Using an Auto Wick Pin vs Pouring over Wick

[Calex]

So far I've made my pillars with the wick held in place and poured the wax over, but I'm curious about using auto wick pins.

 

I'm assuming that you simply pull the wick through the hole after pulling out the wick pin. But then how do you secure the wick and ensure there's no gap around the wick at the top of your candle?

[Scented]

There's a gap, but it's not overly large. On wicking, you use a wick tab.

[Candybee]

I use wick pins for pillars. Then put in the wick and then I level the bottoms on a hot plate so that helps seal the wick hole with a bit of melted wax.

[Calex]

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps I should invest in a hot plate.

[Pam W]

5 hours ago, Candybee said:

I use wick pins for pillars. Then put in the wick and then I level the bottoms on a hot plate so that helps seal the wick hole with a bit of melted wax.

I do the same except I have an old enamel sauce pan that I use instead of a hot plate...same results.  If the candle doesn't need leveling, I simply hit the wick tab with the heat gun for a second or two...again, same results - wick is firmly attached to the bottom of the candle.

[Calex]

Do you all ever find it difficult to push the wick through the hole? I'd be using a cotton braid, size #6 for most of my pillars. 

 

And I'm still picturing the top of the wick kinda wiggling around in the space at the top. I'm sure this doesn't matter at all in terms of personal use, but it could be off putting for sold candles.

[Scented]

5 hours ago, Calex said:

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps I should invest in a hot plate.

You can do the same by melting the bottom with a heat gun. That might be less expensive for you. 

[Calex]

2 hours ago, Scented said:

You can do the same by melting the bottom with a heat gun. That might be less expensive for you. 

 

I did recently buy a heat gun for the candle making. I was thinking the hot plate would be more useful for leveling - I'm currently using a metal spackling blade which I heat over a burner when I need to level a candle. 

[Jcandleattic]

6 hours ago, Calex said:

Do you all ever find it difficult to push the wick through the hole? I'd be using a cotton braid, size #6 for most of my pillars. 

 

And I'm still picturing the top of the wick kinda wiggling around in the space at the top. I'm sure this doesn't matter at all in terms of personal use, but it could be off putting for sold candles.

If you prime your wicks (coat them with a thin layer of wax) it's much easier to thread the candle with the wicks. 

 

The gap is not so big that the wick would be floating around in the candle. And once it's burned the first time, that first layer of melted wax will go down into the gap and fill it. 

[Calex]

19 hours ago, Jcandleattic said:

If you prime your wicks (coat them with a thin layer of wax) it's much easier to thread the candle with the wicks. 

 

The gap is not so big that the wick would be floating around in the candle. And once it's burned the first time, that first layer of melted wax will go down into the gap and fill it. 

 

I do always prime my wicks, as I thought this was necessary. I can see how it wouldn't be a problem once you start burning, my concern is more that it will look a bit 'unfinished' to our customers.

[Jcandleattic]

48 minutes ago, Calex said:

 

I do always prime my wicks, as I thought this was necessary. I can see how it wouldn't be a problem once you start burning, my concern is more that it will look a bit 'unfinished' to our customers.

No, priming is not necessary. I stopped priming my wicks years ago, as it is an unnecessary time consuming step. The only time I prime my wicks is when I use wick pins (which now is rare and only when I make certain types of candles) And they slide very easily through the hole the pin leaves. 

I don't believe customers would care about that little minute detail. Honestly, I have never had one complain about anything like that with my candles and I used to use wick pins exclusively. 

[Calex]

Wow, good to know!

 

36 minutes ago, Jcandleattic said:

No, priming is not necessary. I stopped priming my wicks years ago, as it is an unnecessary time consuming step. The only time I prime my wicks is when I use wick pins (which now is rare and only when I make certain types of candles)

 

I just got some new skinny ( < 2inch wide) pillar molds I'm about to make a test pour for, and I'm not going to bother priming the wicks (didn't get wick pins for these). 

 

I've also got an order for LoneStar waiting in the cart with some Auto Wick Pins. So I'll just try it out and see.

 

If you don't mind my asking Jcandle, when do you feel wick pins are necessary? Not for all your pillars/votives?

 

Thanks for all the tips J and everyone else!

 

 

[Jcandleattic]

17 minutes ago, Calex said:

If you don't mind my asking Jcandle, when do you feel wick pins are necessary? Not for all your pillars/votives?

 

Thanks for all the tips J and everyone else!

 

 

You're welcome. 

I use pins for all my votives, but for pillars, the only time I use the pins is when doing specialty ones, like marbled. or textured pillars. It's just easier to use a pin on those, but my others, it's easier to just wick the mold. 

Edited September 28, 2016 by Jcandleattic
spelling

[Candybee]

But then you have to seal the mold every time you thread the wick through the hole in the bottom. I'd much rather seal the mold once and use wick pins. For me its just much easier, less time consuming, and I don't have to keep buying sealing putty so it ends up costing me less too.

[Jcandleattic]

I don't use sealing putty. I use a wick tab with a small piece of foam that I reuse about 10 times. You can get a huge sheet (huge = 8x10 LOL) of it at walmart for about .69 and get about 100+ of the little foam squares out of it. 

These 3 pictures show what I mean, and how I wick them. Takes some practice, but after about 5-10 times, it's pretty fast and easy. 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2016 by Jcandleattic

[TallTayl]

I use the high heat metal tape to seal my raw wick in the molds.

[Jcandleattic]

26 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

I use the high heat metal tape to seal my raw wick in the molds.

I thought of doing that, but at the time I looked for it, Home Depot didn't have any (go figure - I think the guy and me just didn't know what we were looking for!! LOL) so I didn't get it and have forgotten about it. 

But the method I posted above works great. Only problem is if the mold doesn't have the concave bottom I have to improvise and set it on something with a hole in it so it doesn't wobble. (Most of my pillar molds are concaved just enough for this method though. 

[TallTayl]

I found mine in the heat duckting area of my local store. They still don't sit plumb even with the concave tops :-/

 

the only time I have trouble is if my wax is too hot. 

[Scented]

See I just decided to make it really easy on myself because it took forever to make things work ... I couldn't seal the tape around the pin, stuck through the wick fast enough and prevent a leak without using 1/4 a roll. I couldn't get the magnets to work. I couldn't keep the wick taunt enough and do what I do either, so the wick pin is like the tool from just before you get to heaven for me. I don't pour Plain Jane candles and by the time I get done doing things ... whether that's mashing wax to the mold, cutting into it, tilting, spooning, forking or using my chopsticks ... all the movement loosens the wick. When I really fall in love with the whole process is when I don't have to level ... when it all decides to just make its sweet ol' self come out without much extra work. By that, the wick pin doesn't go off center. When it cools, the process doesn't pull my pin to the side because I couldn't get it tighter etc. I have these wonderful clip things that slip over the pin and attach to the mold that keeps the pin in the center. 

So I like that I can have the stabilization process that works for me. In the end, I'm going to slip a wick attached to a base in there, seal the bottom, do the things I do till it's outta my place and on the show circuit. 

[Jcandleattic]

3 minutes ago, Scented said:

See I just decided to make it really easy on myself because it took forever to make things work ... I couldn't seal the tape around the pin, stuck through the wick fast enough and prevent a leak without using 1/4 a roll. I couldn't get the magnets to work. I couldn't keep the wick taunt enough and do what I do either, so the wick pin is like the tool from just before you get to heaven for me. I don't pour Plain Jane candles and by the time I get done doing things ... whether that's mashing wax to the mold, cutting into it, tilting, spooning, forking or using my chopsticks ... all the movement loosens the wick. When I really fall in love with the whole process is when I don't have to level ... when it all decides to just make its sweet ol' self come out without much extra work. By that, the wick pin doesn't go off center. When it cools, the process doesn't pull my pin to the side because I couldn't get it tighter etc. I have these wonderful clip things that slip over the pin and attach to the mold that keeps the pin in the center. 

So I like that I can have the stabilization process that works for me. In the end, I'm going to slip a wick attached to a base in there, seal the bottom, do the things I do till it's outta my place and on the show circuit. 

Yep, it's exactly for processes like this that I use wick pins.