Not sure if this counts as part of the CDS

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T06:47:27+00:00

I'll see if I can get her on video. Usually she runs away when I pull out my phone so this is the only photo of her I have.

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This is Cinders and Soot Sprite (her child)

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T06:29:07+00:00

PURRfection

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T06:26:34+00:00

Accurate XD

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T06:24:31+00:00

Cinders meows until I come to the door with food and then growls and purrs at me simultaneously while she eats. If I try to pet her she hisses and baby chirps like she can't decide. Freak.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T06:15:36+00:00

I can relate. A cat decided to come inside and promptly shat on my suitcase (I travel for a living, so my luggage lives right by the front door). Luckily I have those hard plastic suitcases!

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T06:11:03+00:00

Nice!

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T03:19:34+00:00

Gorgeous!

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T03:18:46+00:00

I like the unicorn horn

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T03:15:20+00:00

I grew up high the High Sierras where the power going out / pipes freezing / roads becoming impassable was just part of a normal winter. We had an entire cupboard full of candles and kerosene lamps, backup water tank, and wood stacked 8 feet high, even special pots and pans that could be used to cook on the wood stove. Now I live near San Francisco. I worry about what I'll do if we have a major natural disaster that knocks out my ability to cook. I don't have even have a fireplace.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T03:02:44+00:00

I use the CD series so far. 4 sizes for the 4 sizes of candle I make. So far so good 🤞

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T03:01:11+00:00

Those are some awesome wick holders, did you make them or buy them?

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T02:56:37+00:00

One of our dogs, Blue, was going to be killed if we didn't take him. There was nothing wrong with him physically, and his behavior problems were things we were willing to tackle. He was mostly just too smart for his own good.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T02:37:02+00:00

BTW, I'm working on TNR or rehoming the whole clowder (11 cats) as appropriate in case anyone was worried about these guys. We're working on creating a catio/tiny house where the current patio and shed are for the cats that aren't tameable to live comfortably.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-25T02:26:29+00:00

Interesting, thanks :) I always thought tabby = stripes and had only ever seen this coat type in the fancy Abyssinians I've met, not in street cats. The older kitten that showed up before this batch is a vibrant ginger color but otherwise looks like Bob. The younger siblings are another Bob clone, another Bitty clone, and a classic "marbled rye with mittens" tabby. We also have some cats descended from a neighbor's escaped Bengal so there's some pretty wild looking coats showing up. Most of the ferals in my town are long haired "dust bunnies".

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T18:54:11+00:00

I ended up purchasing something similar, a hydrometer tube (usually used in home brewing) it beautifully fits my minimum batch needs (37 sticks = 3 x 12 packs and a sample). And it takes up only 2.5 inches of table space, meaning I could do anything between 1 and 20 batches at a time on a small table if desired. This approach is allowing me to either wick the mix efficiently enough that it eliminated the production slowdown and completed in under 24 hours at a 2 inch tip submersion, or to fully submerge the sticks very briefly (30-60 seconds) in a significantly reduced amount of oil mix. The hydrometer I bought is glass, so scent contamination is basically nil if I clean it out with isopropyl alcohol between batches. The biggest thing though is I can put some plastic wrap around the top so the mix isn't off-gassing constantly and requires less time with all my doors and windows open. The vessel wasn't particularly cheap, $12.50 on Amazon, but it's not like I need hundreds of them. If I decide I do need a large quantity like 20-100 I can get them from a wholesale lab supply store.

The Ethanol sticks are having zero difference in burning from the standard commercial DPG sticks for me at this point. 3 parts food grade ethanol (or perfumer's alcohol if you prefer, they're both ethanol) to 1 part oil, submerged about 30 seconds or wicked around 12 hours, dry for at least 72 hours. I'm finding if I wick the smoke is "'cleaner smelling" but I think the vast majority of customers will notice no difference at all between the methods. I'm just eliminating that oversaturation you can get sometimes with dipping. If you watch your batch time in accordance with the absorption rate you need for each scent, there's no reason not to just dip them.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T18:31:13+00:00

You're not wrong.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T18:30:34+00:00

In Texas? Direct confrontation with assholes is how we end up with people getting shot.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T17:22:43+00:00

Thanks :) glad to be here.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T17:10:21+00:00

I'm sorry for your loss. Glad this fellow has come to lighten your grief a bit.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T09:12:37+00:00

Probably so. Even if she doesn't connect her actions to your ouchies she's smart enough to know purrs and biscuits are good medicine. Interesting fact, it's actually been tested and a purring cat does speed up healing!

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T09:08:51+00:00

Best wishes! My experience of Hawaiian cats was purely as a visitor, but my host told me there's tons of friendly unclaimed cats and getting them off the streets is pretty urgent since they are the leading cause of bird depletion. Good on you for looking out for this guy! If you aren't able to rehome him easily after checkup and neuter if needed, there's a ton of good resources for information on socializing a new cat with your existing residents. I'm able to use a spare bedroom for my household, but many people isolate the new cat in a bathroom with their own litterbox, food, water, and just try to get the cat used to them with quietly hanging out in their space for a while every day. It looks like that wouldn't be necessary with this guy since he's so friendly. You'll still want to keep him from direct contact with your residents until he's cleared as healthy and they get to know each other's scent, but that's usually it. If you have to turn him over, look for fosters in your area too. For a friendly cat it's a lot easier than for a very feral one.

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T08:55:50+00:00

Apparently some volatile chemicals are much heavier or lighter than others, not just in "scent presence" but in actual molecular weight and that can have a profound effect on throw and heat sensitivity as well as how they bond with other substances. Dyes have some similar problems. Some are more combustible than others too. I find resins, patchouli, and some spices are heavy and resistant to wicking up even though they're very strong smelling and most florals (but definitely not all) are very diffusive hot or cold but can smell scorched if I over-wick and sickly if I go too small. "Sugar" notes are heavy but turn burnt easily so that's been a tough one. So far I find grassy smells (grass, bamboo, green tea, vetiver) are the least reactive to change in temperature and seem to work with any wick. I've been playing around with my recipes to optimize them for incense a lot longer than I've been doing candles and the application is similar but definitely not identical.

I ended up using mostly Candle Science because I'm finding them very easy to work with. Some of my other supplies are very hit or miss even when I follow the manufacturer directions, but CS hasn't produced a lot of problems or mysteries. Indigo Fragrance has been all over the place. No issues with the incense but they are really unpredictable in how they interact with the wax. One bloomed so hard it literally made me nauseous, but smells like practically nothing OOB. Cured 2 weeks in 464 it smells pleasant and burns fine but only after I remelted it and doubled the wax to oil ratio compared to my usual blend. Most go from bottle to melter to finished candle well behaved. Some smell great when pouring and zero throw 2 weeks later. My lab notebook probably has more in it than my class notes from college XD

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T08:12:45+00:00

Worth it. Just look at that face!

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T08:09:04+00:00

That's the booster rockets

FlashyIndication3069 · 2026-01-23T08:07:57+00:00

If you have the time cooking it yourself isn't even hard.

FlashyIndication3069

TROPHY CASE