CHB

TallTayl- when you don't trim on a power burn, how hot does your container get at the bottom? In your opinion, what is acceptable?

After much trial and error, I have settled on a wick for my candles. I am in the process of testing different fragrances I'd like to eventually offer for sale. Through this site, I've learned that I should test each fragrance a few different ways - one burning properly (3 hour burns, trimming the wick, etc.) and one power burning. Correct? All is good with the proper burn tests but when I do the power burn test, I have not been trimming the wick because I was under the impression that this should be kind of a worst case scenario for safety concerns where customers do not follow proper burning instructions. When I do this, near the bottom of the candle, it gets rather hot. Not where it would burn your hand on contact, but where you wouldn't want to carry it more than a few feet. My question is this - when you do a power burn type of test, do you trim your wicks between burns? From the the information above, do you think I'm over wicked? I don't think I am but wanted to check with y'all for confirmation - I'm using 11 ounce Libbey tumblers with IGI 6006 and an LX 14, no dye or additives. Thank you in advance for your advice.

I use 6006. It has a good hot throw in my opinion. It's a more delicate scent than others, but it smells so summery to me and I think it's really nice. I tried the Wellington version and did not think it's hot throw was as good. As for the red currant, I have both the JS and CS versions and I think they are both strong. Thanks for the heads up on the brambleberry - will have to try theirs as well!

I'm currently enjoying JS red currant, JS nectarine blossom and honey, and Cierra Candles black amber and lavender. The last was sent to me as a free sample and I'm liking it.

These photos are after a 3 hour burn. Looks to me that there is about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch melt pool on the interior but there is a bit of hang up on the sides. The flame still looks large to me but I have intentionally not trimmed the wick at all throughout the burn. Any thoughts? Should I wick down to the LX 16? Thanks!

About 1.5 hours

Here is a photo

Hi! I'm relatively new to candle making and have found this site so helpful. Thank you. My question is in regards to testing for candle safety and wick size. I am using IGI 6006 with 7% fragrance load and the libbey tumbler (3.125 inches in diameter). I've tested CD wicks and ECO wicks and have moved on to LX wicks. I've been fairly happy with the performance of the LX wicks but am having difficulty deciding on the appropriate size of LX wick. I am thinking that the LX 18 is best because if I burn it properly (3-4 hour burns trimming before each light), it burns very well even towards the end. However, if I burn it without trimming the wick at all during a full burn (because I know people will do this), the flame is larger than I'd like. I tried to attach a picture but I'm getting an error message. Without trimming the wick at all, the flame can get to about 1.5 inches. My question is - do you choose a wick based on performance when burning a candle properly or do you choose a wick based on knowledge that some people will power burn/not trim wicks, etc? Thank you in advance for your help!