chuck_35550

They look like the 7.5 Libbey jars that used to be made by Crisa. Looks like they have lids with a plastic fitment, as those jars usually do not have a mftg lid. Nice look. Do you know if those are available? Steve

I just had to sit down and cry. Your soaps are so beautiful and you are so knowledgable and my soaps are just the pits! My customers buy a lot of soap and they think it's great but I tell them they ought to see what you real artists do with a bar. Been missing you Babs. Steve

Wow, this one drives me crazy. There are several ingredients that accelerate saponification and as a result people don't insulate or encourage the process by adding more heat. Milk soaps are especially vulnerable to overheating IMHO. I don't place mine in the freezer but I do soap colder and never cpop or insulate. I do love a full gel on a regular soap because the colors seem more vivid and I fell like the soap is fully saponified. I know there is no real scientific foundation for that belief but it still gives me a feeling of safety. I get ash either way. HTH Steve

Fragrance oil changes a lot of elements in the candle environment. Some bakery scents are notorious for causing soot, mushrooms and difficulty with wick efficiency. I look for the width of the meltpool (does it eventually take up the width of the container), the depth of the meltpool (1/2 inch max) and the temp of the outside of the jar during different burns (especially at the bottom or end burn). A wick matches the candle enviroment of wax type, fo amount, and container configuration. The only constants are your container and wax type; the fo becomes the variable that alters the outcome. People will post whether or not a particular fo requires a change in wicking in a particular wax medium. That's why we buy those 1 and 2 ounce sample bottles. HTH Steve

I think I'm brain dead. You aren't using 6006 so excuse me for that misinformation. Sorry.

I use the actual container. I pour up the candle and then after it has set up, use a skewer to poke a wick hole in the middle (I know Stella) and test the combination of wax, fo and wick in that container. If its too hot or drowns, then I take a pair of pliers and pull the wick out and after the wax has cooled test another wick. Take notes on how deep the melt pool, how long it took to get a full melt pool, hot throw, cold throw, mushrooming, hot jar and so forth. HTH. Steve

Try adding 15% soy to the 6006. That is a good stand alone wax but can be unforgiving on the fo amount and wicking. The added soy (say 415 ) smooths the wax out a bit IMHO. HTH. Steve

Cold throw is everything in candle sales. If you can't get a decent ct you might think about changing wax. IMHO. Steve

IMHO is a reasonable way to make your case. We've all been in terrible arguments but usually work things out; unless you just like making trouble. Thanks for the great response Moonshine and lol Island Girl. Steve

I have a presto pot with a spout. It completely melts in a matter of minutes and then I stir it with a spoon before use. HTH Steve

Some fragrance oils state they contain essential oils as part of their formula. I'm interested in anything that might contain some natural fragrance essences, no matter how small that amount might be and rarely consider toxicity. I believe you do have to be careful about any beneficial claims concerning your products. I don't mind the debates but lately it seems like the tone gets pretty nasty at times. Just saying...... Steve

What made you change from 6006? Steve Ooops, I see this was an old thread. Nevermind.

My accountant helped me to form an LLC and then get federal and state tax numbers. I now do my taxes monthly on-line and submit my end of the year stuff to the accountant. There are some good threads about liability insurance and you will need to decide if you are retail or wholesale or both. Web sites, domains and all that stuff will take you time and effort and not necessarily money. Start small, word of mouth is your best friend. Careful about oral contracts with wholesalers or entering into agreements with cosignment shops. Slow and easy. Steve

There are two ways to approach appearance in containers. One way is to go for total adhesion with no wet spots and the other is to have the wax totally pull away from the container wall. I personally don't care for the latter approach but in the end it's the customer who will dictate that issue. There are a few threads about single wicking 4" jars but I think you already know what you are up against. Good luck. Steve

Go to any of the suppliers on the list and order a votive kit. You pick out fragrances and color and they send you everything you need to make a good votive. Start with paraffin and work your way into soy or a soy/paraffin blend. Paraffin is much easier to handle in the beginning (IMHO). You can get glass votive holders at a Dollar Store for nearly nothing and then buy some cellophane bags at Walmart and package with a label that you can print yourself and give as gifts or promotions. Burn them first in your home and take notes on how well they burn with which fragrances and or if they have problems such as getting the votive holder too hot. Votives are fun and easy. Don't waste your money at a hobby shop. Steve

I think you would be happy with double wick in a 4" diameter container. You either have to use a large flame or stumble on a perfect configuration that will not remain consistent IMHO. A candle shouldn't be red hot to the touch but hang up isn't going to go away without sufficient heat production. Try a double wick and see if things aren't easier but be prepared that some customers don't like double wicks. HTH Steve

Pillars are especially challenging candles. I have one that was given to me by a board member that retained its fragrance for years and still burns with never a flaw in the wall or melt pool. This is a very difficult achievement and one of the reasons why I stick with containers IMHO. You really need a good reference point with materials. There are all kinds of paraffins that are meant for all kinds of different uses and mixing them just gives you a barrel of unknowns. You have people out there who buy cheap candles and then rebatch them and sell them as their own. I think that's fraudulent, much less dangereous. Use the search and go back to the archives for reference and a starting point. Good luck. Steve

Thanks for the great advice. I will try to post pics on it soon. Steve

I used that for swirling. The main batter was left as is which had a slightly yellow tint on the second one but the other formula was a very white soap. The swirls are very soft and pastel and don't show up very well against the background. I'll try and post some pics later on. Steve

I could be wrong (have been on many occasions) but it seems that the manufacturers are leaving the distributors high and dry. What can you say to a customer but that its out of stock and you don't know when it will come back in stock? JBN has changed so many of their formulations (creme' brulee for one) that its risky to order the old faithfuls without testing in a sample. This is the time of year when most distributors are performing inventory and sales are pretty low; so theres not a lot of push. Valentines is meh for me and spring is a little better but summer is like nada. I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't a rash of closings. You can't operate without stock. Steve

My last two batches have turned out nicely but the colors are very pastel. I used Scented's advice and mixed my pops with some glycerin and used the sb before adding soap. I used about 1/8th of a tsp to about a cup of soap batter and the colors were very smooth but not not popping. I poured in unscented batter on my second batch (cause these fos accelerate) and found I had plenty of time to play once I added the fo to the main batter. How the heck do you get vivid color without coloration of your suds? Steve

Have you soaped this recipe? You know, I just can't tell about this stuff anymore. The recipe doesn't appear to be well balanced (sat:unsat) from using mostly soft oils but you never know until you soap it. It seems it would be a soft soap but the olive would eventually harden the bar over a cure time. Personally, I would up the cocoa butter and reduce the olive a bit but you'll have to be careful because the coconut is pretty high. Let the soap experts chime in here and give you better advice. HTH Steve

The same thing happened to me with the Shortbread, couldn't give it away. I use it as a mixer and still don't understand why people don't care for the fragrance. I think the cold throw doesn't do the hot throw justice IMHO. The best deal CW has is their long wicks. I can get two hundred candles out of those suckers. HTH Steve

I keep my palm in my old Presto with a spout. It melts fast and then I stir the stearic off the bottom before measuring. HTH Steve