fredron

Not to be a wet blanket, but who cares? My top scents arent the same as the girl across the street so why worry about Louisiana? Fredron

I've ranted before about the magnetic cords. Another example of a great idea that SUCKS! Do any of these design engineers actually use the crap they design? I'll say this again-buy the Dazey crock pot/French fryer. The search is worth the effort. Fredron

We always have more of the Fall fragrances like Pumpkin Pie & Harvest, available, but I try to take all my fragrances to every show I do, because someone will always ask for the one I left at home. One complete end of our display is always our own blends, and people seem impressed when I mention that. Most visitors will spend a good bit of time on that end of the table before sampling anything else. My advice? Take 'em all. Fredron

Just my 2 cents worth. I consider the dominant item in the FO, and use that as the base color, then I add a drop or two of color for each other component of the FO. For example: Apple cinnamon, 10 drops red for the apple, 2 drops brown for the cinnamon, per pound. You will end up with some very exotic colors, and no matter how many fragrances you have, no two will be exactly the same. We currently have 245 fragrances on our list, and there are only a handfull of duplictes. Fredron

I disagree with the water bath entirely. The longer the cooling process, the more time for bubbles to rise & dissipate. I use a cooling box made from foam board insulation to retard the cooling, and bubbles have never been a problem for me. Pour hot & cool slow. Fredron

Got a BIG show over the 4th, so we'll be pouring. I need mulberry, and all of our "bay series" fragrances, Gloucester Bay, Cape Cod Bay, & Penobscot Bay. Also pouring a new one, Lilac Vanilla, suggested by a bartender who loves it. Fredron

Mine are 3 drops yellow, 1 drop honey/lb. Fredron

You can use your pillar wax to make container candles, but it will shrink and pull away from the wall of the container, and will ratlle around like dice on a Las Vegas crap table. You will need some type of wax formulated for containers. It can be paraffin, soy, or some blend of both. There are dozens from which to choose, and the virtues and pitfalls of each are well documented in this forum. Check out the archives. Good luck, Fredron

Yes, you cna use J-50 for layering. Wait till it sets up, then pour the second layer before the candle is completely cool. I do it all the time. Fredron

Not to be critical, but Aluminum IS metal. The plated steel molds are very thin, and the edges are sharp. In addition, there is the seam, which shows up in the finished product. The aluminum molds are thicker, and not as likely to slice a finger when cleaning them. I have used both, and IMO the aluminum is the only way to fly. I've never stained one, so I'm not familiar with any issues related to staining, but buy the aluminum, you won't be disappointed. Fredron

I have used J-50 for years. Started with it, flirted with 6006, APOP, Soy, Soy blends, and always came back to the J-50. I tweak it a little now, but it's still basically J-50. Anyway, I like the cold throw, the ease of using it, the hot throw, the clean burn, and the fact I can make deep vibrant colors. Cold throw & colors sell candles, and clean burn & hot throw bring re-orders. I get all 4 with J-50 Fredron

A few of them aren't centered either. However, remember most of the people they are selling to, wouldn't know a mushrooming wick from a mushroom. Most folks would look at that ad & think how lovely they are. Fredron

If you will PM me, I'll tell you how to never use wick sealer again, and NEVER, NEVER have a leak. Fredron

Thought I'd try making a few firestarters and was wondering about the pricing. I'm using the muffin size, and I know what what my costs are, and what I would normally sell my product for, but I'm wondering what the public is used to paying. I haven't seen any anywhere to gauge the price. Any thoughts? Fredron

The primary purpose of the Crisco was to help eliminate wet spots. A secondary purpose was real reach. It was to add soy to paraffin, making a blend. When we got started, our wax supplier recommended the Crisco, so we used it. When we ran out, we made some candles without it and didn't notice any difference. We've been working for years now without it. It didn't hurt anything, but I can't say it did anything positive either. I guarantee it will not magically turn an unknown wax into something useful for container candles. Fredron

You'll get as many opinions as there are people. My preference is J-50, which I tweak a little, but I found it to be excellent alone. It has great cold throw, (that's in the jar, unburned) which is one of the major keys to selling, because if they can't smell it, they won't buy it. However, It also has a good hot throw, is easy to work with, and allows vibrant colors. (something you can't get with soy or soy blends) There are many waxes, and you'll have to find out for yourself what's best for you, but if you start with J-50, I doubt if you'll be disappointed. Fredron

You've got to cover the coil with melted wax before you turn it on for the first time. After that if you don't drain the wax and expose the coil, you never have to worry. When turning the unit on after the first time, keep the lid on until the wax is melted through the top surface. When it melts through, it "spits" wax into the air. It will hit the lid it it's in place, otherwise it goes where it wants to go. Fredron

You can usually find them on E-bay, and, of course, you can use Pay pal there. Make sure you're looking at an electric model. Fredron

Normally, darker blue and purple colors are more susceptable to fading than are the lighter colors, but all candles will fade in time. UV protection will definately help in most cases. I put it in all my candles, regardless of color. It's expensive to buy, costing around $28.00 a pound as I recall, but you use so little it lasts forever. I got mine from NG, but almost all candle supply sources will have it. Fredron

The idea behind the heat was to dip it quickly to expand the mold, then pull the candle quickly, before the wax expanded. It worked for me. Fredron

Your candle is probably being starved for oxygen. Tall thin jars will have that happen. If your blend doesn't smoke in wide open jars, and it does it the tall one, it's probably not getting enough air to the wick. Fredron

I did a hurricane with embedded blue glass pieces which did the same thing. The glass pieces just would not allow the hurricane out of the mold. It had nothing to do with suction, the glass just moved tight on the wall of the mold, and wouldn't come out. I worked on it for a couple days, and finally put it in the freezer for an hour, then warmed the mold quickly. It finally came out. Never again with the glass pieces, even though it looks beautiful.

If you will PM me, I'll tell you how to never have a pillar leak again. No plugs, no tape & no gooey sealer. Fredron

I get a very acceptable gold by adding just a touch of black. I use liquid colors. I use 4 drops yellow/lb when I start making my black and gold candle. (Pittsburgh Steelers, of course) To that I add 1 small drop of black. To get a small drop, I use the point of a small shish-kabob skewer. Dip it in the black, wipe it on the side of the bottle to get most of the dye off, then hold it over the pot till a tiny drop falls. Fredron

I guess it's time for me to disagree. I was writing this earlier today and thought better of it. Didn't want to be too negative. But I can't not respond. First of all, I like making candles. But I started into the business to make money to suppliment my income for retirement. So to me it's a business-a dog eat dog business. If I'm not too hard on myself, my customers will be. I set out to make the best damned candle my customers will ever burn, at a price they will pay and at which I can make a living. I make a very good candle, but if I ever get satisfied, I'll never make the best. My DW tells me I'm my worst critic, and I hope that never changes. I drive her crazy when I sit bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night with a new way to make our wax better, or some way to do things faster or better, but that's just me. If you ever hear I'm satisfied, please send flowers-I'll be buried the next day. Fredron