HTP wicks

[silverm00n]

Are they not good in soy? I've been wicking really high and they're still a lot of wax that remains on the sides of the jars. They are 2.5-3" in diameter, does anyone double wick on this size? Or should I try RRD or CDN?

[valerie6]

Hi,

My jars are 3in. and have have doubled wicked with the htp's. I have never used the other wicks you are talking about.

Valerie

[Meridith]

My jars are 3 inches and I never double wick. I do have some FOs that I can't use since I won't DW but that is not with many. Most I can use one wick. Have you tried the 1212 or 1312 in your jar? You could also try the CD 20 or 22. ECO wicks work well with soy - if you try those start with a 12 to give you room to wick up if necessary.

Edited to add. With RRD's I would try the 55. With your diameter jar you could also try 60 & 62 C's, an LX 30 and the 795 or 798 in the premier wicks. These are what I would start with.

[silverm00n]

Thanks guys. Yes I have tried 1212 and 1312 but they don't burn hot enough. I'll try double wicking and the ECO/RRD/CDN. Thanks again!

[stephsteph]

I use HTP wicks in my square masons. The opening is 2 1/2" but the rest of the jar is about 3 inches. Most of the time a 105 will do but sometimes have to bump up to a 126. I can't imagine using a 1212 or 1312, that seems way too hot.

[silverm00n]

I use square apothecary jars and originally I figured the 104/105 would be just. But they burn only the middle leaving huge amounts of wax on the sides. So I kept wicking up and up and I'm just as surprised that the 1212 doesn't even burn most of the wax down!

[stephsteph]

Ok, that explains alot. I would try the double wicking with 105 or 126. Double wicking with a 1212 or 1312 in that size container is too hot.

[Kaybee23]

In both of my 3.5" jars, I double wick with HTP73, 83, or 93, depending on the FO. If it is a little smaller, I would try double wicking with the HTP62 first and then adjust it from there. IMO The HTP105 double wicked for a 3" jar is gonna be way to hot.

[silverm00n]

We should probably say how many oz. our containers are! I use 10oz and 22oz with the wicks I described. So a 105 would be way too small. I use those for my 6oz jars.

[Kaybee23]

We should probably say how many oz. our containers are! I use 10oz and 22oz with the wicks I described. So a 105 would be way too small. I use those for my 6oz jars.

It is the diameter of the jar that matters, not the ounces as much. And I am talking about double wicking. Two 105's is overkill in a 3" jar with soy in it.

[silverm00n]

Oh! I thought the oz would matter too. Thanks for the info. I'll double wick way down and see how that goes. I never doubled wicked before, but I figure it's probably better than one. Thanks a lot!

[Meridith]

It is the diameter of the jar that matters, not the ounces as much. And I am talking about double wicking. Two 105's is overkill in a 3" jar with soy in it.

I agree with Kaybee on that. If you DW, I would start with an HTP 63 and adjust from there. But if your jar is 2.5-3", you still might be able to find a wick that you can single wick this jar with. Just because one brand of wick doens't work,doesn't mean another brand won't. I don't DW my jar 3" jar because I think they look funny DW'd. I once DW'd a few for testing sakes and asked for feedback from my customers on how it looked. All responses were that everyone also thought it didn't look right. Plus, my candles burned alot faster which the testers and myself didn't like. I do admit that I got a nice clean burn and the throw was great. But because of the difficulties with certain FOs getting a clean burn with one wick, I am now testing other jars to add to my line. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Candles Plus]

For years I have tried to us LX and HTP and have given up. I have found I get consistently good pooling in a 3" container using the Ultra-core wicks. They are a fairly new wick (in the last 3 years). They were designed for the vege candle. A paper and nutuarl fiber wick. No metals but still gives the rigidity of zinc while making. You can see the technical stuff at my website under the wick tab thats under candles plus

[silverm00n]

I'm going to try using the ECO wicks next, but I had a question about the HTP wicks. How do you know if the glass is too hot? I have a 2.75" diameter square apothecary jar, that I put 2 HTP-126 wicks in. The melt pool I'd say is good, because it's melted the whole top of the candle evenly. But the glass is pretty hot.

Along side of it, I'm testing a 2.5" diameter square apothecary jar with a single HTP-105 and the melt pool sucks. It only melted half of one side of the candle. But the jar is really hot too. What is a good melt pool? Should the whole top layer be melted? How hot is too hot? Any advice is appreciated!

Both waxes are GB 444

[Meridith]

The genral rule of thumb is to achieve a mp within 1 hour for evey inch diameter of the jar. So a 2.5" diameter should have a full mp within 2.5 hours and it should be from 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Now I don't always followi that to a "T" but use my self judgment. If the glass is too hot to the touch, then that is too hot IMO and you need to wick down. HTPs are self trimming wicks so a little bit of hangup is always normal. However, if the jar is properly wicked, that hangup will catch up. Never judge a burn until you have completely burned the candle - unless you can really tell that the wick is definately not the right size i.e., mp too fast or way too much hangup. The other thing to understand is that soy does tend to burn down then out so again, if properly wicked, that hangup will catch up. How long does it take to get the full MP and how deep is it?

I think 2 126s for a 2.5" inch is way too large. If you must DW (my opinion is that for a 2.5" jar DW'ing is not necessary), start with 63's and adjust as necessary. If a 1212 works well for a 3" jar, it should work for a 2.5" (of course type of jar, FO and additives will affect that which just goes to show you the importance of testing).

A 3" jar is pretty much as large as you can go with soy without having to DW. My suggestion to you is to keep testing wicks until you find the one you like and works best for you. I think you can more than likely single wick this jar and DW is not necessary. ECOs are great wicks in that they are made especially for soy. I'd start with a 10 and adjust from there.

[ebarnes]

Are they not good in soy? I've been wicking really high and they're still a lot of wax that remains on the sides of the jars. They are 2.5-3" in diameter, does anyone double wick on this size? Or should I try RRD or CDN?

Where are you buying your wicks? I have to double wick almost all of my 16oz jars with the HPT104. The 93 is not hot enough and the 105 is toooo hot. I need an HTP100 actually. When I tell people I double wick with the 104 they always say "Thats too big" but htats the only one that works. Could me the manfacturer.

[silverm00n]

Thank you Meridith, very helpful!

Ebarnes I know 126 seems high as well. I have the same size jar with 2 83's that I'm waiting to test burn next. I've been sampling peaks and millcreeks HTP wicks, and so far I haven't been happy with this type. I'll have to do as Meridith says and check the melt pool every hour. Thanks guys

[Meridith]

The other thing that is important to know about soy is that it can change from one batch to the next. This means that all of the sudden, you can experience difficulty in wicking. I've wicked my jars the same for years and have had times where all of the sudden, I couldn't get a full MP and my burns were horrible. It turns out lots of us were experiencing the same thing and it was just due to a bad batch of wax. So it is important to test with every new batch of soy you get in to make sure your wicking is still on.

[silverm00n]

Thank you, you guys are very helpful!

[Kaybee23]

Would like to add one more thing about the HTP wicks, if you choose to double wick your jars. The HTP wicks bend in a certain direction and can make a difference in your burning, if not placed in the jar properly. The HTP wicks if you hold them upright by the base and look at both sides of the wick, you will see a patterned upward "V" on one side and a downward "V" on the other side. The wick is always going to bend toward the downward "V" when it burns. For the best performance double wicking with HTP wicks, place them equally spaced across the jar with the downward "V" facing outward, on both outmost sides of the jar. HTH.

[Lightning Bug]

I didn't see where you mentioned the type of soy you are using. That will make for a difference in melting. I've had some hard to burn 415 that wouldn't melt across a jelly jar with a HTP 1312. If you can't get a meltpool without a torch, maybe try a different soy. Just a thought. Beth

[Meridith]

Where are you buying your wicks? I have to double wick almost all of my 16oz jars with the HPT104. The 93 is not hot enough and the 105 is toooo hot. I need an HTP100 actually. When I tell people I double wick with the 104 they always say "Thats too big" but htats the only one that works. Could me the manfacturer.

That's a good point of where you purchase wicks. Wicks can change from supplier to supplier. That is why its important to stick with the same supplier. And what wick works for one, may not work for someone else.

[ebarnes]

That's a good point of where you purchase wicks. Wicks can change from supplier to supplier. That is why its important to stick with the same supplier. And what wick works for one, may not work for someone else.

Your right, I used the same supplier (love the supplier) could be that there wicks have more wax or less wax on them. All I know is when I place an order I order 1000 HTP104 wicks.

[Meridith]

Your right, I used the same supplier (love the supplier) could be that there wicks have more wax or less wax on them. All I know is when I place an order I order 1000 HTP104 wicks.

You are correct in that the coating can be different. I have had HTPs from 2 different suppliers that burn different. Frustrating huh?

[silverm00n]

Can this be!?! I finally got 12 of the same jar and began the REAL wick testing! I really like the 444 wax so I wanted to stick with it. Last night I wicked 6 candles, 5 with the same wax and everything just different wicks, and one with CBL 130 wax. I tested HTP 73, 83, 93, 104, and 126. The CBL only got a 104. I don't know whats going on but every single 444 candle, within minutes of lighting, began to tunnel. Also a hole developed around each wick, and within the few mins all the candles drowned themselves out. The CBL 135 with a 104 wick? Burning like a torch! The wax is great and everything, but I really want to keep my candles parafin-less. Now I know that tunneling can happen from trapped bubbles, but these jars are so small (6 oz. with a 2.5 diameter). After I poured I tapped the heck out of the sides and doubled checked for bubbles... didn't see any. But after the wick drowns out, I notice a couple bubbles at the surface. I'm getting CD and ECO wicks soon, hopefully they will work better, because I don't think I should have to use a 1212 or a 1312 for such a small jar!?! I hope this wax works for me because I just ordered a case. Seemed fine for me in other jars... I'm soooo frustrated!!!!!!