Alajane Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I bought a set of 3 of the smaller size (about 8-oz) from QVC. They actually did have a nice crackle and a good scent throw. But I haven't tried one of the larger jars; I don't know if DIL's mom's jar breaking was just a fluke or a problem they're having with the jars.Anyway, I'll post a picture of the wick--I want to try making my own candle with that wick, but hate to use it up as it's the only one I have!!Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-MYo Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Yes please, I'd love to see it. I will probably "save" about half of my OVC candle wick just because I wanna see it myself. But I am happy that others are eager to experiment too. More brains..Also a pic of the candle tab might be helpful.One other thing I am wondering-----if the wick is shorter than the top of the container--how do we actually keep the top of it perfectly straight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 And of course I forgot it last night!! I will try for tonight because I plan to pour some candles and hopefully will remember when I see it in the candle room!Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallbabydoll Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I think I might know the answer to the question here. Most if not all skewers are made from Bamboo. Bamboo doesn't burn, not supposed to anyways. Not like other woods. At least this is what I have been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I think I might know the answer to the question here. Most if not all skewers are made from Bamboo. Bamboo doesn't burn, not supposed to anyways. Not like other woods. At least this is what I have been told. Hey, maybe thats the trick to it, you dont really want the wick to "burn" you just want the wax to be sucked up thru it and ignite. Fiberglass wicks dont "burn" either but thats what they use in many oil lamps. I think I would look into sliced bamboo if I were to try to make those crazy things. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc26 Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I think Bruce is closest to base. Here is my logic:You want the wood to be porous so that the wax can be drawn into it. aren't all of those skewer things pressed and extruded. If the wax can not get from the melt pool up into the "wick" it can not provide fuel to the source and you will not have flame. I don't know anything about wood types or anything but in my crazy thought process I thought maybe you could try a thinly cut strip of partical board as your wick. It is a jumble of woods pressed together but may offer minimal enough density to allow the wax to flow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-MYo Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I am officially giving up on wanting to create a wood wick! I got an OVC WoodWick candle on ebay mostly cuz I really wanted to try it and to see how difficult it would be to duplicate. This after several months of experimenting on my own.PROS first to be generous. I did like the pretty wide flame. The gentle hissing/crackling of the wood was nice...although it didnt add much to the effect----great for marketing I guess.The jar itself was pretty--more of that in Cons.Great hot throw and cold throw. Immense melt pool--up to 3/4 inch deep in some places and extending to the edge of the glass---see further. Clearly I am reviewing the wood wick idea as well as OVC's ww candle.CONS: First that pretty hourglass shaped jar. Purdee ..until you burn it. I think it is the shape that allows hangup on the sides as wax only hangs up on the top half where the outward flare is.It certainly isnt because the candle is underwicked. I had thought of keeping the glass just to pour other candles in--but having learned that, I dont think I want to.Now the wick. As cool as the idea sounds, the fact is that unless you keep it brutally trimmed you will have a bonfire flame as well as a smoking one. The instructions on the candle suggest to keep it trimmed to 1/8 inch and I concur. I burn a flame no more than an inch high and most of the time it's 3/4 or less.As such it needed constant watching to be sure it didnt turn into a smoking torch.I trimmed most often by scraping my wick tool across it--chipping tiny pieces of wood off basically. I could have blown it out and waited till it was cool..but the flame would rise too high before I could get a good melt pool diameter..which would have given me more hangup. Soot in my wax doesnt really bother me that much...I know, I know it's a safety issue but I also know I'm not the only one.Hangup itself was actually minimal---again--only about 1/8 inch and only in a few places.---it's just that it makes it less pretty.Now here is the thing that I would have never thought of unless I had burned one. having a wick that is 1/8 inch high---or less means that it easily extinguishes even by simply picking up the candle. I had even extinguished it by breathing on it once--although I had a nice 1 inch high flame at the time.So for those who dont like them--I'm with you. Others dont always care about the same things though. Clearly quite a few people do like them. So, I gave it a good honest try. Now I know. Hope you find this helpful.For those of you who still wish to experiment....dont give up--you might just create the perfect wick:grin2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 OK today I was in a store and saw some of the bamboo blinds. Some were just the round bamboo and others had one round and then a thin more flat piece of bamboo alternating back and forth to make up the blinds. The flat piece looks perfect to try as a wood wick... i really wanted to snap off a inch of it... but that's not right, but it was tempting. I just don't need a 30.00 blind right now. I think if you would take the bamboo... just like you "prime" raw wick you can set it in some hot melted wax for a while maybe a day even and then try it in a candle. It really looked like the perfect thickness and width right out of the box. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I'm really not a liar--I'm just terribly forgetful!!! I finally remembered to take a couple of pictures tonight. I don't have any photo editing software on this computer so I couldn't crop my pictures and had to make the resolution lower to post, so hope they'll be decent quality for viewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Side view--holding in place with scissors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy4bubbles Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Just a silly question...how wide is this wick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Girl Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 We're getting the WoodWick candles at work the end of the month. I want to buy one when we get them in just to see what the hype is all about, but mostly because I get a 45% discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaybee23 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Hey GG.... LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 After I posted the picture, I realized I should have put a quarter or something for comparison! I'm at work and the wick is at home, but I think between 1/2 and 5/8 inch wide--I'm leaning toward the 5/8 inch, but somewhere in that range. That is the wick that was in a 22-oz candle, but I believe the one I have (that I'm still burning) in an 8-oz candle is about the same width--wonder if they use a "one size fits all" approach.HTH,Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Being a mountain girl... I just wanted to comment that the wood looks like Cedar to me!?!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Looks like a single slice of wood to me, no laminate or anything. Red wood, cedar? Maybe they are using wood from a the rare and protected candle wick wood tree and will get found out and have to quit selling them? I guess its been in the candle for so long that the wood has no smell now. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I don't know a lot about wood, but I thought the same thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyp Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I thought the same thing and showed my hubby and he said it looked like cedar or mahogony. things that make you go hmmmmamy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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