Hello
I have been browsing the contents of this server for quite a while now taking as much information as I possibly can, and I have learned a lot. Still learning too! consider myself a novice working with both coconut and beeswax. However, I'm encountering a bit of a discrepancy in terms of what I learned and my experiences from using BW-917. From what I have read about using coconut wax and blends that use coconut wax, using wicks that burn cooler like CDN is ideal. Beeswax on the other hand is quite hard, and using wicks that burn pretty hot is effective for this. I would think mixing the two together leads to the wax needing a hotter burning wick than a CDN. However on threads that I read on this server, coconut wax blends that contain beeswax still get recommended to use CDN as opposed to say, HTP and CD. This part is a little confusing to me.
In order to continue testing BW-917 I think I need some clarity on how to proceed in my testing. The current problem I am having is that wicks like ECO and the P700 series produce fantastic HT in my candles and they start off with a seemingly normal burn. When I get towards the middle of the jar burnwise, the flame starts to weaken and of course the meltpool in turn also gets shorter. This is the opposite of what I would expect from a candle that continues to burn down into the jar. The flame does not die out if I continue to burn it all the way down. There is also no hang up on the sides either, just a minimal melted surface and a flame that is ~.25in tall.
Here are the stats of what I'm currently working with:
9oz jar
ECO-10 (example)
BW-917 wax
no fragrance
result: 3/4 into the jar...
.43in flame
.03in meltpool
and burning a candle that has about a 7% FL into it with the same jar, wax and wick does the same thing.
I try to wick up. I go from an ECO-10 to a 12, and even a 14. The same thing happens. Flame is strongest at the start, and then consecutive burns become much weaker. The only difference I've seen is the 14 started off with a really large flame (1.1in), and then on the end of the second burn the flame height goes to .06in. The same thing happens with the P700 wicks.
HTP and CD wicks are the only wicks that maintain a steady meltpool throughout the life of the candle.
What does this mean?
I can keep testing but I am at a point where I am not sure how to interpret the information I am recording or where to go from here. Currently my testing as lead me to believe that hotter burning wicks are effective with blends using beeswax, yet when I see wick recommendations like CDNs for Coconut 84 (coconut/beeswax) I get confused. There must be something I'm understanding incorrectly or information I'm missing about the properties of the wax. Any guidance would be amazing. Thanks!