Flicker Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 I was doing some testing the other day and it dawned on me, that I do things COMPLETELY different. When I need to test wicks, I pour 1 jar with my wax/fo/dye combo as usual with NO wicks. Once the wax is fully cured, I drill a hole out for the wicks. I cut the tab off the wick, place in the hole, heat gun it a second to fill the small bitty void, trim and light. You can now test one size, if it does not work, level the top off, pull the wick that didn't work out, replace with another size and test again. I've done this for years, and it makes testing SO much faster and easier. Bruce Campbell from Wicks Unlimited taught me this years ago. I have saved so much time and money it's probably not funny. I hate testing wicks, so this method goes fast and is very easy on resources. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellywax Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 I do the same 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerven Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 (edited) I recently switched to this method. It saves a ton of time. Before, I had to cure at least a week prior to testing a new wick. Now, it's as simple as swapping out the wick. Edited March 16, 2018 by Kerven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Works great in fairly deep containers. Shallow ones not so much. Tins get one, maybe two burns before the wicks topple over. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah S Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 I do that sometimes too @Flicker, it was mentioned here before and I thought it was a great idea! I've been using the same container, wax and wick series for a while now, so I can usuall get my wicking close enough that it's worth it to do a full burn to the bottom to see what happens. But if I have a bear of a FO to deal with, I'll go back to the tabless wick and it saves so much time and effort! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerven Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 @TallTayl I had that problem with tin tests. Had to either remelt the entire thing, top it off, or toss it. Would have been much easier if they didn't have those curled rims so that I could pop the wax out, rather than melt, and reuse the container. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trappeur Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 I test the same way too. Trappeur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flicker Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 On 3/16/2018 at 3:24 PM, TallTayl said: Works great in fairly deep containers. Shallow ones not so much. Tins get one, maybe two burns before the wicks topple over. I never thought of that since my smallest container is 4" deep! Good to point that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasondigitized Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Once you stick the wick in and use a heat gun to seal it up, how long do you wait to perform your burn test? I am assuming you have to wait some time for the wax to harden? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 If it’s jst the surface melt to seal, I wait a couple of hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 (edited) This method has been immensely helpful when I make pillars. I use my wick pins so I already have a hole and don't need to drill. Test a wick, pull it out by the wick tab and stick in another. Easy peasy! Edited April 18, 2018 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasondigitized Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 I'm still confused. If the hole is bigger than the wick which I am assuming is required to push a wick through the hole, doesn't that effect the burn test. I am having trouble understanding how you can continue to put bigger or smaller wicks in the same candle and not have air gaps that affect the burn test. Or at least have trouble pushing a wick ( which is not rigid ) through such a tight hole. I need to see a video of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 The hole is not that big, really. The wick sizes don’t vary all that much. A couple of drops of wax fill the void early in the next burn. with a floppy wick, a little prime with wax is all it takes to stiffen it enough to insert to test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flicker Posted April 18, 2018 Author Share Posted April 18, 2018 4 hours ago, Candybee said: This method has been immensely helpful when I make pillars. I use my wick pins so I already have a hole and don't need to drill. Test a wick, pull it out by the wick tab and stick in another. Easy peasy! YES! And I used it for votives too. I normally pre wick my votives in the cup. but when testing I use wick pins and can pull out/rewick if needed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopie Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Thank you all for posting these methods, they're brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testing123 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Ohhh i need to try this method! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary in Canada Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 This is the method I learned from this forum too....but....you have to make notes, so you know which wick you have in when the candle burns perfect..lol I'm speaking from experience...got a good one..but didn't know which wick I had put in.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda P Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 13 hours ago, Gary in Canada said: you have to make notes, so you know which wick you have in when the candle burns perfect I'm making notes about notes I need to make 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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