chuck_35550

I would check your scales. Are these milk soaps? Steve

I used to put my molds in the toaster oven and get them all nice and toasty and clean them out with a wipe. My favorite wax was the IGi V wax. Try putting a little coconut oil in your wax (about 1 tsp pp) and see if that helps. Oh yeah, I used to wear those gloves with the rubber fingertips to prevent cutting and get a good grip on hot molds. I don't offer votives anymore (couldn't sell em). Steve

I sell a 12 oz salsa which holds 8 oz of wax. I list it as an 8 oz candle on the label. I have nearly sold all of those and will begin selling a 16 oz salsa that holds 10 oz of wax. They come with a gold lid and are easy to wick. Customers refused to buy anymore jelly jars (look cheap in my living room) and have really embraced these jars as the lids are easily removed and they look a little more upscale. HTH Steve

Develop a team of people who's judgement you trust and enlist them to help you test your products. Go slow and try to keep good records of your testing, expenses and a running list of your fos (cause believe me they get out of control fast). None of us are ever totally satisfied because that's how it gets hold of you. I try to make 30-40% profit on retail and about 20-30% on wholesale, depending on the size of the account and the long term relationship. HTH Steve

I take a wipe and clean off the ring if it is really noticeable. The heat gun often causes problems if you aren't careful. I don't think most customers pay attention to a little ring of wax. HTH Steve

Remember that most glassware at the dollar store are seconds or worse. I bought a bunch of really thick Libbey juice glasses from the Dollar Tree and once they got hot, they nearly exploded. I still have about thirty of them in the corner of the shop. It was fun in the beginning to hunt for bargains but I got over that and went for dependable, available and cheaper glassware. HTH Steve

I recommend a kit. Its the easiest way to get your feet wet without spending a ton of money. You will find a rather large hook in your mouth and no amount of running will tire out your desire to get up to your hips in crafting. You have my deepest sympathies. Steve

I've used a hand mixer (with beaters) to see if the wax and fo would uniformly blend or incorporate and didn't see any noticeable difference. I think most people heat wax to the higher degree because once you add dye and fo and do the stirring and are ready to pour; the wax has cooled to the right temp. At least thats how I do my thing but my pot stays on a burner with a thermometer (oven type with silver wire) and stir each time I pour a candle. Wax and oil do not chemically bond. HTH Steve

That jar would look nice with the double wick and I would fill it just below the curve. HTH Steve

Those should be a plastic fitment and I've never noticed an odor with mine. I stopped using those jars because customers couldn't get the hang of how to get the lid off (go figure). If it is more of a new plastic smell, I would try airing them out or get some other people to sample your candles and report if the odor is a problem. HTH Steve

I bet those are the bottom of your pour pot. If you stir throughout the pour then it may be that the fo is really heavy and will collect as soon as you stop stirring. I had an fo that collected on the top and bottom and almost always the end of the pot was the culprit. HTH Steve

Some of the suppliers have their descriptions/clip art protected and some don't. If any of this stuff were original content it wouldn't necessarily belong to suppliers but to whomever came up with it first. Why else do we have a thread for duplications? BBW has been pretty intense about protecting their stuff but suppliers still use the descriptions. You might as well get used to business as it is run in most places. If she makes an inferior product it will be her undoing and as far as the environment; candle burning of any kind is negligible. IMHO Steve

If you are talking mp base it would depend on whether its low moisture and where you are storing. I had some mp clear that got lost for about a year and it was just fine. Soaping oils have about 1 year shelf life for most. I am a part timer and keep about 100 pounds of wax but have a ton of glassware. If I was full time it would be in pallets. HTH Steve

I use the same labels as Jonsie and they will work on either type of printer (mine is inkjet) and they never smudge. They are clear 2x4 labels and they do a great job and look real professional. They'll send you a sample to see if it will work for you, great cs. I had the same problem with some cheapy close outs and the krylon thing was a nightmare. hth Steve

If I was gonna go back to paraffin it would have to be J-223 or whatever its called now. I know some will say J-50 or whatever its called now but for me the 223 was always the best for ct/ht. Just embrace the mushrooms and occasional sooting. HTH Steve

I would buy the stainless steel. I bought mine and installed the spout myself. I took a micro screen and shaped it around the spout on the inside of the pot to strain out particles and it never clogs. It is much easier for me to fill my pour pot and not waste wax (cause I'm pretty clumsy). The teflon flakes off and periodically manages to get throught the micro mesh screen and it drives me nuts. I only use mine now to keep my palm oil for soapmaking and use a surf and turk. God help me when it bites the dust. Ebay here I come. HTH. Steve

What wax?

Have you tried a little coconut oil?

If you're going to go to the trouble of printing a circle and punching a hole in the middle; how is that any different than what you are doing? You can download Avery and they have a circle template or you can use the circle and make it as large as you want and make a master template which is really easy to do. I use a paper from walmart that is heavy stock and has a nice background for my soap wrappers. Very inexpensive and easy to do. HTH Steve

We wander in the dark with the elements of candle making. Wax and fragrance oil ingredients are mostly unknown. Hence, the more unknowns you add to the mix the darker your path. Paraffin changes the viscosity and may alter the original design of the wax blend in a cosmetic sense but rarely improves the intended results. I use a 70/30 blend (soy/paraffin) with no additives. I have introduced coconut oil and petrolatum when soy quality was brittle but otherwise I use it as intended. HTH Steve

There is no solution to your problem. I have fos that only come to life when burned and are poorly represented by the cold throw. These are usually bakery fragrances but sometimes floral as well. I believe the key is in making sure that you describe the fragrance by its burn characteristics. Good luck on getting an accurate reaction from everyone that sniffs. I think you're over thinking this and should concentrate on writing those really great fragrance descriptions instead. IMHO. Steve

Yankee extrudes the fragranced mottling wax into pellets and uses automation to blend the pellets around the wick. I'm sure there are a number of steps taken to cure and they have perfumers who know how to get maximum performance from their wax blend. Yet Yankee is notorious for poor wick performance, soot and loss of fragrance strength about half-way through the life of the candle. Go buy a Votivo and get really frustrated. Take about 10 fragrances that have been posted as good ct/ht in your choice of wax and test them at various strengths, beginning at 6%. Test cure times beginning at one week. Test fo strengths with different wicks at best cure times, give these candles to people whose judgement you trust as testers and give them a survey to fill out. HTH. Steve

I have almost everything stock piled and have pretty much stopped production for the time being. Gas should hit $4.00 a gallon for spring break and possibly $5.00 for summer. Shipping is going to be impossibly high so hurry up and get supplies. I don't think this is going to be a slight increase. Good luck. Steve

Do you cut those the same way as the mantra swirl to get the effect? Steve

Ok, I have found in MY wax that large wicks burn WICKEDLY HIGH and heat the glass up too much. I gotta bunch of big un cds you're welcome to take off my hands. Apothcary jars are just plain a pain to wick and anything over 16 oz needs to be double wicked IMHO. I use a 70/30 blend and Stella doesn't, go figure. I love you Stella and you are my favorite character in a "Streetcar Named Desire". Steve