wicking beeswax pillars

[tamsoycandles]

Ordered some beeswax and need to decide what wicking I'll experiment with. Anyone who has tested (and succeeded) at wicking 3" pillars, let me know what type of wick you had success with. I'm also going to play with 2" pillars, votives and eventually tapers.

I realize that beeswax varies from hive to hive, bee to bee, so I'm just looking for a "type" of wick to begin testing with. I'm considering square braid, based on searching around here.

Thanks muchly,

Tony

[ChrisR]

For my beeswax candles I use #5 square braid for my 3" pillars, 2/0 square braid for my tapers and LX16 for my votives.

[tamsoycandles]

For my beeswax candles I use #5 square braid for my 3" pillars, 2/0 square braid for my tapers and LX16 for my votives.

Have you worked with 2" pillars? I've got some of those molds too.

[Varda]

With the wax I've been getting lately, I use #2 sq. braid for 3 inch pillars... #1/0 sq. for my little 2 inch grubby pillar... #1/0 for votives ... and #3/0 for tapers and they're all burning perfect. It does vary though. =/

Varda

[Varda]

... I left out that they're all sq. braided wick and I usually dip my tapers to about 7/8. HTH

GL!

[tamsoycandles]

Thanks. It looks like I just have to do some experimenting. I have a bunch of square braid now, so I'm off and wicking. Just poured a 3" pillar to begin testing with. This wax seems to want big wicks, so I'm starting big with ChrisR's recommendation.

I'm amazed at how quickly I can remove these from the mold. So much shrinkage that it is ready to remove before the center is even solid, I'm sure.

Tony

[ChrisR]

Good luck and keep us posted!!

[tamsoycandles]

Here's some pics of beeswax wicking tests.

Poor LX 16 couldn't keep up:

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Pulled out the 16 and stuck in a 20. LX 20 doing better. I'll try wicking one fresh with a 20 and see what happens. I'll also try the square braid.

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Here's a stubby 3" pillar with a #5 square braid in it. I poured it short to just test the burn. I figure this is tall enough. (beeswax ain't cheap).

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All the pretty votives. I purchased wax on Ebay in these three colors. Very neat shades, and oh-so-fragrant!

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[tamsoycandles]

With the wax I've been getting lately, I use #2 sq. braid for 3 inch pillars... #1/0 sq. for my little 2 inch grubby pillar... #1/0 for votives ... and #3/0 for tapers and they're all burning perfect. It does vary though. =/

Varda

Where do you get your wax? I'm hoping to find someone local this season. I buy local honey, so I'm hoping to buy wax from them.

[Varda]

purchased wax on Ebay in these three colors. Very neat shades, and oh-so-fragrant!

[ATTACH]10555[/ATTACH]

The three colors.... Ebay... The Wax Works? If so, me too! GREAT supplier, I've been buying from them for almost a year.

Very pretty votives!

[Varda]

Where do you get your wax? I'm hoping to find someone local this season. I buy local honey, so I'm hoping to buy wax from them.

I get most of it from an Ebay store called "The Wax Works and Things", they have great prices and they're quality is very consistant. :highfive:

Sometimes I stumble upon bargains but I always regret it because I have to test all over again.

There's a seller called honeychaser who has pretty decent wax and good deals but doesn't sell in large enough quantity for my needs anymore.

I'd love to find some one local but I've had problems with the few keepers I've dealt with getting clean wax. ...and the last thing I need is to have to clean my wax before I can use it. >.<

Varda

[tamsoycandles]

I get most of it from an Ebay store called "The Wax Works and Things", they have great prices and they're quality is very consistant. :highfive:

Sometimes I stumble upon bargains but I always regret it because I have to test all over again.

There's a seller called honeychaser who has pretty decent wax and good deals but doesn't sell in large enough quantity for my needs anymore.

I'd love to find some one local but I've had problems with the few keepers I've dealt with getting clean wax. ...and the last thing I need is to have to clean my wax before I can use it. >.<

Varda

Yup, that's who I used. Can't beat the price. Even with shipping most of the way across the US of A.

There's another wax I've been looking at. Though, it is raw, unfiltered. He is closer, in Michigan.

http://stores.ebay.com/FIRE-and-ICE-Supplies

Tony

[Henryk]

Tony - do you have to wick the buckwheat wax any higher than the other two? TIA.

[tamsoycandles]

Tony - do you have to wick the buckwheat wax any higher than the other two? TIA.

I still need to do a test burn on that one... I'll keep ya posted...

Tony

[tamsoycandles]

Tony - do you have to wick the buckwheat wax any higher than the other two? TIA.

Yup. Seems the lightest and darkest of the three want bigger wicks. In fact, all three are taking larger wicks than recommended.

I'll put some pics up probably tomorrow.

Tony

[Henryk]

That would be great - I'm hoping to get some of those two myself. Really appreciate your postings. My wicking is right in line with Chris' - but right now I'm using candlewic's BW - which seems to be REALLY cleaned - there is not a spec of anything in it - the yellow or white. Like the idea of organic BW though ...

[Varda]

Yup. Seems the lightest and darkest of the three want bigger wicks. In fact, all three are taking larger wicks than recommended.

I'll put some pics up probably tomorrow.

Tony

Yeah, the wick sizes I posted initially I use for a blend of their yellow and acacia (bout 50/50), I just like the color lighter for most of my candles. Need to wick up for straight Acacia and way up for Buckwheat.

[tamsoycandles]

Yeah, the wick sizes I posted initially I use for a blend of their yellow and acacia (bout 50/50), I just like the color lighter for most of my candles. Need to wick up for straight Acacia and way up for Buckwheat.

This is what I'm discovering, exactly. Just re-lit some votives and pillars. The "natural" beeswax seems about right. The buckwheat actually went out (#3 in a votive). A #5 in a three inch Acacia pillar is not sufficient. I'm thinking that a #3 might be about right in a 2" Acacia pillar.

Anyway, I'll get them pics posted in a bit....

Tony

[Henryk]

WOW! - wait a minute - a #3 square in a votive WENT OUT ???

(Also, are you guys using this stuff straight - or are you adding FO or anything.)

[tamsoycandles]

WOW! - wait a minute - a #3 square in a votive WENT OUT ???

(Also, are you guys using this stuff straight - or are you adding FO or anything.)

Yup. Went the heck out. No FO.

[tamsoycandles]

Here we have a 3" pillar, wicked with #5 square. Beeswax is acacia (don't know what that is, really). Fired up around 4:50 pm. Put out a bit after 7:00 (because of small melt pool).

I "helped" the mushy wax down into the MP and relit for awhile. Final pillar pic show the wick struggling to stay lit.

Here's poor mr. buckwheat candle. I don't recall which wick this was, but it was my first try. 25 minutes of burn time on that one.

Here's an interesting comparison of all three waxes. About 1 hour elapsed time.

So, I've got some more testing to do. I will probably start with the votives side by side with the same wicks and then make adjustments. I've lost track of what wick is in the 2" pillar and another votive I've not pictured.

Anyway, I'll post more as I make 'em.

Tonight I'm off to trying to wick a 4" ECOSoya PB pillar!

Tony

[jbement]

I have used buckwheat Beeswax, and it is so dense, you may find the wick size neeed to burn properly might be just too big to be practical. (Just for yucks, you might want to try some buckwheat honey, some folks love it, others just can't warm up to it - very different from clover honey.)

Your experience mirrors my own with the 'heavier' or more particulate-filled beeswax requiring a more substantial wick. For our 3" pillars - white or yellow beeswax - we have had good luck with a #4.

The white might burn a bit too hot with a #5, but we might try that with the yellow/gold, more heavier types.

Bayberry wax is similar - takes a bit of fooling around with to get the right wick/beeswax mix combo for proper burning.

Great pics, too. Certainly show the classic wax too hard/wick too small combination problem.

[Henryk]

I don't know ... I'm wondering - how long are you burning these for per time? The reason I ask is that you burned a beeswax pillar for barely two hours. If you do that, then put it out, then restart it - because of the "memory" of the candle, its never going to catch up and burn right - its just going to tunnel and then drown. I think with BW of any type, the pillars just burn soooo much better if they are burned in say, an evening, instead of trying to apply the same type of burns and tests you would do with paraffins.

I can't wait to get my wax so I can give these a go myself. If I can't get it to work in 3" pillars I'll bet these waxes would make really nice tapers - or, I'll blend it with refined.

Thanks for all the pics !

Good luck on that 4" soy pillar :tiptoe:

[Henryk]

With the wax I've been getting lately, I use #2 sq. braid for 3 inch pillars... #1/0 sq. for my little 2 inch grubby pillar... #1/0 for votives ... and #3/0 for tapers and they're all burning perfect. It does vary though. =/

Varda

Hi Varda,

So you mean (after reading this thread again), that you are only using a #2 square for a 50/50 blend of their Acacia and their regular (yellow) BW ? Even with the yellows I've used I've been using a #4. I was just wondering if when you said you used a #2 you mis-typed ? I was going to get some of the yellow from wax works but just wanted to make sure it wicks about the same (roughly) as any other normal yellow BW.

Thanks very much !

[Henryk]

Just bumping this up - in case anyone can answer? Thanks!

the yellow from wax works but just wanted to make sure it wicks about the same (roughly) as any other normal yellow BW.