Diameter for a safe pillar candle.

[subtle_flame]

Hello all,

This is my first post on the general discussion board. I am considering making a pillar candle in a homemade mold. The dimensions are 6 in tall, 4 in wide and 1 1/2 in diameter. Considering I can find the appropriate wick, will the diameter allow for a safe melt pool?

[Candle Man]

Hello all,

This is my first post on the general discussion board. I am considering making a pillar candle in a homemade mold. The dimensions are 6 in tall, 4 in wide and 1 1/2 in diameter. Considering I can find the appropriate wick, will the diameter allow for a safe melt pool?

I don't quite understand your measurements.

Diameter is the distance across a candle and if the 1.5 is it, that for a beginner is a little small. The standard most common piller is a 3" diameter. They are easier IMO for a beginner.

[subtle_flame]

**tossing the cardboard container**....thanks, I was just curious.

[friendlyMOM]

I have a salad crouton can about 2 inches wide is there a wick starting point for me to test? 15 ply is too big but gonna try it as i will be making it brown with hot fudge FO, but I have never used the coated ones except zinc in my containers so have no idea where to start testing again if the 15 ply fails me.

[topofmurrayhill]

I have a salad crouton can about 2 inches wide is there a wick starting point for me to test? 15 ply is too big but gonna try it as i will be making it brown with hot fudge FO, but I have never used the coated ones except zinc in my containers so have no idea where to start testing again if the 15 ply fails me.

15 ply is way too small. You could try something like a 2/0 SB, but it depends on your wax and you'll have to experiment. If it blows out you probably need to go up a size. Add a good hardener to the wax to make your life easier, like UA or Vybar.

[Laura]

here's where it gets weird, and why doing your own testing is soooo important. i made tapers using the 5/0, they burned perfectly...using the same wax and wick for the 2" diameter pillars, i had too wide of a melt pool. weird huh?...right now i find that a 3" diameter is the easiest diameter to work with. either the 2/0 square braid or a 24 ply seem to work quite well ...i use 1239 and 1343 with stearic

[Beth-VT]

Even weirder, I use 12ply in my 2" pillars and never have to hug, even on marathon burns.

We're not helping much, are we, lol :rolleyes2

[topofmurrayhill]

Yeah, 2 inch pillars can be tricky to figure out.

You can go the small wick route to limit the melt pool but I don't subscribe to that approach. Even though a few people succeed, I think trying it that way is what makes most people give up on 2 inch pillars.

In my view, a 2 inch pillar is like a taper. You don't worry about the diameter of the melt pool, but rather getting a balanced burn so the wax is used up as fast as it's melting. Otherwise it accumulates until the rim of the wax cup start to sag and eventually it gutters.

When tapers drip it's usually because they're underwicked. So Laura, when you went from a taper to a 2 inch candle the wick size needed to be increased not to make the melt pool bigger but to soak up all the extra melting wax.

Once you've got the wax and wick balanced, you can light a 2 inch pillar and burn it top to bottom and it never bulges or blows out. The only thing is you need to keep trimming the wick because the flame gets tall as the candle burns down.

The two other considerations are the wax and the wick type. Something like square braid can make it easier because the flame stays more centered. A higher MP helps to keep the wax cup drier and a hardener helps to keep the rim from weakening.

[subtle_flame]

The two other considerations are the wax and the wick type. Something like square braid can make it easier because the flame stays more centered. A higher MP helps to keep the wax cup drier and a hardener helps to keep the rim from weakening.

I am going to take my little cardboard container out the trash and try it out for size since I've received some great input. Besides, no one will see it burn but me. So, I can spare myself the embarrassment, right?

[topofmurrayhill]

I am going to take my little cardboard container out the trash and try it out for size since I've received some great input. Besides, no one will see it burn but me. So, I can spare myself the embarrassment, right?

You can experiment any way you like as long as you don't burn the house down, but I don't know if you can mold in a cardboard container unless maybe it's sturdy and coated like a milk carton. Actually we had veered off into a discussion of 2 inch round pillars. I'm not sure we understand what you're intending to do and what the dimension of it are.

[subtle_flame]

You can experiment any way you like as long as you don't burn the house down, but I don't know if you can mold in a cardboard container unless maybe it's sturdy and coated like a milk carton. Actually we had veered off into a discussion of 2 inch round pillars. I'm not sure we understand what you're intending to do and what the dimension of it are.

I think the container is safe as it is made of the same material as a milk carton or juice box. I am just starting to pour paraffins and am just taking a conservative approach to it. So rather than buy molds, for now I'm using what I have. As far as safety, I will supervise the candle as I am testing paraffin pillar waxes right now.

Thanks for the suggestions. Oh, my measurements are 6'' height, 4'' wide and just under 2'' in diameter.

[Beth-VT]

Sorry Subtle, but that's still confusing about the dimensions. Are you talking about a round mold? A round mold will only have 2 dimensions, the height, and the diameter (which is the same as the width). I get the 6" height, but the 4" and 2" dims are confusing us....

Or are you talking about something rectangular in shape that has a height, a width, and a length?

[subtle_flame]

Sorry Subtle, but that's still confusing about the dimensions. Are you talking about a round mold? A round mold will only have 2 dimensions, the height, and the diameter (which is the same as the width). I get the 6" height, but the 4" and 2" dims are confusing us....

Or are you talking about something rectangular in shape that has a height, a width, and a length?

It's about 6'' in height, the base of the box is about 4'' and the width is about 2''. It looks like a rectangular brick. I hope that makes things clearer as I confused people well.

[Laura]

good point top, i'll try that...sorry to go off topic a bit.