jar. We use a hang tag on the neck of the jar, with the company name, phone number, and fragrance.

They also can make a 2" size, but I'm not sure of the price.

They fade over time, and the worst fading occurs in the blues, purples, and maroons, but the UV is really not expensive, and you use so little, it just makes sense to protect your investment. We add it to everything we make.

How about something like Summer Breeze, or Mountain Oak?

Fredron

Waxes 'n Wicks

Lighting the world one candle at a time.

HAven't tried it yet, but at $1.30/lb, it ought to pour itself into the jars.

I've used J50 since day one, and I've never had to poke holes. It's a single pour wax and it's very forgiving. At what temp are you pouring? If you pour at 150 degrees, and warm the jar, you won't get sink holes or jump lines. I'ts the easiest to use wax I've tried, and I've experimented with many.

I have been using them for some time. I obtained a sample from one of their suppliers, tried a few & bought a bag of 650. I'm down to about a hundred left, so I guess I have some experience with them.

Do I like them? They're OK, but I'm still looking for something better. They claim you don't need to support them when pouring, but you do. That's not a problem, since I support all container wicks anyway. They claim they don't mushroom, but they do. They claim they burn cleaner, and they are pretty good in most situations, but not all.

Overall, I'd say they're pretty good, but I'm betting there's something better. I just got my sample kit from Wickit, and I'm going to start testing. I read a post here last week saying how good they are, then a few days later another one saying they smoke in that person's application.

I'm beginning to believe every fragrance will have it's own best wick. When I'm sure that's the case, I'll take up jumping off tall buildings instead of making candles.

Contact Early American Candle supply in Pittsburgh, PA. They have a website.

They sell it & I use it. I pick it up there, but they will ship.

I've never had a hole in any size container using these waxes. Make sure you pour at right around 150 degrees, and warm the jar. I pour 6 oz, 16 oz, and 24 oz containers-never had a hole, and never had to poke relief holes.

However with your current problem, use the heat gun & blend the tops in.