Waxed vs Unwaxed wicks

[Bia]

Hello,

 

When does one use waxed vs unwaxed wicks?  What is the advantage of one versus the other?

I've bought spools of unwaxed wicks and waxing is a big job, so I would like to know if it's really worth it!

 

Thanks!

[birdcharm]

I use raw wick for a few different reasons.  I first bought zinc and htp raw for use with gel candles.  For other wick types, I've also purchased it raw as I like to use wick tabs with longer stems and I don't have as much waste, i.e., can cut more to size needed.

 

[Candybee]

I've only seen raw wicking used for pillars. Maybe others use them but I am guessing most people use primed wicks. When I first started making candles I primed the wicks myself. Now I buy them primed so I have one less headache to worry about. However, the type of wax used to prime your wick can make a difference.

 

Priming your own wicks gives you the advantage of using the wax of your choice to coat the wick. This can effect the stability of the wick, the temperature of the wick burn, and also the candle burn. It can also give you a proprietary wick system if you prime and tab your own wicks. Some suppliers will also do this for you; let you choose your priming wax and wick tabs and assemble them for you.

 

However, most suppliers today sell primed wick assemblys and you simply choose the wick series based on your candle wax.

 

Edited August 31, 2017 by Candybee

[Jcandleattic]

I only use primed wicks for my containers, because my wicks come pre-primed. 

 

I used to prime my raw wicking for my pillars, until I decided to do a couple tests with primed vs unprimed and there was literally absolutely no difference in the burn at all, so I eliminated that step altogether and now use raw wicking for my pillars. 

 

I WISH I could find raw CD wicking, because the longest I've been able to find is 6" and my palm pillars that use a CD wick I always have to either short wick, or short pour to be able to use that wick. So if anyone knows of anywhere that sells raw CD wicks, I would love to have that resource.  

Edited September 2, 2017 by Jcandleattic

[Jeana]

On 9/1/2017 at 5:56 PM, Jcandleattic said:

I only use primed wicks for my containers, because my wicks come pre-primed. 

 

I used to prime my raw wicking for my pillars, until I decided to do a couple tests with primed vs unprimed and there was literally absolutely no difference in the burn at all, so I eliminated that step altogether and now use raw wicking for my pillars. 

 

I WISH I could find raw CD wicking, because the longest I've been able to find is 6" and my palm pillars that use a CD wick I always have to either short wick, or short pour to be able to use that wick. So if anyone knows of anywhere that sells raw CD wicks, I would love to have that resource.  

 

Candlewic.com and Candlescience used to sell primed spools, and raw spools, its been a while since I ordered it so they may not carry it anymore, but worth looking into. 

Edited September 3, 2017 by Jeana

[Jcandleattic]

Candle Science doesn't have them, all I could see was ECO spooled wicks, unfortunately,.

Didn't even think about Candlewic - they have them. YAY... Will be ordering soon.  Thank you

[Bia]

On 9/1/2017 at 9:56 PM, Jcandleattic said:

I only use primed wicks for my containers, because my wicks come pre-primed. 

 

I used to prime my raw wicking for my pillars, until I decided to do a couple tests with primed vs unprimed and there was literally absolutely no difference in the burn at all, so I eliminated that step altogether and now use raw wicking for my pillars. 

 

I WISH I could find raw CD wicking, because the longest I've been able to find is 6" and my palm pillars that use a CD wick I always have to either short wick, or short pour to be able to use that wick. So if anyone knows of anywhere that sells raw CD wicks, I would love to have that resource.  

do you need the CD raw or just longer than 6"?  I made palm pillars with raw ecos (spool) and they worked pretty good.  

[Jcandleattic]

12 hours ago, Bia said:

do you need the CD raw or just longer than 6"?  I made palm pillars with raw ecos (spool) and they worked pretty good.  

I found raw CD in spools at Candlewic. I tried ecos, and I didn't like them as well as the CD's for my palm pillars. They were okay, but the CD gave me a much better burn with a nicer scent throw. 

Thanks though.  

[Bia]

On 9/5/2017 at 11:47 AM, Jcandleattic said:

I found raw CD in spools at Candlewic. I tried ecos, and I didn't like them as well as the CD's for my palm pillars. They were okay, but the CD gave me a much better burn with a nicer scent throw. 

Thanks though.  

How much % FO do you add to your plain palm pillars?  I'm going to try CDs with mine, thanks for the tip.

 

[Jcandleattic]

14 minutes ago, Bia said:

How much % FO do you add to your plain palm pillars?  I'm going to try CDs with mine, thanks for the tip.

 

I never add more than 6% FO in any wax I use, and I find palm to be such a great thrower, that it's rare I ever use more than 4-5%.

4% for strong throwers, 5% for light or soft throwers.