Clamshells vs portion/shot cups-where to buy & which don't distort scent?

[miagracie]

I'm a new tartmaker with pretty much no experience. I've been reading the boards here and ran across some experiences that concerned me.

Some folks have said that in some clamshells that vanilla scents (which is what I'd be using for making mine for personal use only) tend to distort or get stinky in cold throw. It appears to be those that are stored (and mine would) are affected more than those used quickly?

Is this a common problem with clamshells and vanilla scents? If I want to use vanilla scents should I just skip clamshells alltogether and go with portion cups instead? Or are there some companies with clamshells that are okay and don't do this? If so, where and what kind please?

I'm leaning toward portion cups out of fear of the clamshell problems with vanilla. Does this ever happen with portion cups?

I've read that you want the portion cups with #5 not #6, is this correct? Am I correct in understanding that the #6 cups get melty and crack from fragrance or prolonged tart storage? But that the #5's do not do this?

Where do you reccomend getting the portion cups?

Thoughts...

[blacktieaffair]

I myself, in 4 years and about 4000 clamshells, have never had any vanilla fragrance go wonky because of the clamshell.

Plastic is the same regardless in the fact that, some are going to smell and some aren't, depending on how and with what they are made.

I've only ran across one batch of "stinky clamshell plastic " only once and it was from a supplier I'd used for years strictly for clamshells. Whether they had changed manufactures or not, I don't know. It was just a one time thing.

[glowworm]

I wish I knew your secret blacktieaffair:) I am one of those unfortunate souls that have smelly feet tarts in a couple of months with certain vanilla and/or cinnamon based fos. Thankfully it doesn't happen with all of them and only happens in my clamshells. I have the ellipso portion cups from the webstaurant store and have had some of those same scents in my closet as a control group of sorts for about 6 months now and they still smell as good today as the day that they were poured:) It could very well just be something in my system that is causing this though. I still use the clamshells as my primary tart "container" though because they look very professional and are really easy to dispay and store.

[blacktieaffair]

I've only ordered clams from two sources ever.

Alabaster ( now Community Candle )

Candle Science

When it changed hands so to speak, from Alabaster to Community Candle ( before this "now" owner has it) that is when I got a hold of those 400 that had a huge percentage of smelly plastic ones in it. That was the only time.

I just looked back over my orders for shells since I began ( including all the trips I made to Alabaster on the car ) and out of 7 times getting them from Alabaster/Community candle, (8 different times ) and CS, (3 times), that was the only incident I've had.

Most of my vanilla scents revolve around

Very Vanilla CS

Warm Van Sugar types from BCN CS and Aztec

Bakery scents from CS and BCN

[Dolphin146]

I ordered my clamshells from candle science. Everyone I talked to said they never had a problem with them.

[samandkennasmom]

I've had that happen to quite a few of my vanilla scents too!

[kandlekrazy]

I'm not a big vanilla scent fan but I do make a few vanilla blends like vanilla cappuccino, hansel & gretels house, yellow cake and a few others. I can't recall any of them smelling off or bad in clamshells that sit. I use Impact for the most part, do have some from eclamshell too.

[HorseScentS]

Walmart grocery stores have the clear 2 oz portion cups with lids and #5 in a triangle on the bottom. They're near the plastic cups in the paper plate aisle, and they come in bags of 50 for about $2.97 or so.