The_Dallas_Texas_Dean Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I read a few posts about testing, clients and marathon burning. Truth is, we do not, and never will, have a clue how our candles are being burned. We can do all the controlled testing we want and quite honestly, all it tells us is how the candle will perform under the exact same circumstances. Right? I decided to take one of my candles, fire it up and let it burn until I got sleepy. Here is 13 hours and 45 minutes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Dallas_Texas_Dean Posted July 14, 2006 Author Share Posted July 14, 2006 Not sure I would want anyone doing this, but I feel better about it than I thought I would: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Yeah that might be extreme lol, but I test for a couple of hours at what the candle should be burned and then I'll marathon burn it between 9-12 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OFCILynn Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I may be so very wrong but I think most people that buy candles do not burn them correctly! I have NEVER been to anyones house that had a candle they were burning properly and most stores that I have gone in that have burning candles are burning them improperly. SO, when I started my testing, I first test it like a ignorant, uneducated or lazy person would burn them! Straight through for a few hours, usually around 6 hours right off the bat. Longer if I am able to keep an eye on it! Then, Ill take another canlde and burn it the proper way!! I figure if my candles can burn right the "wrong" way, then I am "safer". Glad to know that there are a few others who do the same things!! God Bless,Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everito Bandito Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Looking good! Casual candle burner X could've tied one on, slept it off, got up and had a hair of the dog, then noticed that he/she forgot to blow the candle out last night and with no real harm done. At least to the candle...lol.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrealh1975 Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I first test it like a ignorant, uneducated or lazy person would burn them! Straight through for a few hours, usually around 6 hours right off the bat. Longer if I am able to keep an eye on it! Then, Ill take another canlde and burn it the proper way!! I figure if my candles can burn right the "wrong" way, then I am "safer". Glad to know that there are a few others who do the same things!! It still amazes me how people don't read certain things. You would think they'd read a label on something that could burn their homes down and/or kill them, but that doesn't happen. I had a lady I know call me to tell me she'd lit one of my jars before she'd gone to work and had forgotten about it. She didn't get home until about 10 hours later and was "happy" to find the candle still burning and the "house smelling so good". I told her about reading the label, causing a fire, blah, blah, blah. Then a week later she told me she did it again so the house would smell good when she got home. Every time I see something about a house fire on tv I look to see if it was her!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Michael, burn looks good and I love the jar! e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetacea Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I always marathon burn. People don't read directions, they figure that its a candle, it can't cause a fire and thus I make sure that if someone does go to sleep without blowing out my candles that it won't cause a fire by itself(assuming that they didn't light it next to curtains or some such). I do the same thing with tarts. I turn them on and leave them be for hours on end.Great burn after 13 hours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I had a lady I know call me to tell me she'd lit one of my jars before she'd gone to work and had forgotten about it. She didn't get home until about 10 hours later and was "happy" to find the candle still burning and the "house smelling so good". I told her about reading the label, causing a fire, blah, blah, blah. Then a week later she told me she did it again so the house would smell good when she got home. Every time I see something about a house fire on tv I look to see if it was her!!OMG! That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I won't even leave a lit candle in the next room! :rolleyes2 I mean, I love candles and all but in that case, I'd use a plug in air freshener! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetacea Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I'd use a plug in air freshener!Interestingly enough, those cause more house fires than unattended candles......according to the fire chief I used to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrealh1975 Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 OMG! That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I won't even leave a lit candle in the next room! :rolleyes2 I mean, I love candles and all but in that case, I'd use a plug in air freshener!There are some real idiots out there!!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Interestingly enough, those cause more house fires than unattended candles......according to the fire chief I used to know.I just Googled that, and apparently it's at best unproven and at worst a hoax! Not that I'm trying to, ahem, plug air fresheners...(I'm sorry, that was bad). Any electrical item has the potential to cause a spark/fire, especially when misused. Just gotta be careful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I sold one of my previous homes to the fire chief in our town and I had a potpouri pot going and he said the worst fire in the history of our town was from that! He said do not use those. Just an FYIDixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetacea Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 INot that I'm trying to, ahem, plug air fresheners...(I'm sorry, that was bad). LMAO, you're right that was bad! Just kidding.I sold one of my previous homes to the fire chief in our town and I had a potpouri pot going and he said the worst fire in the history of our town was from that! He said do not use those. Just an FYIDixieOh heck I could list a ton of things the Fire Chief I knew used to warn us about and candles were surprising low on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 my son works with our local fire department. plug in's are at the top of the list for "fragrant causes". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin'Hot Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I always marathon burn! I KNOW that people don't follow burning instructions---even with the risk of burning their home down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamperme Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I always marathon burn! I KNOW that people don't follow burning instructions---even with the risk of burning their home down!Ditto that!I always always marathon burn.. usually on my glass cooktop..cause there is nothing near it. .. and I will light one and not blow it out until I either leave the house or go to bed..or the candle is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokymountainraine Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I test burn mine the same way I burned candles all my life. I just light it and let it go. Before I knew I wasn't supposed to that the way I burned them. I'd light one and it would burn until I went to bed or left the house. Now I test burn mine for a good eight hours straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Okay.. could not help chiming in. I have personally been on 2 fires that were related to home scenting that were not candle related.. one was a plug in, and the other was a potpouri simmer pot.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest highflier Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 We test burn everything for 6-8 hours at a time. We are testing jar temps. along the way. After 6-8 hour burns we don't want the jar temps. to be over 160 degrees. If they are getting hotter then that then the wick is to big. If the flames start to get big after 4 hours then we automatically wick it down. The other day we lit 4 -16oz. double wicked apothecary jar candles and never blew them out. They burned for 48-50 hours straight until they burned themselves completely out. At about 15 hours the flames started getting really big, about 1-1 1/4" high and did that till about 30 hours into the burn. Jar temps were very hot 190-210 degrees. Then the wick starting burning down and the flame got down to about 3/8" tall and had a perfect flame for the last 20 hours of the burn. We felt like that was the ultimate burn and the candle did really well. Here is a question everyone should be asking. How many of you trim your wicks before each lighting? Do you just light them after each 6-10 hour burn, or do you trim the wick each time and do a marathon burn. It makes a big difference on the way a candle burns.Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 My mom is the worst marathon burner ever!! So, I have always kept HER in mind when making my candles hehe.. I figure chances are good that there are a lot more folks out there LIKE her, than not. She puts her candles in the kitchen sink if she ever leaves the house and wants it to smell great when she gets home.. she said that way if something happens, it will be contained. She doesn't have curtains on her windows above the sink, so I guess she's probably right, it would contain any damage. I marathon burn every test candle every time, no wick trimming, no nothing. Just burn baby burn! I typically let them go for about 12 hours when I can, and yep, I put them in the kitchen sink when I test them that way too~ just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Dallas_Texas_Dean Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 I have learned that MANY people DO NOT trim their wicks before relighting. it is just amazing what you can find out if you ask. I found it really interesting when the wick trimmers were floating around last Christmas, everyone thought they were NEW, and had no clue what they were for until they were told.I try to remember my "candle maintenance" prior to this journey. I did "sorta" keep them clean and would "knock/pinch- off" any excess length or mushrooming, and than I fired them up for any length of time I wanted them burning. Melt pool ?? HuH? Smells good to me! Warning label? Yeah right. I DID read about the best/hottest candles on the market in Lucky Magazine but Caution Labels? Naaaaa No time for the fine print.And if I wanted them stronger? (better scent throw) I would just buy those wonderful "little" bottles of good smellin' oils at Whole Foods or The Scent Shoppe and dump them right into the liquefied candle. (melt pool) Best smellin' house in town! I can hardly believe it is still standing, now that i know enough to be afraid!Hate to say it, but I don't think that I stood alone in those days. People are just WILD and CARELESS with almost ALL home fragrance items.All I can say is keep the dust blown off your Insurance Policies. If hot coffee from the McHouse can land them in court, so can the wicks we are selling people to light, and B&B products we are making for them to apply to their skin. Will caution labels and Insurance policies keep us safe?....well....you very well could win your case....but all it takes it ONE lawsuit and in attorney's fees alone, it could well cost you the "piggy bank" you have been saving to play in Maui.So why do we do it? Its that fragrance rush when the oil hits the wax....the seduction of color and feel of the wax....the excitement of seeing the finished product...the sense of pride in our creations...the growth...the investment...the change.......all of the above. Is it worth the risk? Oh hell yea!We just have to remember to "over compensate" when it comes to the safety factor. We are selling to MANY firebugs! Edited to add....I am fairly sure if you GIVE someone something that burns their house down or rots their skin off, you are just as interesting to a prosecuting attorney as you would be if you sold them. EVIL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire and Ice Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Well I marathon burn all my testers too!The other things I do for clients is not only put a warning label on the candles, there's a warning printed on my sceent list as well as complete direction on burning candles, melts and my new tart warmers! I will also take the time to educate my customers as I'm packing their candles at a show.The final thing I do is never reuse a jar! I get lots of customers who want me to repour in a jar they bought from me but I will NEVER do it! I tell them it's a safety issue with me and I won't do it.You should see some of thee jars they want me to CLEAN and repour to savee themselves money. NOPE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowded House Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 If hot coffee from the McHouse can land them in court, so can the wicks we are selling people to light, and B&B products we are making for them to apply to their skin. Part of the reason McDonald's lost that suit was because they intentionally heated their coffee 40-50 degrees hotter than the industry standard because it was "better tasting" when held at that level of heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelaVA Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Part of the reason McDonald's lost that suit was because they intentionally heated their coffee 40-50 degrees hotter than the industry standard because it was "better tasting" when held at that level of heat.They were also on notice of the danger of the coffee because they had settled over 700 suits in the past for coffee burns. Knowing that your product is dangerous is one thing. But knowing the danger and refusing to correct the problem or issue a warning is grounds for liability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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