Brand new! How am I doing so far?

[Ravata]

Hey all, we're (there's two of us) brand new to the forum as well as candle making, and after perusing these forums for a bit, have made our first order for supplies. I know there will be a certain amount of testing to be done before actually selling our candles, but I figured I'd come here and see if you guys can let us know if we ordered the right stuff to get the job done.

So here's what we've got:

WAX:

50 lbs of GW-415

CONTAINERS:

12 2oz tins from CandleScience (H 1.5" x W 2")

24 4oz tins from CandleScience (H 1.75" x W 2.56")

24 8oz tins from CandleScience (H 2" x W 3.125")

24 16oz tins from CandleScience (H 2.4" x W 4.15")

SCENTS:

(All from Rustic Escentuals)

8oz of Little Black Dress

8oz of Birthday Cake (SNC)

8oz of French Vanilla

8oz of Flannel Sheets

8oz of Cherry Mist

8oz of Hot Apple Pie (SNC)

WICKS:

(All Cotton Core wicks from PeakCandle)

100 count of C-60

100 count of C-75

100 count of C-80

(2oz tins - C-75 single wicked, 4oz tins - C-80 single wick, 8oz tins - C-60 double wicked, 16oz tins - C-75 double wicked)

We've also built our own presto pot wax melter, which turned out very nicely. (to anyone that uses one - how many pounds of wax could we melt at a time?)

I know it might be a hassle for you to look at what we've got and figure out whether or not it will work out for us, but any advice would be appreciated. Are we on the right track? Please help while we're waiting for this stuff to show up!

[EccoLights]

Looks like your on the right track =) If your going to color them you will need dyes or color blocks... we use liquids for ours =)

Your right also, test, test, test... then just for S & G test it one more time =)

As far as presto pots, don't have one here (big 100lb melter rules!) But I want to say they hold around 4lbs =)

HTH and welcome to the wild world of candle making =)

[Ravata]

Thanks EccoLights! We won't be coloring the candles, seems unnecessary since they're going to be in tins, they'll be colored by the labeling on the tins themselves.. But we're on the right track as far as wax and wicks, yeah? That's what I'm concerned the most about, as I know a lot of people have had problems with scent throw because of those factors.

[EccoLights]

While I can't say we use any of those suppliers you have, I would say you have a good variety and it should be a good starting point =)

You are right, jar size, wick size, pour temps, how much FO, etc... are all variables and these forums are wonderful for tips and info =) If you haven't seen it there is a search box up top you can search your wax type, wicks, etc and find tons of info =)

[grama]

My presto pot holds 8 lbs of wax

[soy327]

I wanna know how Flannel sheets smells, sound good. Do you have a scale, thermometers, pour pitchers something to way the FO in?:yay:I'm sure you do sounds like you've been reading. Good Luck. Welcome to the addiction. Let us know how it's going and please we all love pics of your creations.

[Ravata]

Hey soy327, thanks for the reply!

Not yet, we'll be buying the proper equipment around the time the supplies show up, but we do have a presto pot melter all made up and ready to go!

Also, I'll be sure to save you a flannel sheets candle when we're all done testing and in production phase

Edited December 17, 2010 by Ravata

[soy327]

Cool:drool: I'm liking you already:laugh2:

[carol k]

For your scales you can buy a small postal scale at wal-mart for around $30.00 it's a must have for making candles. I've had mine for years & still works great. I weigh my fo's in a glass measuring cup. Don't use styrofoam or plastic dixie cups the fo eats them really quick.

[Ravata]

Thanks a lot for the tips, carol!

[IwantItgreen]

For your scales you can buy a small postal scale at wal-mart for around $30.00 it's a must have for making candles. I've had mine for years & still works great. I weigh my fo's in a glass measuring cup. Don't use styrofoam or plastic dixie cups the fo eats them really quick.

Carol's way works fine, but when I did it this way I realized that too many precious drops of FO reminded in the cup, so cheap-o me changed to pouring my FO right into my pour pot. Then I didn't waste a drop!

Set your pot on the scale, tare, pour FO, tare again before you add your wax. This way works great, too.

[CareBear]

Just be careful not to over-pour or it can end up costing you more than a few drops. Not that you couldn't then add more wax to fix it, probably - but still, for when staring out I'd say measure your FO in a separate container.