Wicking Question

[mustick]

When testing for the perfect wick I'm finding that a wick may take longer than 2-3 hours for it to reach a full melt pool but then if I continue to let it burn continuously (ie all night) the wick is almost too big and there is too much heat.

 

If I find a wick that gets the perfect wax pool within 2-3 hours, and I let it burn continuously, then it becomes definitely too big after 8 hours or so.

 

Should I assume that most people will only burn for a max of say 4-5 hours at a time?

 

Thanks for your help, obviously I'm new at this and this is probably a stupid question:)

[ChrisR]

If you get a full melt pool on your first burn, your wick will more than likely be too big for the bottom half and your container will get super hot.  My containers don't reach full melt pool till at least the 3rd burn and sometimes the 4th burn, which is the correct overall burn.  I power burn all my testers for 7 to 9 hours at a time because that is the way most customers will actually burn a candle, so never assume a customer will follow the candle rules of shorter burns. 

[mustick]

Thanks so much, that makes perfect sense.