Overwicked?

[anncal]

I'm in the middle of a test burn, ProBlend600 soy/paraffin wax in 8 oz tins with ECO 8 wicks, fragrance load 6%.  My candles are burning beautifully and I'm getting HT that I'm mostly happy with.  Nice smallish flames, no dancing or sooting.  However, I've gotten to nearly a full melt pool after about 1.5 hours.  Everything else seems perfect so I'm not sure if they're overwicked or if this may just be how ProBlend 600 works.  Help?

[TallTayl]

A full melt pool isn’t a problem in my opinion. A deep melt pool that grows steadily without checking itself will be.

 

Pictures help.

 

And take temperatures of your container. If any place on the outside surface (notably the direction of the curl in the wick) is 175°F or more yes it is overwicked.
 

Keep watching that candle to the very end. Things change fast in the last third.

 

Also when testing wicks don’t forget to abuse the candle a bit and not trim it perfectly before every light. And do your power burn.

[bfroberts]

I am using the same wax.  It's very easy to wick and burns great.  How long has the candle cured?  If it hasn't cured a couple of weeks, I'd set it aside and test again after a couple of weeks.  

[anncal]

On 4/3/2021 at 2:45 PM, bfroberts said:

I am using the same wax.  It's very easy to wick and burns great.  How long has the candle cured?  If it hasn't cured a couple of weeks, I'd set it aside and test again after a couple of weeks.  

I did the full two weeks, so I think I'm getting a good accurate burn test.  It was hard to wait!

[anncal]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:13 AM, TallTayl said:

A full melt pool isn’t a problem in my opinion. A deep melt pool that grows steadily without checking itself will be.

 

Pictures help.

 

And take temperatures of your container. If any place on the outside surface (notably the direction of the curl in the wick) is 175°F or more yes it is overwicked.
 

Keep watching that candle to the very end. Things change fast in the last third.

 

Also when testing wicks don’t forget to abuse the candle a bit and not trim it perfectly before every light. And do your power burn.

Thank you!  What should I be watching for the most in the final third?  (Other than a giant full-candle apocalypse flame haha)

[TallTayl]

23 minutes ago, anncal said:

Thank you!  What should I be watching for the most in the final third?  (Other than a giant full-candle apocalypse flame haha)

Haha

i would be looking into a flame that grows out of proportion with the candle, hot container (175*F or above), soot puffing from the flame.

[bfroberts]

43 minutes ago, anncal said:

I did the full two weeks, so I think I'm getting a good accurate burn test.  It was hard to wait!

It IS hard to wait.  I'd definitely try one size down.  I'm finding that it doesn't take much wick with PB600 compared to other parasoy's.  I just haven't tested any tins yet.

[anncal]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:13 AM, TallTayl said:

Pictures help.

 

Here is one hour in.  ProBlend 600 wax in 8 oz tin with ECO-8 wick, 6% fragrance (TFC Cocoa Butter Cashmere)

[TallTayl]

so far so good.  Keep going.

 

looks like the wick was well trimmed before lighting.  One suggestion I have (learned the hard way) is to make another with the wick that seems the best.   burn it like a typical person would.  This means never trimming the wick. While “everyone” claims they trim perfectly before every lighting, truthfully they don’t, or have someone else in the household who doesn’t. What happens if it is not perfectly burned? 

[anncal]

1 hour ago, TallTayl said:

so far so good.  Keep going.

 

looks like the wick was well trimmed before lighting.  One suggestion I have (learned the hard way) is to make another with the wick that seems the best.   burn it like a typical person would.  This means never trimming the wick. While “everyone” claims they trim perfectly before every lighting, truthfully they don’t, or have someone else in the household who doesn’t. What happens if it is not perfectly burned? 

Here it is at the 4-hour mark...a less well-behaved flame, some mushrooming, and full melt pool.  Very strong HT

[TallTayl]

12 minutes ago, anncal said:

Here it is at the 4-hour mark...a less well-behaved flame, some mushrooming, and full melt pool.  Very strong HT

Personally, I would wick down.

 

the pic makes the reflection look like You can see to the bottom of the tin. 
 

When summer temps hit that melt pool will get wide and deep much quicker. 

 

ht, while seemingly strong now will be sacrificed later in the candle. 

[Craig]

I'm starting to test Pro Blend 600. I have tried htp wicks and they are ok, but was wondering if anyone else who knows this wax very well has a favorite type of wick they like to use?

[bfroberts]

13 hours ago, Craig said:

I'm starting to test Pro Blend 600. I have tried htp wicks and they are ok, but was wondering if anyone else who knows this wax very well has a favorite type of wick they like to use?

I like Eco in PB600. CD also work well.

[Lizzy]

I agree....Eco or CD's. PB600 is a lovely wax.

[Guest Craig]

1 hour ago, bfroberts said:

I like Eco in PB600. CD also work well.

Thanks, I will give both of those a try !

[NightLight]

That fragrance is pain in the tushie. Wick down on it. Try one or two down in testers.

[Craig]

I tested a bakery scent in pro blend 600 in an 8 oz jelly jar with 8% fo and an eco 2 wick. After one week it had a great melt pool, excellent scent throw. The only issue was that it started sooting slightly. Will a longer cure time take care of sooting issues? I did try a cd 

6 in another jar and it didn’t soot, but didn’t seem like it had the scent throw that the eco 2 had.

[bfroberts]

20 hours ago, Craig said:

I tested a bakery scent in pro blend 600 in an 8 oz jelly jar with 8% fo and an eco 2 wick. After one week it had a great melt pool, excellent scent throw. The only issue was that it started sooting slightly. Will a longer cure time take care of sooting issues? I did try a cd 

6 in another jar and it didn’t soot, but didn’t seem like it had the scent throw that the eco 2 had.

You can always test Eco 1.  I use a lot of Eco 1's in jelly's.

[Craig]

2 hours ago, bfroberts said:

You can always test Eco 1.  I use a lot of Eco 1's in jelly's.

Thanks, I will give that a try !! Do you think 8% is too much FO?

[bfroberts]

12 hours ago, Craig said:

Thanks, I will give that a try !! Do you think 8% is too much FO?

No, not really. I only use 6% or a smidge over, but 8 is reasonable and well within what the wax can hold.