Laura C

Hi @Lisa ATX. I don't have a good answer for you but do some searching on here because there are some posts that talk about this topic and the related fire hazards and safety concerns that should be considered. 😉

@angelcandles here's another great candle wicking video.

I did take the time to watch his video and take my own notes, it was well worth it, one of the best videos I've watched all year. I now have some new benchmarks to address when I resume my wick testing and you gotta love the infrared thermometers. 🕯️

@angelcandles you should check out this post and watch this guy's wick testing video. And be sure to look at the links he has posted on the YouTube page. Overall he makes a lot of sense and makes some good points. I'm just not sure why he isn't concerned with all the build up of thick, black soot on the jars. He doesn't address that and it drives me nuts, for me that's a fail. I technically understand why he says his Winning Test candle passes but it sure looks bad and had tunneled, I didn't like the aesthetics of it at all. It certainly is a juggling act. I should ask him some questions, maybe he would respond. Search on here for other wick testing posts, you should find some more good ones.

That's at least a good starting point and then you can go up or down from there.

Geez, I sure second that and wish I had only know this when I was first starting out, sure would have saved me lots of time and money. LOL.

Hi @angelcandles. I don't know for sure and I can't speak from experience but you would think that buying wax or any other candle making supplies on eBay would be fine as long as you buy from a reputable seller, particularly a candle supply company and not Sally's Bait & Tackle, LOL. For instance I saw this on eBay from vacandlesupplies which appears to be a solid business and has their own website too. https://vacandlesupply.com/ https://www.ebay.com/itm/IGI-4630-CONTAINER-WAX-SINGLE-POUR-CANDLE-WAX-CANDLE-MAKING-SUPPLIES/230848951027?hash=item35bfab72f3:m:mOg9zbCZHjNx3mCTUa1i_Bw I consider eBay as another source for artisans and businesses to open shop and display their goods just like on Etsy and Amazon.

Wow, I had no idea so many people didn't like the EcoSoya waxes. Like I've said, I really like their Pillar Blend but I do believe it was the only wax of theirs that I have used. As we all know what works for you may not work for others.

Great, thanks for sharing this video, sounds interesting. I'll have to spend some time and watch it all.

Hello and welcome Josh.

I fell for their Ecosoya PB soy wax and really liked it, I"m bumming. Great question, what supply they can't secure? I don't get it. 😫

OMG! Are you f'n kidding me? I'm about ready to take up knitting. LOL. But seriously, seems like chandlers can't catch a break. Their Ecosoya PB pillar blend wax is one of my favorite soy waxes, especially for making soy wax melts. Oh well, so much for that idea. I'll have to use a lesser wax or go about testing yet another new wax. All I want for Christmas are stable and reliable suppliers.

That's a real bummer, Ecosoya PB pillar blend wax was one of my favorite Soy Waxes, at least for making melts. I really liked it and had great results. Geez, here I go again, back to a lesser wax or having to test yet another new soy wax. Having to revamp your products seems to never end as a chandler. 😝

The square jars I have seen are clear, not noticed any white or black.

A long time ago I searched for tins and I do remember that there are some out there that have a particular coating that is suppose to prevent them from rusting due to chemical reactions with candle mixes. I know some tins will rust because some candles that I have purchased have rusted and the pale colored wax looked rusty too around the edges. Right now I could only find Silver rust resistant candle tins at Papermart. https://www.amazon.com/RUST-RESISTANT-DEEP-ROUND-STEEL/dp/B00HUV7FV4 https://www.papermart.com/p/rust-resistant-tin-cans/52907 https://www.papermart.com/p/rust-resistant-screw-lid-tin-cans/53054

Hi @Dee26 and welcome to Craft Server. I second what @NightLight said and just to stress the point again, it takes a lot of research, testing and patience to make a safe, high quality candle. But if you like this sort of thing it can be a lot of fun and addictive, LOL. There are a lot of friendly and helpful people on here and a lot of great information. If you haven't already, try searching for what you're looking for and you may find that answers have already been posted. Sounds like maybe you bought a candle making kit and that's a great place to start. You could try out candle making kits from different places that offer different types of waxes to see which wax you like working with the best. Along the way you'll be working with different wicks and scents and be able to figure out more about those elements/variables as well and how they interact with the different waxes. Every part of a candle is a variable so when you finally get all the variables right or in cooperation with each other then you end up with a great burning, great smelling and great looking candle. When you change even 1 of the variables (the scent for instance) then the candle changes, it may be a huge change or it may be a slight change so you need to consider that. These variables also include temperatures, temps for the wax mix and the temp and humidity in the room you're working in. So, the product and the environment have variables that you are dealing with. I may have left something out but this is some of the stuff I thought of. I guess what I'm trying to say, LOL, is that candle making is a mixture of art and science. The biggest barrier to achieving a safe and proper burning candle is the wick selection. As a precaution, I came across this post on here and wanted to share it with you regarding microwaving wax, it is not advised. Cheers and enjoy your candle making journey! 🍻 😊 Laura C

Came across this video channel of a Food Photographer, Joanie, and it should apply to photographing candles, wax melts and B&B products. She is really good and takes amazing photos. So, with high hopes, I want to create product photos that look like hers, haven't tried it yet. She makes it look and sound so easy. https://www.youtube.com/thebiteshot

I love those canvas labels, really cute. You did a nice job with the design.

Regarding Marketing and Branding, this specifically relates to your marketing plan and the verbiage you use. Anyway, I came across this very interesting and eye-opening TED Talk video of Simon Sinek discussing his Golden Circle model. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-127374

Wix and Shopify certainly seem popular and they allow people to create nice looking sites, I've not used either one of them but may in the future. I like Etsy but I agree, them charging the seller a fee on their shipping charges is nasty and ridiculous. Who thought of that one and that it would go over well?!? There certainly are reasons why FB s#cks but unfortunately it's kinda like you have to just deal with them whether on a personal level or on a business level. Right now it's the best way I have to keep up with friends and family in other states or I would close my accounts. And I'm thinking once I get a candle business up and running that I will probably need to use FB or at least see if it gives me great results. Just from a visual perspective, I really like Pinterest and Instagram (darn it, another FB company).

Exactly, you are on fire today @TallTayl, LOL. I'm enjoying this conversation. I like to observe things that I like too and use the parts that I like. I don't want to exactly copy someone but certainly learn from them. You can really learn a lot from those big, successful companies, I mean they have huge budgets and teams of experts that work on this stuff so why not take advantage of that and use it to put your own spin on things. You are cracking me up and I'm loving some of your lines from above such as: "You like Apple? Here ya go, how do you want it? " "... easy to find what you didn’t know you needed" "Once in a while the stars align and make magic." This is awesome stuff, light bulbs are bursting on, it's a good day.

So it's just not me, LOL. Awesome, glad someone with show experience chimed in, thanks @TallTayl. I may be late to the party but I'm starting to realize that design and decorating principles can be used with anything and not just photography, logos, labels, and websites. 🎨 🖼️🎪

Hmmm... I'm thinking if you put them into groups that visually look the same or similar then they would look more organized and maybe leave a little bit of space between the groups. Maybe this would work, maybe not, IDK. Somebody with show experience would know. By all means, I'm not trying to be a harsh critic but to be honest with you, as a shopper, I would hesitate to go into your booth and would probably just walk on by. It simply looks to chaotic and confusing and I'm not going to want to deal with that. But hey, maybe it's just me and any other neat freaks out there, LOL.

Good for you for getting out there. Looks cute and I like the grass and pink chandelier.

So sad that we won't be seeing anymore posts or pretty wax melts and candles from Trappeur. It's still hard to believe she's gone. 😥