I am finally finished making tins for the Broome Co Fair

Honestly, I have been working 12 hour days since supplies started rolling in on Wednesday.  I ordered 32 dozens 6 oz travel tins, my best sellers, and have about 6 dozen left for sell-outs.  Not that I'll have time to make anything during the week, but I'll try.  Maybe. 

I'm not eating well, but tonight I had a healthy meal, compliments of Shelly who has been helping label everything and take up all the slack.

I'm not sure how I'm going to survive a week-long show, but coffee and fattening food, along with interaction with the public will get me through.

I made a total of 307 travel tins since Wednesday, plus countless soy breakaway melts and sachets.  I plan to display my wedding candles for future orders and have a good time connecting with new local customers.  OK, so off to make more labels and continue with my to-do list. 

I'm doing the Broome County Fair!

I just found out last Sunday that I was accepted as a vendor at the Broome County Fair!  It was a last-minute decision to apply, so I'm killing myself this week getting ready and making oodles of inventory.  The fair kicks off Tuesday 6pm-10pm and the rest of the week from 10am - 10pm and ends Sunday afternoon.   Needless to say, I'm going to be tired and cranky by the end, but as long as I wear comfy shoes, I'll be fine. 

I must say that this is the biggest show by far I've ever done.  I've got enough inventory for 1 or 2 day shows, but it's difficult to predict what will sell over 6 days.  I'm going heavy on the Fresh, Citrus and Floral fragrances, but I am putting aside enough supplies in case I get a run on certain products so I can make them when I get home in the evening.  I really don't plan to sleep much.

While I'm waiting for wax to set, I make most of my own wicks.  I make my own since I haven't always found the right commercial wick that works withevery type of candle. 

I'm sorting everything into big boxes so I can replenish during the week:  Fresh, Citrus, Floral, Exotic, Herbal/Garden and Misc categories.  I've found from experience that customers generally have a favorite type of fragrance, so by categorizing, it makes the shopping experience easier. 

My daughter Nina designed a new business card for me and they arrived yesterday, all 7 lbs of them.  It took about 2 days from design, to ordering to receiving from GotPrint.  I also ordered a banner for my table which should arrive early next week.  It looks very similar to the business card she designed:

I've been obsessed with how I can add height to my display table and a visit to the local grocery store has solved my problem - corn crates!  They are just the right size, rustic and best of all, free. 

  

So I'm making progress and am right on schedule.  I need to make all the Misc, Herbal/Garden and a few Essential Oil candles tomorrow, then Monday I'll be attending to last-minute details, like printing up coupons, making up a wedding candle display (for future orders) and making sure I check off everything on my to-do list.   

Already, town is abuzz with activity as people are already descending on the community (mind you, less than 1000 residents!), parking their travel trailors and setting up show tents at the fairgrounds.  I can feel the excitement in the air.  I work from home mostly, and look forward to shows like this so I can meet my customers and neighbors in my new town.  It's going to be a blast!

As promised, soy taper candles, all my secrets revealed

Well, not pure soy, because that's impossible.   Have you ever heard of a soy taper candle?  Do a search and I think you'll find that they don't exist.   Even the harder pillar soy wax is too soft for a taper, so I concocted a soy/paraffin blend which seems to work well.  I make them for my soy unity sets which are very popular.  I've tried all kinds of additives, but found that a simple blend of pillar soy and high-melt paraffin work just fine.  Your taper will still look like soy in texture and coloring, but the paraffin gives it enough hardness to prevent massive dripping which occurs in a pure soy taper.  And even though there's some paraffin in the mix, it's still more eco-friendly than a pure paraffin, burning with less soot and fewer irritants. 

So now, on with the secrets.  I'm telling all, in great detail. 

Ingredients:
Pillar Blend soy wax (I use EcoSoya PB which is the hardest soy wax, http://www.ngiwax.com/products/ecosoyaproducts.html
Paraffin wax.  I used IGI 4625 pillar wax in the past, but switched to a higher melt wax, 160 melt point. The higher the better.
Wicking. The tiniest you can find.  I use WR2000, 6/0, a square braided cotton wick.
http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c61,p598&title=Square-Braided-Wick-Spools  This is the smallest wick I've found anywhere. 
Molds.  You can buy molds in 1 pair on up.  I bought a 4-pair mold which makes 8 candles at once
Plumber's putty  - buy in any hardware store

Melt paraffin in a pot in simmering water bath until the pot is about 1/3 full.

After the paraffin is melted, add soy wax gradually until the liquid is doubled.

Meanwhile as the wax is melting (keep an eye out so the water doesn't boil away!), prep your molds.   Using a long thin florist wire, double the length of your mold, fold it in half to make a threader.  Insert in the tiny hole, push all the way to the other end, thread your wicking through the end, and pull back through the hole, just like you would a needle and thread.  It might be tight, so make sure your wire is small.   Leave a couple inches on each end.  continue until all molds are threaded.  Then carefully tye the open ends onto a wooden skewer and pull tight.  It takes a bit of juggling to get them lined up and centered.  At the pointed end, pull each wick tight and secure with Plumber's Putty to prevent leaks.  Place molds in a metal tray to protect your counter and catch any leaks.  Keep a glass of water nearby just in case.

Now that your molds are ready, check to make sure your wax is at least 180 degrees, but not over 200.  Transfer melted wax from large pot to smaller glass measuring cup, and proceed to pour wax into each mold.   Pour full and don't worry if they overflow.  Tap the sides of each mold gently with a butter knife to release any bubbles.

The wax will almost immediately start to set.  Poke holes in the wax to release pressure.  The wax will form a pit under the wick, which is fine.   After about 1/2 hour, do a second pour with hot wax to refill the holes, and set in the fridge until completely cool.   Cut off the skewers,  remove plumber's putty, scape off all the wax overflow and dump it back into the melting pot to use again later.  If you have a butane torch, you can smoothe off the bottoms.  The candles will probably just fall out.  If not, tap them lightly.  They will look like this:

Ah, but we're not done yet!  You do want them to fit in holders, don't you?  Well, here is the secret that will make your candles look finished and professional.  Think:  19mm 12 point socket!  It has to be this size or it won't work.  You can get one at your local hardware store.    Oh, I'm sure seasoned chandlers know this secret, but I'm sharing anyhow since it's such a clever solution.

Here's how to put a professional finish on your candles.  Line a pan with heavy foil and place the socket on the foil.  When it is hot, push the taper down into the socket for form a scalloped base.  Some of the wax will melt onto the foil, so keep the heat low.  You can also use your butane torch to heat the socket, but this takes more time. 

voila! 

And here is the finished product, burning brightly with hardly a drip, but if they do, break it off the drip and continue burning.  Be sure to place something underneath to catch any melted wax.

These tapers will give you many hours of enjoyment. 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.  I can sell some of the components, such as wicking in smaller amounts.  You can buy soy wax in small amounts and paraffin in 10 lb blocks.  Contact me if you need further information, sources or have any questions.   If you have any suggestions to make these candles even better, I'd love to hear from you.