IGI 6006 - Flickering Issue - Wicking Nightmare

[candlpersonl]

Wax: IGI 6006

Jar: Medium Straight Sided Jar (Twist Top) (candlescience)

Diameter: 2.83 inches

Wick Trim: 1/4 inch

 

I started making candles a month ago. I bought ECO 4 wicks based on the recommendation from Candlescience for this jar size and wax type. I used fragrance oil (Blood Orange) from Candlescience initially at both 10% and 8% FO. For both, the ECO 4 had a flame that was too large and too hot, and flickered a lot within the first hour of lighting. (HT was pretty good though and burned cleanly down, just got very hot)

 

I decided to try HTP/LX/CD to see if I could get the flickering to stop. Initially, I kept the FO in the wax, but after continuing to have the flickering issue, I decided to remove it and test just the wax to see if I could get a baseline wick that I know at least works in pure wax. However, I'm still having this issue come up on every wick I test. I've also confirmed that it's not a draft in the room. 

 

I've had the most luck with LX 16/LX 18/LX 20, but they still flicker more than I've seen other similar sized candles (from other candle makers) around an hour into the very first burn. The flames on these also just seem a bit taller than they should be (to me at least) upon first lighting (1 - 1.25 inches). HTP 104 flickered like crazy and had massive sooting and bouncing flame up to 1.5 inches. HTP 83 also flickered and had a large flame. HTP 73 and 62 seemed to have a more controlled flame (0.75 inches) but took about 40 minutes until they started flickering like crazy as well. 

 

I've tried (CD 6, CD 8, CD 10, CD 12, CD 14, CD 16, LX 12, LX 14, LX 16, LX 18, LX 20, LX 22, HTP 62, HTP 73, HTP 83, HTP 104). Some performed better than others, but every one of them starts flickering within an hour, by two hours all bets are off. Most of them within 30 minutes. I'm down to thinking it's 1) either that my wick sizes are too large or too small or 2) that there's something wrong with the wax I'm using or the preparation of it, maybe airbubbles or some other issue?

 

What do you all think could be causing this? Can you recommend a wick size based on your own experiences for this wax and jar diameter? I appreciate any help I can get and will answer any questions that might help figure it out!

Edited March 7, 2023 by candlpersonl

[TallTayl]

I had similar experiences with all of those commonly recommended wicks.  Chugging like that will inevitably lead to soot and overheating as the candle burns down. Kudos to you for performing baseline testing! This will propel you to candle success so much faster than skipping this step. You’ll be able to quickly test new batches of wax to identify any variations between lots that can get you into a pickle. 
 

I’ve had much better luck with Premier 700 series in nearly all of my container waxes. Second best rigid curl in many waxes.  honorable mention to CDN. the beef I have with CD, CDN, HTP (which are nearly identical to CD), and other coreless wicks is the weird curl (sometimes they fold over on themselves like a misshapen candy cane) and the inevitable leaning that makes the melt pool go off center pretty dramatically. 
 

You can also try the smallest ECO sizes in your candle since you already have had decent luck with them, just were recommended by CandleScience to use much too large of a size.  Ride that series out since you’ve already gone the other way. ECO come in sizes as small as 0.5, 0.75 and 1 at different retailers. 

 

if you get flicker and growing flames you definitely need to wick down. If you don’t have one already, consider getting an IR thermometer to track your container temps.  There’s lots of debate among different self-trained candle experts about the highest allowable container temp. Someone, somewhere, a long time ago claimed ASTM (the governing body for candle safety) said the max temp of any container during a burn is 170 (or 175*F) depending on who you ask.  That is not true as I purchased  the most recent published standards and conversed with people at ASTM.
 

Not wanting to drop the bone, this doggie kept digging to find the common temp limits by UL testing for candle retailers. I learned commonly documents UL max temp is 125*F for metal and 140/145*F for glass or ceramic containers.  If your container gets too hot you run the risk of breakage, and potentially flashover. You’ll find several candle safety threads here, with at least one that points to a you tube video of candle safety testing by a man who wrote the safety standards who confirms the UL testing report temps. 

[bfroberts]

With a 6% fragrance load, Eco 1, 2 or 4 work, but it does largely depend on the FO. Cure 2 full weeks before testing.

[candlpersonl]

21 hours ago, TallTayl said:

I had similar experiences with all of those commonly recommended wicks.  Chugging like that will inevitably lead to soot and overheating as the candle burns down. Kudos to you for performing baseline testing! This will propel you to candle success so much faster than skipping this step. You’ll be able to quickly test new batches of wax to identify any variations between lots that can get you into a pickle. 
 

I’ve had much better luck with Premier 700 series in nearly all of my container waxes. Second best rigid curl in many waxes.  honorable mention to CDN. the beef I have with CD, CDN, HTP (which are nearly identical to CD), and other coreless wicks is the weird curl (sometimes they fold over on themselves like a misshapen candy cane) and the inevitable leaning that makes the melt pool go off center pretty dramatically. 
 

You can also try the smallest ECO sizes in your candle since you already have had decent luck with them, just were recommended by CandleScience to use much too large of a size.  Ride that series out since you’ve already gone the other way. ECO come in sizes as small as 0.5, 0.75 and 1 at different retailers. 

 

if you get flicker and growing flames you definitely need to wick down. If you don’t have one already, consider getting an IR thermometer to track your container temps.  There’s lots of debate among different self-trained candle experts about the highest allowable container temp. Someone, somewhere, a long time ago claimed ASTM (the governing body for candle safety) said the max temp of any container during a burn is 170 (or 175*F) depending on who you ask.  That is not true as I purchased  the most recent published standards and conversed with people at ASTM.
 

Not wanting to drop the bone, this doggie kept digging to find the common temp limits by UL testing for candle retailers. I learned commonly documents UL max temp is 125*F for metal and 140/145*F for glass or ceramic containers.  If your container gets too hot you run the risk of breakage, and potentially flashover. You’ll find several candle safety threads here, with at least one that points to a you tube video of candle safety testing by a man who wrote the safety standards who confirms the UL testing report temps. 

 

Thanks for your advice! I'm buying some Premiers today to try - Premier 725/735/745/750/755 Also bought some ECO 2s. Hoping downsizing these will help solve this! If not, I'll probably have to figure out if it's something I'm doing wrong in the process of making/pouring the wax, since I've already tried such a wide range of wicks and sizes with a very similar outcome. I do have an IR thermometer that I've been using. My goal has been to keep the temperature at 140F max. I've heard this is the limit that someone can still safely hold it without dropping it from the heat. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by candlpersonl

[NightLight]

You need small wick. Premiers could be good, the ones your ordered can work. Ecos will have to be on lower side but maybe too much.

Now if you’re still having issue add some soy to slow down the wax and test again. Add like some 415 10-15 per cent. Some waxes like 6006 and Problend are super soft and pain to wick, especially when they get to middle of container.

[Noob82]

2 hours ago, candlpersonl said:

 

Thanks for your advice! I'm buying some Premiers today to try - Premier 725/735/745/750/755 Also bought some ECO 2s. Hoping downsizing these will help solve this! If not, I'll probably have to figure out if it's something I'm doing wrong in the process of making/pouring the wax, since I've already tried such a wide range of wicks and sizes with a very similar outcome. I do have an IR thermometer that I've been using. My goal has been to keep the temperature at 140F max. I've heard this is the limit that someone can still safely hold it without dropping it from the heat. 

Been there. Premier works best in 6006 from what I've seen. Each FO changes things. Had one that went with 735 and one that tunnels with 750. Test another FO now and 745 and 750 soothing. 

 

CD was the closest I've had to the premier 700 series. 

[olivebaneweb]

It can be super frustrating when you're trying to get everything just right and it's not quite working out. From what you've described, it sounds like you've tried a bunch of different wick sizes and still haven't found the perfect fit. One thing to keep in mind is that wick sizing can be affected by a bunch of different factors, like the type of wax you're using, the fragrance oil you're using, and even the environment you're making your candles in. That being said, I've heard that IGI 6006 can be a bit tricky to wick sometimes. Some people have had luck with HTP wicks, but it sounds like you've already tried those with mixed results. Have you tried using cotton wicks instead of the pre-tabbed ones? That might give you a bit more control over the wick size. Another thing to consider is the fragrance oil you're using. Some FOs can affect the way your candles burn, so it might be worth experimenting with different scents to see if that makes a difference.

[NightLight]

Test each fragrance, and wicking can be very different depending on what you are using. Some wicks and wax you wil go two three sizes up and vice versus go down. Start with plain wax just to get a baseline without fragrance as a starting point.

Eco 2 may still be too hot. They make smaller ecos. I like premiers as you have better control with so many wick sizes to choose from. If you are still getting too hot a burn with wick, add soy. Or change wax.