Author Topic: Winter projects? (Read 14796 times)

Perry · « **Reply #20 on:** December 30, 2015, 05:34:52 pm »

I just raised prices slightly this year.

Emergency pillar candle = $12
10" Tapers = $7 a pair
Beehive Skep = $3
One ounce Bars = $2
Angels = $1.50 a piece (I make mine so they hang on brass wire) You can crank out a bunch in a day as they set up so quick. I even made a neat display rack for the market. People buy them for their trees.

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #21 on:** December 31, 2015, 10:29:48 am »

Thanks perry, that gives me something to go by. This is all new to me,but looks like it will be fun (my wife doesn't seem to excited about it

) I'm going to put my Tom Sawyer moves on her and see what happens.

Going to do this in the kitchen area in the basement, so she will be watching me

. Jack

riverbee · « **Reply #22 on:** December 31, 2015, 10:53:54 pm »

"I'm waiting on the lip Balm tray that holds 50 tubes, and four 10in taper candle molds i ordered, before i get started melting bees wax. I know that the price of this stuff will very in different locations, could i get an idea what to price it at?"
1. Emergency Taper candle.
2. 10 inch taper candle
3.beehive skep
4.one once bees wax mold bars
5.Angels set of 6 mold
6.rb's 3oz. Dixie cup candle mold
7.round tube Lip Balm tubes

jack, i am thinking on the emergency taper, these are good, i have someone working on a mold for me that fit the uco candle lanterns! and also work as emergency candles. the uco beeswax candles sell for 12 bucks on a 3 pack! i have had people ask me for these!
10 inch taper, i haven't tried my hand at these yet, not sure i will.
beehive skep.........
i sold these:

tealight beehive skep for $3.75

large beehive skep pillar for $10.50

round beehive skep pillar for $7.50

1 ounce bar molds..........i don't sell my wax, i hoard it, BUT if i did i would mark these up more than 2 bucks, maybe $2.50 or so? i have seen 1 ounce bars go at 3 bucks. depends on your market jack.

angels or other.........i don't do these so can't help out on that

dixie cup votives ...........yeah baby, these are good sellers! i just started messing with these last year, then this year made some to sell, (not enough, but a hit). they are 3 ounce votives rather than the 2 ounce votives you can buy. they are inexpensive to make, you are not paying for a mold and can crank them out ! just spray the cup with a little mold release, pour your wax in, when they are done just turn them upside down or pull a little on the wick, push from the bottom and they fall out, no tearing the paper away from them (the paper without mold release will leave marks) with mold release they come out great! was thinking i am going to purchase some wick pins to put in them so i am not messing with setting the wick/wick tab in and making sure centered with sticks rubber banded on top and also can pour all the way to the top. and no marks from the sticks to keep the wick centered. price? i sold the few i made for about 4 bucks a piece i think?

also jack consider doing tealights, these are good sellers as well, i sold 6 packs like these for $10.50.......ran out and had customers asking for them:

iddee · « **Reply #23 on:** January 01, 2016, 06:38:39 am »

Riverbee, am I missing something here?
You would sell a 3 ounce candle for 4.00, but wouldn't sell 3 one ounce plain bars for 6.00?

Perry · « **Reply #24 on:** January 01, 2016, 08:00:33 am »

Except for the time it takes to set them up and pour them, ounce for ounce the t-lites are the winner in my opinion. Everyone wants them verses trying to guess what others may want.

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #25 on:** January 01, 2016, 12:44:00 pm »

Okay Squirt,i'm on your side, but? that old conservative has a good point.

Jack

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #26 on:** January 01, 2016, 06:58:37 pm »

Hey squirt, can i order the tray that that you have the 6 tealights in, Can't find anything like that around here? Jack

riverbee · « **Reply #27 on:** January 01, 2016, 10:47:46 pm »

"Riverbee, am I missing something here?
You would sell a 3 ounce candle for 4.00, but wouldn't sell 3 one ounce plain bars for 6.00?"

no iddee, you are not missing anything and i hear what you are saying......I WON'T SELL MY WAX, it's worth more for me to keep it and make candles and lip balm with...........if i sell it, i don't have it, then i'd probably being buying wax to make up for what i sold, or if i run a little short on wax and i'd pay more to buy it from another keep. if i didn't hoard all my wax and had plenty, i would probably sell 3 one ounce bars for 2. 50 or more a piece!!!..........

most folks i know are not looking to buy my wax, they just want a finished product, and i can get 4.50 or 5 bucks for a 3 ounce dixie cup votive...........

and ps jack don't side with iddee................. you have lots of wax i don't...........on second thought want to sell me some wax?.........

riverbee · « **Reply #28 on:** January 01, 2016, 11:16:10 pm »

oops..........

"Hey squirt, can i order the tray that that you have the 6 tealights in, Can't find anything like that around here? Jack"

yes you can jack, (order) received many compliments on this box...........here is the link:

Kraft Tealight Box with Clear Acetate Cover-25 pack

also, i purchased these clear stickers to 'secure' the lid to the box a little more professional looking than using scotch tape......

3/4 Clear Round Stickers

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #29 on:** January 07, 2016, 10:17:48 am »

Thanks rb i will be ordering some. I have just started making some bees wax Skep's and tealights, i'm using 2/0 wick, but when i lite them the flame is real small? what have i done wrong? Jack

Lburou · « **Reply #30 on:** January 07, 2016, 12:38:48 pm »

I enjoy hearing from all of you here...You fill gap after gap in my education, thank you!

This thread reminded me of an episode of a television show called "Brain Games." In the ninth episode of the second season titled, "You Decide," the subject turned to making choices, and how too many choices brings on paralysis in decision making...More importantly, it opens the door to remorse that we might not have made the "best" decision. If you have Netflix, I'd recommend it to you.

There is a TED Lecture By Dr. BArry Schwartz touching on the subject of "The Paradox of Choice." At about eight minutes in, he talks about the effect on our affluent culture of too many choices, it gets good after that. I strongly recommend it to anyone. That lecture speaks to some important aspects of my experience, it may speak to yours too.

All that said, and in my view, simple choices like Riverbee suggested in the one or two flavors she offers in her lip balm are what will pay us as sellers of bee products. Less choice IS more satisfaction at the flea market or farmer's markets.

You all motivate me to be better, and to expand my beekeeping experience with your projects, Thank you.

tedh · « **Reply #31 on:** January 07, 2016, 01:29:11 pm »

Beautiful post Lburou! Almost, and perhaps is, elegant. Ted

riverbee · « **Reply #32 on:** January 07, 2016, 05:55:08 pm »

"Thanks rb i will be ordering some. I have just started making some bees wax Skep's and tealights, i'm using 2/0 wick, but when i lite them the flame is real small? what have i done wrong? Jack"

jack, tealights and the skeps will might need different wick sizes.

FIRST what type of wicking are you using? can better answer your question............

for both, if the flame is small, i would suggest going up one wick size. does it burn itself out? (it shouldn't)

also, the purity of your wax will also determine how well your candles burn. any impurities will cause burning problems, so select a larger wick, or if your wax is very pure/filtered with no impurities, drop down the wick size.

i know i just made your head spin.........you have to experiment with wick sizes sometimes. in general, if it burns too small go up a wick size. if it burns really high, go down a wick size.

my wax is extremely clean (cappings only). i use bleached square braid, and prime it for tealights and votives. for flat top tealights i use 4/0 (4 ought) for wicks.

as far as your skeps which skep molds are you using jack?

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #33 on:** January 14, 2016, 01:02:11 pm »

Been having a ball in the basement making candles, bees wax 1 oz. bars, and lip balm.

I may not let my wife in on it,

, i've made 20+ 10 in. taper candles, 27 of those skep's like perry does, (3 at a time mold) also made some lip balms that the wife, grandkids, and the girls at the MFA feed store love

( peppermint,cinnamon & honey, so far but have been ask for wintergreen and spearmint. Now with my limited knowledge of computers

i'm having a problem with making labels for lip balm? My wife makes labels for our honey containers,( 8in. by 12 in. sheets) but says she doesn't have a clue how to get all the little type telling the contents and brand name on such a small label on a 8 in. by 12 in. sheet. Any advise? Also am i making to much of this stuff before our farmers market opens in April? Jack

Perry · « **Reply #34 on:** January 14, 2016, 01:09:30 pm »

About the only thing you will probably have to do before April Jack, is touch up all your beeswax stuff. Beeswax over time gets a "bloom" (dust) on it, and that is completely natural. You can polish them with a soft cloth to make them look like new, or even easier, just pass a hair dryer over them briefly to shine them up.

apisbees · « **Reply #35 on:** January 14, 2016, 04:11:33 pm »

Set up a template for the label size make 1 label within the template guidelines. you may need to go down to 6pt. text size for the ingredients, once you have one copy and past to fill the rest of the template. 6pt. and smaller print can get hard to read or illegible depending on your printer / paper.

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #36 on:** January 18, 2016, 10:34:41 pm »

Thanks for all the info from you'ns

. Here's one for you, i made some lip balm (peppermint) using bees wax, shea butter, almond oil, one vit. E tablet, and pure peppermint oil. , turned out real good. Well i made another batch just like it, but used coconut butter (twice as much coconut butter than bees wax) also turned out good. Then i made another batch with the coconut butter, and added a teaspoon on honey to the mixture as it was melting in the glass measuring cup, well the 4 lip balm tubes set up just fine but the lip balm jar i poured the last of the batch in, just had a wax top settle on it and the rest was the honey that never set up. What happened ?? The honey with the peppermint flavor was pretty good too.

Jack

riverbee · « **Reply #37 on:** January 23, 2016, 10:29:38 pm »

wow jack, you have been industrious!!!......
the lip balm with honey in it........you didn't do anything wrong jack, honey separates and it's a PITA to mix it in without separating. i think dave (blueblood) may have mastered this? not sure, might send him a pm and ask him, or maybe apis can offer a suggestion?

what's your recipe for the peppermint, cinnamon, honey lip balm?

lip balm labels..........go on the net jack, google 'lip balm template' or 'lip balm label', and you can download templates for lip balm tubes to make your own.

not making too much stuff jack.......like perry said, candles can be polished with a soft cloth or nylon stocking. takes off the bloom, and the candles will look great!

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #38 on:** January 27, 2016, 11:05:23 am »

Thought while i had all this sweet smelly stuff out for lip balm, thought i might try making a bees wax face and hand cream or moisturizer. Any of you have a good recipe for these? size of containers, and sale price? Watched several DIY recpes on Utube, but thought some of the forum members here would have better advice.

Jack

Lburou · « **Reply #39 on:** January 27, 2016, 11:20:59 pm »

This was a small but enjoyable project with our granddaughter. Making lip balm with a MannLake kit over the Holidays. She just graduated University.

And our grandson making pizza! Probably gained 5 pounds and grown another half inch since then.

I focused these for you RiverBee but can't right the first picture.

In this electronic world, productive work and real life activities will hold to the memories of our kids. We like to do something other than taking them to movies or to the game shop. :-)