Wax melt point vs wick size

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

I was just reading around looking at wax information that, once I really sat down and thought about it, just seems backwards to me.

 

General knowledge indicates that a soy wax like 464 will require a larger wick than a para soy blend like 6006.  However, 6006 is listed as having a melt point of 133F while 464 is listed as 119F-125F.  

 

I know there's an explanation for this but it escapes me.  Can someone please explain why the lower melt point wax requires a larger wick than the wax with the much higher melt point?

 

I need a book that covers the chemistry and behaviors of different wax types; wick series behaviors, pros, and cons; an outline of proper wick testing procedures with photos of a successful test from start to finish; how specific gravity of a fragrance oil affects wick size requirements; how to eliminate or at least minimize mushrooming; candle safety; maximizing patience and eliminating shortcuts during the curing and testing process; as well as how to make the world's best margarita.  For starters.

[TallTayl]

Soy wax needs a bigger wick since it is essentially a thicker sludge than a paraffin. The viscosity of soy needs a bigger "straw" than something that contains paraffin. 

 

Also, additives, such as emulsifiers and gellants change "how" a wax melts.

 

We have long winters here, so I did a series of tests using plain old coconut oil92 with tiny amounts of various botanical waxes. overall the melt points were essentially the same. Some waxes made the candle require a larger wick simply because it took more energy to pull the blend from a strong gel into a melt pool into a flame. And the wicks varied simply because the viscosity enhancers cause smaller wicks to struggle to suck it up into the flame. It was like watching the difference between water being sucked up through a straw to jello being sucked up the same straw. good times.

 

[NightLight]

My paraffin blends require larger wicks, than soy. I find the blends I am testing using to be very thick and viscous more so than soy.

[The Candle Nook]

5 hours ago, xxxAlpha71xxx said:

I was just reading around looking at wax information that, once I really sat down and thought about it, just seems backwards to me.

 

General knowledge indicates that a soy wax like 464 will require a larger wick than a para soy blend like 6006.  However, 6006 is listed as having a melt point of 133F while 464 is listed as 119F-125F.  

 

I know there's an explanation for this but it escapes me.  Can someone please explain why the lower melt point wax requires a larger wick than the wax with the much higher melt point?

 

I need a book that covers the chemistry and behaviors of different wax types; wick series behaviors, pros, and cons; an outline of proper wick testing procedures with photos of a successful test from start to finish; how specific gravity of a fragrance oil affects wick size requirements; how to eliminate or at least minimize mushrooming; candle safety; maximizing patience and eliminating shortcuts during the curing and testing process; as well as how to make the world's best margarita.  For starters.

Sounds like a master’s thesis to me! 😂

[TallTayl]

18 hours ago, NightLight said:

My paraffin blends require larger wicks, than soy. I find the blends I am testing using to be very thick and viscous more so than soy.

See what I wrote above.. additives make the burns different.   A typical naked generic  “paraffin” needs a very small wick. It won’t hold fragrance, will shrink from glass and does not burn with the qualities modern candle makers demand. Each paraffin blend on the market has been engineered to meet customer demand and varies with the amount of synthetic additives such as vybar (among many others) to hold fragrance in suspension, provide the look customers expect and control burn qualities.  Some, like 4625 and 4630, contain large amounts of petrolatum to adhere to the glass throw “better”. 
 

Anecdotally saying my wax is different means nothing in the comparison from the OP without stating what particular wax it is. the original question of why does 464 with a lower melt point need a bigger wick than 6006 is pretty clear. The 6006 blend does not contain those additives in “your” particular paraffin that affect Viscosity in their candles which is changing the wick size needed. 

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

2 hours ago, TallTayl said:

See what I wrote above.. additives make the burns different.   A typical naked generic  “paraffin” needs a very small wick. It won’t hold fragrance, will shrink from glass and does not burn with the qualities modern candle makers demand. Each paraffin blend on the market has been engineered to meet customer demand and varies with the amount of synthetic additives such as vybar (among many others) to hold fragrance in suspension, provide the look customers expect and control burn qualities.  Some, like 4625 and 4630, contain large amounts of petrolatum to adhere to the glass throw “better”. 
 

Anecdotally saying my wax is different means nothing in the comparison from the OP without stating what particular wax it is. the original question of why does 464 with a lower melt point need a bigger wick than 6006 is pretty clear. The 6006 blend does not contain those additives in “your” particular paraffin that affect Viscosity in their candles which is changing the wick size needed. 

Thanks TT.  I think my problem is that I get hung up on what I used to think was happening in the interaction between wax and wick vs what is actually happening.  Having never really considered the relationship between the wax and the wick I guess I just kind of assumed that the wick was kind of a conveyance mechanism for the flame vs what it actually is, a conveyance mechanism for the wax.  I guess the term "wick" should have been a hint.  Viscosity never entered my mind.

 

I was in construction quality control for 25+ years.  Virtually every single material used in construction has to be tested in accordance with ASTM's to ensure they met specifications.  I mean everything from aggregates, asphalt cement, nuts and bolts, concrete, and soils.  You name it and it pretty much has a test method and associated spec governing it.  And it wasn't just tested once.  The contractor had to do Quality Control testing, the state DOT did Quality Assurance testing to verify the contractors results, then the Feds would pop in every so often to do verification testing to make sure the contractor and the state were both doing their job correctly.

 

With all of the testing (read that overkill) we had to do and specs we had to meet I wonder if wax manufacturers have specifications they have to meet and who sets those specifications.  I know there's an ASTM for candle safety but I'm not sure if there are actual specifications regarding the wax properties themselves.  It seems that I see a lot of people talking about how wax can change from case to case.  You'd think that there would be some requirements that manufacturers have to meet to make sure that doesn't happen.

[TallTayl]

I know what you mean about overkill.  My professional career was aerospace.  Everything from rivets to coffee pots on planes has to follow tight specs and mad traceability. 

 

i do think the wax manufacturers have production specs.  Problem we are seeing is that the range is so wide, pretty much anything goes.  Unless we consumers complain together, and refuse to buy we have no voice, and no power at all.   Most of these wax sellers consider candles a secondary market to more important food or paper cup type uses.  

[Kerven]

+1 to viscosity having a large role in wick sizing. Not only is viscosity modified by additives, the chemical composition of the wax is a factor as well. Hydrogenated soy waxes, for example, are known to be viscous due to their extra hydrogen bonds. That viscosity is what causes soy waxes to burn slower - decreased capillary action.

 

Companies such as IGI do use ASTM testing methods for a variety of wax characteristics (iodine value, needle penetration, congeal point, drop melt point, kinematic viscosity, etc.). Whether or not those are applied to waxes for candle use or for more industrial applications, I don't know. Candle waxes are highly customizable and big candle producers will have their own required specs. It's not unlike cosmetics in that one base isn't going to have the same performance or quality as the next, although they may use the same testing methods, and sometimes a lab that's not on top of its game will produce an off batch that somehow manages to slip by QC. The big difference, IMO, is that candles aren't regulated.

[NightLight]

6006 straight up required smaller wick, than what I am combining. I just don’t love that wax and think it has bad adhesion. I do like 4630 fo paraffin.