inch per hour method...

[jsull918]

I see so many people talking about wick testing and the melt pool needs to be 1 inch per hour of diameter......

I've also spoke to someone who has been making candles for over 10 years and successfully sells candles. she called BS on it and never goes by that. She said that the customer's don't care about that they care about the hot throw not the rate of speed to accomplish a melt pool. As long as you monitor your wicks and heat of the glass when you're testing, you're good. Customer's don't want to sit and wait 3 hours before they start to smell their candle, so the whole thing where people are like "it's been 2 hours and I can't smell my candle" and people's responses are "well if its 3 inches, you've still got an hour left, be patient" don't fly. 

 

What are y'alls thoughts on this? I mean, it made sense to me.

Edited August 2, 2020 by Hometown Handmades
spelling

[bfroberts]

There are way too many variables in candle making to follow generalizations like that one.  I like my candles to burn clean, cool and slow while also being fragrant and ending with a clean jar.  That's the goal.  The 1 inch per hr thing means nothing to me.  

Edited August 2, 2020 by bfroberts

[jsull918]

40 minutes ago, bfroberts said:I like my candles to burn clean, cool and slow while also being fragrant and ending with a clean jar.  That's the goal.  The 1 inch per hr thing means nothing to me.  

Ditto, but I’m having a super hard time. I was using soy 464 and switched to 6006. Testing wicks currently. Specifically focusing on my 16oz tin right now double wicking it.  So far lx 12 & 14 seem to be not working. Going to try double wicking LX 16 next. I’ve been trying to ask for help I’m in some groups on Facebook, and there’s a mentor ship but when I rich out to the ones listed as mentors, they read my message and ignore. 

[bfroberts]

27 minutes ago, Hometown Handmades said:

Ditto, but I’m having a super hard time. I was using soy 464 and switched to 6006. Testing wicks currently. Specifically focusing on my 16oz tin right now double wicking it.  So far lx 12 & 14 seem to be not working. Going to try double wicking LX 16 next. I’ve been trying to ask for help I’m in some groups on Facebook, and there’s a mentor ship but when I rich out to the ones listed as mentors, they read my message and ignore. 

Try zinc...double 36z is where I'd start.

[TallTayl]

Many retail soy and paraffin candles throw immediately upon lighting.
 

It has more to do with the FO and the wick choice  than temp or size of the melt pool.
 

Relying on a hot melt pool (akin to a wicked wax melt)  to get throw seems pretty old school crafter. We have so many better wick choices now. 

[jsull918]

2 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Many retail soy and paraffin candles throw immediately upon lighting.
 

It has more to do with the FO and the wick choice  than temp or size of the melt pool.
 

Relying on a hot melt pool (akin to a wicked wax melt)  to get throw seems pretty old school crafter. We have so many better wick choices now. 

The very first try with 6006, I used RRD 40 wick in my 2.9” diameter 12 oz mason jar  With 8% FO. and it smelled up the room within the first 15 minutes. That was just for fun. Now I’m really testing. Lx and zinc, and waiting for flaming candle to get their premier wick samples in stock. I don’t know anywhere else that has them. 

 

im going to be testing in 4oz tins, 4oz & 8 oz jelly jars, medium straight sided jars, 12oz canning and 16 oz tins (double wick). 

any advice with those are appreciated by anyone. 

[TallTayl]

The shape of the jar makes a lot of difference.  Tins are notoriously difficult compared to tall glass jars. 
 

keep with it, you will crack the code.

[birdcharm]

Some people like a candle to last longer, I'm not sure they care or even pay attention to how fast a melt pool forms.

 

[TallTayl]

14 hours ago, birdcharm said:

Some people like a candle to last longer, I'm not sure they care or even pay attention to how fast a melt pool forms.

 

I am convinced that Nobody except makers ever even look. People light and walk away.

 

this is also why we makers need to be mindful of wicking, because those same people will not trim before lighting and won’t extinguish at  the three hour mark.

 

One benefit to in person selling was I had loads of time to casually  poll customers, their top concerns with candles were pretty consistently,:

Burn safe 

Burn clean

smell good (both CT and ht). some never light candles and rely on ct to gently scent a space, like office desk or bathroom.

 

they all agreed that hT was useless without the other two. Many people who rented their homes were no longer permitted to burn candles because of dirty or unsafe candles used by tenants in the past.

[Gary in Canada]

2 hours ago, TallTayl said:

I am convinced that Nobody except makers ever even look. People light and walk away.

 

this is also why we makers need to be mindful of wicking, because those same people will not trim before lighting and won’t extinguish at  the three hour mark.

 

One benefit to in person selling was I had loads of time to casually  poll customers, their top concerns with candles were pretty consistently,:

Burn safe 

Burn clean

smell good (both CT and ht). some never light candles and rely on ct to gently scent a space, like office desk or bathroom.

 

they all agreed that hT was useless without the other two. Many people who rented their homes were no longer permitted to burn candles because of dirty or unsafe candles used by tenants in the past.

That's interesting...first I've heard of that, but I did hear a real weird one this past week on the radio.  Firefighters were called to a car fire.  Turns out the guy was driving his car and decided to light a candle on the dashboard!  Well...you guessed it...he went around a corner, the candle fell off the dash and set his car on fire!  (I can see a new warning requirement on warning labels..lol)...