Laurie Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I’ve been reading posts on this site for a few days and decided that there is a lot of support and information here. I am from Canada and I salivate at the choice and prices you have in the US! I have already spent about $400 from Canadian suppliers (which includes about $80+ in shipping) and really don’t think I can take advantage of the US prices because the shipping will eliminate any savings.I bought a bunch of Party Light candles in the spring and it made me wonder if I could make some candles myself. I started in May and I am hooked (ok OBSESSED)! All I want to do is measure, melt, stir, pour, sniff and watch! I have been giving some of them away and people have been going crazy, so I would like to start selling them but I am all over the place. I have bought different dye blocks, fragrance sample kits and different size containers (2” to 3”). I have tried EcoSoya CB-135 & CB Advanced and Pillar Blend. The CB-135 started out well but I started to get too much frosting and wet spots so switched to the CB Adv. (for now). Anyway, I cannot seem to focus on any one type of candle to make, I just want to make more more more!!! I have been making 1 or 2 lb batches at a time and switch every time, I buy one or two nice containers when I find them, they are so expensive online! As for the warning labels, I need bilingual labels since I am in Quebec. I have created my own text and I will have buy labels from Avery ($17.99 for 400), very expensive! Wicks? I tried HTP wicks and LX, it seems that the HTP are friendlier to my candles and the LX are mushrooming way too much. They do not sell sampler kits at the suppliers that I have used and one supplier has a minimum $50 order. I know you will all tell me to focus on one or two sizes but after reading so much I want to try even more stuff -- paraffin, blends, liquid dyes, beeswax, etc. etc. I am all over the place and can’t focus, I was hoping for any support or advice from people who share my new passion! Sorry for the long post...I tried to keep it to the point but I just have so much to say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Welcome to your new addiction, Laurie!All I want to do is measure, melt, stir, pour, sniff and watch!I hope you meant WEIGH because in candle making, we weigh the ingredients. Measuring (volume) is not accurate enough.I have been giving some of them away and people have been going crazy, so I would like to start selling them but I am all over the place.Except for a couple of TRUSTED testers, you should not be gifting your candles at this point nor selling - it takes time and a lot of due diligence to get products ready for market which have consistently high quality and safety standards.The CB-135 started out well but I started to get too much frosting and wet spots so switched to the CB Adv. (for now).The downside to CBA is how finicky it is about hot throw. It's a beautiful wax, but the hot throw is NOT reliable. Frosting is an issue you will need to learn how to address with making soy candles. Do some research here and you'll find lots of ways to mitigate and reduce the incidence of frosting. Wet spots happen, particularly when weather is changing from warm to cold. The candles should be stored at room temp, but when they become cooler or sudden changes occur, "wet spots" happen. To help the wax to adhere to the sides of the container, hand wash them in HOT water and original Dawn dishwashing liquid or Parson's Sudsy Ammonia. Rinse well in HOT water and put upside down to air dry. Store upside down until you use them.I know you will all tell me to focus on one or two sizes but after reading so much I want to try even more stuffI'd hate to disappoint you, LOLOL, so FOCUS!! For best results, choose ONE container and ONE wax with which to begin your testing. Jumping all over the place will only confuse you and muddy the waters. I suggest a small, straight-sided container whose height and inside diameter are about the same. Don't go over 3": in inside diameter. Until you get a firmer grip on what you are doing, don't pour large candles because they take a lot of time and materials to test. Learn on smaller ones. Keep good, extensive notes on your procedures, temps, etc. so that when you have issues, you can let us know what went on so we can give you more accurate suggestions. Read up on how to properly test candles. Take photos and post them with your questions - it helps.Be sure to check out the resources from the General Candle Making forum - loads of great information there for New Candlemakers.Good luck & have fun!! :smiley2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Laurie there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to try making a slew of different candles......BUT, you really need to slow down and do one at a time. Perfect your ONE and then move on to another, or if you can't perfect a certain wax, or hate working with it, ditch it an move on to the next. By jumping around, you will never totally learn or understand the aspects of your candle wicking, wax properties, FO loads, color/no color, etc. Good luck and have fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Thank you Stella, Yes, I meant weigh, I’ll try to remember that precision….I love weighing my ingredients with the cute little kitchen scale I bought on sale at Walmart!I realized that I do not like making big candles or pillars, I prefer to make a slew of tealights and small container candles (4-5oz) so I’ll try to focus on that. I must say that so far, all the candles I have burned have been scrumptious and burn well and I have been taking notes well but I understand the need to test. I noticed the CBA throw is not quite as strong the CB-135. Thanks for all the great advice!P.S. I’ll try to post a photo of my candles this weekend – if I can, I’m still learning my way around.Note to self: Focus Laur Focus!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Chris, Thank you for the wise advice, you are absolutely right! You gave me a great idea, I could test and experiment at the same time, try the Strawberry FO this weekend for fun but also work on/test my first perfect candle. It doesn’t have to be one OR the other, it could be BOTH! Wow, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Why am I a wax drip?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Because you are new. You are wise to stay with smaller candles at first... I never worried about making EXACTLY the right amount of wax to pour 1 or 2 containers because I could always pour some tea lights, tarts or votives with the excess. Makes the math a lot easier to round up to the nearest pound and fix up that amount. : ) It also kept me interested when I wanted to try new things before I was ready. HTH : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) Thanks Stella, I think being a wax drip is kinda cool. What will I graduate to?Questions: How do I decide how many candles to test at once? I read somewhere to make 3 candles with 3 diferent wicks and go from there. Is it okay to remelt the wax more than once?Also, I noticed if I try to smooth the top of a candle with a heat gun, the wax on the LX wick starts to melt onto my candle and it shows as white wax on my colored candle. How can I avoid that? Edited October 29, 2011 by Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 I uploaded two photos. One of is the candles that I have made so far. The other is of two candles I made at the same time, note that one is fine and the other has bubbles and frosting on the bottom. I have another question, when you make candles with lids, how long do you wait before putting the lid on, is 24 hours enough?Thinking of going with the vanilla for my first testing.Thanks!Laurie :smiley2: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmc Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 WOW! I have enough problems right now testing wicks for one container and you have all of those already figured out?! :highfive: I do love how CBA takes to color and the creaminess of it but I did find I needed to increase the fo load. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) one is fine and the other has bubbles and frosting on the bottom.The bottom is the LEAST of your worries!I finish the bottoms of all my votives by running them quickly over a heated, flat surface. This corrects any minor flaws and helps seat the wick tab into the wax.Those are very nice looking candles. :smiley2:I wait at least 48 hours before covering containers. Edited October 29, 2011 by Stella1952 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Well thanks for your compliment Imc, but these are candles that I made without testing! That's the whole problem, but hopefully I will have some ready to go, tested and all, before long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thanks for the compliment and the tip Stella. FYI, those candle bottoms are in jars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 FYI, those candle bottoms are in jars. ***squints & peers closer to the monitor***So they are! Heck fire, slap a warning label on that and call it done.:laugh2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 :yay:Okay then, I won't worry about it more than that! Merci! (thank you) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinbear Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Laurie, your candles look great! I am also a Canadian from Ontario.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Thanks Dolphinbear,Nice to hear from an Ontarian. I guess you are ordering your supplies from Ontario (like I am), have you heard of any suppliers in Quebec? I can't find any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinbear Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Laurie, I used to order all my supplies from Ontario however the bulk of my orders are from US suppliers, so much more affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks so much Dolphinbear, that information really helps. I see the those great prices from US suppliers and I am so worried about shipping, duty, etc. that I was afraid those extra costs would wipe out any savings. Would I be prying if I asked you where you order from? You can send me an email if you don't wish to post the information (I don't quite know how that works on this board right now but I'll figure it out). On another note, I am so excited, I will be conducting my first real tests later this week...after 5 days of curing (hope that's enough). I'll post some photos. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinbear Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Laurie, I will send you an email 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolmama Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Dolphinbear, would you mind sending me the information as well. Laurie, where in Quebec are you? I'm in Montreal, I can email you 1 place that I go to. I only started making candles and I'm not sure if these are competitive prices, but I can send you their website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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