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HTP wicks


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A while back I did some research on wicks and what I read about HTP wicks made them sound like the perfect wick, and it might all be true except for one little problem they forgot to mention. They don’t smoke, mushroom and they are self-trimming. The problem is they curl, which means the bend over at a 90 degree angle, see picture. That would be fine except it moves the heat from the wick to one side, causing the MP to be off center, see picture. It is very frustrating. If I knew which way they were going to bend I could compensate by putting them off center. The best Idea I’ve come up with is to burn the wick a little to see which way it curls before attaching it to the container.

 

IMG_1967.thumb.jpg.372993f759eb27545c7aba3c3cb1c74e.jpg

 

 

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That drives me crazy too. I love HTPs, but the lean is aggravating. One thing that helps is to trim your wick shorter for the first couple burns. Yours looks a teensy bit long, if you trim it just a bit more it won't lean over quite so far.

Another thing that helps is dipping your wick in the opposite direction of the lean when you put it out. That can help correct it a bit.

Other than that, it looks sloppy for the first few burns, but once you get closer to a full MP it isn't so bad! Just watch it toward the bottom of the jar, if any soot is going to happen, it will collect on the lean side of the jar.

Oops, I see that's a tin. ☺️ You may avoid the soot issue altogether then!

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14 hours ago, TallTayl said:

I’ve read that they bend toward the “V” side of the braid. 

 

Cd and eco have curled over onto themselves in some of my waxes.  It ruins the burn in several ways, so I finally moved away from them. 

I can see the V, so clearly I need to make a test candle today:) I'm burning a test candle right now in an 8oz tin with an HTP that is clearly overwicked; the MP is touching the tin on one side and a full inch away from the other. If the wick was 1/2 inch over it would be centered.

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18 hours ago, TallTayl said:

I’ve read that they bend toward the “V” side of the braid. 

 

Cd and eco have curled over onto themselves in some of my waxes.  It ruins the burn in several ways, so I finally moved away from them. 

It looks to me like they bend away from the V, but that may be my way of interpreting it. There is a V on both sides, but one is upside down. I'm burning two candles that I had wicked down to an HTP 93 from a zinc 51 and both are burning beautifully; the MP is only slightly off center. I had to stop testing a candle that was overwicked wit an HTP. I get the feeling that perhaps having the right size wick is more important than the type.  

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2 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

I can't remember if I've ever tried it with HTP wicks, but try twisting them before inserting into the jar.  This will force them to burn on both sides!  I do it with flat style wicks.

That is very interesting, I'll certainly try it. I wonder if it will inhibit the HTPs self-trimming  quality.

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You are all spot on. HTPs are perfect in every way except they lean. And I dont mean curl (that is a good thing), but that they lean to much. They do NOT hold up well in melted or semi melted wax. Other than they.. they are my favorite by far. Most if not all self trimming wicks (ones that curl) are flat braid with no core. This means less rigid and do not hold up in melting or soft wax. HTPs are the best among them I think but still frustrating. I hate CDs. I only like ECOs in 100% soy wax. The battle for the "best wick" will never end do to all the variables and its not a perfect science unfortunately

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On 1/15/2019 at 10:06 AM, Forrest said:

That is very interesting, I'll certainly try it. I wonder if it will inhibit the HTPs self-trimming  quality.

It has never affected any of the self trimming wicks I've used.  All you're doing by twisting is forcing it to burn all the way around the candle, it really works great on those flat buggers that want to lean one way.

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I have only had occasional and inconsistent luck by twisting them. Sometimes it helps a bit, but for me it usually does not. Bare in mind that it takes a while for the unwinding to occur because they burn at a slow rate. Its only going to start curling back another direction only after plenty of was has been consumed... several hours. By that time, the wick has already started leaning to one side, especially with the added weight of the wax being pulled up and then also the curl. By the time it does finally start to change directions, its usually already leaning too much to have the ability to lean back to proper posture, let alone the other direction.

 

I have really only had luck in very light easy to work with and quick burning FOs. But, with those... I typically do not have much of an issue in the first place.

 

Just my two cents. 

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7 minutes ago, Arch Rock said:

Who carries the best selection of HTPs?  I can only find one or two at one or two places.  Interested in testing the full range.  Thanks.

 

HTPs are very common, you should be able to find the full range with several suupliers. 

Here are some:

 

Candle Science

CandleWic

Flaming Candle

Lonestar has most

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For those interested:

Lonestar has HTP 52, 62, 73, 83, 104, 105, and 126 at 6" pre-tabbed

Fillmore has HTP 73, 83, 93, 104, 105, 126, and 1212 at 6" pre-tabbed

Candle Science has the same as Fillmore plus an HTP 41 at 3" pre-tabbed

Candlewic does not have the lower 52 and 62.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Definitely over-wicked.  Big melt pool (not sure how long that was burning), long stalk, and carbon mushrooms.  Took me a while to see this pattern, but when I light a tester for the first time and there's a big flame height and smoke curls, I know it's not a good wick match.  I'll give it a few minutes MAX to stabilize but if it doesn't, I stop burning and re-wick. 

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