Wood Wic Care of MICHAEL THE DALLAS TEXAS DEAN

[LRC06301983]

did anyone here do any more experimentation with wood wic's?

I was looking into making a candle like this and was hoping for some suggestions on where to begin.

thanks a lot!

-Luke-

UPDATE: I changed the heading of the thread to flag your attention Michael because in another thread you posted that you had bought some. But anyone can post a suggestion if they have it.

I need some suggestions on making my own wicks based upon your observation of the candles you bought.

[Sharon in PA]

That is so weird, I just saw an article about candles w/ these wicks, supposedly they make the candle "crackle" like you are in front of a fireplace, is this what you mean?

[LRC06301983]

yep. this is exactly what I am talking about.

I am working on a an idea for some candles (another outlandish candle idea) and I need to try it with a wood wick to see if that is the key that will make it work.

I'm having trouble manufacturing wicks that are thin and the right size, out of what type of material...etc...

should I use a reed? or thin particle board? etc...

I need Michael the Texas Dean to help me here. there was a thread about these candles that he posted a lot of info in but it was mostly about burn length and melt pools etc...

Michael how wide were the wics in those candles you bought? length and breadth?

How big was the wic for what diameter and height of candle.

I don't need it to be exactly scientific I just need crude figures for the time being. I could order a candle of my own but I thought I would ask you first to see how far that gets me.

was it an inch long and 1/8th in wide? or was it thinner than that because that is pretty thick.

Should I peel some wicks off a bamboo shoot...I dunno...I'm open to suggestions. I'm at a standstill in a project I'm working on.

Thanks for your help!

[creativegems]

Welllllll Luke now you have to tell us what you are up to.

Janet

[LRC06301983]

The only thing I can say for now and even this is pushing it...is that I'm working very closely with a good friend of mine who is a chemist.

Guesses are welcome.

[BruceCarvesWax]

Why not start out with something like a popsicle stick, thats what they look like to me. Bruce

[MommaD]

Why not start out with something like a popsicle stick, thats what they look like to me. Bruce

To me, that seems too thick. I am thinking thinner. You have to be careful WHAT kind of wood that you use those, make sure it's not treated with chemicals.

[Margaritamama]

My hubby makes wooden model ships, and uses very thin strips of wood for the planking. Most of it is mahogany, but you can get all types of wood. I'm wondering if it might be worth experimenting with some. Maybe a balsa, or pine?!?!?!

[Sharon in PA]

Don't want to sound stupid here, but here's a question:

How does a piece of wood "wick" up the wax, as fuel, to keep itself lit?

[FragileXmom]

I thought someone said they used thin pieces of veneer. They didn't say what kind of veneer. Sounds like it might be worth a try.

[LRC06301983]

Well I wouldn't suggest wood as wicks, because sizing on it is every bit as specific for a wood wick as it is for a cloth wick and its a lot harder to find wood that is thin enough or the perfect size etc..

Sharon, the wood wicks up wax everybit as efficiently as a cotton wax. it is simply another medium. tends to smoke a little bit more.

The Old Virginia Candle Company is the only place I have found that markets a candle with a wood wick (and trust me I've looked)

I'll try the balsa wood and possibly a popsicle stick. Where does your husband get his model wood for his ships?

I have sucessfully made a votive with a wood wick that burns for thirty minutes before it has a blow out.

Like I said I wouldn't recommend it, but for my project I was forced to explore other wick ideas and this was one that worked for now.

I just was having trouble finding thin wood like 1/16th thickness at my local lowes.

Where do you get this hobby wood at?

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

and btw, the popsicle stick might actually be the right size in a 4" candle. I dunno. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes. Please keep the suggestions for a wicks coming.

What is veneer?

[SatinDucky]

I have sucessfully made a votive with a wood wick that burns for thirty minutes before it has a blow out.

I'm almost afraid to ask how you had a votive blowout. I'm guessing you burned it like a pillar. And if it's a properly made votive, it should blowout when it not burned in a tight fitting holder.

[LRC06301983]

I said blowout, but it was more of a: wick was too large, heat was too intense, burned down pretty far and then one side started melting fast and wax spilled over the lip of one side etc... Actualy probably went for 45 minutes before this happened. It goes for a lot longer if I blow it out and let the wax cool every 30 minutes. I dunno something like that. It wasn't a true blow out, but I wasn't sure the exact term for it and loosely it was a blowout.

dowel rods are too big, toothpicks are too small, popsicle sticks are alright if you split them etc...

I'm gonna try to get a hold of some of the model boat making basal wood or something equivalent if I can find it.

I still need to figure out what veneer is.

You almost need to custom make wicks and that requires a planer and other wood woring equipment that costs more money. lol.

[Vicky_CO]

Here is something you might have over looked those wicks may very well be patented or copywrited or what ever you have to file for something like that and your trying to copying it may very well be violated that.

[LRC06301983]

I have the U.S. patent site in my favorites.

There are some patents for it, but the concept can't be patented. Just the specifications of what they use.

i.e. you can patents a certain type of candle that is a specific color with a specific pour temp with a specific company name...but you can't actually patent the concept of making a candle.

likewise, it would be extreemly difficult for someone to put a blanket patent on using wood as a wick. just a certain type of wood, or a certain size of wick..

I really think it is that its really difficult to make and get it right and its not as clean as a normal cloth wick.

[Vicky_CO]

Just because you have the patent web site in your favorites doesn't mean anything. A lawyer that specializes in patents will be able to tell you where really stand from a legal stand point. Not just what you have heard or you think you know or the way you may have interpreted the laws.

You may not be able to patent a concept but you sure can copywrite it.

You need to talk to a lawyer before you get to much time and money invested in this idea. You need to have all your bases covered or you could end up loosing every thing you have.

[GingerKay]

Well I wouldn't suggest wood as wicks, because sizing on it is every bit as specific for a wood wick as it is for a cloth wick and its a lot harder to find wood that is thin enough or the perfect size etc..

Sharon, the wood wicks up wax everybit as efficiently as a cotton wax. it is simply another medium. tends to smoke a little bit more.

The Old Virginia Candle Company is the only place I have found that markets a candle with a wood wick (and trust me I've looked)

I'll try the balsa wood and possibly a popsicle stick. Where does your husband get his model wood for his ships?

I have sucessfully made a votive with a wood wick that burns for thirty minutes before it has a blow out.

Like I said I wouldn't recommend it, but for my project I was forced to explore other wick ideas and this was one that worked for now.

I just was having trouble finding thin wood like 1/16th thickness at my local lowes.

Where do you get this hobby wood at?

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

and btw, the popsicle stick might actually be the right size in a 4" candle. I dunno. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes. Please keep the suggestions for a wicks coming.

What is veneer?

http://daynadecker.nespra.com/ Another wood wick chandler from a previous thread.

[LRC06301983]

Those are good points Vicky. No one wants a lawsuit, espcially me. lol. The guy I am working on this with, his father is a copyright lawyer. I'll run this past him and make sure there isn't anything in existence.

GingerKay: Yeah those Dayna decker ones are nice. I was with Sara the moderator and a couple others who thought that it was hard navigating the website. Do they burn off of oil or parafin?

[creativegems]

It might be easier to find a wood person in your town. I'm sure they have many kinds of wood and would be willing to make you all kinds and sizes with different woods. Sometimes you can interest a person and they won't charge you an arm and a leg just to see you succeed or promise them a candle.

Janet

[BruceCarvesWax]

I might be showing my "dumbness" right now, but isnt veneer just cheap partical board with a very thin real coating of high quality wood that is glued to it. It looks like the real stuff, but its just a thin layer of the good stuff with pressed wood sandwiched between like a oreo...? I would not use anything that might be glued together, since that may not be safe to burn and I would think way too thick also. Bruce

[FragileXmom]

Bruce, veneer is just a really thin "slice" of the real wood, maple, cherry etc. After you buy it, you glue it to the top of your crappy table or chair to make it look like the real thing. Plain veneer should not have glue in it.

[The_Dallas_Texas_Dean]

Hi Luke/everyone

I am still testing the candles I purchased from the Old Virginia Candle Co. You are right...in the other thread I was only discussing the performance of the candle with the wooden wick....not sure what else I can share about it. The "wick is 10/16 inch wide. The container is 6.5 inches tall. It is 4 inches wide at the widest point and approx. 3.5 inches in the center. ( It has a slight hourglass shape) It would be difficult to measure the thickness of the wick as it is very thin. Much like the veneer that was mentioned or slightly thicker than the end of a reed used on a clarinet.

It is recommended that before you relight the "wick" you snap off the burned portion with your fingers. I did that the first three burns and was still getting quite a bit of smoke after lighting. I decided to use a regular wick trimmer and trim as close to the wax as possible to see if it would help.The results were quite the contrary and I discovered quickly why they suggested that the wick be trimmed by merely breaking off the blackened portion! It smoked like CRAZY!!!!! This thing IS a smoker! ( I think I talked a lot about this in the other thread)

The wick itself has a wood "graining" appearance to it( so much so that it is almost "wood-fake" looking) which leads me to believe that it very well could be just plain veneer.I am not sure if it has been "treated" with something to make it "crackle" like a fire, or if the material just does that naturally.

I, too, will be looking around to see if I can find something similar to this to do some testing with. Even though there is some smoking with this "wick"....and I suspect that there is not much that can be done about it, it is not so much that it completely turns me off of the notion of playing around with this concept. I do like the wide flame it produces and the way that for the most part it self- consumes ( except for a small amount of blackened burned wick) If I find something I will pass it on for those that are interested and would like for you to do the same.

HTH

Michael

[Margaritamama]

I'll try the balsa wood and possibly a popsicle stick. Where does your husband get his model wood for his ships?

Where do you get this hobby wood at?

Most of the wood comes with the kit, but you can buy it at any hobby shop. Our AC Moore and Michaels didn't have it, we had to get it from a speciality hobby store.

[LRC06301983]

what is the melt pool like on the old virginia Candles you have?

Does it completely liquify the top of the candle (hence they only sell container candles and we aren't seeing any freetsanding pillars etc...) or does it have a reasonable melt pool on top?

Thanks for all the suggestions so far everybody.

I'm searching for a place to get wood wicks at.

I'll keep everyone updated.

FYI: Michaels right, from what I've been able to fabricate myself, they do smoke a lot, not so much during burn, but especially when being blown out. My wife hates smoke of any kind so she really doesn't like these candles. I enjoy a little smoke so it doesn't bother me, but be forewarned when you start sizing for wicks and stuff...your house can get a little cloudy...

[GingerKay]

Those are good points Vicky. No one wants a lawsuit, espcially me. lol. The guy I am working on this with, his father is a copyright lawyer. I'll run this past him and make sure there isn't anything in existence.

GingerKay: Yeah those Dayna decker ones are nice. I was with Sara the moderator and a couple others who thought that it was hard navigating the website. Do they burn off of oil or parafin?

I don't know anything about them. I was just responding to the note by LRC06301983 that they hadn't been able to find any other wood wick candles besides Old Virginia. I figured they missed the earlier thread and thought I'd share the info.