AnneVA Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hey Guys! I am new to the site as well as candlemaking. I have been researching on this site for a while & decided to go ahead and give soy container candlemaking a try. I have ordered some wax & scent samples & my containers & dyes should be here tomorrow. I am so excited to start testing this weekend! Any words of wisdom or helpful first-timer tips you could give me would be greatly appreciated. I have a feeling I will need some pep talks before the weekend is over! Thanks,Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geekrunner Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Nice to have you onboard! We have lots of smart people here---this is the Cadillac of candle message forums! The search function is a valuable tool, and check out the FAQ section and sticky note threads for most common issues.If you have a question, be sure and include in your post what wax you use, FO, jar type, wick, whatever info you give helps us help you.If the wax you get comes with instructions on heating and pouring recommendations, follow them as closely as possible! Get a candy thermometer for checking wax temps, and wear scroungy clothes when pouring. If you get hooked like the rest of us, then is the time to invest in digital scales, Presto pot, and a Wagner heat gun. Thes three items are indispensable in soy wax candle making! geek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htaylorrn Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 To me, finding the right jar/wick/fo combination was the biggest challenge. Start small. There is so much variety out there it is tempting to try to sample a little of all of it. Pick one type/size of container, preferably something that has consistent diameter (same size all the way down). Then pick a couple of your favorite fragrances and work on them until they burn correctly. Trying for too much variety can be overwhelming and discouraging. The biggest thing is to enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniedb Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Hi Anne, and welcome! My best advice is...don't give up! When you want to sell every item you own and be finished with the whole thing because you can't seem to get it wicked right, get a stupid scent throw, or dye without frost, just take a break and don't do anything rash (like chunk your wax through the window, LOL)! Just keep plugging away!Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soya Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Hello Anne My advice would be ...."Know how to test properly"Good luck and Have Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneVA Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 Thanks for the info! Geekrunner--Thanks to my hubby I already have my presto pot, digital scale, heat gun & thermometer. I actually got all that before I ordered any wax or scents! He is as excited about this as I am. htaylorrn--I have already ordered too much variety, those scent samples all sounded so good! I think I have ordered 28lbs of wax (3 different brands) and probably 30 scent samples from different suppliers. I am not going to try to tackle all this in one weekend though! Deciding which ones to play with first will be hard. daniedb--I know it sounds like soy is the most frustrating of waxes to work with-but I love it! Of all the candles I have ever owned, soys are my all time favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgie Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I agree with starting small. When I first started making candles (about 4 or 5 years ago), I wanted to do everything: pillars, containers, votives, tarts... I soon realized I hated making pillars and votives and now I have about 150 lbs of pillar wax lying around:embarasse. Now I just make containers and occaisionally some tarts. It would have all gone much faster and been much less of a headache had I just focused on making jars. Figure out what you really like doing and then just focus on that for the time being.Good luck and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise06 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Good luck! And don't give up! Getting the right wick is my biggest problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindy5140 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I don't have anything to add because I'm still new to all of this to, but Welcome to the addiction of making candles.Mindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aileene Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I am new as well and awaiting my wax and supplies. lol so no advice here, I had to stop my self before I ordered something from every single site lol.Aileene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goosebay_1999 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I would definitely say stay focused on one thing at a time and master it. Then move on to the next thing. When I started years ago and b4 I found this board I was trying to do too many things and everything was turning out halfa$$. After I took those words of wisdom to focus my business started to take off because I was producing good quality candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granjan Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Hi and welcome!!!!!I really don't have any words of wisdom about candles yet but hope to someday!!!! I wish I would have known about this message board and gained some knowledge like you have been doing before I charged into making candles cold turkey. With everyones helping I am doing better and hope someday to have a beautiful candle to tell everyone about!!!!Happy candle making this weekend and let us know how you are doing, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayla Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I agree with starting small. When I first started making candles (about 4 or 5 years ago), I wanted to do everything: pillars, containers, votives, tarts... I soon realized I hated making pillars and votives and now I have about 150 lbs of pillar wax lying around:embarasse. Now I just make containers and occaisionally some tarts. It would have all gone much faster and been much less of a headache had I just focused on making jars. Figure out what you really like doing and then just focus on that for the time being.Good luck and have fun!I wonder if there is anything you can add to make the pillar wax suitable for containers? Is it even doable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cozyaromas Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I agree with starting small. When I first started making candles (about 4 or 5 years ago), I wanted to do everything: pillars, containers, votives, tarts... I soon realized I hated making pillars and votives and now I have about 150 lbs of pillar wax lying around:embarasse. Now I just make containers and occaisionally some tarts. It would have all gone much faster and been much less of a headache had I just focused on making jars. Figure out what you really like doing and then just focus on that for the time being.Good luck and have fun!If you want to get rid of your pillar wax, let me know I might be interested...I just love making votives.....To all the newbies out there remember the old saying....If at first you don't succeed try, try, try again!!! I know it's a cliche saying but it is so true, you may have more failure's during testing than success and at times it can be frustrating trying to figure out the formula that works the best, but never let that get you down, just keep going at it and the rewards will be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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