We have a filling tray for the BIG lip balm tubes! These 1/4 oz tubes are the nice collar twist tubes in our catalog. They make a great big lip balm or treatment stick. This tray can help you fill them quickly and efficiently. Make 20 tubes in a flood style filling, and once the tubes are cool, you can cap and GO!
If you would like a tutorial, then please go to Plastic Tom's Tutorial for assistance.
Don't forget to order the BIG tubes for use with this tray.
This tray can be washed in the dishwasher.
We have a couple of hints for users.
- Pour the lip balm mixture as cool as possible. The tubes can become misshapen if the lip balm mix is super hot. Use our quick test to determine if your lip mixture is ready: stir the mixture with a pipette, hold the pipette horizontal after stirring. If the pipette bends downward, then the mixture is WAY too hot. If the pipette holds its rigid form, and the mixture is still clear, then the mixture is at perfect pouring temperature.
- Load the tray with tubes just before filling. Long term storage of tubes held in the tray can cause temporary distortion of the tubes. To return tubes to their original shape, remove them from the tray and allow them to sit without their caps for a few days.
- Allow the filled tubes to fully cool before removing them from the tray. This may take an hour, depending on the lip balm mixture's temperatures and the room where you are working. Then, when the tubes are cool, give the tube a twist just before pulling it straight out. The lip balm mixture at the top of the tube (the glorious crown!) can be damaged if the lip balm is too soft when removed from the tray. Patience is certainly an asset in this case.
ATTENTION! Before you use this tray, please look VERY closely at the tutorial. Specifically, look at the picture that shows the first pour into the tray. Three tubes have been filled, and the fourth tube is being filled in the photo. We want you to notice the cooled lip balm mixture around the top of the Pyrex container. Please stir your lip balm mixture until it develops a haze. If you pour while the lip balm is still too hot, the tubes can be temporarily warped. When the warping happens, the caps may not fit tightly. If you cool the lip balm mixture until a haze develops, the chances of warping the tubes are greatly decreased.
What happens if you have poured too hot? Well, we suggest placing the cap on the tube, then fitting a shrink band over the tube, and heat shrinking the band. This short heating period will relax the plastic tube and allow it to go back to the original size.
