chauntelle Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I was at a trade show a few weeks back and saw a company selling jar candles which i went and had a look at reminded me of another brand and was intrigued. Was speaking to one of their sales reps and he must of realised i knew a bit about candles coz he did this spill about how wonderful their candles are. He told me that their wicks have a zinc core which allows the wick to get to a higher temperature before it meltsthe wax and makes it burn longer.In their catalogue it claims to have a totally clean and even burn because of the wick with a great fragrance release. He told me they were a paraffin soy mix. I assumed if that was true then everyone would use the same wicks right?Just wondered if any one could shed some light on this as i've never used zinc wicks and wondered if they are safe obviously lead isnt!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Lead wicks and zinc wicks are completely different things. The only thing that is similar between them is the metal core. I don't believe that lead wicks are even in existence anymore, but I could be wrong on that. Many many people use zinc wicks. They are decent wicks, but no, not everyone uses zinc wicks. Some people like using "natural" products when making soy candles and use paper or cotton core wicks. It's all in the testing and what works for you with your preference. For instance I could make a candle using the same wax formula as somebody else, get the same burn results and hot/cold throw, but I could be using a cotton core while the other person may be using a zinc. It all just depends on what works for you and your testing results. I hope you can understand this, and hopefully it helps a bit. I'm sleepy, so it may take a bit to understand what I'm trying to say!! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForHisGlory Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Lead wicks and zinc wicks are completely different things. The only thing that is similar between them is the metal core. I don't believe that lead wicks are even in existence anymore, but I could be wrong on that. Many many people use zinc wicks. They are decent wicks, but no, not everyone uses zinc wicks. Some people like using "natural" products when making soy candles and use paper or cotton core wicks. It's all in the testing and what works for you with your preference. For instance I could make a candle using the same wax formula as somebody else, get the same burn results and hot/cold throw, but I could be using a cotton core while the other person may be using a zinc. It all just depends on what works for you and your testing results. I hope you can understand this, and hopefully it helps a bit. I'm sleepy, so it may take a bit to understand what I'm trying to say!! lolYour\ are right. The lead wicks are no longer available, at least, in America.I use zinc in my jar candles and wouldn't ever want to use anything else. I love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth-VT Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Lead core wicks are still out there, many imported candles use them. Not made by US manufacturers anymore.Funny thing is, zinc core wicks are the coolest burning of all wicks. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chauntelle Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Cheers guys that clears up alot of things,but im still a little unsure if he was correct in saying that by using these wicks it makes their candles burn longer ? They were by a company called bridge water dont know if anyones heard of them, just launching over here in the uk but apparently have been in the us for years and are verry popular!! they might have been using a different name coz the guy said they had trouble with the name and so they took longer to get over here,look very much like yankee candles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debscent Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Well zinc does burn cooler, but I think the fact that he's using a parasoy blend is why he is saying it burns longer, because of the soy mixed in. Remember...just because he says it, doesn't mean it's true. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleHippie Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 That is interesting that they state zinc burns hotter. In my testing and in everything I have ever read it states zinc burns cooler. That is why I didn't use zinc when I made soy candles, I needed a hotter burning wick. I also noticed in my testing that I usually got more soot or mushrooming when I used zinc wicks. That could also be the specfic type of wax I was using in combination with the FO's I tested. I even tested the so called Low Smoke/soot zinc wicks with the same results. There are so many components that factor into each individual candle. JMO but it bugs me when some companies state that their candles are completely soot free. Any candle if burn improperly can produce soot. I tested this with a candle I purchased from one of these companies that claim to be soot free. I didn't trim the wick and sure enough I had soot on the sides of the jar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debscent Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I went to their website, they do claim a cleaner/even burning candle, but they do discuss the "mushroom" on wick and suggest trimming, etc. I think the rep was just misinformed. This is a bigger candle manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 Pawz Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 No, they are not. They are used primarily because of their rigidity. They also burn cooler and mushrooming is common behavior for zinc wicks, regardless of the fo or wax used, so I have read. Heck, if Y makes it acceptable, what can I say? If you'd like more info, go to candles.org and the international guild of candle aritisans. I may be mistaken, but I thought that I read that zinc wicks contain about .0006 per cent of lead, which is the gov. accepted levels. All lead wicks were banned in the U S and in 1974, they(candlemakers and various assoc.'s) agreed not to use Lead wicks, then I think sometime in 2000 or 2003, it became law. I THINK:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Maybe we should bring back the lead. I bet it works better than zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 Pawz Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Maybe we should bring back the lead. I bet it works better than zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inkbeet Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Maybe we should bring back the lead. I bet it works better than zinc.You try it and let us all know how it works out, K? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobboTheGreat Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 i read the amount of lead used is small and it was blown out of proportion but use your own judgementi wouldn't use them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth-VT Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 With lead, you can't blow it out of proportion. Any amount is bad. Period. And.......I'm pretty sure Top was kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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