Soy Wax Candles - Wick Sense
Today's article will address how to
maximize the burn performance ratio per hour of burn of your
hand poured candles. Huh? what did he just say! A geek can make
anything sound boring and complicated.
Candle making isn't complicated at all, but there are some
tricks to making your home-made candles burn better. One
important thing that you can do is select the correct kind of
wick. There are wicks for tea lights, votive candles, and
various size containers. You really need to select the right
size of wick. Now, of course the wick has to be tall enough! I
am talking about width.
The size of the wick is not determined by the height of your
candle, but by the width of the container. The rule of thumb is
the wider the container, the thicker the wick.
Thin wicks absorb less liquid wax, therefore produce less vapor
fuel and a smaller flame. A thicker wick absorbs more wax and
produces a larger flame. This becomes important when your
container is wide. A larger flame produces a more even burn
circle out towards the edge of the wide container.
When you purchase your wicks, they should be marked with the
recommended container size. If they are not, compare the options
that you can find. Containers in excess of 3.5 inches should
have the thickest wicks. Containers between 2.5 inches and 3.5
inches should have a medium sized wick. And, jars less than 2"
need only the thinner wicks. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have
thicker wicks in smaller jars, but they will burn off the wax
more quickly.
No matter what container or wick size you choose, it is also
very important to center the wick as perfectly as possible. My
supplier provides a measured "target". I place the candle (this
works best with glass jars) on the target so that the perimeter
of the candle matches one of the rings. The center dot in the
target then matches the exact center of the jar. This is more
accurate that eyeballing it. Then, use a popsicle stick with a
small hole in the center to hold the wick while you pour and
while the wax cures.
OK, time to apply what we have learned about burn performance
theory! Just apply the rules of thumb and have fun!
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