Wood Wicks - Where to get?

[MeAndMyPuppyDog]

Let me go on record with a few things.

A) Carving candles has always and will always have a market. Especially if you look beyond traditnal cut-n-curl styles. And yes, beyond weddings too!

The wood wick coud be a very great thing. I think however along the line of gel. I personally hate gel. I don't work with it -- but I know you can make some good money with it. The wood wick, from what I can see, has only one possible issue. Safety. I don't know anything about it, but from where I'm standing, the only down side I can see is that.

There is a lot of money to made on fads and trends... if you turn away from them, you turn away from the money.

P.S. I *THINK* my thread in classified about some stuff I knew about for sale was deleted without notice. If I'm right, I want to say I think that it was a bad move -- I'm new here (posting at least) -- and that isn't the way to get new memebers to want to post. Posts = Traffic. Traffic = Clicks on link = Clicks on link = $$$$. With all due respect, think it over before you click delete.

[Donita]

During the 1980's...candle sales for "Made in America" candles fell. The Chinese were producing candles at a cheaper price than candle manufacturers could purchase paraffin. Being very creative and making better candles has allowed American companies to still be in business including all of us. We set out standards high and our customers know that. Anything I can do to make a better candle I will try....This past weekend I stopped in to check the candles in Pier One. I haven't been there in a long time. I was shocked to see that the nice selection of candles was gone. Instead, they have replaced the pretty layered and wonderful scents with cheap looking candles....they were dripping with oil, didn't smell good and weren't pretty. Guess someone is trying to save money by buying cheap candles not made in this country. Has anyone else noticed that? Years ago I heard a rumor that Nirvana was making their candles....in California. Donita

[topofmurrayhill]

I suppose if wood wicks have a good balance of advantages vs. disadvantages, they might stick around. I'm not sure we know enough to assess that, but we could consider some concrete assertions.

The patent application suggests wood wicks have a high melt pool diameter to flame height ratio. I suppose that might be particularly true because a wood wick can be made in any desired width. What it amounts to is that larger containers can theoretically be wicked for full consumption without high flame heights or multiple wicks.

Sounds advantageous. In fact, sounds like a lot of crappy jars could be made into good jars with the simple addition of the correct wooden wick.

[Donita]

Of course you know that I have one cooling right now....probably won't work the first time, but I had to start somewhere. I am using soy. Donita

[Donita]

Well....I am here to prove that I am pretty stupid. But I did try...I actually used the blender and put in the cedar and mixed it with beeswax and cut strips....guess I need to wick this one down... he he he he.....But it did have a nice crackle. I guess we can roast marsh mallows tonight. Yum....cedar flavored candy. Donita

[Donita]

whoops....here I go again.

[Gypsyjen]

Wow!! What a flamethrower ya got there, Donita!

[Scented]

Where are those marshmellows?

[MeAndMyPuppyDog]

Hmmmm... you're on to something.

Cedar shim for the wood? Can we set it down lower in the wax and make the shim thinner?

[hawaiiansun]

Seriously girl, you've made some beautiful candles and some weird candles but this definitely is over the top. Is that what you lite your crack pipe with?

If you put a screen on it we could have us some great hamburgers.

[Oh-MYo]

Love that jar Donita!

When is a flame in a pot no longer a candle...lol. But its nice to see others trying. Trial and error is half the fun. And many of our greatest accomplishments have been errors. Ya gotta love serendipity.

Despite Donitas lovely campfire, I dont see any more of a safety issue with wood wick candles than I do with traditional candles. The basic guidelines of candle safety still apply.

The only difference that I have seen in wood wick candles...that I have been playing with...is that the flame is wider and the crackling gives off mini flames within the flame. I cant say that I have seen any sparks at all. Now using spruce might be different because spruce tends to have bigger pockets of sap within the fibers.

I think the marketing by suggesting it mimics a fireplace is way too much of a stretch.

Personally I only burn container candles anyway because of the safety issue. I have cats and dogs and like the fact that a container is much more stable and less susceptible to waving tails and poofy fur(I have Poms). And I dont burn candles any bigger than 4 ounces...but thats just me.

I am still testing my popsicle stick candle this morning...getting down to the bottom and am finding that it burns nicely if I occasionaly pour off some of the melt pool. The "wick" seems more self-consuming than I would like.

The melt pool extends right to the edge of the votive holder.

For what it's worth I have had no visible smoke at all except when I extinguish it.

Oh, further info. Votive candle/ pillar wax blend. Dont know how much scent, it was part of a pillar melted down.

[daniedb]

Donita! Hilarious! Cool picture though - I like your popsicle, it's a good idea to start with.

[Donita]

I put a sign in the yard last night and had a cook out for the neighbors.... The fire lasted all night...lol... I did learn something from the experiment....don't do that again.....but....I am going to try something different. It was my first step on the moon....he he he he. I did that yesterday in a few minutes.....I worked a 12 hour day so I didn't have much time to really think about it....of course I was awake last night trying to figure out how to do my next experiment......with a smaller flame. I don't think I will ever use this for my candle line, but it's just the challenge that intrigues me.....once I know how to do it....then I will be on to something else....like pressing a calla lily. That's a hard one. Donita

[Scented]

And where was our invite to this backyard grilling?

[The_Dallas_Texas_Dean]

As some of you know I bought a few of the OVC Wood Wick candles and posted my reviews on several threads when these were discussed before. The thread that was presented on the first page on this thread was when I first received my OVC candles. As the burn continued...so did my reviews on different threads.

All I can say is THANK GOD I bought them and burned them in my home before I did something crazy like purchasing them for one of my friends. I would have been embarrassed, to say the least. All of them smoked terribly regardless of what I did,where I burned them or how I trimmed the "wicks". They were absolutely the worse. The jars were BLACK with soot. I bought the large ones, so they are the only ones I can comment on....though I seriously doubt that the smaller ones would be magically different.

I can tell you, Donita, by looking at your photo, that your experiment is not much different than the OVC Wood Wick candles I purchased......seriously.

I have said before, and will stand beside it again and again, that these things are a one time purchase. I doubt that ANYONE would ever buy one of these candles a second time. I have nothing to gain or lose by my observations. I thought it was a cool idea and wanted them to be fantastic....and would have pursued testing with various wood products had I believed that the concept was credible/viable after burning these things. I have no idea how much testing was done on the ones that have been released. I will say that many of us have much higher standards for our products.

I would recommend to all store owners to purchase a few of them and burn them before selecting them as an item to retail to your guests. There are many candle lines mentioned in LUCKY magazine that are top notch...and would help you to maintain the trust and reputation that I am sure you work very hard to achieve.

[CandleCouture]

You are very, very, very, very incorrect in your assumption. Again, I own a store and can tell you that people buy these thing OVER and OVER and OVER again. In addition, I will say that maybe you got a dud, because I didn't experience ANY of what you did.

My ONLY complaint about the candle was a VERY uneven burn (unless you marathon burned them), but, other than that, if you trimmed the wick down to a little nub, there was no large flame, or smoke, nor was there any black on my candle.

And, I don't know how my customers are burning them. I would suspect they aren't as good about trimming the wick as I am, but, they continue to buy them over and over. They are VERY good sellers and are my single best repeat sale items.

It's hard, when you KNOW that you make a similar product, or possibly a better one, to not let that cloud your judgement. These things, whether you want to accept this or not, sell remarkably well...and not just once.

[hawaiiansun]

You are very, very, very, very incorrect in your assumption. Again, I own a store and can tell you that people buy these thing OVER and OVER and OVER again. In addition, I will say that maybe you got a dud, because I didn't experience ANY of what you did.

My ONLY complaint about the candle was a VERY uneven burn (unless you marathon burned them), but, other than that, if you trimmed the wick down to a little nub, there was no large flame, or smoke, nor was there any black on my candle.

And, I don't know how my customers are burning them. I would suspect they aren't as good about trimming the wick as I am, but, they continue to buy them over and over. They are VERY good sellers and are my single best repeat sale items.

It's hard, when you KNOW that you make a similar product, or possibly a better one, to not let that cloud your judgement. These things, whether you want to accept this or not, sell remarkably well...and not just once.

Must be chilly where you are cause the only thing that I can see they would be good for, besides grilling would be to heat the house and save on electricity

[sharyl55]

LMAO, Now that's a flame Donita. I knew I was doing something wrong with my containers. Just trying to melt the wax, not heat the house.

[BruceCarvesWax]

They are VERY good sellers and are my single best repeat sale items.

quote]</p> Interesting, about how many of these things do you sell in one weeks time on average? Do they have a strong "fill the house up" fragrance when you burn them? Just wondering if the wood changes scent throw or not. Bruce

[CandleCouture]

Bruce, I would say I sell anwhere between 10 and 15 per day. Just because I know my customers, I know that alot of them are repeat buys.

Also, as for heating the house. Not sure what you mean other than the flame thing, and, the fact is, they don't produce a flame anywhere near the flame on the picture posted onthis thread.

[Oh-MYo]

My thoughts on this. Wood is just plain inconsistent. Some of the fibers grow very close together, some, not so close, all within the same tree and within the same half inch. Outer wood; sap wood is the part of the tree that has the best wicking properties because this is the part of the tree that sucks up moisture to the leaves.

A veneer making machine slices a roll off the tree similar to peeling an apple. So, depending where the slice of veneer has come from in the tree you will get a different burn. Possibly why Ms Decker's candles use something called Ecowood, which is defined as "reclaimed wood fibers". Sounds like wood composite to me.

I have experienced the same inconsistency in my experiments, although never a smoking or soot problem. Nor any large flame. Mine manifested as too rapid self consumption....but clearly not all.

I would suggest Micheal that you contact OVC and tell them of your experience with their candles. It would be interesting to hear what they have to say.

Personally my next experiment will be with cedar twigs which came off Christmas cedar that has been drying outside of my house since December. This should have not only the wicking properties of sapwood but the denser, lower self consumption of heartwood.....Hopefully. Not sure about peeling the bark off or not...will try both.

It would be interesting to hear what your repeat customers have to say about them CandleCouture.

[The_Dallas_Texas_Dean]

You are very, very, very, very incorrect in your assumption. Again, I own a store and can tell you that people buy these thing OVER and OVER and OVER again. In addition, I will say that maybe you got a dud, because I didn't experience ANY of what you did.

In all due respect, my assessments were not assumptions, they were experiences. I did not get "a" dud. I got THREE duds. I would never "judge" any product based on one and only one product.

I, too, have owned several successful businesses for over 30 years. In each business I have retailed various products to the public which I purchased at wholesale and sold retail. I have carried many various products and lines, and dealt with many manufacturers. I feel unbiased as I have worked within all avenues of several industries and understand manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, marketing etc. Again, I feel that there are many amazing candle lines available to store owners with impeccable reputations. The fact that I, too, create a similar product does not cloud my ability to see the value in products created by another company. As a matter of fact, I continue to shop in retail stores and continue to purchase products similar to what I create.

After all, I did buy the three OVC Wood Wick candles with the intent of enjoying them. I am not living in some bubble where the only products I know about and use are my own.

CandleCouture...I, in no way, was trying to convince anyone as to what they should or should not sell or use. You need not defend your decision to retail products other people may find to be "duds" or inferior to other products available.That is your choice.

I come to this board to learn and to share my experiences with others. What is............is.

[CandleCouture]

I didn't mean to offend you and if I did, then I apologize.

Having said that, your comments were, in fact, assumptions, not experiences, as you don't CURRENTLY own a retail establishment which sells these, which would be the only way that you could state an experience directly related to this product in particular, and how it does in a retail establishment, in terms of "repeat sales." I have no reason to doubt how experienced you are with other retail stores, or wholesaling operations, or anything else for that matter, however, your comment on these not generating "repeat business" was incorrect, and, I was simply correcting it based on my experience (and the experience of a vast majority of candle/gift show owners who comprise the source for that "hot items" sheet I spoke about earlier in the thread). These candles do, in fact, generate a good amount of repeat business.

I will also reiterate that I didn't experience ANY of the problems with the candle that you did. By no means are they GREAT candles (they don't have the strongest throw in the world, nor are they the most even burning), however, the flame was NOT unacceptably high, nor was there ANY black soot, or any of the other problems that you experienced. Ruling out the possibility that you got a "dud" leaves me at a loss as to why those things happened to your candles, and not mine.

By the way, this thread, originally, was about finding a wood wicks source...not really about Old Virginia Candle.

Again, if I offended you, then I apologize, as it was, most certainly, NOT my intention.

[grammafransfixins]

Just found this old post..

Ok.. where does one get the wood wicks from?? I have searched and searched.. and about ready to eat some popsicles. (but its' cold here).. LOL

[Laura]

noone sells them