calan

Back from the dead. I'm curious also.

Really digging these ECO wicks so far. Wish they had a bit finer resolution in sizes like the Premiers (which are also working pretty well). Next favorite would be CD's, but they seem to be less forgiving. They either work beautifully, or not at all.

Oh I am... slowly but surely learning what works and what doesn't.

Yep. I'm just test burning various wicks in plain wax to establish a baseline and record burn rates.

I can't even get one wick to work reliably every time...I can't imagine trying to combine two of them.

Well, they are definitely air-tight. If I press the centers repeatedley, they work down and seal....completely. Pulling them off takes some effort. lol

I actually have some of those. They came in the sample pack I ordered from WW. Just not sure how to mount them in a jar.

Fired up 6 more test candles when I got home from work with some more wicks I got today, and I gotta say...I'm kinda liking these ECO wicks after a couple of hours. (4630 and 4630/444 blend, straight wax). They seem to be burning clean and symetrical, with no 'shrooming at all. Premiers and CD's aren't horrible, once I get the right size dialed in. The zincs on the other hand... ughhh. Looks like the Manhattan Project.

LOL I can see how it seems like that. TT mentioned it also. Right now, I'm just playing with different waxes and wicks to see what I want to work with, and which ones aren't going to fight me too much....all while reading and learning. I'm not trying to get a perfect candle or anything like that yet...just doing some methodical testing (In fact, I'm mostly just smelling the FO's in their bottles and burning plain wax in various containers with various wicks...no sense wasting the pricey little FO samples until I at least know which waxes I like). Once I settle on a wax and couple of containers that I want to go with.... I'll settle in and start fine tuning. So I guess I am sort of throwing darts at a wall, but I'm aiming for a specific, big target at this point. (This thread was meant sort of tongue-in-cheek...I have a somewhat warped sense of humor )

Those are the one's I've been using. They say no priming is needed, and actually recommend against it IIRC. But I think TT up there ^ might know a little bit about this candle thing. They burn ok, but seem to be inconsistent. I think the secret is keeping them perfectly trimmed throughout the burn...but I can't trust everyone to do that...so they make me nervous.

Yeah...I'm just getting a little impatient and cynical in my old age. (I am actually being methodical about it, mostly. Keeping a spreadsheet on everything and going in incremental steps) GW 444 is a breeze to work with and clean up, but a bit ugly and it has the usual soy issues. IGI 4630 is just so damn sticky and messy, and I can't make it not smoke. I made up a pound of a 70/30 blend of those two to test, since it's what I have right now...but I dunno. I may just get some more of the ProBlend 600 and stick with that. It's clean, takes dye nicely, easy to work with, cleans up easily, and makes nice smooth candles. Maybe the throw will come around if I just wait long enough. BTW, thanks for all the helpful info you've posted here over the years. I've read a lot of your comments and got something useful from them all.

..at least the ones I've tried. Since getting into this about a month ago, I've experimented with HTP, CD, Hemp, Zinc, wooden, and Premier wicks in IGI4630, GW 444, FC's ProBlend 600, and a few blends of those... and I hate them all. HTP burns decent and is consistent, but they lean and curl and getting a nice symetrical MP is impossible. CD's aren't bad, but they are a smokey blow-torch in the 4630. (The Hemp 1400's are also super hot). Zincs are consistent, but I have a black golfball sitting on top of every candle after 5 minutes (even with no FO or dye and properly sized). The Premiers burn nice, but they are unpredictable...a 735 may burn hotter than a 755...or it may not. The wooden wicks have the nicest flame and ease of use, but they are the least consistent of all. Assuming I can ever find the right size for any given candle...I can pull two wicks from the same bag and put them into two candles poured simultaneaously from the same pitcher of wax... and one may flicker and drown while the other threatens to catch the ceiling on fire. I have some ECO's coming to play with, and still looking for a sample of LX's and the seemingly rare paper-core ""44-xx" series for my container size (2" to 3"), but I don't expect to see much difference. So, I have about 50 lbs of wicks and 2 working candles. I think I'll just start buying up Walmarts melts and slapping a new label on them. 😛

I was thinking more in terms of how the FO might affect the wick's ability to draw fuel and sustain a certain burn rate/flame height...not so much the impact on throw. Some very good info you posted up there ^.

It looks like they have a very limited selection. Nothing in LX below LX-22, and none of the "44-xx-xx" range of paper core, which I believe is the size I would need based on what I've seen posted. Or am I just blind?

Since they don't list a sample pack, what sizes would you recommend I get to cover a 2.5" to 3" glass jar or tin?

Does anyone know where I can find some samples of both LX and paper core wicks in stock at the same place, and preferably without outrageous shipping costs? I mainly need a range of these wicks to test for jars and tins from 2.5" to 3.5" in diameter.

In simple terms, it is a measurement of a liquid's density, or viscosity...usually measured in reference to a standard such as water. As for why I brought it up, it seems that there should be a correlation between the viscsoity of various FO's, and how easily they are drawn into a wick. I was just curious if this holds somewhat true. In other areas, SG is usually a pretty good tool for comparing and predicting how various types of fuels, paints, plastics, etc. will react in various conditions... all other factors remaning equal.

One of the best quotes I've ever seen.

What's a decor?

Maybe we could get a sticky thread where people can list the SG's of various FO's as they come across them, and see if any patterns start popping out? I dunno...I'm just weird like that. lol @TallTayl ... thoughts?

I'm no chemist (by any stretch), but that may not be an invalid observation. Assuming all vanillas are well... vanilla (), it might be that the differences in formulation cause very small changes to the SG. I would be interested to see what happens when a vanilla is mixed with something else, like tobaccos, etc., or how they compare to known lighter fragrances.

Did you happen to notice if they show the specific gravity? I'll check some out when I get a chance.

Sounds good. Thanks

Oh I know. The little bastards. lol I have over 200 bottles of food flavors for the same reason.

I only have small sample bottles of FO right now, so not enough to measure with my old-school tube/hygrometer....otherwise I'd be all over it myself.