Palm wick testing

[Ladymvb]

If i just want to test wicks:

1.  Can i make half jar candle?

2. Do i still need tobwait 3 to 5 days before I test?

[ncraiders]

17 minutes ago, Ladymvb said:

If i just want to test wicks:

1.  Can i make half jar candle?

2. Do i still need tobwait 3 to 5 days before I test?

 

1. Technically you could do half candles but for palm i prefer to pour a full candle so i can tell if it will clean the wax off the side of the jar properly towards the end of the burn.

 

2. Regardless of how much you pour into the container i would wait 5 days before burning.  Burning it before it cures properly will cause it to melt more wax than it should due to the wax not fully hardening like it needs to, and in the process you might think that it is not wicked properly when in reality it might be properly wicked.

[Sarah S]

1. Technically yes, but @ncraiders has a good point, palm is not like paraffin in regards to how the sides clean up. I don't hesitate to pour half a jar for paraffin, but with my palm testing I'm doing a full jar.

2. Yes. 3-5 days if you're just testing the wick, 5-7 days (IMO) for judging throw.

[ncraiders]

Even for wick testing i wait a week just to make sure.  I am not in that big of a hurry as i am doing this more as a hobby so I can afford to just take my time.

[Ladymvb]

Thanks everybody.  I appreciate you guys so much.  So I will do full jars, wait 3 to 5 days before testing..

 

Also, I was planning on not doing  dye and FO doing my testing. Is anything wrong with that?

 

One other thing, when testing do you ever make the candle without the wick and then once it is hard, insert the wick.  And if that wick does not work right off, take the wick out, insert a different wick and hot gun the top so its even.  I did that with coconut wax and it was easier OR should I just test it all the way to the end and then make another candle if it does not work.  I know palm is a different character, so I want to make sure do it correctly.

 

 

[Jcandleattic]

1 hour ago, Ladymvb said:

Also, I was planning on not doing  dye and FO doing my testing. Is anything wrong with that?

Nothing wrong with that to see how your wax behaves and to get to know your wax, however, if you ever want to add FO and/or dye at a later time, you will have to test those after the addition. With every variable your candle is going to burn slightly differently and you need to know how differently and if you need to change to a bigger/smaller wick or a completely different wick series. 

Thicker heavier FO's  such as bakery and vanilla scents tend to need bigger wicks, and lighter FO's such as florals tend to need smaller wicks. 

 

1 hour ago, Ladymvb said:

One other thing, when testing do you ever make the candle without the wick and then once it is hard, insert the wick.

Yes, however I've never had luck doing this with palm wax, only paraffin. The palm hardens too much around the wick, which makes changing it out a challenge, so I don't do that with my palm anymore. 

[Ladymvb]

its harder with palm but its easier than having to remelt the wax and starting over. Imo

Thanks again