ECO Wicking

[Bill]

Hi,

I am new to this so bear with me. I just made a few starter candles to test my supplies. I am using soy wax and the appropriate ECO wicks for the containers and votives. When I did my initial test burns the wicks were horrible. The flame barely stayed lit and the wax melt was terrible. When I tried a cotton braided wick the flame and burn pool were fine. Is there an advantage to using an ECO wick or any pre-waxed wicks for that matter? Is there a disadvantage to using a non pre-waxed wick?

Thanks, Hoping to get this business started!!!

[Candle Makin Momma]

The pro with the Eco is that they are already primed and tabbed. A major time and hassle saver.

Sometimes the wick that is suggested for a jar doesn't work. It all depends on FO and dye. If it was a low flame that was smoldering, you most likely had a wick that was too small. Try wicking up.

[snow]

Its all in what works best for you. After months of testing you'll hopefully figure it out. I just started this April and am still asking questions. But I use J50 wax and zinc wicks, that works for me . Good luck with testing and enjoy your new hobby. Did you add fragrance to these and if so how much? Welcome aboard, Dee

[topofmurrayhill]

I am using soy wax and the appropriate ECO wicks for the containers and votives. When I did my initial test burns the wicks were horrible. The flame barely stayed lit and the wax melt was terrible. When I tried a cotton braided wick the flame and burn pool were fine. Is there an advantage to using an ECO wick or any pre-waxed wicks for that matter? Is there a disadvantage to using a non pre-waxed wick?

Did you use a plain flat braided wick in place of the ECO? If I understand that correctly, then one of the advantages of ECO and similar wicks would be that they have stabilizing threads to make them more rigid for use in containers. When it comes down to it, any type of wick could possibly work in any type of candle, but plain flat braid is just about the floppiest type of wicking and maybe not ideal for that application.

Wicks that are commonly used in containers are most often available as pre-made assemblies, but any wicking can also be purchased raw on a roll. As long as you're using a method that involves securing the wick at both the top and the bottom when making the candle, I've never noticed that it makes any difference whether the wick is pre-waxed or not.

Wick size is determined purely by testing and experience. If you see any guidelines, don't take them too seriously. As CMM said, very possibly the ECO you tried was too small.

[SSR Candles]

As everyone has said - don't take size recommendations very seriously. I use an ECO wock that is supposedly 2 sizes too big, but it works fine, and the smaller ones do tend to drown out.