chuck_35550

I started with Peaks and still have some of their older oils in stock. NG has most of my best selling fragrances and at a price that keeps me in the price range my customers prefer. Candle Cocoon has some oils that I use to slip a little in with my base oils to give them an extra kick (we're talking the strongest oils on the net) but all the companies mentioned have their special blends that you can't get anywhere else. Let's not forget AH/RE and all their great products either. You just have to grab up samples and see how they work for your situation and understand that the majority of distributors that haven't gone under are doing their best to offer great products to us hand-crafters. Heaven help us if anymore go under. Steve

Ok, first of all I see no need to be rude and call me an unreliable source (my quote came from the same Association) and secondly what is ST? and thirdly I agree with Stella to a point. Yes fo will degrade with prolonged exposure to high temp (duh?) and last but not least; explain how a tea light with such a small melt pool is able to fragrance a large amount of space with the right conditions. Jeanie believes that the eco is too hot and burning off the fo but she doesn't care for the hang up from the cd and she wonders if the fragrance oil is being drawn out and burned off. Right? I don't know that the eco is any hotter than a comparable cd wick they are just constructed to draw the wax in different ways. Is it possible your wicks are wandering and are not anchored well to the bottom of the container? Otherwise, I like the cdn wicks because they don't flop and they burn a little hotter than the straight cd wicks FOR ME. Finally to clarify my position; the flame creates a draft that draws the fragrance from the melt pool but will suppress the fragrance if too hot. So, is the too hot wick burning off the fo? Yes. Is it sucking the fragrance out of the melt pool and ruining your ST? I would think not. The solution would be to keep testing other wicks until you arrive at the balanced system that a good candle represents. Shallow melt pool with a low enough flame that draws the fragrance up without vaporizing the fragrance oil or tunneling into the wax and where about half way through the candle is able to sustain the results without drowning or overheating the container. The answer to my earlier question is that the tea light is able to fragrance a large area because it drafts the quality fragrance oil up into the room where it is picked up by air currents in a well ventilated house or room but the melt pool itself does not fragrance the room without the other elements being present. Logical.

The original question was whether the melt pool affects the throw of a paraffin wax candle. I don't know what kind of wax you are using jeanie353 but the two wicks are constructed differently. A cd self-trims and because of the way the threads are woven it tends to lean in one direction and this often causes the melt pool to be uneven and flickering or flame dancing may be the result of a draft or inefficient fuel consumption (clogging). The eco is constructed especially for veggie wax and resists corrosion. I suspect that everyone adds their fo into the wax and stirs for several minutes and then pours. Pouring at 185 or 190 degrees is not going to burn off the fragrance oil. But back to the original question....no the melt pool does not effect the throw of your wick it may add some fragrance into the air but the principle way is through combustion. That's why one wick gives you better throw than another; because it burns the wax mixture more efficiently. IMHO I totally agree in temp making a difference in a melt and that the higher temp would lower the life of the melt but remember you are using a higher percentage of fo in that setup.

Pretty obvious marketing ploy, huh Stella? I was really disappointed that this company, which has always produced a great product would stoop to covering up an inferior product. The candles were so overpriced that they probably had been sitting on those shelves for a pretty long time. I didn't see anyone snapping up their product. Heck, couldn't even unscrew the lid off of one of em. I should have taken pics of these abominations but didn't have a camera handy. Keep up the good work Stella and turn out some more rancid product. Steve

Are scented candles safe? Yes. When a candle burns, the wax is drawn into the wick, where it is "consumed" by the candle flame to produce water vapor and carbon dioxide. The only difference with a scented candle is that a small amount of fragrance is released as well. Reputable candle manufacturers use only fragrances that are approved for burning in candles. They also carefully monitor the addition of fragrance to ensure that the candle will burn cleanly and properly. That is from the National Candle folks. Fragrance oil does not burn off it is released into the air as vapor and the melt pool only functions as the mechanism by which the wick is able to draw the liquid wax. Combustion is the best way to put these molecules into the surrounding air and then are drawn off by air currents in the house. Melts use larger percentages of fragrance oil in a medium that has been designed to release the molecules without the aid of a flame but rely on air currents to distribute the fragrance through the room or house. Fragrance oil that has been cut with additives is diluted and therefore weak in cold or hot throw, because the additives do not contain fragrance. The whole system relies on the ability of the fragrance oil to blend not bind with a medium that it has been tested and designed for optimum results. So "burned off" makes no sense in the face of how fragrances are produced through combustion. Zinc wicks are cooler and the rate of consumption means a longer candle life while still providing sufficient combustion without using lead which was released into the air as well. This wax blend may have too many additives and then would require testing with different wicks and fragrance oils, which will require time and money.

I get my cdn wicks at Candlewic and they are long enough for me to get three wicks out of each one for my containers. Buy a pound of wick assemblies and you get at least twice as many wicks for the price of one. HTH Steve

Are we talking wet spots or bloom? According to one highly reputable company, bloom is proof you have a quality pure soy candle. Should the candle discolor and have a slightly sour smell to it as a result of being a pure soy quality creation? Just wondering. Steve

Zinc wicks are the most commonly used for paraffin because they are the coolest burning and do not consume wax at a higher rate than others. LX are just fine for paraffin and some people like them in parasoy blends as well. I calculate that you are using a little over 8% fragrance oil and that should be enough to knock your socks off. Back off to 6% and see what happens. Youtube is a good resource for uk chandlers and soapmakers. Get on a local board or chatroom and find out what others in your area recommend. HTH Steve

A good candle has got to have two great components: cold throw (open jar smell) and hot throw (fragrance fills room(s) and this is best accomplished with high quality fragrance oil that has been tested for a specific type of wax. You get what you pay for in fragrance oils (IMHO) and the higher quality oils usually are more complex and may require different wicking to get the most bang for your buck. You are not going to burn off your fragrance oil at a higher temp you'll just get a deeper melt pool. Make sure you stir your wax enough and start with a 6% load and go from there. Melts/tarts are a different animal but have the same need for quality fragrance oils. HTH Steve

I use grams in soapmaking where it's supercritical but ounces in candles. Sometimes I bounce it back and forth and get pretty much the same results; by the way the kd-8000 scale is on sale at amazon for $39.95. HTH Steve

We are doing fine blacktie but it blew our town of Cordova away. We currently do not have a grocery store and only one gas station but a new place to eat opened up and is doing good business. Jasper did not get hit as hard as others in the area. I take it you are now in Tennessee? I grew up in Knoxville (Fountain City) small world huh? Steve

That's how I felt about it. If they were only interested in selling the liners, that would have been fine by me but they promised the whole package and then ignored my questions. I know other members have their products and are really satisfied and that's why I went with that company. Live and learn. Steve

Youtube has great tutorials for lining your box and about everything else you could imagine. I like seeing how something is done and the different ways people do stuff. Steve

It's the end of the year and the bottom of the wax barrel. I can't prove that but you can set your watch by it that as the year progresses the wax changes ever so slightly. I try to buy my wax in the spring or early summer but you always wind up having to order at the last minute toward the end of the season and the quality is not quite there. Steve

I paid $109.00 for my back up and was proud to get it. I love those GE roasters for ham and turkey. So handy and free up the oven for other goodies. Moan, so fat. I think there's a New Year's resolution coming...run Forrest run!!

Was at a banquet on Friday night and they had tea lights in small glass holders on the tables. Someone dropped their paper napkin on one and it burst into flame and the plastic table cloth started to flame up. A quick thinking waitress came over and doused it with her water pitcher. I thought, "How stupid to put an unprotected candle on a table with lots of paper". I'm telling you the average person doesn't respect a candle or anything else that creates heat. Steve

Heads up, Essential Depot got there two pound bottles for less than half price!

Got my refund and an apology for the problem. All is well with the world but still don't have a good log mold. I am done for the holidays. Out of wax, almost out of jars, out of soap, only have a few odds and ends left and will prolly give those for Christmas gifts. Whew, am I beat. The Christmas Tree farm came back and ordered more and I had just enough to get the order done. Happy Holidays. Steve

That's why you list ingredients. I'll use a coconut heavy bar for a couple of days and then use a more conditioning bar for a couple of days and that way my skin is never too dry or too greasy. I like having glycerin inserts with a good cleansing bar and get the best of both worlds. Steve

Have you tried the Miller Soap site? Good place to start out and a very friendly site. i would recommend Quiet Girl's recipe as an all round good one that doesn't move too fast and makes a good sudsy bar. What type of mold are you going to use (log or slab)? Steve

Well, I pour my three layers into an 8 inch silicone cake pan and each layer is a pound. The next day I remove the mold and center the cake into a 9 inch silicone cake pan. Then pour a thick batter and fill up the sides like frosting and pipe on the top. It is a 5 pound soap cake at that point. Depending on how you want to decorate I would figure three pounds minimum. IMHO. Steve

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the comments. I have sold all the cupcake and cake slices as of today! Not sure there is a market after the holidays but I sure do enjoy making them. Happy Holidays to all my friends on the board. Steve

I got the one with the wire whisk attatchment and its great for mixing up additives and colorants. It's a Hamilton Beach from wally world. HTH Steve

I mix my lye in a stainless steel bowl with a long handled plastic spoon. It gives me enough distance from the bowl to prevent breathing fumes and I wear a mask as well. It's important to pour and stir your lye in small increments. If you pour too much at one time the lye will clump up and not dissolve. I add my tussah silk to the hot lye water and then set it aside while I get my oils ready. I use a microwave to melt my hard oils and by the time everything is in place, the lye water is just the right temp (I keep a pan of water that holds the bowl and helps to cool). HTH

[/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH] Well the photos ran afoul of something but the cake slice is fragranced with Strawberry Shortcake (NG) and has roses, strawberries, jojoba beads and is frosted with Pomegranate (turning a little even with vanilla stabilizer) the log crinkle cut soap is a combo of Essence of Jesus and Raspberry Patch (AH/RE) wow is it nice. The cupcake is Black Raspberry Vanilla (NG) and is supposed to be violet but the company sent out rootbeer and so the icing is brown with a raspberry imbed and then my cake boxes. Thanks for looking. Oh and the really bad pic are some Christmas tree soaps and Alabama and Auburn glycerins.