what exactly is the science of..

[latch]

WICKING!!!!! Is there an explanation? Why do some scents you have to wick up and vice versa, is it the dye?? is it heavier oils?? is it jars??

Oh the woes of wicking?? then after we got them wicked we torture ourselves and try something new!!! cant figure it out..

[Margaritamama]

Oh I have to agree with you. This wicking business is just TOO CONFUSING!!!!! I may be in the minority, but I make only pillars, most 3" rounds, but also 3" square and 4" ball. I only use 30 ply flat waxed. So far (touch wood), I've had great burns, but maybe there is something I'm missing, and don't know about. And where I come from the saying goes: "Ignorance is Bliss"........

(gotta love that smiley!!!!)

[RobinInOR]

Magic

It's all about getting fuel up the wick. It's capillary action, so the size of all the molecules that have to travel up the wick (wax, additives, FO, dye) comes into play, as well as how much these molecules "stick" together for lack of a more scientific term (cohesion and all that good stuff)...

[diamondgirl_26]

Magic

It's all about getting fuel up the wick. It's capillary action, so the size of all the molecules that have to travel up the wick (wax, additives, FO, dye) comes into play, as well as how much these molecules "stick" together for lack of a more scientific term (cohesion and all that good stuff)...

I think I speak for everybody when I say "Huh?"

[topofmurrayhill]

An analogy for what Robin is saying would be like sucking up liquid through a straw. How much effort it takes depends on the viscosity (thickness) of the liquid, like the difference between milk and a milkshake. If you want to make the effort equal you use a wider straw for the milkshake.

The size of wick you need depends on more than one thing, but the viscosity of the melt pool is a big one. Wax, additives and FO all affect it.

That's also the whole reason why you need a much bigger wick for soy than for paraffin. If you work with soy you can see how much thicker a liquid it is than melted paraffin. One of the ways the misconception got around about soy being less sooty and longer burning is that some researchers at Iowa State compared paraffin, beeswax and soy, all with the same wicking material. Of course the paraffin was wildly overwicked and burned way faster and sootier than the other two. They just didn't understand about different wicks and how candles are designed in the real world.

[Margaritamama]

I get it!!!!!!!!!

But now, how you do know what wick will get the "milk up the straw" better - so to speak?????

[Tess]

An analogy for what Robin is saying would be like sucking up liquid through a straw. How much effort it takes depends on the viscosity (thickness) of the liquid, like the difference between milk and a milkshake. If you want to make the effort equal you use a wider straw for the milkshake.

The size of wick you need depends on more than one thing, but the viscosity of the melt pool is a big one. Wax, additives and FO all affect it.

That's also the whole reason why you need a much bigger wick for soy than for paraffin. If you work with soy you can see how much thicker a liquid it is than melted paraffin. One of the ways the misconception got around about soy being less sooty and longer burning is that some researchers at Iowa State compared paraffin, beeswax and soy, all with the same wicking material. Of course the paraffin was wildly overwicked and burned way faster and sootier than the other two. They just didn't understand about different wicks and how candles are designed in the real world.

Murray your so smart!!

[Donita]

I like my tequilla in a straw. Donita

[Margaritamama]

Mmmmmmm.....tequila

[topofmurrayhill]

I get it!!!!!!!!!

But now, how you do know what wick will get the "milk up the straw" better - so to speak?????

You could guess from experience and knowing about the candle, but basically you have to experiment and see what works.

[Dee]

This really helped me understand how a wick works.

www.wicksunlimited.com/combustion_drawings.php

[The_Dallas_Texas_Dean]

so...hummmm...this makes me think that my quest to single wick a 16oz tin in 50/50 with a CD22 that ALMOST but didn't quite make it, MIGHT just work in straight paraffin:)

[topofmurrayhill]

so...hummmm...this makes me think that my quest to single wick a 16oz tin in 50/50 with a CD22 that ALMOST but didn't quite make it, MIGHT just work in straight paraffin:)

It would be interesting to try, but I dunno. The lowest melt point paraffin you can put in there would be about the same or higher than the 50/50. Even if you got a little more performance from the wick, there's a limit to how much you want to use the blowtorch approach to solving these problems.

If you don't mind going all-soy, what I think might work great is to fill that tin with the reformulated version of Ecosoya CB-Advanced (you could order from CandleScience to be sure about getting the right thing because they sell both the old and the new, clearly indicated). Getting a big melt pool with that wax is a snap. Just add 2% stearic to make sure the top comes out nice and maybe try one of the bigger ECO wicks.

[sharyl55]

Thanks Dee for that link. Those drawings really do help understand the process.

[Mimmi]

so...hummmm...this makes me think that my quest to single wick a 16oz tin in 50/50 with a CD22 that ALMOST but didn't quite make it, MIGHT just work in straight paraffin:)

i doubt it. i tested 5 or 6 straight paraffins and the wicking was about the same as a preblend, that was my testing results.