Proper wicking for safety+hot throw for 5:4:1 coconut/soy/beeswax blend in 3" diameter container

[Dylan C]

Hi there, 

 

Hoping someone can help me out with proper wicking here! I'm trying to get a proper balance between safety and a wick hot enough to give me a good hot throw. 

 

I'm using a 5:4:1 coconut/soy/beeswax blend, CD 16 wick, and an 8% fragrance load in a 3" diameter glass tumbler. I've found that it melts and dries beautifully, however I get almost no hot throw unless my melt pool temperature reaches ~185º F at the mid-radius (edges are cooler, center of melt pool hotter). Is that a safe temperature?

 

I'm using CD 16 right now with an average 8% fragrance load. Occasionally the jars are pretty uncomfortable to touch after burning for > 3 hrs, but I wouldn't consider it dangerous. Flame dances but absolutely no soot and it is 90% self trimming. 

 

I'm wondering if there is maybe a better wick I could be using. I'm super happy with my burn performance, but hot throw just isn't meeting standards.

 

I'm thinking maybe a hotter burning wick with a smaller flame might do the trick to help with hot throw without getting the edges of the tumbler too hot. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance

[BusyBee]

When you have your own custom wax blend, then you are on your own because no one can guess what you have.  There are so many different beeswax, soy, & coconut waxes out there that will perform differently.  Even all beeswax is not the same.  On top of that, 5% more or less can totally change the wax characteristics.  So, you are the only one who knows your wax, and I would not have any clue how your wax is going to perform.  It would be impossible for anyone to give you any wick suggestion.

 

But, I can point something about your melt pool temperature.  Ideal melt pool temperature is 140F per candle testing labs or university research groups.  Your 185F is way too high.  Or it could be because your measurement method might be different.  My measurement is about 1" away from the wick using digital meat thermometer.  Outer edge was about 5 to 6F lower for 3.6" diameter container.

 

Mainly, I use GB 464, and it has melt pool temperature of 123F to 135F depending on the wicks used.  I get the best result (great burn with optimal HT) when my melt pool temperature is 123F.  But when I blend 464 with 5% of other wax, then I get the best performance at 129F.  *Many people think that soy wax need hotter burning wick, but melt pool temperature tells different story.

For Coconut 83, I get the best performance at 138F.

For melt point 130 base paraffin wax, I get the best performance at 138F.

*Once again, you will need to figure out the optimal temperature for your own wax blend.

 

Candle container temperature should not exceed 170F per ASTM Standard.  And candle makers' goal is to achieve container temperature comfortable to touch at any time.  When you have 10% beeswax in your blend, this would be very hard to achieve (I think).

 

[Dylan C]

Thanks for the great advice BusyBee. I do think my melt pool measuring technique may be different, so I'll just continue with my method on that. I use an infrared thermometer which I am sure the flame interferes with when I'm measuring, but I do get consistent temperature readings with it – I just think it reads a bit hotter and is probably closer to what you're saying in actuality. I'll try a meat thermometer though to see the difference!

 

My containers luckily have not exceeded 170F (which is a pretty high temperature... I'm not sure I would say that is comfortable to touch!). And I've never had issues with my container temperature in the first 4-5 hours of a burn... any customer who burns longer than that would probably experience a pretty hot container after 4 hours with most container candles on the market. 

 

I've purchased some HPSP wicks which I'm looking forward to try out. Thanks!

[Dylan C]

Update: I just measured with a meat thermometer! (not digital) My melt pool is 180F with that as well, however my container is only 130F.

 

Is this actually abnormal? The candle feels just fine, and I'm only getting a hot throw when the melt pool reaches these temperatures. Based off of my testing, 120-130F melt pool just sounds really low to get a decent hot throw. 

 

Any more input on this?

[BusyBee]

There aren't that much articles regarding this, and I have not mastered on this subject (Well, not only this but many other aspects of candle making).  So, I cannot  speak with 100% confidence. 

 

One of candle supplier told me that ideal melt pool temperature for soy wax would be 130F.  Below is from one of the article that I read.  And, I have been asking other people about this, and I met one candle maker getting similar readings like you (around 180F) using coconut wax blend.  

 

I am measuring temperatures using digital and non-digital meat thermometers. (Digital one gets 2F higher reading.)  I use these because I want to check the temperature between 1/8" to 1/4" below the surface.  I am suspecting that readings could be little higher on the surface area due to radiation from the flame.

 

No matter whichever method is correct one, one thing for sure is that there is a sweet spot for optimal performance of each wax using this kind of measurement. 

 

1.   Wick: 400°C (750°F).

2.   Blue/white outer edge of the flame (and also the blue cone underneath flame where the oxygen enters): 1400°C (2550°F).

3.   Yellow central region of the brightest part of the flame: 1200°C (2190°F).

4.   Dark brown/red inner part of the flame: 1000°C (1830°F).

5.   Red/orange inner part of the flame: 800°C (1470°F).

6.   Body of the candle: 40–50°C (104–122°F).

7.   Melted pool of wax on top of the candle: 60°C (140°F).

 

At one point, I thought about buying a J-type thermocouples to measure all of the above, but the ones with measuring capability higher than 1800F are too expensive.  So, I am just sticking with melt pool temperature readings for now.

 

Good luck with you on candle developing!

 

 

[Dylan C]

Thanks for all your help.