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Maybe it will Scented, I'll let you know. Thanks for the info Pam, that sounds like a good blend. You're welcome oh nimble one, the fo is really yummy and I'm due to replenish my cupcake stock, as I've sold out all my Mardi Gras stuff. Steve

I use a plastic slotted spoon and don't know that drilling a hole is responsible. It looks like any other teflon product that has been reheated numerous times and eventually begins to flake off. Only the very bottom has flaked away, the rest of the pot is like brand new. Steve

I use single cupcake boxes with top/side cello window and custom insert from bakeabox. Great prices and great for display and gift giving. For cake slices I leave out the insert and use tissue wrapping paper. HTH Steve

My only gripe is the stupid teflon coating. Has anybody ever attempted to scour the pot down to the metal? Those things use to be $20.00 in wally world. I only use mine now to keep my palm oil in and have a turkey fryer with spout (put my spout on the presto myself, no big whoop). HTH Steve

4627 I liked much better than the 4630 but thought the 6006 was a better wax when blended with a little soy. That being said, I have stuck with my Stasis 3022 all these years and only cheat on her to see if someone has come up with a better blend. The 70/30 isn't picky and can be ready to sell the next day. This is a utility wax for containers and that's it. You can't layer it or tart it worth a flip but it does a container just fine. I mean, this wax has been stable for me over 4 years now and I'll pay the extra cost for the reliability. Stick with a wax once you find it and learn it through and through is my advice. I just pour and fo and nothing else has to be done; except you have to cool it really slow in a box with the jars not affecting each others rate of cooling. HTH Steve

love them cdn wicks Stella.

I have learned to embrace the dancing flame with a cd or cdn. I know you want a kick butt candle that amazes everybody but heavy on the fo in 6006 will make you pull your hair out trying to wick it. Be gentle and try this tip: pour out 15 oz wax and 1 oz fo and add at 180 degrees and let cool on your counter and make sure to leave lots of room between the jars. If you are using color then toss both in the pot and gently stir for about 2 minutes and pour gently into your jars (keep air bubbles down) and wick with cds or lxs IMHO. HTH Steve

You might try a little petrolatum (sticky wax) for improved adhesion. I tried co in 6006 and it wasn't a good mix but maybe if you tried adding the 15% soy and 1 tbs pp of co you could get a nice adhesion going. Worth a shot. I like 6006 the best of those blends. Steve

My dw complains that my bars are too big for her small hands but I like a big old slab of soap (I cut her bars in half). I made a bundt cake and the slices are perfect for the hand and so are the cupcakes if sliced in half. Round bars are perfect for washing your hands at the sink. Steve

For me, the real trick is to find oils that I can use for soap and candles. Preferably no acceleration or heavy discoloration to interfere with whatever application I'm attempting. (Is that one of them there Haiku thing?). So the selections are few but not necessarily expensive. The main consideration is whether I trust the distributor to provide quality or hit and miss junk. I have quite a few oils that are total trash IMHO and those people don't get repeat business. Soaping and quality fos and eos are a must IMHO. Candles really require nice complex blends for the customer to enjoy the beginning middle and end notes. Plain janes are ok for mixing but you still have the same result. Yes, its about 1/3 of my cost per batch (1 oz pp or less if instructed) so the better the quality the less you use and the better result. HTH Steve

Grab a couple of silicone heart molds at any dollar store and make some nice guest soaps. HTH Steve

My favorite soap pot for small batches is a plastic bowl with a handle that is really easy to pour up and clean up. I found it on a rack at wally world on the ice cream aisle with a bunch of other kitchen tools and they're really cheap. HTH Steve

AH/RE hands down Ravens. IMHO Steve

My customers just won't buy bamboo sugar cane and I don't understand it. I mix AH/RE Essence of Jesus and Raspberry Patch 50/50 for awesome soap fragrance. My all time favorite will always be the original creme brulee from JBN. Nowadays I'm partial to a mix of AH/RE Blue Skies and Golden Amber (Blue Amber) its a little girly for me but its a great fragrance. Steve

Ok, just got some 2 oz samples for Valentines, Spring and Summer and most of these fos are probably well known but here goes: AH/RE: Mediterranean Garden-Hurry up Summer! Great combination of citrus with a touch of sweet (gonna soap this sucker). Lovely Type-Valentines written all over it. Not real heavy perfume not sure how true this one might be but its really nice. White Tea-Very nice for soaping not sure about candles, very nice. Frosted Cupcakes-At last! This is a great frosting fragrance, lets hope it is the one for cupcakes. Sandy Rose-Wowzer, this one burnt my nose hairs out with a heavy sandalwood! Would have liked more rose to soften it up some (maybe blend with a good rose). Lavender Apples Oak-This needs a tune-up. Maybe a little more oak or something to make it pop; just have to pour some and see. Candle Cocoon: Peony White Tea-Wow, can you really swoon over a fragrance (guys?) I can, cause this is one heck of a great fragrance. Creme Brulee Cafe-Lets hear some thunderous applause for a perfect coffee scent. Sea Shells-Hurry up summer! Perfect for a veranda (porch). Herbal Rosemary-Mmm I have to pour this one to see what it does in wax. Heavy on the Rosemary with a touch of vicks. They're starting to pile up in the lab and maybe tomorrow will be a good day to test. Steve

Oh that used to be such a great pineapple and now I have a pound of perfumy pineapple that smells really off. I wondered if the Creme Brulee Supreme might be like the old Creme Brulee formulation that I eventually found at KY? Steve

Karen at Edens secret uses a squeeze bottle with a tip and lets her soap stiffen up to form the icing. I tried the icing thingy and found I much prefer the bag. Pour your cupcake bottoms thin and separate the different icing colors and load the bag or gun when it gets nice and thick. Silicone scrapers work best to handle it into the bag IMHO. Steve

You're gonna get several different opinions on this subject. You must add the superfatting oil as part of your formula with the hopes that the 5% or whatever % you use will not be affected by the lye solution when added at trace. I think that's a waste of time IMHO. Most everything I've read and from my own experience is that saponification is random. Avocoado has unsaponifiable molecules that do not respond to the process, as well as olive pomace oil but I would still just dump the whole amount in at once and not wait until trace (you forget to add it). Fos and eos affect the process as well (acceleration) so its a toss up in my opinion but do add all oils to your soapcalc recipe. HTH Steve

Bubblegum-oob just what you would expect, haven't made soap/candles with it yet. Coffee Cake & Spice-No ct, no acceleration or discoloration, .8 pp (this one is beginning to come on in the second week of cure with strong coffee but little else) Not tried in candles yet. Caramel Crunch-Nada. Butter Cream Icing-Nasty The oils come in amber bottles with these plastic inserts that you have to shake the bottle to get them out. Not happening. Delivery time was ok, nothing to write home about. Pretty disappointed over all. I did get a good deal on their Calendula flowers and petals though. HTH Steve

I use the cdn from candle coccoon and they are 12 " long and just great. I think that's just good marketing about calling your wick csn and stating that its special made for all new natural waxes IMHO. Course the best thing to do is buy a sample and test. I've used cdn wicks from other distributors and they all look a little different but burn the same as far as I can tell in testing. The customer service is so fine and Lyschel is tops. HTH Steve

AH/RE has the best one IMHO. Not to keen on JS. Steve

I miss Top.

The real question here is what quality of glass are you likely to get? Unfortunately, most of the glass production is from China and as you might expect, they have lower quality control than in the States. Thickness means nothing when overheating occurs. Jelly jars are designed for higher temperatures when used for canning in a hot water bath and should be able to withstand regular temps of a burning candle; unless it is overwicked KWIM? But what if the jars you bought are seconds with flaws? Have you tested the wine bottles yet? How expensive are they to obtain? Wicking? Ugh, I would hate to know I had to figure that one out. You could attatch the wick base on with gasket sealer (Stella?) but I don't know what you would do if it required multiple wicks. Good luck. HTH Steve

I think you have the swirling down pat. Really beautiful work. Steve

This is such a reverse problem. Most people will do anything to avoid multiple wicking, because of added expense and usually because customers don't like em. Everyone left zinc wicks when the lead scare caused customers to only buy cotton or paper. That's a good wax combo but it can be real finicky about fo load when you get to the wicking. I would try going up or down with the fo and double wick the jar until you get the best balance IMHO. Where do you get your wicks? They aren't all made alike you know. Steve