I may be too cheap to make candles

[CareBear]

at least in colder weather. cause the only time I get to pour is at night after the kids are bundled up in their beds and the heat is off for the night. I refuse to heat the house just for my candles LOL.

all the testers I poured the other night (house was 65, jars were 65, wicks were straight from the garage so 55-65) have air pockets down along the wicks. and this is my one-pour blend.

maybe I'll wait till it warms up a bit...

[FunFlames]

We have our heat set to go down to 66 at night. I have actually used an electric heater in a bathroom to put my candles in so they could cool slowly. It worked and it is really easy to heat such a small space.

I can get them poured before the heat drops, so the bathroom is just to cool slowly.

[fredron]

You can build yourself a cooling box out of styrofoam insulation board used to insulate houses. A full sheet sells for about $10.00, and will make several. You can cut it with a rasor knife, and glue it with liquid nails then reinforce it with duct tape. I made 3 from 1 sheet. Put the candles in the box, put the lid in place, ant tomorrow morning they will still be warm to the touch, cold room or not.

Try it, it's cheap, and it works.

Fredron

[Stella1952]

I feel ya, CB. Here, spring has sprung so temps are in the 70s during the day, but at night, we're still in the 60s. I keep the oven on warm for the jars, an electric skillet goin' to keep the pour pots at the right temp and styrofoam coolers to drop over candles as soon as I get 'em poured. I still have some "errors" here and there, but an oven remelt heals a lot of sins. These veggie waxes like to make ya sit over them like you're makin' homemade dynamite!!! :undecided What's worse is as soon as the temps start changing for most of the country, we'll see panicked posts about how everything was just FINE and now the candles look like crap!! :undecided:tongue2: And then right when we get everything worked out and the candles are lookin' good, it'll be autumn and the weather will change again!! Gotta love it!

[thecandlespastore]

definitely feels like spring is here in Ohio, hoping to be able to turn my heat completely off soon!

[FunFlames]

I am enjoying our Ohio weather today too.... but I can do without the wind. I am heading out now to go retrieve our garbage bags!! They have taken a tour of the neighborhood! LOL

Enjoy

[JudiGa]

It definitely is a pain in the rear to get everything just so. Usually once I do I pour in mass quantity so that I do not have to pour in the winter unless absolutely necessary. Big cardboard boxes work great to cover the candles with also. You will find your niche, hang in there.

[SpaceGirl]

I know what you mean.... I made the mistake of pouring some candles with the window open on Sunday and they cracked (of course). Luckily they were just testers. Every time I think, "Oh it won't matter, I can still pour" I get smacked upside the head. Maybe I'll finally learn. :rolleyes2 I'll be happy when spring gets here and sticks around instead of just teasing us for a day or two here and there.

Just use the wintertime to play and experiment with other things!

[sudsnwicks]

CareBear, do you only make jar candles or do you make molded ones as well? I find that jar candles are easier to make when it is warmer, for the reason you just mentioned. But for molded candles, they are easier to make when it is cooler, as they are much easier to unmold then.

[topofmurrayhill]

Indeed, cool temperatures can be very good for molded candles. You may have to warm molds before pouring, but they come out good and unmold easily.

Similarly, you may want to warm your containers before pouring, but those will also have to be covered with something. Sometimes just a cardboard box works. Otherwise coolers or insulated shipping boxes with styrofoam can be useful, or maybe the oven you warmed the containers in.

Anyway, soon you'll be more concerned about how to cool things down.

[CareBear]

Every time I think, "Oh it won't matter, I can still pour" I get smacked upside the head.

:laugh2:

I figure the more I muck up the better understanding I have behind me. It's getting ahead of all that mucking about that's got me grinding my teeth! Progress is slow, but I'm getting there.

I want to add that I've read about every thread in this section and was still stunned to see those holes suddenly appear as the candles burned. Reading is one thing, making your own mistakes is something entirely different... EXPERIENCE is the best teacher (but then go back and search and find out WHY and HOW to avoid it again!).

(I tried starting pillars and containers both but have backed off to just containers for now - pillars to start again soon. I've decided to take the KISS approach.)

[lsbennis]

One of the reason I love living in FL...can pour year round and its always consistent!