Bitter Creek Candle Supply

[Jersey Girl]

Does anyone recall how long orders take for delivery when they chose the Spee-Dee Delivery?

Incidentally, those of you who have not ordered because of the high shipping costs, they DO have a cheaper option.
You can calculate the estimated delivery based on weight & zip codes at this link, which is NOT a part of BCN. I found it via Google. It is suggested you add up the weight of your products & add 2 pounds for packaging, when you use the Spee-Dee calculator. Then enter the sender's zip code (BCN's zip code is 54806), then your own.

My calculation estimate was $6.96, but it ended up being $7.13, so not bad for what I ordered, which was a pound of vanilla stabilizer and a few 1 oz size FO's to test out.

Now I just want to know when my order will arrive. I haven't received a confirmation of shipment or a tracking number, although on the site it does say it shipped. I just emailed them how much I am looking forward to my order & a question about why everything on my order (dated 9/14) was still listed as in my cart.

When I put the vanilla stabilizer in my cart, the shipping came out to $18+. I was shocked!

 

[hlee]

I have not ordered from them for a while but their Oak Moss is really nice.

 

[sarahmarah]

I know they are really good about refunding the difference in shipping—or at least I got one for some wick clip sets.

 

[earlene]

I posted here about the delivery of my order: Bittercreek North Vanilla Stabilizer

I received my order 7 days after ordering.

When I put the vanilla stabilizer in my cart, the shipping came out to $18+. I was shocked!

Sorry to be so late to respond, Jersey Girl. Was that with the Spee-Dee delivery option? I would be shocked, too!

 

[Jersey Girl]

I posted here about the delivery of my order: Bittercreek North Vanilla Stabilizer

I received my order 7 days after ordering.


Sorry to be so late to respond, Jersey Girl. Was that with the Spee-Dee delivery option? I would be shocked, too!

@earlene...NJ wasn’t a state listed for the spee-dee delivery unfortunately. When I added 3 to the cart it went up to $20. How much of the stabilizer would I use per oz of FO? Does it vary according to how much vanillin % is in that particular FO? I have quite a few that have vanillin in them and if I knew that a few bottles of VS would last me a while I may order a few, but if I’m going to go through it quickly...I don’t want to spoil myself and add another expense. I was understanding that you had to add equal amounts of VS to the FO amount. I can see an 8 oz bottle going fast if that’s the case. But then I met a gal in a soap supply store who I started chatting with and she told me she only used small amounts (not 1 for 1) depending on the vanillin content. Would appreciate any experience you have with it. Thanks!

 

[earlene]

This is the first time I have purchased it, so hopefully someone with experience using BCN's VS, and there are many here at SMF, will reply to address your question.

 

[amd]

How much of the stabilizer would I use per oz of FO? Does it vary according to how much vanillin % is in that particular FO?

For me it depends on the vanillan %. For example WSP Nag Champa is right around 6% vanillan (from memory, I might be slightly off). I did some test batches and found that to prevent the color change during cure I had to use VCS:FO at 1.5:1 - this does a remarkable job of holding the discoloration for approx 12 months. When I used the VCS at less than 1.5 (I tried 1.25:1 and 1:1) they started to darken before the cure was finished. They did not brown all the way through, but the colors became muted and "dusky". But you can see that I like bright colors:

So I did not like the dusky look.

I have had other FO's though with higher vanillan % that did well at 1:1. So I believe it is somewhat dependent on the FO formulation and the colors you are trying to keep. I did find in my test that at 1.75:1 or higher ratio I can smell the VCS in the cured soap, although my smell testers could not, so that may be just my sensitive nose.

Edited to clarify, as I did not really explain my initial point... by default anything more than 5% Vanillan I use 1.5:1, even though I have had it work at 1:1 for some FO's. Anything less than 5% I use 1:1. Anything in the 2% or less range I typically don't bother and work with whatever discoloration happens. I usually find that just using TD in lye water will help the lower vanillan contents.