As of December 1 2009... all new posts are at:

  • OH, WHERE TO START?!? - The new girl goat (doe) is giving us about a half gallon of sweet milk a day. So far I've made rice pudding, cheese and yogurt. My Kid is drinking it strai...
    2 weeks ago

Bayberry Candle Wax Update

I was just ordering a supply of bayberry wax (as we don't have the bushes to harvest from yet!) and came across someone on e-bay selling "PURE" bayberry wax
(see: http://cgi.ebay.com/9-Pound-Slab-PURE-Bayberry-Wax-Candle-Making-Supplies_W0QQitemZ150377142716QQcategoryZ134295QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26ps%3D63).


The ad has wrong information. It says bayberry wax can't burn by itself. Really? I guess all of those colonial people did it wrong, or just imagined the flame that came from the candles they made. Silly colonial and pioneer people!

The e-bay ad also said that since bayberry wax can't burn by itself, he "thinned" it with 30% "green candle wax". First, bayberry wax is naturally a light pine green (the top pic is the pic he had on his ad - obviously not green, even with his addition of "green candle wax" ... ... the second pic with this posting is real bayberry wax with the real natural light pine green color). Second, I've already pointed out that bayberry wax WILL burn by itself. Third, he has the wax listed as "pure" but pure is 100%, and therefore, he lied. Fourth, he said he thinned it with "green candle wax" ... uh, what kind of wax? Paraffin? Soybean? Beeswax? Stearic Acid? Geez. Again, she lied. She. He. Whatever. Mike Fleming is the seller.

Please be careful when buying candle wax. Don't trust sources who obviously don't know what they're talking about, and don't get sucked into lies. When in doubt, ask someone who makes LOTS of candles and has LOTS of experience.

I'll admit, that's not me. It's been years since I've made candles regularly, but I've kept up with info, and do my research.

We're making regular candles this weekend (from a candle-making kit using wax crystals). I'll try to remember to take pix.

0 comments:

We are searching for supplier of an oil extractor that works for both nuts and seeds - want to recommend to our readers. Must be reasonably priced for homesteaders, and USA made is preferred. Please e-mail: williams_et_al @ yahoo dot com.

Meta-Tags / Topics to be Discussed .. ..

homesteading .. animal husbandry .. bee-keeping .. chickens .. ducks .. cow .. horse .. pig .. calving .. kidding .. goat .. sheep .. cheese-making .. yogurt .. ice cream .. churning .. butter .. urban homesteader .. hard cider .. vinegar .. wine making .. beer brewing .. outhouse .. composting .. garden .. rabbits .. ruby eyed french angora rabbit .. hand-carding wool .. spinning yarn .. candle-making .. soap-making .. soap-making .. pigeons .. storing .. disaster .. recipes .. cooking .. droughts .. floods .. community .. self-sufficiency .. blizzards .. fishing .. hunting .. trapping .. raising fish .. raising rabbits .. water catchment .. rain barrels .. tornadoes .. skills .. disease .. civil unrest .. the day after .. bulk food .. suppliers .. economy .. government .. survival .. earth changes .. defense .. intentional community .. safety in numbers .. spiritual .. survivalblog.com .. gardening .. food calculation .. urban prep .. native foods .. permaculture .. local response to economy .. raising animals .. weapon training .. first aid .. first responder .. herbs .. prep circuit .. pitchfork .. plumbing .. solar .. wind turbine .. and much more!