Le Wicket™ Wood Wick Tests and Pics

[warmvanilla]

Hi all. Not sure of an easy way to post all of the images, so sorry about the links. I was going to embed them, but didn't want to freeze someone's computer that might be on dial up or something.

Here are my wood wick tests over two days.

I wanted to make a really challenging test...Heavy on the FO...to see if the wood wick could consume all the wax and burn clean.

2/21/07

72 degrees IN

59 degrees OUT

8.80 oz 4627

1.00 oz Vanilla Bean

1/4th piece Brown Yellow Shade Dye

Cure Time= Only as long as it took for wax to set up.

Video: Crackling Sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMSi8yuoHPk

First Burn:

12pm-4pm

4 Hours

Placing Wick

This is my set up/cure and size of wick trim.

I think my wick was still a little too long.

Initial lighting. Did not flare up. Safe flame.

Another

After 30 min burn, almost reaching sides!

Two Hour Burn

Using Cardboard to measure melt pool

Results

Temp of MP: 144.3

Blow Out: No sooting

Second Burn

5 Pm-8 pm 3 hrs

Temp of MP 132.7

Before lighting

Noticed my wick was not centered at all

I decided to leave wick the way it was to test for safety.

Lighting it

No flare up. Safe flame.

And Here

MARATHON BURN

3rd Burn 9:50 PM until 6:12 AM

This is what I woke up to!

With Flash

MP

The TEMP of MP after Marathon Burn

Measuring MP with Cardboard

It's Result

Blow Out

OOPS! Blew too Hard!

Fourth Burn 10 AM until...

Crap!

Wick now unstable. MP too deep to hold wick securely.

So my thoughts...

I was really amazed how well the wick handled burning such a heavy amount of FO and DYE in only 8.8 oz of wax without the wick being centered.

Very amazed that after "marathon burn" I could pick up the jar and it was only WARM to the touch!!! MP never reached over 170 degrees.

The hot throw was beyond AWESOME in less than 45 mins from initial burn.

IF the wick had been secured to the bottom of the jar, it would have consumed every bit of the wax, I'm sure.

The sound of the crackling was the best I've received so far. It could be heard from 4 to 5 feet away with complete silence. TV on...forget it.

The flame was safe but getting out of hand because the wick had not been trimmed during marathon burn.

Never had a problem re-lighting the wick or keeping it lit.

I took the remainder of the wax that did not get used in jar and re-heated. Poured into a 3 oz flower pot jar-this time securing the wooden wick (the smaller sized one). Doing FINE over entire day.

There's only about 1/3 left in flower pot and the wick is still standing.

No flare ups. No drown outs. Good hot throw, but hanging up slightly.

Took photos of this one too. If anyone interested...

I was really happy with this test, esp. for vanilla! But I'm still unsure how consistent they are.

I took a bunch of pictures. If you're interested...I think there's a way to look at the entire album.

[NattyCat]

wow - this has to be one of the most comprehensive test posts I've ever seen. The wick seems to be holding up brilliantly.

Would love to see the video but it says "this is a private video, make sure you receive the senders friend request" and doesn't show it.

Nat

[cybersix]

Hi WarmVanilla, very comprehensive test.

These wood wicks are acctracting me, I don't do containers but maybe I could start.

But.. does the wick fall when there is a melt pool?

Very nice crackling sound, I noticed there are many debris on the wax, do they fall when the candle is burning or do they fall when you blow it out?

Thanks, and conratulations for your test and result!

[slyfoxy46628]

Thanks for posting this very infomative test burn post! I thought it was very informative and great pictures too!

[warmvanilla]

But.. does the wick fall when there is a melt pool?

I noticed there are many debris on the wax, do they fall when the candle is burning or do they fall when you blow it out?

Thanks, and conratulations for your test and result!

If not secured to the bottom, yes it will fall over and drown. At least that was my experience. I'm not sure if it will ignite. That has not happened to me in any of my tests. I have not done a full test with it being secured (meaning a full burn to the bottom), other than the flowerpot, but that's what I'm going to do next. I think I'll use soy this time.

The debris is from my third burn when I pinched off the burned parts of the wick, carelessly. I think I could pinch off the burned parts when the wax has cooled. Then tip upside down and blow out the debris.

Here's how I secure my wicks:

Links:

Remove wick tab from a wick

I have a wickless poured jar that I find is easy to help me in determining what size I need my wooden wick to be; by inserting a wood skewer. Then I just use sharp pruning shears to trim it. After I'm done, I just heat gun the top back smooth.

I use a perm. marker to mark a triangle on the wick tab.

Using scissors, I cut along the mark. Then using needle nose pliers, I crimp the wooden wick to the tab.

I use a high heat melt gun and glue to secure the crimp area. Let it set.

Then heat up the bottom of my jar a little with a heat gun.

Next, I hot glue the bottom of the wick and place it in the jar.

I'll try to post the results of the soy test with full burn using secured wick.

Although I'm pretty happy with securing the wick this way, I'm still not satisfied. You have to make sure you have it really secured so that when you are trimming the wick in-between burns, the wick stays in place. It's not impossible...I don't think-but does take some extra work.

What I do before I even pour the wax into the jar is try to pick up the jar only by grabbing the wood wick. If it can handle that stress, it's good to go!

Until someone designs a special tab for these type of wicks, it's been fun to use reg. tabs for testing!!

I'm still skeptical. Not sure why. I guess I would just feel better with a tab designed just for this type of wick. I'll tell you though...scents that I could not get to throw before, are now throwing. The MP seems a given promise to me to deliver a good scent throw.

I have had flare ups on other tests. But it could have been from an improperly trimmed wick. I have not had any flare ups in the last 3 tests.

But it did happen. In fact, one test the flame was like a torch. Maybe that's why I'm still uneasy. Although, I make them for personal use and don't really need to be too concerned unless I decide to give one away as a gift.

So, I'll keep testing until my mind is at ease.

[candlesandkeepsakes]

Wow thanks for the great tutorial and info on burning and using these wicks. Your experience will be a great starting point for those interested in trying the wood wicks.

Maybe even me!

Lyn

[Rsvlbrat]

Are you a teacher? Very nice instructions.

[tonyalc]

Wow, thanks for the great tutorial! That is AWESOME!! Is that an apothecary jar used for the test?

[mystical_angel1219]

You did a marvelous, very informative demo. :smiley2:

Thank you for sharing.

[chris77]

very very informative tutorial...thank you. I have one question...and I'm not trying to start anything here...but in your post you showed a picture of a marathon burn and said that "This is what I woke up to.".....tell me you didn't go to sleep and leave your candle unattended????

[MasterBaker2]

very very informative tutorial...thank you. I have one question...and I'm not trying to start anything here...but in your post you showed a picture of a marathon burn and said that "This is what I woke up to.".....tell me you didn't go to sleep and leave your candle unattended????

It wasn't unattended. They were sleeping right next to it. Much different.

[peppermint]

I have been testing the wood wicks from WSP and I have had pretty good results as well. Its the only wick I have gotten to work properly. I was just about ready to give up. Does anyone know if their is a difference in the wood wicks from WSP and Candles and Supplies?? Wondering if I need to test both companies or not.

Great Tutorial!!!!!

Suzanne

[warmvanilla]

.....tell me you didn't go to sleep and leave your candle unattended????

I did go to sleep. but not at the start of the marathon burn.

i am a night owl. so i was up until 4:30 am.

by the time i dozed off, other family members were already up. honest!

with very strict instructions the evening prior, not to turn on the ceiling fan!

haha I was such a grump over that particular burn because I just had to see if I could burn all the way down without the wick being secured. and...I can't get it to although the instructions only say to let the wax set up and stick the wick in. maybe a harder wax? but the notes recommend soft wax.

I'm not sure why the crackling sound was so strong on this test.

on previous tests there were subtle sounds that soon faded to nothing.

this time it seemed to last throughout each burn. although, the mic on the cam corder does make it sound somewhat stronger.

I don't have very much experience with this wick or any other wick so I don't know if this should be considered a tutorial! :tiptoe: I was a bonehead for putting that much FO in 8 oz, but wanted to push the envelope.

I was kinda hesitant to post the images because of those horrible jump lines, but you guys were nice not to notice them.

Yes, it is a 10 oz apothecary.

No, I'm not a teacher. But makes feel good that you guys can understand my rambling and grammar. Thank you for the compliments, everyone.

[warmvanilla]

It wasn't unattended. They were sleeping right next to it. Much different.

LOL!!

[7 Pawz]

great instructions:) I just ordered the small ww from c&s, I think I'm going to like them; several months ago I purchased a ww candle from cracker barrel, i like the crackling sound, so far no soot from the burn, scent throw is great, so I thought i'd start testing in J223.

thanks for taking the time to post your results, they're going to be very helpful.

[IndyGirl]

In testing mine, for the second burn this morning, I was wondering how you trim the wick? Do you just pinch if some of it? I lit it without and the flame was a bit too high so I just pushed it down in the wax a bit and it's doing fine now. I had pulled it up from the bottom yesterday a little bit to get the flame to burn evenly at the beginning. Still, I'm not completely satisfied with the flame heigth???? I wonder if they make a special trimmer for the wick since it's too hard for scissors. And once it gets a bit futher down in the glass you can't cut it anyway. Hmmmmm...........

[warmvanilla]

Indygirl,

Yes, that's the tricky part. When doing my tests on other containers I found that the placement of the wick is one of the most important things to get it to burn correctly. What I mean is...you almost have to have it perfect. I know C&S states it should be pretty level with the wax-but that sometimes will cause a drown out for me.

Placing the wick in after the wax has cooled has not worked well for me at all.

But I find that I have more control of how far my wick is sticking out of the wax by "eyeballing" it. So, I'm now securing the wick to the bottom and then pouring slowly until it looks like there's 3/8th's sticking out. I use a poured wickless container of the same wax to get that "ballpark" measure.

I've found that the wick will burn everything evenly if it's placed and trimmed correctly. If it's placed correctly, it's very simple to "pinch" off the burned pieces before a next burn. If your left with too much exposed wood, it's going to be hard. I hope that makes sense?

Hmm. I have the hardest time explaining things. What I'm trying to say is I have received the best results when the wick has been placed correctly.

It seems to work as though it's melting enough wax and wick at the same time. Leaving only the sooted burned edges of the wick. I'll see if I can find a better pic. If I leave too much wick exposed, I get very high flames. If I do not trim the burned pieces off by 3rd burn, I get high flames.

Added the picture. This is the kind of burn I get if the wick has been placed properly, initially.

After each burn, it's almost a given that this is what it ends up looking like-making it very easy to simply pinch off that

burned, fragile part. When you get further down into the jar, it becomes really important to have the wick secured so that it does not move...in case you are putting too much stress on it while trimming. it will move...of course because the wax is so creamy.

[Gdawg]

wow giving you 2 thumbs up for the great pictures and instructions. I actually understood all of it lol Love the idea of securing them down cause I was wondering what would happen if you don't very smart idea.

Thanks for the awesome thread/post

[eugenia]

wow giving you 2 thumbs up for the great pictures and instructions. I actually understood all of it lol Love the idea of securing them down cause I was wondering what would happen if you don't very smart idea.

Thanks for the awesome thread/post

My thoughts exactly! Great job on this. :smiley2:

e

[IndyGirl]

Mine is not secured to the bottom. I did the pour the candle, cut wick to length, shove it in, then I did a little top off for a flat top on the candle surface. I am using 4627 so it was easy to shove it in. On 2nd burn I just pinched off some crumbles, and lit it. At first it just wanted to burn on one side but then it evened out and is burning great. The melt pool is not too deep and seems to burn at a slow rate, which is good! It will be a while before I get to the fat part of the jar, and I want to see what happens to the unsecured wick lower in the jar. The little bit of hang up on the back side of the jar is because I set it on my window sill while I was cooking this morning and it's cold right there. I think it will catch up though since I moved it!

[warmvanilla]

Yeah that looks great. I think the more you play with them, the more you know what to expect out of them. Each time, I'm more amazed than the last.

What I can't understand is how fast the melt pool develops, hot great the scent throw is..seems it's really hot...but I can literally stick my finger in the wax and it will not burn. I can pick up the jar, and it's not hot.

I did soy last night. A scent I have been unable to wick correctly in it, no matter how hot it got.

The wood wick threw it in 45 mins.

I'm going to test patchouli and see what happens!

Well, here's my wickless jar that I have been testing the wood wick trim sizes in this morning to try to explain what I was saying.

It's 4627 and the scent is Cucumber Melon.

Bigger Image

Top image shows where I place my wick and get good results.

A video to show what happens when the wick is too big. (which is middle pic)

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/q164/warmvanilla_2007/?action=view&current=MOV00003.flv

The bottom pic shows wick placed almost level to the wax. I have no luck doing it like that. It drowns out everytime and is impossible to light, re-light, or keep lit!

HTH. Have so much fun Indygirl!

[IndyGirl]

HA! I stuck my finger in the melt pool too! I was hot but, not enough to burn my finger off! It's been 5 1/2 hours now and still burning well, flame is a bit more than I want but, I think it's because I've burned it for so long. Melt pool depth is acceptable also. Great job warm vanilla! We are having fun!!!!!! I guess when were done with this we will have to find a new fad to test........how about the um..........candle lotion....or whatever it is called! LOL!:rolleyes2

Oh and NO SMOKING OR SOOT!

[BruceCarvesWax]

The biggest problem I see that has to be overcome with wood wicks is the inconsistency of them compared to regular wicks which are more exact from wick to wick.

We have equal or larger amounts of people that have horrible burn results from wood wicks from major companies and from ones they made on their own. I think its all in the luck of which batch of wood they come from myself because I cant see any other reason why some people get good results and others have so many problems. Consistently putting out a good product is the key to retail and if you don't or cant get that from wood wicks...

Congrats on your great results you have had but from wick to wick Im not sold that anyone can "manufacture" that same burn every time.

Bruce

[warmvanilla]

We have equal or larger amounts of people that have horrible burn results from wood wicks from major companies and from ones they made on their own. I think its all in the luck of which batch of wood they come from myself because I cant see any other reason why some people get good results and others have so many problems.

Bruce

I agree. But I don't think you can assume that each time you order a new case of wax it will burn the same as the last? So, wood wicks should be no different? Each time you get an order of wood wicks in, you should test those in the same respect as other tests. Whether color/scent/wick combo, or whatever.

[celicagtca]

I agree. But I don't think you can assume that each time you order a new case of wax it will burn the same as the last? So, wood wicks should be no different? Each time you get an order of wood wicks in, you should test those in the same respect as other tests. Whether color/scent/wick combo, or whatever.

Perfectly stated!