Top products from r/candlemaking

Oh, I'm sorry to hear it mushroomed at the bottom! That's never happened to me. I can tell you the method I use exactly and maybe that will help.

I generally let the candle cure for at least a full day (sometimes longer) before spinning the bottoms. I cut the wick very close to the base, and create a small burrow to tuck the wick further into the candle. I also will put the heat up a little higher if need be, and work quickly. It generally shouldn't take longer than 60 seconds (if that). I apply even but gentle pressure from the top center of the candle and move it in a swirly pattern rather quickly, then quickly swipe the bottom of the candle on a piece of absorbent paper (brown paper grocery bags work great for this- just don't do it across the inked parts on the outside of the bags or you'll pick up the ink on your candle bottom).

Maybe try letting the candle cure longer and putting the heat up a little higher on your skillet, so you will be able to flash melt the bottom quickly, without heating up the rest of the candle. Also if you can't get it even after the first 30-60 seconds, pull it off the heat and let it cool down for a while, before putting it back on the heat. That should prevent the heat from reaching past the very bottom of the candle.

I would also consider picking up some books on candle making. Youtube videos are good sometimes, but no one seems to want to give away trade secrets with candle making online, since we tend to spend a lot of money and time perfecting our craft. The books are great for beginners, they really spell out the steps from start to finish for each kind of candle you could think of. I recommend this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762406011/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nature's garden has some pretty good tutorials too that are worth looking over https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/freecandle/candle-classes

Best of luck to you!

Votives are a great way to make sure all of the wax is being used. Something like this might be nice http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009IWJODK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1396646875&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

Obviously, I'm going to say to make your own! Haha. But since you wouldn't be messing with fragrance oils, half of the hard work is done for you!

The wet saw takes a lot of time and practice, and unless you have a disc sander, and lot of work on your hands to get smooth tops because there will be rough edges. The method I currently use is just score with Ephrem's bottle cutter, and then I use hot water from a kettle and cold water from the sink to stress the glass. I get perfect breaks over 95% of the time. It took a while to get there, though. I have a kettle where I can set the temperature. For thinner wine bottles, 170 degrees. For Doms (yes, I cut a ton of those), you want a little bit hotter, 180. But don't stress the glass too much, otherwise it won't break cleanly. That was my biggest problem first starting out, I used water just off a boil and it was stressing the glass out too much, and it wouldn't break at the score. Also, diamond embeded sanding pads. I get mine from HisGlassWorks. Get the velcro pads. Expensive, but worth it, they have saved me so much time wet sanding the tops.

Using the hot and cold water does take time, time to heat up the water. With one kettle of water, I can cut 3-4 bottles. So it is a lot slower than your method. But I usually have other things going while I am cutting, like wax melting. And the sanding takes time too. I'll sand the batch I just cut while I wait for the water to heat up.

I am curious to know what your method is.

This is the one I have. Have used it several times to fix tops and wet spots and it works great! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EU2T8GG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Use the CandleScience wick guide while you're building your cart and that'll give you a good idea of which ones to start testing!

I use this cheap infrared thermometer I swiped from the garage tools. Hold it at the recommended distance and it works great!

Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Non-contact Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer Temperature Gun -58℉~ 716℉ (-50℃ ~ 380℃), Yellow and Black https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00837ZGRY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jTVADbGSJVHB9

I used one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Tech-Crafts-Bottle-Cutter/dp/B004ZRV3AU

[If you live near a Michael's Craft Store, they always have a 40% off (sometimes 50%) coupon that you can print from their website. I think it was $25 in store, which still beats Amazon's price after using the coupon.]

After following the cutting directions I alternated dipping the top half of the bottle in a pot of boiling water then a pot of cold water for 5-7 seconds in each, until the top popped off. Wet sanded it (to keep glass dust from going everywhere) flat with 80 grit paper and then used 220 grit to smooth down the sharp edges.

Word of warning - make sure you carefully clean out the pots when you are done! There tends to be very fine shavings of glass at the bottom and if you use the pot for anything else it might end up mixed in!

House of Crafts Candlemaking Craft Kit https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000GCFO5I/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_YXX5wbS4GKSN6

Says pure paraffin wax 😊

Use clear Avery labels. They come in different sizes, so look at the size you will need for your containers.

https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Frosted-Address-Labels-Printers/dp/B000093KW6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1543612243&sr=8-6&keywords=clear+avery+labels

https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Frosted-Address-Printers-15660/dp/B000GOY6F0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1543612243&sr=8-5&keywords=clear+avery+labels

I just use a good old fashioned $5 candy thermometer, which has always done the trick.

I use these wick stickers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092RNEAU/

Edit: if you're going with glue, maybe hot glue so you can easily melt/clean the vessel later?

Hahahah everyone I've shown these photos to have remarked on the scissors! They're from Amazon, link here!

I was in the same boat a few months ago. Got this one for $16 on amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Genesis-GHG1500A-Temperature-Nozzle-Attachments/dp/B00EU2T8GG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=heat+gun&qid=1551148557&s=gateway&sr=8-3

We use hot glue, it's really not that messy. Just a dot on the bottom, hold in in place for a few seconds with a pen or whatever. I might try these at some point, cheaper than the candle science stickers by a lot. http://www.amazon.com/Glue-Dots-08248-Removable-Roll/dp/B00161UBTW

http://www.amazon.com/Corning-Digital-Hot-Plate-120/dp/B003NV43C4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415052177&sr=8-2&keywords=digital+hotplate

Is this the one you have? Presto

http://www.theflamingcandle.com/fragrance-oil/fragrance-oil-a-z/bleu-de-chanel-type-fragrance-oil/

&

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Soy-Wax-Candle-Making/dp/B007559P4A/ref=zg_bs_262599011_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=73WEEN9MYTR0CTKM5N32

I got a Marvy heat gun from the thrift store for $5.99 but it is this style: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002O1PNEG/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JM202I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 only 25 bucks, I just got mine a couple of weeks ago... was doing double boiler before. what a pain in the ass! presto pot is sooooo much faster and efficient! If you can scrape up enough for waxes and fragrance oils, you can afford this, it's worth it.