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This thread is from 2006!

Well here is what I am thinking... one I don't believe you understand what we're trying to do. You eliminated the wick immediately, much like a parent saying my kid could neeeeeever do that and I understand that but the fact is the candle caught on fire and it didn't spontaneously blow up. It could have been any single part. I am not afraid of woodwicks and I don't really think many people are, I sort of like the WoodWicks I get as trade-ins and enjoy them, especially the fireside one I just got done burning but I've even had problems with them (I had a small WW jar that would not stop throwing sparks) I'm also an educated candle burner who knows how to deal with problems and the issues that come along with nearly all candles. I've tortured them before as well and it was truly the reason I stopped testing wood wicks. They don't react well when burned in high ambient temps (85 degrees) they accelerate quite a bit and when they finish they get dangerously hot. If I were you I would try my best to replicate what happened. You said you bought a pound and ended up with one ounce, did you do 10 pounds of wax? Less? More? Did you do anything differently? Ambient temps, air circulation, forget to warm the jars, mix at a lower temp, pour at a higher/lower temp? From the information you posted I don't think it was exclusively your wick, and it is possible that it was just your FO but even if it was I wouldn't attempt to learn, instead I would begin testing all lower flashpoint FO's and consider eliminating them (like you have to with gel candles) If there is even a chance of this it wouldn't be worth it to me. Please post your videos and pictures though when you can, I'm very interested in them. There can't be too much information available about candles.

From what I understand you have several from this same batch and you got a result that you think happened with another from the same batch, why not pull the wick and replace it with a different wick to see if it does the same thing. I will be the first to say I do not believe it is the wax, and here is why, the lots you are using I am assuming you've used in other candles, so saying it is purely the wax is improbable, so what about the FO, If you've used this FO before with this wax which I assume you have you should know the burn characteristics. Going from 9-12% shouldn't be much of an issue, once they wax and fo are added together it will reduce the flashpoint overall, but three extra percent would only bring down the flashpoint by 5 degrees max. I do not think this could have been the problem. Here is what I think happened The candle hit something, maybe an air pocket, or maybe a place in the wick that decided to wick extra wax into the wick, it wicked it up reducing the melt pool dramatically, the flame got too large and hot and increased the surface temperature to the flashpoint, and the whole thing caught on fire. I think if you do figure out what happened exactly it can only be useful in reducing the risk of this happening, but I have a feeling it will do it again. If anything I would think you would need to hedge your bets and do something like (carefully) double wicking so if one malfunctions the other hopefully would not. If I were you I probably would try commercially available ones and see if you can use those. TLC the biggest problem with asking about the batch is that they use home made wood wicks, (I'm assuming) untreated to control burn. All commercially available wood wicks that I have seen were treated with something to control burn and the wicking properties. None of my posts were hate by the way, I want you to figure it out, like I said we can all learn together.

Nobody ever said it can't be done, we just don't think it can be done safely. Like I said before every piece of wood is different, you're relying on the wood grain to wick the wax into the flames allowing it to burn, well every cross section is different, if they are cut with the grain, on a knot, in the middle of the growth ring (the lighter part) or the actual darker ring. Each will wick differently and this is something you won't be able to accurately predict. Wicks from a drought period will be harder than one where they had more rain. Each genetic variation will grow a little differently, the ones that will grow faster will be softer generally with larger grains, and will wick more efficiently than slower growing specimen. The only real way to pin something down is to grow your own grove of genetically identical specimens irrigated for a set amount of time, trim them all exactly the same and then disassemble each specimen and then it might be good enough. I mean, I like wood wicks, and I like burning them when I get them in as a trade but from a production standpoint it just isn't something I will be doing anytime soon. Perhaps if they come up with a composite wick that looks and burns like them I would try it, but there is nothing like that on the horizon that I know of. Good luck and please keep us updated (with pics if you can) We can all learn together.

I would start with a CD 3 or eco 4 it may be a little hot but these are what I use for votives. But test, test, test.

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?94331-Please-Please-Help!& Here is the thread, it was a libbey interlude c3/glassglow combo double wicked with cd7

What new wicks? Stabilo and cd are the exact same wick... there is zero difference. Do you mean another size? The wick shouldnt create an o. What wax brands are you using?

The wood wick is the problem, I can almost guarantee it and here is what happened http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q67Doz0UnXw Wood wicks are extremely unpredictable especially homemade ones, each piece of wood is different and each will wick differently. Commercially available wood wicks are from softer woods and are very thin. They are also treated with a few different chemicals to control the burn and even then they are unpredictable. I'm not sure exactly which wax they used above but I know it is a smooth paraffin wax and is very, very similar to 4627/4630. (I have burned a few candles from their company) Good luck!

I wasn't thinking of doing it for anything but giggles. I'm sure they use the same wax they use for tapers and its not a wax I have, I'll probably just use a sheet pan and pour it with some scrap pb I have lying around and just weave together some cd4 wax trimmings and then light it up. Based on the pictures and everything I have seen about them they seem to be made in a mold that is very thin, the wicks are woven together and then dropped into the mold which is just wider than the wicks. They would have to be cooled very slowly, if not they would crack. I plan on cooling mine in the oven. I'll probably try it out this weekend when I'm pouring again. I'll take pics. I bet mine will drip and just flare up. We'll see though. I have to find a pattern I think will work. I'm leaning towards the caffeine symbol and it seems like the ch3 would be a logal place to light.

From the pic, that's not the wick, or the FO, the whole candle is on fire, the wax has reached it's flashpoint and it caught on fire. I've seen this happen with embeds, and excess debris on the surface lighting on fire. Get the candle back, and take pictures of it (cool) What wicks and wax are you using? Diameter of the candle? What temp do you mix the FO in? Are they powerburners (burning for more than 1 hr per inch?) Why did they pour the melted wax out? Did they trim the wick at all? Have they burned your candles before? All questions (and pics) will be helpful in diagnosing this!

Stabilo are the new name for CD wicks, it just hasn't caught on just yet. If your 8 ounce candle burned out in 6 hours it is over wicked, but a 3" wide candle should take a cd 10-12 with most natural waxes. Did it burn fully or did it tunnel? What wax are you using? Pictures? Also, the stabilo wick curves and places the end at the hottest part of the wick which actually burns the wick off, it also will occasionally mushroom a tiny bit and will fall off. No wicks will ever fully self-trim but I've found if you don't over trim the stabilo wicks to begin with they will rarely need to be trimmed (they really need the full 1/4") Good luck!

Here is the video of the large 200 dollar one I know they have been around for a while but I don't think they were posted here, I was just going through my favorites to clean them out and found the toxel post about them, and other cool candles, most I have seen before but that one is just too cool Here is the toxel post I was referring to. http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/09/22/12-creative-and-unusual-candles/ Those five minute candles reminded me of a video I saw of a person lighting a crayon for a nice 15 minute emergency candle

I am going to try my hand at them, they look like a fun project, probably won't sell them but looks like a fun project to do with scap wax and wick trimmings. I think I would do two sheets of wax about 1/4" wide and sandwich the wicks between them after I twist them all together with some wax that is creamy (like frosting) to hold it all together. I would probably only burn it outside too, I have a feeling it could end up being a huge inferno piece. http://www.dedeceplus.com/plus/dedecePlus_product.cfm?ID=2362

I see you are in/near Bedford, if you ever venture over towards philadelphia candlewic.com is in Doylestown and carries what you're looking for.

I did do the math and most do 30-40 boxes at $20 each (plus shipping) so that is $600-800, when you take out the money for the packing, cc processing and web hosting that is $400-600 clear. Not too shabby, and most of them have candle companies that they advertise in them as well so it is an extra boost.

Wow that will be a pretty huge candle! Nearly 25 pounds! I too would recommend ducting, they come in 9" rounds, you'll just have to seal the bottom. Make sure you support it too, there will be a lot of pressure on it if you are doing a single pour. Please post a pic when you're done!

So I was wondering how successful these are? There are about 5 that I know of and I'm considering doing all of them. I am at 20% online sales, and I want to bump this considerably but getting the name out there on a larger platform is not incredibly easy. I see there are companies that do it every month so there has to be some kind of success. I am a little put off that there are often scentsy and other MLM reps in it which I am not a fan of but at their prices it could only make us look better. So any experience with them? Thanks!

1. Average batch size -50 lb melting 4 lb batches 2. Average number of fragrances on hand at any one time 50-75 3. What is your typical fragrance oil purchase quantity - per oil? 1 lb 4. What is your typical order quantity for wax? 11 cases 5. What is your typical order quantity for glass? 1 pallet 6. How long to do you keep wax (assuming you don't change) before you no longer use it? I've never had wax in the shop for more than two weeks. 7. What do you consider the shelf life of fragrance oil? Probably about a year but I don't keep it around 8. Is the shelf life of FO a factor in determining the quantity of oil you purchase? absolutely.

Not too shabby. I've found 464 really needs a higher fo load to throw and it needs to be wicked hot (fmp) c3 is better at 6-7% and will throw well while cool (not a full mp) When I worked with 464 I found that it really took a full melt pool to get a good throw. I would try an eco 12 in it (to tame the flickering) and work from there. I think lower down in the candle it might heat a bit too much. Like Stella said, keep detailed notes, melt pool depth over time, burn time, any mushrooming, flickering, flame height, I do melt pool temp too. I also weigh before and after each burn and record that (helps see when they start accelerating, and estimated burn time) Good luck!

I'd be interested in knowing what was the 60% too, with straight 4630 I use 2x eco 4's

I don't think so, I think the 22 would be more like the csn 26. In that respect you could try a 24, but I would try a cd22 in the problem children, they burn a little differently than a csn 26 I would try and find someone with cdn 24, 26, 28, and 30 and buy a few off of them. The 30's I would never use inside a home, 3 1/2" tall flames- not good. That is why I ended up double wicking, I don't like flames over 1.5" and even that is the top end I believe is acceptable. I have used a parasoy that is almost identical to that and I actually liked the eco series in it, I did settle on two eco 8's for it (I used a 80/10 though same waxes) Maybe an eco 16 would work for you? Worth trying for sure.

csn 26 is the largest wick that comes in the csn line (From what I understand) you might want to try a cd26 or 28 . Be prepared for a 3" flame though. I also double wick 4" containers, you can dial it in much easier with a double wick. Try out a pair of cd 8 or 10's Make a dot in the middle of the candle, and place your wick tabs just left and right of the dot with 1/4" between them (the wick tabs) This should space the wicks at around 1.5"

Well Yankee has strategic pricing, their 3.7 ounce jars are 10.95, their large jar is 22 ounces and is 25.95 so for $10 more you get almost six times as much. They also often have sales, and their most popular one (buy one get one 50% off) puts their pricepoint at 19.47 each and they often circulate $10 off $50 or more. Horsescents, we sadly don't have a hobby lobby here (yet) it hasn't really made it to the mid Atlantic/New England area but I am hearing rumors they will be expanding in my market. As for the 5/25 it is popular when I do it but I believe I only did three shows with that price point and the rest were juried shows for craftsmen/women. Most of my sales come from the larger shows, and then 20% or so online. Even there they choose 6 ouncers, I think they like variety, most orders are over 10 candles and all are a diverse mix of fragrances. The elemental jars are nearly the same size as the tins (diameter 3 1/8") so there is a 3/8" diameter difference though I will grab some to sample when I order again from my glass supplier.

The label is the same as the medium and large jars, the price depends on the show, the normal price is 6.99, but I do 5/25 occasionally (normally at lower end shows) I do double wick them, could never get them to burn correctly with a single wick, they are just too short to ever catch up. That is why I was looking at JJ's to add into the mix, I could single wick them and get 30+ hours out of them instead of (give or take) 25 hours. I am getting more and more people into warming though... I give out the dollar store tea light warmers if they buy 2 or more clamshells at normal price. (3.49 currently, though they may go up 10 cents or so when I get into my custom clamshells, I still have 900 regular ones to get through so it likely won't happen until July or so)

6 ounce tins (candlescience 8 ounce tin with 6 ounces of wax) outsell everything in my line, in fact it looks like 6 ounce tins were about 55% of my business last year (going over the numbers recently) In fact they are so successful I am considering eliminating a larger jar (16 ounce apothecary) and doing another style of 6 ounce at the same price point but with a longer burn time (considering Jelly Jars but need to make them look less country)