bfroberts Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Oh my goodness, these dancing flames are driving me insane. I'm using 6006, 6% FO load, zinc wicks and mason jars. The flames dance constantly and pretty vigorously. I wick fairly cool, so the dancing flame doesn't result in a hot jar and I have no soot. I have tried CD wicks and Premiers in an effort to tame the flame, but they dance regardless. I can only assume it is the container. However, everything I read suggests that a dancing flame is the sign of an improperly wicked candle. Is there truth in that? And is there a cure for the dancing flame? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I get the dancing flame also. Same wick, wax and jar. Never had anyone complain about it yet, and have sold hundreds. When burning candles in our house we use the yankee candle flat toppers that go on top of the jar...makes a word of difference in keeping the flame upright. Would love to be able to get those toppers wholesale to sell as a add on for the candles. Yankee sells them for $10 each, no room for mark up at that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 I guess I'm stuck with dancing flames then. I don't know why its bothering me now after all this time. I guess because I keep hearing/reading that it's supposed to be a problem. Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Are you burning in any drafts? How far down the candle is the flame before it starts dancing? Could indicate it's being burned in a draft of some sort, or just a by product of the candle burning down in the jar, and the heat creating it's own draft within the candle. A bigger diameter jar will help with that too.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 43 minutes ago, Jcandleattic said: Are you burning in any drafts? How far down the candle is the flame before it starts dancing? Could indicate it's being burned in a draft of some sort, or just a by product of the candle burning down in the jar, and the heat creating it's own draft within the candle. A bigger diameter jar will help with that too.. No, they even dance a jig in a closed oven. I only pour a little past the shoulders, so when the candle is new the flame starts in the neck of the jar. In a new candle, I get a brief few minutes (maybe 3) of a steady flame, but then she dances continuously throughout the life of the candle. I get a some improvement using status jars, but they aren't great either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldieMN Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 4 hours ago, Ray said: I get the dancing flame also. Same wick, wax and jar. Never had anyone complain about it yet, and have sold hundreds. When burning candles in our house we use the yankee candle flat toppers that go on top of the jar...makes a word of difference in keeping the flame upright. Would love to be able to get those toppers wholesale to sell as a add on for the candles. Yankee sells them for $10 each, no room for mark up at that price. Do you think the jar lids with the star cutout would work in the same way? There are a few different finishes available at Fillmore. And rustic ones at CWI Gifts https://www.shopcwi.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=rust+lid+star. Goldie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 If I remember right my wife had a few of those lids hanging around several years ago (she owns an online primitive country store/website) and we tried them but they didn't work. Not enough air got down into the jar and the flame would get very small and in some cases the flame would just extinguish. These from Yankee work great. http://www.yankeecandle.com/product/scroll-collection/_/R-1508077 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 Hmmmm......the frog lids may work. I'll try to pick up one of those and see. If so, it would be a nice thing to offer, because they could be sold at a lower price point than the Yankee toppers. Thanks for the suggestions! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefmom Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 The toppers do work at taming a flame, but in my experience they also cut back on scent throw. My HVAC air flow wonder man of a husband has told me many times it's all about the way the air can or can not flow into the container, combined with the oxygen usage and passive heating/cooling flow from the heat of the flame. Containers that are taller than wide will always have dancing flames. The quickest way to determine if you are burning in a draft or not is to put a taper candle in the same spot as your container candle. If the flame on the taper is steady, no draft. If the taper dances...draft. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdcharm Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 19 hours ago, bfroberts said: I wick fairly cool ... Aside from type of jar and drafts being a cause (could be), I'm curious about the size of wick you're using. Also, do you prime them yourself or did they come pre-tabbed/primed? If they came primed, I wonder if it could help to give them a second coat ...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 1 hour ago, birdcharm said: Aside from type of jar and drafts being a cause (could be), I'm curious about the size of wick you're using. Also, do you prime them yourself or did they come pre-tabbed/primed? If they came primed, I wonder if it could help to give them a second coat ...? I use mostly 44z's. I have tried every 44, as well as 51's and 60's. Nothing reduces the dancing. Usually, the dancing is somewhat reduced with the smaller wicks. I've also tried CD 12, 14, 16 as well as various Premier wicks. They all dance a jig. All my wicks are pre-primed wicks from Peak or The Flaming Candle (CD & zinc) and Aztec (Premiers). I've never primed my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdcharm Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I've never used your wax before, but I'd like to try one day. It's probably as Chefmom noted -- the narrow container. I'd still be curious to see if priming the wick a bit more with the wax that you are using would help at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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