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chuck_35550

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Everything posted by chuck_35550

  1. chuck_35550
    That seems awfully pricey for a candle centerpiece that only burns for 4-5 hours. Those have to be molds and the 90 degree one looks like a book. Someone must sell or specially order the molds for these things but I wonder why they are so expensive? Very interesting. Steve
  2. chuck_35550
    The rise in gas prices will result in a rise in shipping charges and since a good deal of glass comes from China; well do the math. I intnend to use up my stocks of jars that have been sitting around the shop (like the 16 oz salsa jars) and don't plan to order anything until late spring or early summer. Steve
  3. chuck_35550
    I use goats milk for all of my liquid and superfat at 5%. Fortunately, I have never had a case of DOS. I think as long as you stick with high oleic soft oils like safflower, sunflower and stay at reasonable percentages on canola or soy; you shouldn't have a problem with DOS. HTH Steve
  4. chuck_35550
    A low pH (0-6) is considered acidic and a high pH (8-14) is considered alkaline on the ph scale. pH 7 is considered neutral. But even good, mild, completely saponified soap is generally more or less alkaline, with a pH between 8 and 10. Far more important than the pH of the soap is its alkali concentration, (excerpt from "Scientific Soapmaking". The lower pH is described as "tongue neutral". The author suggests that it is of more importance to know the alkalinity from the top of the bar to the bottom. Thank you CareBear for the correction. Steve
  5. chuck_35550
    I have a bottle right now that is hard as a brick and will have to be melted or cut out for use. Babassu and pko are the only other oils that are gonna give you bubbles. Steve
  6. chuck_35550
    I don't check ph but keep my soap on a stainless steel soap dish. Seems like the issue with the wood has to do about the type of sealant used or not sealed at all. There are a ton of variables concerning soap IMHO. Most importantly is a person's skin type and whether they have hard or soft water. Soap that works for my skin does not work for others with different skin problems and or if they have allergies. Most lye soap is low ph, according to what I've read in most books. HTH. Steve
  7. chuck_35550
    Depends on the melt point of the waxes. The higher the melt point, the more heat needed to produce the pool and the faster the burn. Your description seems to indicate a lower melt point as a result so less flame is needed. Does this sound right guys? Jump in here Stella. HTH. Steve
  8. chuck_35550
    There are a lot of excellent threads on here about mixing fragrances. I would think that the same approach would apply to formulating perfume or a candle fragrance, in that, you would use top, middle and bottom notes. All of us have our basic mixing fragrances that we add to other blends or start totally from scratch. I just did a blend of TCS Vanilla Bean Noel with KY Plumberry Spice (yes that's a basic blend) but some require multiple fragrances to duplicate popular fragrances or to come up with totally new approaches to a type of fragrance. Read, read read. HTH. Steve
  9. chuck_35550
    Like Josie and the Pink Pussycats?
  10. chuck_35550
    My 12 oz salsa jar states 8 fl oz on the label and my 16 oz jar states 10 fl oz. HTH Steve
  11. chuck_35550
    Well, as usual, there is a catch to everything. There is not a good lid for that tumbler, there are plastic dust covers that will fit and there used to be a great metal cover that looked really upscale. I switched over to the 12 oz salsa jar that holds about 8 oz of wax and has a lug or screw on gold cap and is about as tall as it is round. I use a cd 18 wick which works wonders in almost all my fos and produces a great ht. I buy them in bulk but you can find them at Fillmore if you are interested. You might give the salsa a whirl too. HTH Steve
  12. chuck_35550
    If you are using smooth sided jars and not quilted; a round or rectangular label will work on the side. Avery has free downloads for all kinds of labels that you can buy at Wally World. I have a ton of labels loaded on my computer and can create new ones in a blink. You can also get kraft labels that go well with those jars. Any way to keep down costs is my bottom line. My customers like my clear 2x4 labels on salsa jars. HTH Steve
  13. chuck_35550
    Status jars are not listed as tumblers. May I recommend the Libbey Universal Tumbler 8.5 ? This used to be known as the Crisa jar and was mfg in Mexico until bought out by Libbey; it is a very classy and easily wicked container. IMHO. Steve
  14. chuck_35550
    You usually have to wick up to accomodate the increase in fo IMHO. It depends on the viscosity of the wax and what fo per cent it will bear. If you change your basic formulation its gonna require other changes as well. Flash point in wax is not an issue. The issue is whether your wicking can accomodate the wax/fo efficiently or not. HTH Steve
  15. chuck_35550
    This wax was a huge hit for Greenleaf Candle (no longer in business) a couple of years ago and is now carried by Tennessee Candle Supply as TN 70/30. It is a company based in Texas. I find it to be a reliable product that rarely causes me problems. There aren't many board members using this wax, so you don't hear much about it. Just type in Clarus wax and you should get the web site and then go to candles. HTH. Steve
  16. chuck_35550
    The 3020 is Clarus' version of 6006 and is a paraffin/soy blend the 3022 is the 70/30 soy/paraffin blend. All I can tell you is that my customers state its the best candle in town and fills the house with fragrance. Most of the time they are buying candles with less than a week of cure time. I use to put a little coconut oil in the wax to improve the ht but at this point in time the wax doesn't require any additives. I'm bad to get these numbers confused but the web site lists these numbers as posted. Considering how busy this season has been, I could be wrong about the whole blooming thing. Steve
  17. chuck_35550
    Tumblers are pretty straight foward. The best are going to be straight sided and about the same diameter from top to bottom. You should be able to get the same ht as with any other container, it's just a matter of wicking. HTH Steve
  18. chuck_35550
    I started with a votive kit. They sent me 12 votive molds with wick pins, enough wax to make several batches of votives, candle color, wicks and fragrance oil. They had instructions on the web site and good customer service for questions. I made up Valentine packages (bought votive holders at the local dollar tree) and gave them as gifts. The next thing I did was read the archives and all posts until my eyeballs crossed! You will eventually undertand the lingo and everyting else but it takes time. HTH Steve
  19. chuck_35550
    I have been using the 3022 (70/30 soy) for several years now. I currently use 16 and 8 oz salsa jars and some specialty containers with cd wicking. My favorite quality of this wax is that it normally doesn't require cure time. It adheres extremely well to the container walls and is easy to wick in most containers. I tried other blends but came back to this wax due to its reliability in quality and overall appearance. At this point in time, all waxes are about the same in price but even still it is worth the extra to be able to depend of your wax. HTH. Steve
  20. chuck_35550
    Its Flickers. it is naturally lemon colored (the fo?) didn't use any coloration. I used a bar in the shower today and was real pleased with the feel on my skin but its too creamy and not enough suds. Shoot, I thought you were headed to England and then you could report what they're soaping. lol Steve
  21. chuck_35550
    Did I read somewhere that a certain mod is going to London? Could it be Santa? No. Scented? Steve
  22. chuck_35550
    I'm hopeless Babs. I need to post pics of these lovely lemon yellow bars. So far they haven't turned but they are getting a fine ash on them. They are soft and I think maybe the formula needs a tweak to firm them up some. I think this new formula is a keeper. How am I supposed to get brilliant color without using a ton? Steve
  23. chuck_35550
    LOL. I guess the container is half full then? I would go with my soapers association but their minimum is 400 pounds. Yikes! Now if Babs and some other Bama girls would go in together?
  24. chuck_35550
    You are a real fiend Stella. The mats just help with the old back aches and not much at that but better than nothing at all. There are some really good citrus based cleaners that cut the wax build up really good but I ditto the steam thingy. It could be that your floors have been sealed and any minor amount of a film will cause it to get really slick. Does my post make any sense at all? I am so tired....don't know if I can make it through to the end. Steve
  25. chuck_35550
    I like cd or cdn wicks. They burn hot and they self-trim (sorta). I went through lx and the others but have stayed with the cds. HTH. Steve
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