A tough newbie question

[Forrest]

Here is how I think it works in a well-made candle, as the wax at the top melts the FO escapes into the air. The wax burns in the wick and new wax melts. The unmelted wax traps the FO so that it is available later. My problem is that I’m using a tureen jar that is 2.5 inches deep and 4 inches wide, all the descriptions of a good melt pool don’t apply in this case. What I need is a good ratio of melted to unmelted wax so that there is always a good supply of FO. My question is, at what point during my test should I judge my MP. My thinking is that at 1 hour it should be small, at 4 hours it may be too big, but at 2 and 3 hours it should be just right. Does that sound reasonable?

[Sarah S]

Good hot throw has more to do with appropriate wicking than the actual size of the melt pool. Some of the fragrance comes from the warm wax in the melt pool, but the majority of what you smell is from the wick consuming and combusting the wax and FO. If the wick is too small, it doesn't generate enough heat to consume the wax and dissapate the fragrance fully. If the wick is too big and hot, it can burn off the fragrance before it has a chance to dissapate at all. @TallTayl has a wonderful analogy about straws and "sucking up" the wax.

Ideally, you want a steady rate of cunsumption so that when you hit your full MP, the depth of the MP stays consistent for several hours (depending on the size of your container of course).

That's why you can get candles with huge flames and deep MPs that barely throw, or a tea light that can fragrance the whole room.

Wick series can make a difference too, some burn hotter and cooler than others.... And of course some waxes need more heat just to melt... 

With your toureen, it sounds like you need a wide but shallow MP, and that's way outside my chandelering experience, so hopefully some one else can provide some good suggestions for you!

[Testing123]

@Sarah S  Wick series can make a difference too, some burn hotter and cooler than others.... And of course some waxes need more heat just to melt... 

 

Does this mean waxes with higher melt points need wicks which tend to burn hotter?

[Forrest]

4 hours ago, Sarah S said:

Good hot throw has more to do with appropriate wicking than the actual size of the melt pool. Some of the fragrance comes from the warm wax in the melt pool, but the majority of what you smell is from the wick consuming and combusting the wax and FO. If the wick is too small, it doesn't generate enough heat to consume the wax and dissapate the fragrance fully. If the wick is too big and hot, it can burn off the fragrance before it has a chance to dissapate at all. @TallTayl has a wonderful analogy about straws and "sucking up" the wax.

Ideally, you want a steady rate of cunsumption so that when you hit your full MP, the depth of the MP stays consistent for several hours (depending on the size of your container of course).

That's why you can get candles with huge flames and deep MPs that barely throw, or a tea light that can fragrance the whole room.

Wick series can make a difference too, some burn hotter and cooler than others.... And of course some waxes need more heat just to melt... 

With your toureen, it sounds like you need a wide but shallow MP, and that's way outside my chandelering experience, so hopefully some one else can provide some good suggestions for you!

Thanks Sarah, that helps a lot. But if the fragrance is carried through the wick I’m not sure why melt pool depth matters. It sounds to me like a good flame and a steady burn rate are more important. In my current test my burn rate is about 4.5 grams/hour with a good steady flames on two of my 3 wicks. That would give me 43 hours of burn time out of 7 ounces of wax. I’ve tested ECO, Zinc Core, HTP, CD, and Premier 700 series so far and the CD or Premier 700 give the best results. Maybe my best path forward is to pick the best wick from this test and try it with some FO. I suppose in the end if the hot throw is steady and the candle last that is what really matters.

[TallTayl]

2 hours ago, Testing123 said:

@Sarah S  Wick series can make a difference too, some burn hotter and cooler than others.... And of course some waxes need more heat just to melt... 

 

Does this mean waxes with higher melt points need wicks which tend to burn hotter?

Here is my ambiguous answer of the day:

you need a wick hot enough to melt and throw your wax and fragrance, but not so hot as to create excess heat that melts too much remaining wax in your choice of containers. This is one reason why container shape, size proportion and material are such big variables.