Another testing question (apologies in advance!!)

[AnjieBurdett]

I have made 3 candles for testing purposes to find the right wick. They are all 3" diameter pillars, all the same colour, same fragrance, same wax - they each have different wicks. One has an LX20, one an LX22 and the other an LX24. Here's the thing i'm not sure of....does it matter that they aren't all the same height as long as the diameter is the same?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Anjie,x.

[Sally]

Height doesn't matter in this case as it's the width of the candle that determines the size of wick needed, that & the wax, fo, dye combo of course.

What wax are you using?

& please tell us your results cos I've been trying LX's in my soy/para blend but haven't found the perfect wick yet for my 3" pillars.

Sally.

[AnjieBurdett]

Thanks Sally.

I'm using paraffin pillar wax, with stearin added. And yes i will let you know the results. Can I start testing them tomorrow??

And might I just add - I have just produced 3 PERFECT rustics!! OMG They are soo pretty i could piss my pants I'll take some pics and post up as soon as Vista will accept my phones photo suite. My phone takes better pics than my Nikon does, so thats what I use.

Thanks again.

Anjie,x.

[jillgunter]

Dont ya hate to burn them when they turn out so pretty:) You should be able to test them 24 hours later for parrafin.

[MissMary]

For my 3" concave pillars on every scent so far, I've been using LX-16. It leaves roughly 1/4" around the edges, and during burn down, it folds over on it's own nicely. Obviously, it's just my personal experience though (and not a lot of experience at that)! I'm also in the testing phase!

Obviously not being experienced enough to say much, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but in my tests, the LX-20 was too much for me, it burned to the sides then down the edges. The Candlewic Guide says LX-20 for Large 4".

http://www.candlewic.com/candle-wicks/wick-recommendations.asp

And the Candle Science guide for the IGI Pillar Blend I was using says LX-20 is for 4"+.

http://www.candlescience.com/learning/wick-guide.php

So that might be too much, and you're just getting bigger from there. HTH!

[topofmurrayhill]

I'm with MissMary. The size range you're centering on is pretty large.

LX 14 is probably too small with the stearic. Generally you'd need a 16 or 18. You're aiming for a safe and pleasant flame height for at least 3 hours after trimming and lighting. Over successive burns there should be some rim that curls in and gets consumed, not a wall to wall melt pool.

Try the smaller sizes and reduce the fragrance oil if they seem to be mushrooming and clogging. Resorting to a larger wick size can cover up that problem but you'll have to trim obsessively. Or sometimes the larger sizes seem right because they don't burn normally with all the stearic and fragrance in the candle. This led me down the wrong track once.

[IndyGirl]

I can't stand the thought of test burning my beautiful rustics! Think I'll keep them all just for me!

[AnjieBurdett]

Thank you so much for your comments. I was actually thinking they were a little large but its a starting point for me. I tried my 3" hex on LX16 and got tunneling down the middle on the 2nd and 3rd burn. So, this is a learning thing for me, its my intention to work with one colour and fragrance until I have cracked it, then move on to something else to prefect.

I started off this hobby soo excited, went in with both guns firing TRYING to make all these lovely candles I saw in the gallery. Its finally hit home that I need to slow it down and start getting one right before i move on to the next. I want to learn for myself what too big a wick does to a candle etc.

I've bought enough wax to see me through for a bit, and am going to have fun really learning about burning candles

Anjie,x.

[AnjieBurdett]

I would just like to add that Candlelights (where I bought the wick) suggests an LX20 for a candle width of 80mm, which these are. So thats where I got my starting point from.

Why do different suppliers differ in their recommendations? Who do you believe??

Anjie,x.

[topofmurrayhill]

Why do different suppliers differ in their recommendations? Who do you believe??

That information is arrived at in various ways. There are differences in formulations, techniques, and expectations of how a candle is supposed to burn. Plus some suppliers more or less make it up or copy it from elsewhere.

The only real answer is derived from testing and it's good to have an independent attitude about that. Results will differ, but under similar circumstances they shouldn't differ like night and day. For the application you're describing, people's needs would typically range from LX 14 to LX 20 depending on wax, additives and fragrance oils. That's a broad range that covers most circumstances, but people will probably just use 1 or 2 sizes most of the time for a particular kind of candle. If you conclude you routinely need to use larger than LX 20, something about the candle design might need a second look.

LX intially went up to only 22, which was about as big as one might need for paraffin pillars. LX 21 didn't exist (notice the odd number) and was added at the insistence of a specific customer. LX 24 and up were added to make the line useful for vegetable waxes. Those have a special chemical treatment to optimize them for that.

Good luck with your testing and enjoy.

[AnjieBurdett]

Thanks for that TOMH, its difficult to know who to believe, thats why i'm finding out for myself LOL.

I did my first burn today for 3 hours, The LX24 started bulging out the side of the candle, and so did the LX22, the LX20 on the other hand, did a fine job so far, burning nice and evenly with no mushrooming or flickering, and left a 10mm lip around the top of the candle. Does that sound ok for a first burn?

Anjie,x.

[topofmurrayhill]

I did my first burn today for 3 hours, The LX24 started bulging out the side of the candle, and so did the LX22, the LX20 on the other hand, did a fine job so far, burning nice and evenly with no mushrooming or flickering, and left a 10mm lip around the top of the candle. Does that sound ok for a first burn?

Sounds like you're in the ballpark -- probably at the high end of the ballpark. You might want to re-melt the 22 and 24 and make them again with 16 and 18 so you can try all the best possibilities. It all depends on your wax and other things, but for instance I get even more than 10mm shell after the first burn with a concave top mold, but the candle still consumes itself nicely. It may take 3 or more burns to get an idea how it's working out.

[AnjieBurdett]

These have concave tops and yes I was thinking of melting down the 22 and 24, i will try an LX16 with these but unfortunately I don' t have any LX18 as they were out of stock.

Thanks again for your help - i actually feel like i am getting somewhere now (yayyyy)

Anjie,x.