Shisha Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 I've been doing B&B and incense for years now but just started to get into candles a month or so ago. I am used to having to order all my B&B stuff (FOs, oils, lye, bottles, etc.) from faraway suppliers so I was surprised to find out that I had an actual candle supply place less than an hour from me, in the Los Angeles area (Genwax). I went there a couple of weekends ago but got there 20 minutes before closing (i didn't know they close early on Saturdays....) I felt like I was at a smorgasbord with my mouth sewed shut---there was so much to look at and they were shooing me out! Today was their big sale weekend and I again made the trip. This time I had a whole three hours to spend there and I was in candle paradise. They have dozens of FOs to sniff, dye colors to choose from, and molds to fondle. Whoo hoo! I ended up buying 10 pounds of paraffin and 10 pounds of C3, as well as some of the Naturewax votive wax (V-1). I bought some of the additives I hear you all mention as well as some colors to play around with....and their FOs were irresistable, I got some of those as well. Votive holders (green glass) were 4 for $1 so I stocked up (thinking gifts, eventually). Walked out $75 later with a full trunkload. Good lordy, I thought being a soapmaker was a money drain. Candles appear to be equally addicting (especially since you need far less FO, which tempts me to buy MORE, even though I now have enough to stock a fair-sized FO shop, if there was such a thing and thank God there's not.)I had more fun than I've had in my last few birthdays put together. And I came home and made some tarts, so I can see how I like my new scents. Mmmm. Wax definitely beats CP soap in the instant gratification department! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 I would give anything to have a supplier close by. All the shipping money that I spend could be spent on supplies. The downside would be that I wouldn't go in there and just buy what I needed. I would probably be tempted to buy way more than my budget allowed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyberry Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 AAACCCCKKKKKK!!!!!!!! I totally forgot about the sale this weekend:angry2: DArn darn and DOUBLE DARN!!!!! #$%^)(^%()(^(*& Glad you had fun though!!! lol Where in the LA area do you live? I am only about a 45 min. drive from genwax too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shisha Posted May 7, 2006 Author Share Posted May 7, 2006 I'm in the South Bay area just a few miles south of LAX airport. Not exactly a short drive to Genwax, but at least it's a reasonable distance (maybe 60-70 miles round trip, I'm guessing?) I think I will still need to order my wicks from someone else---the ones I've gotten from the classifieds are so much nicer than the wicks they sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classylady71118 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 GOOD for you!!!! I've been making B&B for 3 years and added candles a little more than a year ago, but because of the money factor settled on only 2 f/o's for candles....UNTIL recently...I added Creme Brulee and Birthday cake (request from my niece) and OH MY GOODNESS busines has been WONDERFUL! I SO MUCH prefer making candles SO addictive! It seems like weekly I'm adding a new bakery scent....just think of ALL the money I've lost NOT having bakery scents , I have cinnamon buns and sugar cookie coming next week. I had never added the bakery scents as I really disliked them....guess what... I think I DO like them...now :whistle: ! AND we "did" have a local place to buy f/o's, wax, additives, ect. until about a month ago...of course I discovered them JUST before they moved to Kilgore, Texas after they HAD been here in "my" city for at least TWO YEARS!!!! It would have been worth the drive to save on shipping BUT the mother who ran the shop is ill and her daughter is "supposedly" running it now NEVER returns e-mail OR phone calls and NEVER has what you need in stock, so they have LOST my business as well as GrumphyGirls (she lives nearby)!Beverly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerinarkansas Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 You're so lucky to live fairly close to a candle supply business. I have to drive to Texas...about 4 1/2 hours away if I want to shop in person but then I don't have as much to spend so I can buy gas for the trip home. Lucky You!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shisha Posted May 8, 2006 Author Share Posted May 8, 2006 I'm not so sure anyone else in this house thinks I'm lucky. Right now the kitchen counters are covered with testers, and there are two different tart warmers going full blast with new tart scents. Family members have been compelled to learn the terms "hot and cold throw" and have been alerted that there will be a pop quiz on wick size and container variables by the end of the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freezin Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 It would be nice to be able to drive to get supplies. Shipping to Alaska is crazy, but I love making candles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyberry Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 I am up on the other side in the ontario rancho cucamonga area......i have loved being able to drive to genwax for the wax especially. I don't use theirs exclusiviely, i make a blend but it has saved me so much in shipping. and dye chips and the occ. fo when i am in a pinch... but for the most part i still order all my wicks and fo's from another supplier online..... and i might have to start ordering wax too Gen's prices have just jumped over $10 and more a case, it is getting to the point where it will be the same after shipping so I might as well let someoe else do the work for me:rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shisha Posted May 8, 2006 Author Share Posted May 8, 2006 Gas is so crazy right now that Ontario to North Hollywood would probably cost the same as UPS ground. I paid 3.59 a gallon yesterday. Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awickedscent Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 I used to live close by by now in the Northern Part of the state. I was never to happy with any of their products. Unfortunately I have to have everything shipped from out of state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Good lordy, I thought being a soapmaker was a money drain. Candles appear to be equally addicting (especially since you need far less FO, which tempts me to buy MORE, even though I now have enough to stock a fair-sized FO shop, if there was such a thing and thank God there's not.)I've been making candles for years and just recently started doing M&P soap (and want to get into other B&B products). I'm curious about your statement that you need far less FO for candles than for B&B--I thought the maximum for wax was approximately 10% and the maximum for soap 5%? And, from my reading, it appeared that other B&B products used even less than that amount. Have I misunderstood the quantities of FO used in B&B products? Like I said, I'm hoping to get around to trying some other things soon, so I just wondered.TIA,Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shisha Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Hey Jane, good question. My answer probably won't apply to MP, though, as I make cold process soap and it's just a different animal.Most of my soap recipes are between two and three pounds---making less is hard with CP because of the lye. In a one pound batch you get your measurements off by a few grams and suddenly you have soap that's lye heavy (or the opposite--soap so superfatted it goes rancid in a month.) In CP soap I use 1 oz of FO per pound of oils. So there's 2 to 3 ounces right there to make maybe 10-12 bars of soap---and if the scent is too light, there's virtually nothing you can do. Rebatching is so timeconsuming it's not even worth considering for me, and it tends to lack aesthetic appeal anyway. If my batch seizes up or if I get pockets or brains or any other common soap malady or if the scent I picked doesn't meld with the oils and just smells bad, that's three pounds of oils ($$$, especially olive oil) and three ounces of FO I have to give away or throw away. By contrast---tonight I poured six small jar candles from a pound of wax. My wax cost about a dollar, the color chip about a dime, my wicks a few cents more. I used jelly jars I had on hand, and a sample-size 1 oz FO. I now have six lovely candles to test, all with different wicks, and if one doesn't turn out well, the others still may. I can even melt down the poorly wicked one and repour it so it's not wasted.It's the scale of soap making that makes it expensive. You can melt a little wax but you can't pour a little CP soap. It's always at least a couple of pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Thanks so much for your response. I've been wanting to try CP soap but it did sound like it could be a big expense because I'm sure in the beginning stages there will be a lot of throw-aways!! I didn't realize it wasn't feasible to do smaller batches while learning, but your explanation makes a lot of sense!Thanks again for taking the time to explain it.Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smart tart Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 While soap may cost more, I have been doing cp for over 2 years and I have never thrown a batch away (give away lots but that is by choice) - I soap 'safe' not too very adventurous so use fo's that have been tried and/or sold as cp soap tested.. I do spend lots of money on special oils and butters and trying different recipes but do that with candle stuff also.....so don't rule out doing soap because you believe you will have 'throw away' batches and be spending $$$$$.....I was surprised that Shisha has had 'throw aways'... I have seen some beautiful 'rebatched' soap and then some not so pretty but very nice.... Soaping gives you a chance to be very creative, using so many different ingredients - give it a try - it is not (imo) all that expensive and you end up with an awesome product!Sorry to hijack the thread....:rolleyes2 Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Thanks, Debbie--personally I like the looks of the soap that people have shown as rebatched. I'm not sure how that's done yet--figure I'll need to learn how to make the first batch before I worry about rebatching!!I do think when things slow down around here, I would like to try CP (or HP) soaping so thanks for the encouragement.Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shisha Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 No problem & don't get me wrong---I love soaping. I've experimented and tossed lots of batches because I love mucking around with additives and unusual oils/butters/FO/EOs, and I refuse to to rebatch on the grounds of time. Regarding the appearance of rebatched soap---For my own personal use I couldn't care less what a bar of soap looks like as long as it smells good and feels good---but my remarks about rebatching come from my particular experiences as a soap seller. I have been selling for quite a while (phasing it out now) and have always had trouble selling rebatched bars as they have a homemade look that the snobby people in my area don't seem to care for, although other marketplaces may love the rustic or handcrafted look.Rebatching is cool if you wanna do it and your marketplace doesn't mind it....I'm just not into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Since I've never made soap, of course I've never rebatched, but it just looks like something that would be popular around here. I live in a very small southern town and I believe it would be a popular look, but probably not what I would prefer to do since it's so time consuming!Thanks so much for your feedback,Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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