Hillary Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Just curious-would you say that with soy, in general, the wick needs to be a tad shorter than in paraffin? I think I heard 1/8 of an inch for soy when trimming. Is this right?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Yes i have heard the same. I think its because the wicks for soy are so much larger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I haven't heard that but maybe some people say it. Personally I wouldn't follow that advice. It's liable to greatly affect your burns and wicking decisions, but it doesn't seem realistic to train other people to burn your candles that way. You're lucky if they even trim the wicks to 1/4 inch. As far as I know, 1/4 inch is the standard for testing purposes so you should be safe with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mizbizzyb Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I haven't heard that...yet there are times I trim my wicks shorter than 1/4"....not often. When I do my testing I test using the wick clipper which is supposed to trim to 1/4" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheels Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Just from my experience with soy I would think the candle would almost snuff out at 1/8" inch...but it really would depend on the size and the type of wick. Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary Posted September 21, 2006 Author Share Posted September 21, 2006 Got it. I'm not using straight soy right now so it's not an issue for me. I just thought that I'd read that here somewhere and blah blah blah..................I know 1/4" trim is standard. That's why I was trying to reconcile this 1/8" thing. Must have been mistaken on that one. Thanks for all the input.Edited to add:But then again, Carrie, if you've heard that too then maybe there is something to the 1/8" thing. Hmmmm? Larger wicks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I've heard the opposite - to leave the wicks longer at least for the first couple of burns with soy. I leave my wicks a bit longer in the beginning than would be done for paraffin to help my candle get a good mp going. I have found that a shorter trimmed wick adversely affects the way my soy candles burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I do the same as Meredith-I leave them a bit longer in the beginning. I tend not to trim my wicks much when I am testing.....I know that most customers will not.....yes, trimming too short will affect the melt pool and burn. I have tried trimming that short before and had my melt pool and scent throw decrease.Tracey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ah-soy Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I always trim shorter than 1/4 with no problems. I find that I get more soot and dancing in soy if they are too long...I even bought some warning labels at LSCS specifically for soy that say to trim to 1/8as always, different strokes for different folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary Posted September 21, 2006 Author Share Posted September 21, 2006 I always trim shorter than 1/4 with no problems. I find that I get more soot and dancing in soy if they are too long...I even bought some warning labels at LSCS specifically for soy that say to trim to 1/8as always, different strokes for different folks!Okay, then I didn't imagine it. Warning lables that state 1/8". So I guess it works for some people. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I only initially keep my wicks a bit longer - not quite a 1/2 inch but not as short as a 1/4 in - to get the mp going and the memory set. This is done on only the first 2-3 burns. After that, I like my wicks about 1/4 inch long. All my soy lables state 1/4 inch also. Too long and I will get some soot - especially in my larger jars. But if you find what works best for you, then stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Okay, then I didn't imagine it. Warning lables that state 1/8". So I guess it works for some people. Thanks.Yep thats where I remember hearing it as well. i actually have some of these warning labels and when i read this, it joged my memory and I went to the cupboard to check.Here they are: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ah-soy Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Here's another site where I saw it...http://www.maddisonavenue.net/soy_candles_safety.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 BCN's state no more than a 1/4" If whatever length you keep your wicks works for you and your candles burn the way you want and should, than that's a good thing. I always find it so interesting how different our experiences are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Everything works if you burn the candle a certain way. A lot of things in candlemaking aren't absolutely right or wrong. You use judgment and make decisions. You just have to think extra hard about what's the best decision if the candles aren't only for your own use.The Maddison people say to trim to 1/8 and you might even have to interrupt a burn to trim back down to 1/8. Hard to tell for sure, but their wicks look pretty big. If you trim to 1/4 instead of 1/8, will you get a blowtorch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnygirl Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 IMO, if you are always keeping the wick trimmed to 1/8 an inch and are getting a good burn, then you are definatly gonna be useing a much bigger wick then if you trim to 1/4 inch and get the same burn. I think for me, my main concern would be that many people dont trim the wicks at all, and thus could definatly be experiancing the blow torch thing Top mentioned. I mean, can you imagine what the flame would be like if they are supposed to trim to 1/8 inch and dont, and they light that baby up with a 1/2 inch wick? Yowza! I think I would make sure to educate my customers on the wick even more so than normal if you sell. I believe a lot of people are familuar with the 1/4 inch rule. I have seen warning labels though that said 1/8 inch also. Different strokes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 What wicks are the ones that recommend trimming to 1/8"? All my wicks state 1/4" so I am curious if it has to do with the type? Mine range from CDs, HTPs and Cottons and if left at no longer than a 1/4" I very seldom get a torch. I power burn, don't trim the wick etc. to see how my candles perform since this is how some customers will burn them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnygirl Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 To my knowledge, no wicks recommend you to trim them them that length. There are just some warning labels that say that, I guess for those that use larger wicks in any series. I guess it's geared toward the individual candlemaker. Like I said, my labels say 1/4 and thats how I test them to burn for that length. I also do power burns as I know many of my customers will, and I can definatly see a huge difference in the flame size when I have been burning a candle for 8 hours and the wick is long, so I can only imagine what my candles would look like if I wicked for 1/8 inch and they never trimmed. It would be dangerouse, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Bear Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 I realized my hubby was last signed in and I posted under him. Oops. He's been reading alot lately and trying to learn. For a second there I wondered why my avatar was different. ~Meridith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 I had to put this under my name. Now I know why DH wanted his own name. Crap I worded that wrong, I meant to say what lables or better yet where do you get your lables that state 1/8"? I'm not sure that I have ever seen ones that say that but I do believe it (even w/out the above pics). I have a wick trimmer that cuts to the perfect length. The wicks I use range from the CDs, HTPs and Cottons but mostly HTPS and cottons. The HTPs wicks I keep trimmed between a 1/8 to 1/4" and its what works for me. I like the cottons closer to 1/4". Now I have found that with the self trimming wicks, especially when I tested the ECOs, that they did better kept shorter and over 1/4 is too long. I found that the ECOS especially if not kept around 1/8" would curl into my wax. I hope that made sense. But with all my wicks, I like to keep them longer on the first burn or so but still not over 1/4" ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.