Forrest

Oh no, I'm still married to my 6006, I'm just fooling around a little bit on the side. Actually I'm doing this to have something to burn while I give my 6006 candles six months to cure.

That's a goop point Trapp, as long as I'm just making them for myself the wicks will get trimmed and I could probably make any of those work.

Exactly

That is what I am saying; however it could be affected by the various additives they add to the waxes., but the safe bet is go with the highest melt point.

Your math is impeccable, but maybe not your chemistry. A things melting point doesn’t change just because you mix it with similar things. So the temperature where everything is melted is the highest melt point of the components. In your example your melt point should be 140°, at anything less than that wax 2 will simple be a solid in suspension. But wait you say; when you mix salt and water it changes the melting point of the ice. That is true, but the salt is dissolved in the water, and it never melts. Your waxes are mixed, so they should keep their own melt points. Of course I could be wrong; it has been 35 years since I studied chemistry.

I'm using NG's Vanilla Champagne at 7%. This was at the end of my second 3 hour burn. They have cooled for 5 hours so I'm going to light them up again for another 3 hour burn. If I get another burn in tomorrow I should be able to make a final judgment on them.

These pictures are of my very first candles made with 4630. I’m using 8oz tins with a 7% load of Vanilla Champagne. This is from the second three hour burn. The first burn was 24 hours after making them and I have to say the HT was very disappointing. It was better this morning so I’m hoping a few days of cure time will solve that problem. I picked three wicks to try, LX16, HTP93, and WI745. All three wicks seem to be a little off center, but the wick tabs are centered so I’m hoping that will lessen as the candles burn down. Right now I’d say that the LX16 is a tad under wicked and the other two look good. If nothing this seems like a much easier wax to wick than 6006.

Pip, post this in the Candle Making forum where more people with experience with wooden wicks will see it, you'll get better response there. Wooden wicks are one of the few wicks I haven't tried.

I do have LXs, I only have the 44-32-18. I have 3 tins with 6006 and Premier 700 series wicks to test starting tomorrow, after that I think I'm through wick testing for a while. TT recommended paper core with 4630 and I could get them for $4 with $16 shipping so I'm going to have to wait on those.

Zinc is still my go to wick, but with the government shutdown I had to stop spending money and I'm down to one 51 zinc. I'll have my order in to FC tomorrow. I guess I can make my first tin with 4630 tomorrow. I've been testing other wicks, they are all different and all have their own issues. It seems to me that there is a pretty big gap between the 44 and 51 zinc and also the 51 and 60, so I'm trying other wicks to fill those gaps, the results have been mixed.

Are you worried about a little wax left on the sides? I would only worry if there was a significant amount of wax left after the candle was finished burning. I tried the HTP 105 in an 8oz tin with no FO and it was much to big. I really don't know much about glass and each container is different.

Don't trust the suppliers to tell you what wick works, they are wrong more often than not. I'm currently trying to wick 8oz tins with 6006. My go to wick is a 51 zinc core. I make a candle with each FO and adjust my wick depending on how it burns. My goal is to use the smallest wick that will melt all of the wax. So far most of the candles I have tried needed a different wick. There are things you can do if the wick is close to what you need, trimming the wick shorter, or leaving it longer has a big impact on how it burns. Also if the candle is a little over wicked you can cure it longer and solve that problem. Right now I'm using zinc cores, CDs and HTPs in my tins and when it is the right wick they all work well.

Testing never ends

Is it possible they mislabeled the wax? I just got a slab from Flaming yesterday and I'm going to make a few test candles this weekend, bad wax would really be a problem for someone that didn't know the difference. You wouldn't be wicking any 8oz tins, would you?

I'm also two years into my candle making journey. Everything I know I learned on this board. The best advice I could give you is ask questions. Using the search function for topics is a great place to start, but when you are uncertain just ask.

I would caution against putting too faith in my test results. To start with the room was around 60⁰, so at normal room temp the MPs would be larger. Also each container is going to have its own characteristics. Also some of my results see to be anomalies, for example my zinc 51 had a much smaller MP on the third day. I also use CD wicks, but my primary wicks are zinc core, the experts on the board seem to prefer the zinc core wicks. What my test is good for is helping you choose the next wick to try. As for the FO load the experts would tell you to cut back to no more than 7%. . A couple of other tips; first stirring is very important with this wax, and not just after you add the FO. Also cure time is important, the longer it cures the stronger the HT will be. As it cures it changes and needs a bigger wick. I have some FOs that are great after two weeks and others need two months.

Hi Susan, wicking 6006 can be difficult. The chart shows the diameter of the melt pool for each wick at 3 hours of burn time for each day; day 3 is mislabeled as day 2. So an LX 18 would be a good wick for a container that was 3 inches in diameter as it had a 2.9 inch pool on day two and a 3.1 inch pool on day 3. I should caution you that this test was done in a cool house. What container are you trying to wick?

What container is that, and how wide is it? I'm mostly using zinc core, CDs, and HTPs right now. I tested an HTP 108 in an 8oz tin, but it was too hot.

I've used various things, but I got a silicone spatula recently and it works great.

The problem is that the wax shrinks as it cools. The wax on the outside cools first, and then as the wax in the middle cools it shrinks and pulls the wax on the outside toward the middle. I have seen this in high end national brand candles, so I don’t let it worry me. I recommend pouring at as cool a temp as you can so that you can stir the wax just before pouring and it will solidify before anything in it can start to separate. One thing you could try is to let the candles cool and then put them in the oven to heat up the glass enough to let the air escape and the surface get smooth. If you try this you might want to make a hole for the air to escape so that it doesn’t bubble up and cause a splash.

I'm scared to ask, as I just ordered some, but what problems have you been having with 4630?

Welcome, If you want to learn from a group of knowledgeable, and very nice people, you have come. to the right place

Do not throw wax at skunks, their HT is very strong and unpleasant.

I've purchased tins from a few suppliers and the ones I got from Candlescience were the highest quality. Their tins are designed so that most of the bottom raised up. If someone made a candle that was hot enough to burn through it would have been a bigger problem in the other tins I've used, a candle should never burn that hot. Make sure she test her candles and that they are not making the tin too hot. If they are use a smaller wick.

Did you use the paper core wicks to wick up and down? If I do my testing this month I'll have to wick down for summer. I wanted to try 4627 but the best deal I could get was 10 Lbs for $30 on Amazon.