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I like natural candles because my snakes have one lung…


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so they are sensitive to smoke. I bet you haven’t heard that one before. Hello, new dude here, been reading and learning, just thought I ought to step out of the shadows and say hi like the other newbies. I’ll probably ask a few questions if I can’t find the answers with searches.

A few weeks ago I thought it would be nice to burn some candles in the cold, dark damp house after a big storm, power outages and stuff. I scrounged up some burnt out old candles and recycled them in reused food jars with wicks I braided from cotton twine. My mom gave me some soy tarts for Xmas, I didn’t know what they were, seriously asked if they were food. I don’t really like any artificial fragrances, so I diluted them way down and used them like color buttons in my recycled candles.

Now I’m looking at a couple hundred dollars worth of wax and equipment sitting here since I started shopping and reading about candle making online, I feel like robot number 5 in the movie Short Circuit, “need more input!” I guess it would have been easier to buy a few candles, but that’s not how I do things. The old fused broken back isn’t what it used to be, I needed a mellow indoor winter bad weather hobby anyway, besides kickboxing and shooting airguns in the house.

I already had a raytek thermometer gun for my boas, and a food scale good for wax, but I’ll get a more accurate digital scale if I’m going to use EOs. I’ve been putting off getting one for a while now, for weighing airgun ammo, now I have two reasons. I just read the EO pet warning thread, all EOs will be kept away from my snake room.

So far I’ve made a few colored cedarwood soy candles in hex jars, but I’m mostly using a soy/beeswax/bayberry wax blend in colored glass bottles I cut the tops off of. My wax is ugly olive drab color, and likes to crack, but in colored glass I really don’t care. Been using cotton, HTP, and hemp wicks, I like the rigid and cool burning hemp, hemp can save the planet ;^) but it grows more mushrooms than a temperate rainforest, and burns too tall for containers so I’ll save it for pillars or something.

My Dad and my Aunt have a photo and art gallery, so I have a good place to burn and possibly sell candles. I also know someone who does ceramics, so I can get candleholders made. I might have to make my candles more artsy if I hope to sell them, but I’m still learning the basics with my ugly storm candles first, speaking of which, the wax is done, time to pour, and I have to go, so enough blabbing for now. Later.

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Welcome to the board! Sorry about the broken back thing. Sounds like its healed up well enough to be kickboxing! :) I took up candles to take my mind off when I can't run, which I started to do 21 years ago after I recovered from knee surgery from racing motocross :sad2: but I digress.

We have fun here too, so enjoy your visits with us and post pics of your creations when you can!

geek

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Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm sure I'll start asking questions soon, I just hate to be spoon fed answers if they are out there to read or easy to learn by trial and error. I'll post some pics soon also, just getting my photo program up and running since my last hard drive died.

Hey geekrunner, I used to be a pretty good middle distance runner in high school, considerably slower these days. Now I have a smooth fast hiking stride, good thing I have hills and mountains to hike because I couldn't see myself flatland powerwalking! I have to keep fit and limber or else I'll really have problems.

What's this?!? The sun is shining! Later! :cool2:

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I'm in Brookings, OR right on the border of CA. The sun has been out for 2 whole days now!! One things for sure, when you live out here you definately appreciate the sun more than most people! Forecast calls for sun all week! I'm not sure how much candle making I'll be doing. Might need to work on the ol' tan instead!

Mama

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Hi hotmama. Yeah, the weather got way too nice for sitting in the house making candles. Tan lines or no? :rolleyes2:cool2: I wish I could make a fishing trip up around your neck of the woods, but I just took one a couple weeks ago when the rivers were too high and muddy.

Hi Gretchen, and thanks, ya gotta hook em with the title. It's true that I have to be careful with my investment boas, in fact, I need to go thaw some rats for them before I go to bed. Goodnight.

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It's true that I have to be careful with my investment boas, in fact, I need to go thaw some rats for them before I go to bed. Goodnight.

Oh... yuck!!!!!!!! You've just sent huge shivers down my back!!!!! Urrrggggggggg! I'm petrified of both snakes and rats!!!!:eek::eek: :tiptoe:

But welcome to the boards though!!:D

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Sorry Dublon, I'll try not to do that again... although I've thought about using one or two of my colorful critters to model with my all natural candles when I'm ready to take some pics... I'll put a warning in the title if I do. Try to remember that snakes are the good guys if you see one in the garden or something, they are natures best rodent catchers.

Hi Robin, that's pretty cool about the dancing! My boas would probably like dancing as long as they feel secure so they won't fall, a dancer should feel like a warm swaying tree branch to them.

I have another $200+ of candle supplies on the way, not including any bulk waxes I'll need soon when I decide what works best for me. I think I caught a bad case of candleosis! I'll start a new thread about glass when I have some time.

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Welcome to the board squirrelmaster!

You'll enjoy visiting CT.

You'll find alot of information and a bunch of friendly ppl here!

:)

My cousin had a boa before and whenever he would visit, so would his boa so I started to get used to having a snake on my living room floor.

Freaky at first, scared at first, but did get used to it. Got to the point he would visit and then hand his boa to me..another member of the family.

Happy pouring & testing to you!

Stephanie

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Sorry Dublon, I'll try not to do that again... although I've thought about using one or two of my colorful critters to model with my all natural candles when I'm ready to take some pics... I'll put a warning in the title if I do. Try to remember that snakes are the good guys if you see one in the garden or something, they are natures best rodent catchers.

Please, you don't need to apologize!!:) It's my phobia and my own problem. I certainly don't like the big guys!!! As for garden snakes, oh yes I'm very much aware of their good deeds. I am the horticulturalist for our town and also run a greenhouse business, so I have run ins with them all the time. Still don't like 'em, but as long as they go one way and leave me alone, I'll go the other way..:tiptoe:

And yes... please do warn us, just so we can take a biggggggggggggg breath before peeking!!!:shocked2:

Oh.. and back to the subject at hand, good luck and happy candle making!! I've just begun myself, and now I'm seriously hooked!!!:highfive:

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