Lip Balm Filling trays

OMG! I ordered some lip balm, tubes, and caps not knowing there was such a thing as a filling tray. Those suckers start at $15 each and now I'm broke from ordering so many materials over the last 3 weeks. I couldn't even find one any cheaper on ebay or amazon. If any of you fill yours without using a filling tray, how do you do it? I haven't made any before and can't wait for my materials to come in. I got the balm on sale so I am planning on adding some butters etc in it to give it that little something extra I thought of using a turkey baster or syringe but wouldn't it solidify quickly before I could get them filled? Also, do you flavor yours or just leave them plain? I saw that flavor oils are kinda expensive compared to fo's that I'm used to buying. All this stuff is really adding up quickly and when I go to sell I hope I don't run into the same fix I did the other day. There were 3 other soapers there and I sold one bar! My soaps are really nice and I was and am still so let down. I so hope that I haven't wasted a lot of money and time in this venture because I love to soap and other handmades. If you wouldn't mind sharing any tube filling techniques and tricks, I would be so appreciative.

I only make lip balm for myself and my family. So I only make 1-2 oz of lip balm at the time, which makes 7-15(ish) tubes. I melt my oils in a Pyrex measuring cup, then I put 7-8 tubes together and put a rubber band around them. This holds them upright and close for pouring. I hold them in my hand to pour. Is this a perfect solution? No. But, it works for me. If I sold lip balm, I would have a filling tray. Fill the tubes 3/4 of the way up, then allow to cool in the fridge. Pop the measuring cup back into the microwave for a few seconds to remelt, and top the tubes off.(This gives a prettier top.) Cool completely in the fridge, then put the caps on.

I do not use pre-made balm. I like being able to make my own from oils I have on hand. Cheaper that way also.

I don't use flavor oils in my lip balm. I use just non-irritating EOs. I had not heard of using Stevia until I saw this, but I will definitely be using in the future:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tPakFEYyM8&list=UUmXiwZrRhCOfnHS7SnHOfDg[/ame]

If you are only making lip balm for yourself, there is no reason why you can't reuse your own tubes. Just completely disassemble, wash thoroughly with a strong degreaser(Sam's has some really good degreaser.), spray all parts with alcohol, and allow to air dry. So, one set of tubes will last a very long time.

If you are going to sell your lip balm, you should be able to recoup your expenses rather quickly.

Thanks for the videos. I am going to order a filling tray today and research recipes because I would like to try to sell them along with my soap. I'm waiting on my citric acid to come in the mail so I can make my bath bombs. Today I'm ordering a banner as well. Maybe I'll make some bath salts so I can use the bags I ordered a while back that ended up being too big for my soaps. I am also going to put my honey to work building some displays because I didn't like the way my soap was hidden inside my baskets on my table the other day. With a few changes, I hope I will do better at selling. I just don't have the natural knack at giving a spiel(sp?) like the other sellers do. Maybe that will come with time when I gain more selling experience I'm more of a shopper at heart lol. Thanks again for replying. I'm now off to watch the videos. Have a blessed day.

I ordered my tray and now to research what to use as flavors and scents.

I have a filling tray and hope you have better luck than I.. I personally can't get it to work without waste or the tops coming off. Makes me batty so I fill all mine by hand. After 2 years I'm pretty used to it though.
If you need another one lmk.. I have the standard and the bigger tube ones and don't need them. Post back after you've tried.. most I know love them. not sure why I can't get them to work but I gave up a long while back.

I use a pipettes. It's slower, but cleaner. Both times I used my filling tray, I had a big mess to deal with. Good luck with whichever filling method you choose!

I may just buy your unwanted tray if I like the one that's coming in the mail. I ordered some pipettes for doing mica swirls on my soap tops and also have a turkey baster, a syringe, and medicine droppers if the trays don't work out. I read somewhere that you can use a heat gun (which I just got in the mail-woo hoo) to melt the tops if they look funky. I guess it's gonna be trial and error.
So what do yall know about flavorings and fragrances? I saw where someone had a monkey fart lip balm and I'm wondering what they used for the flavor because they prob used monkey fart fo for the scent. Not sure though. I am eager to make these suckas and could use all the advice I can get.

Naturesgardencandles.com has Monkey Farts flavor oil for lip balms

I wrap a bunch of tubes in a rubber band to get them to all stand up steadily while filling/cooling, works perfectly. I use a plastic, disposable pipette to fill them.

I use filling trays and find them very handy to use. If doing less than 50 at a time it takes a little practice pouring so you do not have it running down the empty holes. I place my filling tray on a smooth hdpe cutting board that has been stearlized and if some runs down I can scrape it off and reuse the lipbalm. I wish you well in making them Godschild I Hate Making Lip Balm with a passion. Heat guns will smooth out the top. If using a filling tray just cut off the top even with the tube. They will pour higher than the tube and you can leave them or cut the overage off, just do not use a sharp knife or you can nick the tube

Cardboard egg carton with an x cut in each bottom and the tubes shoved through. Works like a charm.

It's worth it to buy the actual filling tray. As a person who made do with her own DYI cardboard one for years - trust me. Buy the tray. Assuming you are doing more a few hundred lipbalms a year. I don't sell, I give that many away as gifts every Christmas.

Do you have any tips on filling them? I've almost given up on the tubes in favor of the metal tins.

I've tried:
Small measuring cup - terrible mess
Pipettes - cools down so quickly in my house that it blocks the pipette

Do I just need more practice?

If you don't have a filling tray, the easiest way is to have a helper. Hold each tube so the spout of your measuring cup is touching the tube, pour, and hand it to your helper. The helper caps the tube and sets it aside. It is helpful to have some sort of small container so you can put them in the fridge standing up. A tiny box is best if you can find one.

The problem with this approach is that the balm will shrink as it cools. Make sure the tube is filled to the tippy - top - ideally you will have that slightly raised dome.

I use the egg-carton trick that PurpleRain uses, and then a very steady hand to pour the balm from a measuring cup. I get a few dribbles, but they clean up easily. And then I top it off as the tubes cool to avoid shrinkage.

Exactly what I do Tea. Works a treat every time. I'm not making hundreds though. Just a dozen at a time. Learning.

snappyllama - I initially started making my lip balms in tins and/or pots but really don't like having to apply with my fingers. So I switched to tubes and haven't looked back but don't make large quantities (maybe 1-2 dozen at a time).

Haven't tried pipettes either but that sounds like a major pain in the butt! I have a 2oz stainless shot glass with a pour spout that I've been using to fill my tubes (pic below). I made a batch yesterday morning and just bundled a dozen or so tubes together with a rubber band so I didn't have to worry about them falling over.

I typically melt my ingredients in a small mason jar in a water bath. When everything is melted, I add my flavor oil, mica, etc then pour an oz or so into the metal shot glass. Sometimes it cools off too quick and I have to stick the shot glass back in the water bath to remelt. So far this works on a small scale but any tips for scaling up (besides the filling tray) would be much appreciated.

That shot glass is nice -I'll be on the lookout for one! Being able to reheat my pouring container easily might solve my biggest problem: things cooling down quickly (and my general klutziness - but there's nothing to be done about that). I normally make things at night, and it's always pretty cool in my house then.

Wish I could find a pyrex version of the shot glass with pour spout . . . then I could just microwave when it cools off too much and ditch the whole water-bath thing!

I currently just make lip balm for myself, I used a little funnel to fill. It works well, I wouldn't want to do a ton at a time though!

I use the pipette to stir my product while it is melting and let it sit in there. The pipette is then the same temp as the balm, so it doesn't get blocked up while I am filling.