chuck_35550

There are some great YouTube videos on this subject.

I just read an article about the recall of 7 million tea lights. One tea light melted its plastic container and the company recalled 7 million rather than chance one person losing their property or life or lives of loved ones. Why not continue to make your specialty candle but insert a container that would increase the safety of your product? I have used all kinds of containers until a thick walled juice glass shattered...no, exploded! Thank God it was in my home and not in a customer's. I bought a slice of pie candle that was in a cardboard wedge that caught on fire and filled my house with black smoke. I thought surely the thing was safe if it was for sale. I don't care what you say or don't say about how the customer should safely manage your product; buyer beware is not a defense. HTH Steve

Has TCS stopped selling? Can you hook me up with another option? I have one case left and need to order more. TIA Steve

Anybody got a lead on similar fo for Hemingway? TIA Steve

Truth in advertising would state: results may vary according to the individual consumer's practices or failure to follow mfg burning recommendations. All of this is strictly subjective to the environment (drafts, fans, power burns, ect). The question can't reasonably be answered because there are too many variables. All combustion produces by-product. It isn't apparent until you clean and find it on the paper towel or cleaning rag. Leaving the consumer out of the equation is unwise. You may have the most perfectly wicked candle in the universe and then the consumer sets the candle under a ceiling fan and burns it for 8 hours straight and then complains about soot on the jar and flame dancing too much. Lastly, just try to get a comprehensive report on the harvesting, processing and storing of any wax. Soy, palm, cottonseed, coconut, straight, blended soy or parrafin....who knows? The shadow do. HTH Steve

I have a tax free card with Walmart as a wholesaler. Usually, they only place Easter baskets on clearance (tall weave baskets) and not those other baskets that we use for heavey items like candles and soap. You just have to look and then ask for a manager to see if you can get a deal on them. HTH Steve

That's good news for me to hear. The case is usually 66 pounds and the price would work out to $102.30 and shipping would up that amount about $35.00 for my location.

Zinc wicks were so popular because the metal kept the wick from sagging when heated. A nice tight clipped wick accomplishes the same thing. The wick might look straight from outward appearances but actually has sagged in the wax and after a few burns will begin to wander in the container. Just make sure the wick is nice and tight and your centering tool should take care of the rest. HTH Steve

I use an oven digital thermometer that has a silver cord with a probe on the end. Submerge the probe and get accurate readings at your fingertips. There are several options for alarms but if you want the thermometer to warn you of overheating; you need a bbq grill version. It has a remote control that will alert you if your wax is too hot and you can turn the heat off or down. HTH Steve

Do you use Borax to soften your lye water? Borax will encourage ash (according to some books). Some folks cover their soap with plastic wrap to avoid ash. Use search and look at the ash posts. HTH Steve

I've been using that wax for years now. It is made by Clarus and is 70 per cent soy. It is a very dependable wax and needs little time to cure if any. I use cd wicks and pour at 185 to 190 degrees into warmed jars and then cover for a slow cooling period. It has great ct/ht and burns cleanly. I don't know what I will do if they stop selling it, as there are no other suppliers available. I have never had a complaint on this wax. Good stuff. Steve

Buy a wig, it should cover the bald patches from pulling out your hair. jk. I would give myself enough turn around time to fill orders. Find out how much time you will have to get them done. HTH Steve

Try 85% 6006 with 15% soy and heat to 190 and pour at 185 or 180 into cool jars that have been washed and let cool on the counter and don't cover. You should get great ct/ht from this combination. Search posts that list great fos with 6006 and you should be satisfied. I liked the cd wick in that formula but that's just me. Sky rocketing prices of raw materials and shipping are going to cut into your bottom line, so look for these waxes locally if possible. HTH Steve

Here's what I do. I bought one of those meat thermometers (straight metal stick with meter on top) and it has a plastic sleeve. I place my wick in the sleeve (you can use a pen barrell too) and then place a piece of 3m mounting foam (walmart green plaid in squares or on a roll) and holding onto the end of the wick, center it on the bottom of the jar. I place a large craft stick with a hole drilled in the center on top of the jar and secure the wick with a clip. Some folks twist their wick several times (especially cd wicks) so that they turn as they burn and give an even burn through the life of the candle. Easy peasy. HTH Steve

Candlewic is the one.

Candlewic is dead on. IMHO, Steve

Just By Nature was my favorite Muscadine. The new company (Southwest Candle Supply) calls it "Fruit of the Vine". I've not tried it so you should try a sample. Ah/RE carries "Muscadine Vineyard" which is very good but has a tendency to separate if you don't mix it thoroughly. Mill Creek has a Kudzu but I have never tried it. I hear it's quite good but probably doesn't come close to the Alabaster fragrance. HTH Steve

I decided a long time ago that WSP had good product lines but weren't great enough to justify the cost. The protracted recession and the current events around the world have taken a toll on consumer spending habits. Business is just not where it used to be and I don't expect an upturn until people feel comfortable spending money on luxury items. Suppliers have stopped offering price breaks on bulk and this is just a response to lower demand in a demand driven market. Plus, we are entering the slow time for sales. Shipping cost on the front or at the end is still going to be high and drive down orders until the raw products are absolutely needed. There are a lot of suppliers missing in action due to hard times. Good luck and be gentle. Steve

Concentrated fragrance in a poorly ventilated area or room would probably cause some people difficulty. I have to turn on a vent fan when pouring in the shop at home or my wife has to leave the house. She has become increasingly sensitive to fragrances that are super concentrated or have a floral base. She doesn't break out in hives but her nose stops up and her eyes water. I encountered a shop in Gatlinburg whose candles were so strong they could be detected a block from the shop. You couldn't stay in the shop long and catch a good breath of air. It was worse than going to a distributor show room.

Have you seen the demonstration on You Tube? The video states that the chandlers train for a year to learn the technique. The video is fascinating but also explains why so few chandlers attempt this art. Lonestar has the 5 point star pillar molds and the wax. There are a few projects available by just typing in cut and curl candle projects. HTH Steve

Welcome to the board and good luck with your testing. There are a lot of good threads for 6006 and wicking, so you are good to go. Hope we can help you with any questions. Steve

I have to agree with you about the end result on a votive but the V wax was great for maintaing a pillar like shell that helped to keep the wick from wandering. That's interesting about your report on the silicone mold. Thanks, Steve

If this is just some fun lab stuff I guess that's ok but for me it's the bottom line. My wax plus shipping is running about 9 cents an ounce and I can't afford to run that cost up any higher. Used to be that soy wax was really cheap and you could make a soy candle for a fraction of the cost than that of paraffin. Today, all the waxes are expensive and almost all of them are a blend of either vegetable or paraffins. I use a blended wax of 70/30 (soy/paraffin) and I'm proud of it. No customer has ever asked for an all soy candle. I guess Alabamians are just ignorant but all they ever want is a candle that smells good and burns decently in an attractive container. Good luck on obtaining a blend of expensive waxes and hitting a gold mine. No matter which way you go, there's stuff in your wax that you don't know and never will know what it might be. IMHO Steve

My candles have about 1/2 inch of wax left in the bottom at the end of the burn. I am uncomfortable with a wick assembly that allows all the wax to melt away. Customers have never questioned why there is a bit of wax left in the bottom because I tell them that's the design of the candle. Hang up is a thin film on the wall and not a tunnel. If the wax under the wick assembly is being used; that jar is going to be red hot. There are extensive threads about properly sealing the wick assembly to protect the integrity of the candle. I get palpitations just thinking about one of my candles burning totally clean of wax. Steve

A votive is like a minature pillar candle. While it might be held in a votive holder, it still operates best when the wax is contained within the structure of the votive. The wick pin insures that the wick is dead center of the structure and is also anchored on the bottom via the wick assembly. People used to pour the whole votive and then use a skewer to poke a hole in the middle and then thread the wick. You got off center candles, cracked candles, well you get the picture. Wick pins are just not that complicated and they give you good results once you get used to making them. Its cheaper than buying the clam shell type assemblies and besides, you can wear your cut fingers like a badge of honor. Steve