wicking 3" ball candles

[Jeana]

Could anyone give me some tips for wicking ball candles?

My flame is a bit large when it starts out and when it gets toward the middle the flame gets a little small. I know these are considered novelty candles and probably will not have a "perfect" burn but I was wondering if there are any guidelines to use to make an exceptable burn.

Thanks.

[Regina Filange]

What wick are you using?

I use the 44-24-18 zinc's when wicking my 3 inch balls.

[Jeana]

I used a 4/0 square. I just wanted to know if the sides are supposed to consume as it burns down or if there is supposed to be walls left and the wax burns straight down. I tried to buy one from the store to use as an example but the flame kept getting so large. So I really don't have anything to compare mine to.

[Regina Filange]

I guess it depends on what you want it to do.

I always add stearic to mine. This will help it to self consume, but even then it will flatten out about 3/4 of the way down.

If you WANT it to tunnel down, I'm guessing you'd want a smaller wick, and don't allow it to burn for very long at any given time.

I friend of mine bought some (not from me) and hers tunneled.

I personally haven't made that many yet.

Hope this helps.

[Dee]

I did alot of testing on the 3" ball I made at Christmas and found the LX wicks great. I started with a 14 and went up and down depending on the FO and other additives used.

[Margaritamama]

I use LX18. However, I do make sure to keep a sharp eye on the candle when it reaches the midway point. It does tend to sag a little. I've tried using a smaller size, but that just causes it to tunnel. I'm going to be testing other sizes at some point in the future......