loriemccl

RichardLOZ, I would be very interested in a spreadsheet!  (excel junkie here).

No, but I'm going to now!

😁

THANK YOU! 

I will check out all of those.  I never considered the zinc + plasma combo.

Hi all, and I want to first say thank you to all of the posters, new and veteran, for all of the information I have gathered here.  I am grateful.

I am new to candle making, but while doing wick tests, I had a very strange (to me) thing happen:

I was on the first light after a 10-day cure. 

The wax is a 6046/4625 blend. 

There is UV inhibitor @ 1/2 tsp per pound.

There is no fragrance oil.

The container is an 8-ounce tin ( 3 1/8" Diameter x 2 1/8" Deep).

This wick is a zinc 51-32-18.  It was a step up from the previously tested 44-36-18 that was "almost there."

There was an Eco 8 wick and an HTP 83 in this same batch test.

The ignitor is an electric plasma lighter.

So, when I got the ignitor within an inch of the zinc-wicked candle, a flame shot up like there was a buried gas jet in the wax!  I quickly pulled away, and it stopped immediately without lighting the wick.  I tried a second time, and the same thing happened.  I'm not too bright, so I went in for a third time, and it lit like normal.  The other 2 candles in this test batch didn't behave in any unusual way, and this candle has continued to perform well throughout the testing beyond the shocking event. 

Is this a common thing that has just never happened to me in decades of using candles?

Is this a common thing in candle-making?

Is this a bad wick that had some kind of foreign material on the wick?

Anyone have similar experiences? 

I appreciate any guidance.

--Lorie

What's your name?   Lorie

How old are you?    54

Where do you live?    West Virginia

How long have you been making candles/soap/whatever?   15 years or so

How did you get started making candles/soap/whatever?   Started making soap and bath & body products while homeschooling my 30-something son for chemistry.  I continued with b&b but have recently taken up all things wax.

Are you married? Any kids?   No, and Yes

If candle/Soap making isn't your primary job, what do you do?    Have a shop filled with things I love

Anything else we should know?   Sounds like a polite way of asking, "Is there a history of mental illness in your family?"  My answer is:  No more or less than anyone else's.   One thing, I guess:  I find people endlessly fascinating.