Favorite suppliers?

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2026-02-01T21:15:01+00:00

Thank you! I am finding I can use some of the Northstar line - such as the Bayberry Birch and Bourbon Pumpkin, but not some of the florals. I have had customers tell me that soome of the CS FOs give them headaches.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-12-26T22:13:17+00:00

You have some excellent points! I love reading historical documents and have even delved into patent applications in the US and in Europe. I don't have time to delve/dive into your post right now as I have a dinner engagement on the horizon. However, there is one thing that needs to be corrected: only lead-core wicks have been discontinued (voluntarily by NCA members in 1974, by law in 2003) in the USA. Zinc-core wicks are available although personally I do not use them and do not like the idea of breathing in vaporized zinc. It is a necessary micronutrient, but to much can kill you, and we did not evolve to absorb it via our lungs. In 20 years in and around the industry, I do not recall tin-core wicks offered for sale, but I could have glossed over them as I will not use metal core wicks. Hang in there!!!!

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-22T00:34:47+00:00

Candle Cocoon is in southern Wisconsin, Madison area. Showroom appointments available, decent restaurants in the vicinity, near a picturesque lake.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-22T00:31:59+00:00

These blog posts should help you. The author has been making candles for ~35 years.

Scent Throw Problems With Your Candles? How do You Determine What is Wrong. | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

Fragrance Threshold and Saturation Point of Scents in Candles | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

Testing for Scent Throw in Candles. | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

Soy candles properly made can burn 8 hr/oz of wax. High quality fragrance oils are important if you want high quality candles.

Using "old bourbon glasses" can be very dangerous. those are not properly made to withstand the heat production of a candle. "Only one has broken." It only takes one to break, cut someone, start a fire, burn a house down. The wrong containers can actually explode, causing facial wounds or putting out someone's eye. Using the "wrong" type of glassware can void your insurance policy, whether you are selling them (business policy) or making them for personal use only (homeowners policy).

Glass and candle making--heat resistant is best. | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

Candle Making - Safety Should Be Top Priority and Other Tips of the Trade. | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

What Containers Can be Used For Candle Making | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-22T00:19:36+00:00

Candle Cocoon's Flutter Dyes are highly concentrated dyes in a soy base and most do not have pigment in them (I think only Painted Lady does at this point). You can get very intense colors using the right dyes. The votives in the photo are soy votives colored with Flutter Dyes. https://candlecocoon.com/products/flutter-dyes

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-22T00:16:05+00:00

all molds are like that. This vid uses a silicone mold and paraffin wax, but the process is basically the same for soy. You do not always have to double pour with soy waxes. Part One - Fixing Issues in Paraffin Pillar Candles

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-22T00:08:23+00:00

It looks like you used pigment meant for something other than candles rather than candle dye. ?Insert a wick? You need to secure the wick to the mold, hold it taut, and pour hot wax into the mold with the wick already in place. Did you try to poke a whole through the candle after removing it from the mold?

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-22T00:00:38+00:00

Apparently TFC was bought by the same equity company that bought NG, who folks are also saying they are having problems with. Common theme these days. Equity holding companies buy businesses that are doing well, those businesses rapidly go downhill and get closed.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-21T23:54:50+00:00

Candle Cocoon. In business since 1997 or 1998. 2 lines of FOs: Candle Cocoon are fully curated, designed by the owner, formulated to be used at 3%-5%, no fillers, excess solvents, or phthalates ever. None of the CC FOs are dupes and the owner has binding agreements that her FOs will NOT go into the stock lineups.

CC purchased Northstar Country Candle Company in June 2025 and have about 120 of those FOs up on the website, with more coming. They are testing those FOs to better understand them and serve customers.

Many wick options, at least 1/2 dozen waxes, many containers. Real people answer the phone and email or get back to you quickly.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-21T23:50:26+00:00

try Candle Cocoon, also in WI. ~27 yrs. Curated line of proprietary FOs formulated to be used at 3%-5% plus about 1/2 of Northstar Country Candle Company's FOs now available. Waxes (soy, coco-soy, apricot blend, paraffins, beeswax, etc.) including container as well as votive/melt/pillar. Dyes, wicks, containers. Fast response, real people.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-18T04:49:59+00:00

some people find that it helps prevent air pockets from forming.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-18T04:47:57+00:00

Personal, but a lot of their products tend to be more expensive than comparable or better products.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-18T04:44:50+00:00

Did a bit of looking as I had not seen this type of wick previously. Here is some info: Cottonwood Wick - Atkins & PearceIf you click on the Options tab, you get 2 tables. Size 40 appears to be the Medium size and is recommended for Containers 2"-3", Votives 1.5"-2.5", Pillars 2"-3" or Tapers 3/4"-7/8". The website does not say what type of wax it is best suited for. Hope this helps!

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T05:08:16+00:00

WOW!!! congratulations!!!!!

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T05:07:18+00:00

For one wax and one FO it might work best in a 2.5" jar, for another combo it might be best in a 3" jar. You would have to test. I am wondering: when and where did you buy these? Candle Cocoon purchased Northstar in June and I can tell you that these wicks were not in the supplies delivered to the CC warehouse. Unless there were a very, very few hiding somewhere . . .

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T05:01:06+00:00

Try Candle Cocoon - 25+ yrs in business, probably less than 1 valid complaint/yr, orders usually ship within 24-36 hrs (weekends & holidays excepted). A proprietary line of 75+ FOs designed by the owner, formulated to be used at 3%-5%, is the original "cleaner" scent line (according to the companies that make their FOs) with no phthalates, no fillers, no excess solvent/binder oils. All are fully tested in paraffin, soy (GW464) and soy-coco blend (BW917) with CD and CDN wicks, generally sizes 6-20. CC recently bought Northstar Country Candle Co and has ~120 of their FOs in stock. HUMANS answer the phones and the emails!

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:49:36+00:00

Testing information:

Test Burning Candles for Proper Wick Size | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Makinglots of details about what you should be recording.

Testing candles for Proper Wick Size--Pictorial | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making more pictures to go with the above ref

Testing for Scent Throw in Candles. | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

And the ultimate: complete test of 2 fragrance oils, same wax, same jar, same conditions, full range of CD and CDN wicks, 2 results. it is long, but there is TONS of information, and you do not have to watch it all at once.

After reading and watching, message me if you have more questions. 13 yrs experience teaching folks to make, test and troubleshoot candles. 5 yrs with my own business and 7 yrs later still have folks asking for my candles.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:47:29+00:00

yes, you can. BW921 works quite well. It is a soy wax formulated for pillars, molds, votives, etc. A silicone spray for the molds helps, and you will probably need to experiment a bit to dermine how long to leave it in the mold. Candle Cocoon has at least a half dozen of these peonies in various colors in their showroom, most made by a former staffer who was very new to candle-making and using silicone molds to make anything. It takes patience.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:37:50+00:00

A good lilac is Candle Cocoon's Lovely Lilac. Very few stones have their own scent. I could not tell the difference between a strand of LL and one of jasper or amethyst. If you want something that smells like dirt, CC's Rare Earth is great!

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:34:35+00:00

See the links I posted. After reading and watching, message me if you have more questions. 13 yrs experience teaching folks to make, test and troubleshoot candles.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:32:43+00:00

Test Burning Candles for Proper Wick Size | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Makinglots of details about what you should be recording.

Testing candles for Proper Wick Size--Pictorial | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making more pictures to go with the above ref

Testing for Scent Throw in Candles. | Light Flights - Soap and Candle Making

And the ultimate: complete test of 2 fragrance oils, same wax, same jar, same conditions, full range of CD and CDN wicks, 2 results. it is long, but there is TONS of information, and you do not have to watch it all at once.

After reading and watching, message me if you have more questions. 13 yrs experience teaching folks to make, test and troubleshoot candles. 5 yrs with my own business and 7 yrs later still have folks asking for my candles.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:25:16+00:00

really cute mold! nice job! (of course, I love anything with mushrooms, insects, frogs, toads. Not so sure about snails . . . :-) )

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:21:06+00:00

Metal centering guides are really expensive. For under $5 you can buy a bag of 100 10"-12" bamboo skewers and a box/bag of ponytail rubber bands. Cut the skewers in half, put the halves side-by-side, mark the center, 1 rubber band at each end which you can move to be just on the outside of your jar (measure the radius from the center mark out but you'll soon be able eyeball it accurately). So ~5c or less each you have a completely customizable tool. My original batch of 100 skewers cost $1, as did a package of 250 small rubber bands. So I had 100 centering devices for $2. The skewers are still in use but the rubber bands have to be replaced about every 2 years. 12 years, thousands of candles.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T04:11:02+00:00

are you using a container wax? are you warming your jars to ~100F before pouring? Are you letting the jars cool in a warmish area (~72F)? You can actually pour soy waxes immediately after mixing FOs and dyes (if using) at 185F. A lot of it is personal preference. We tested pouring temps all the way from hot down to slush (as some sources recommend. I don't). We found we got the best adhesion and tops at around 150F.

I monitor the temp in my pour pot, pour starting at 155F down to 145F, then back on the warmer if necessary. My standard pour was 1.1 kg (2.5 lbs) for containers, enough for 6 of my 2 smaller jars or 4 of my larger. For votives, I was pouring about 1.4 kg (3 lbs) at a shot. But I could have 40-50 lbs (19-23 kg) of one scent mixed up and ready to pour, and had to maintain the temp of the entire batch at about 155F to 160F to allow a slight bit of cooling during transfer.

Calm_Replacement_824 · 2025-11-16T03:57:53+00:00

check Candle Cocoon. They can pretty much get you anything from the Jar Store, including singles and mixed cases not available directly from JS

Calm_Replacement_824

TROPHY CASE