chuck_35550

Try 85% 6006 with 15% soy. Pour at 185 degrees into room temperature jars and leave uncovered. I like CDN wicks with this formula and 7% fo load is fine for most quality fos. HTH Steve

By Geroge I think you've got it! Very nice detail on both soaps. Thanks for the tip. Steve

I use the KY brand from AH/RE and add about 15% more soy for a slightly softer tart. The main concern with a tart is whether most burners will adequately melt them in a reasonable time. You have to have a great ct as well as ht with a tart IMHO. Steve

No I don't get bubbles. I once tried a hand mixer but got terrible bubbles. It came to me that if a stick blender could incorporate soap batter, then why not candle wax? You have to be careful and not get splattered with wax but it really does a great job of breaking down and incorporating fo and wax. Color works even better with this method and or hard to blend in fos like Muscadine Vineyard (which still leaves a little orange on the bottom). I get good adhesion and if there are bubbles they are teeny tiny ones that don't show up on the candle. HTH Steve

What fun, Cheve is good. I've kind of been thinking that part of my soaping problems are related to the fact that I switched from my trusty stainless stock pot with two handles to large plastic bowls with one handle. I don't know if the plastic somehow causes the acceleration but was wishing for a stainless one handle bowl like this one. My small batches would do okay in this thing and hopefully my soap would behave like it use to with the old stockpot. I could be full of it (which is often the case) but there's something about the stainless that seems to work better. Oh, and Chuck can buy his own measuring bowl......I must be schizophrenic. I would be interested to hear opinions whether a plastic would change the saponification process or not. Cheve

I use a stick blender on low and pulse for 2 minutes. The stainless steel blades are easy to clean but I use fos that are similar in fragrance and don't color. There's not enough fragrance to make a difference but when switching to another type like floral from pumpkin or vanilla fos, its best to clean it off. HTH Steve

My name is Steve but you can call me by my sign in name (Chuck). I ususally answer to both. I had been looking for a handy stainless bowl that was easy to use for one handed pouring and stuff like that and is like the only thing around. I think you could use it to mix and pour up 3 lb batches or less? I may pick one up to add to all my other stacks of soap making stuff that sits around the shop. Will let you guys know if it proves to be worthwhile. Steve/Chuck

Let me know if you get one and its worth buying Steve or Chuck. What is your name anyway? Relentless

I would use it to measure out soft oils or maybe not. It only holds 48 ounces from the inside of the bowl pic and doesn't have a pour spout but who knows? Thanks for asking Noidea. Steve or Chuck

Gosh Steve or Chuck? That looks kinda interesting, what would you do with it? I wonder if it is as accurate as they claim? Noidea

My wax is 70% soy and 30% paraffin with some coconut oil and other ingredients that have been formulated by the company. It takes a wick that will hold up to the soy and prevent clogging. The wax is creamy white in appearnace and easy to cut. I just don't care for straight soy or straight paraffin for different reasons. I find parasoy is the best of both worlds in terms of cold throw and hot throw, as well as the cosmetic appearance of the candle. You can get a wild crazy flame out of any combination of wax. You're welcome Sidlesup and ask a chemist about the viscosity. HTH Steve

Go to-Spirit Crafts Premium Craft Supplies-and look under Professional Polyurethane Candle Making Molds. They also have dipping vats for tapers with tutorials. HTH Steve

Essential Depot is very reliable and Steve at Soap Making Resource will do somersaults to make you happy. I have both the silicone loaf molds from Essential and a small acrylic mold from Resource-both are great and reasonably priced. Soaping will take your shop over and your pocketbook in the blink of an eye. You can get what you need locally (lard, coconut oil, olive oil) and make a mold out of a shoe box lined with wax paper and get your lye from Lowes. Just remember to wear gloves, goggles and old clothes when working with lye. My shop is stacked with soap molds, colorations, fragrances, oils, butters and that's just the tip of the ice berg. There are a lot of good videos on Youtube for direction and tons of threads to read about all things soap. You're going to love it but hate yourself in the morning. Cheers Steve

Does anybody have one of these things for soapmaking? Is it for real? Thanks, Steve

For my parasoy I use cd or cdn wicks. Most fos will take an 18cd and occasionally a 20cd. HTH Steve

I always charged twice my costs for retail and about 1/2 my costs for wholesale but that's me. Nobody expects to make much profit off of a votive IMHO. They are mostly good for basket fillers or pairing with votive containers but mine just sat around and looked sad most of the time. Good luck. Steve

Gosh, I have a ton of those jars (also called a salsa jar) with the gold lids, that came from SKS. They were rougly about 60 cents apiece at the time of purchase (about 21 cases I think) and I still have a bunch of them. You save a ton when you buy in bulk these days but if not; try a restaurant supply house or Dollar Tree online. HTH Steve

The best route to go with Candle Cocoon is to buy the 12 inch wicks and a bag of assemblies. I can get three wicks out of each one and it pretty simple to crimp the assemblies. I have bought from both and find the coating on the Southwest to be a little heavier but they are quality products either way. CDN burns a tad hotter and doesn't clog or soot as much IMHO as a regular cd but you may not notice a huge difference. They both carry great fos and the service is excellent. Steve

So true. How many times I've tried to cut a loaf of soap when it should have been left in the mold awhile longer. Cutting soap may look easy but it takes a bit to learn how to angle your blade even if you have it in a cutter (unless of course you have a tank). Slice just a bit off the end and see how it handles your blade. Wait a little longer if it sticks real bad and you have to peel it off. Sweet torture. Steve

Think of the two wicks as one. They should be placed close enough to cover the entire melt pool. The heart shaped jar for Valentines takes three wicks for me and they have to be placed where each wick intersects its coverage (if that makes sense). Like Chris said, "Trial and error". HTH Steve

That is a great price for jar and lid but I'm afraid you should look at double wicking. I tried using a really large wick and all you get is a torch effect and a hot jar. The diameter is 4" and the pic doesn't look like there's much of a neck curve, so maybe its not so close as you think. Great looking jar with a great price; worth testing one or two to see if you can make it work. HTH Steve

You're right on about that Karen. I can tell you that my turkey fryer has been a faithful companion for about 4 years and there is a back up just in case this one goes bad. They are very easy to clean and they melt the wax pretty darn fast and keep the temp constant. I can't imagine going back to presto pots. I found my back up fryer for 50% off at a Pro Bass Shop and every now and then they pop up in local stores during the fall months. I just put my pour pot under the spout and fill to whatever line and keep it on a two burner warmer while adding and stirring and it works great. The flecks do go to the bottom but I hate seeing them when I put the warning label there. HTH Steve

Sorry, I didn't get that from your thread. Don't know what kind of wax you are using and don't know what kind of fo problems you are having but when in doubt, notify the supplier and ask them........

I'm not sure why her being an Avon rep has anything to do with a business relationship. Does she intend to contract with you (consignment agreement) and if her terms are acceptable, do you want to enter into an agreement? We all expect free samples of fos, wax or whatever else we can get for the purposes of testing. That's pretty straight foward of her to ask you for some samples of your products but beware of entering into consignment blindly. Ask around and find out how reliable she is about paying up and find out what the going rate for other shops. Get it in writing and make sure you have insurance. Don't charge her for samples and give her a list of your current line of products. HTH Steve

Mine didn't last but about a year until it started flaking and I only use soft utensils as well. I tried using a fine mesh screen over the spout opening but specks still wound up in my products. I now use it to heat up palm oil and melt my wax in a turkey fryer. You might not have any issues for a long time or it could start flaking in the near future, who knows? Steve