Henryk Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I'm wondering if you guys who are in the know think that zinc wicks my go the way of the dodo bird or if you think they will always be around. (I have no idea so I'm not starting a mass panic or anything of the sort so don't anyone read anything into this!)I've never much used them because I've always used soy and BW mostly but have been trying them lately in votives and tealights and find that for these smaller candles the zinc wicks seem to be the way to go - even with soy ones I'm doing. They just seem to be burning really nice. Only thing - I seem to have to trim them more often - at least after the first initial burn - then they seem to limit themselves more after that.I've not tried them in larger containers in soy as most people just say they burn too cool - but then I've been reading a few posts lately that some soy folks use zinc all the time. Anyway, not really a post about soy - just wondering if you think zinc wicks are going to be around - what with some of the paranoia that exists about them and all.Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Never say always, but metal core wicks have been around forever and there's no indication they're going away. They're still one of the best options for many unscented container applications because they're cheap, very rigid and self-trim nicely. Plus as you point out, people find many uses for them in scented candles as well.Personally I've never made a scented votive with a zinc wick, but I've burned a number of them made by various people and each one worked pretty crappy. Basically the flame always got too large over time and developed a huge 'shroom. I like to design the small votives so you can light them and burn them top to bottom if you want. I know I can get that with the flat braided types but I'm doubting I can get it with zinc.BTW, if you look around you'll notice just about every sanctuary candle (sometimes called a 7 day votive) uses a zinc wick. This is one of the classic retro applications. It may seem like a boring candle but I thought it was kind of cool to learn how to make them. It's great the way you can burn them for days on end. I bet no other wick would work as well as zinc, apart from maybe lead core the way they used to be made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMary Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I use zinc in a few of my candles, especially the smaller ones like 4 oz. tins simply because I have a pet peeve about curling wicks in that size of a container. No matter the size, the wicks out there, that curl to either side, even with twisting still get one side hotter than the other and I prefer an even temperature all the way around the container. I don't notice it as much with the 8 oz. tins.I have actually been contemplating using zinc only.Top actually has a point with the votives and zinc, but I have the same curling problem and the sides of the votive holders (for me at least) get extremely hot and since they are all glass, I've busted a few in my day simply from the curling to the side slightly (and not necessarily ones I made either). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henryk Posted November 22, 2007 Author Share Posted November 22, 2007 Thanks for your posts! Turns out these votives are for tables (food) - so they ARE unscented - wonder if I would have issues if they were scented as you mention Top. (They were made with pillar soy).I also had some unwicked scented and unscented soy (KY125 + 2% BW) containers and so for the heck of it put in 3 largest sizes of zincs - NONE of them burned right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 here in italy things are different. there is some pretty big company who started from "lead is dangerous" and ended with "better to avoid any wick that has something in it". They also have a "tutorial" on how to examine a candle, cutting it in a half, and cutting the wick to see if there is some metal or plastic fiber inside.So I know that if I should use a zinc wick it would be considered "bad" and I could talk for hours about zinc not being dangerous, but it's metal so it doesn't have to be in a wick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Thanks for your posts! Turns out these votives are for tables (food) - so they ARE unscented - wonder if I would have issues if they were scented as you mention Top. (They were made with pillar soy).I sounds like you already have issues with the unscented, depending on how you look at it. To me, if it's a votive, I don't wanna have to think about trimming it or how long it's been burning. Small flames, no worries, light it and forget it -- that's what I go for and it seems like the sort of burn you'd like too. I'm just not sure it's possible making them out of soy because the wick size is too big. If they trim at all I'd expect it wouldn't be until the flame got kinda tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henryk Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share Posted November 23, 2007 They are fine if I trim them for every burn - but you're right - I could not get away with "light it and forget it". I did another set with ecos - 1 and 2. I can always go back to LXs in the votives - but the flame gets a bit too high for me so I'm just trying something different. I've never been really happy with votives to begin with honestly, and I'm starting to feel the same way with containers in general. Pillars seem so much easier.Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane42 Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 We started with zinc and were questioned quite a bit about whether there was lead in our wicks - so we started testing other wicks. Must have been an article in our paper regarding lead the week before our very first craft show...:rolleyes2 Luckily, the LX wicks work well for us in all of our applications, so one less thing to have to explain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 I always keep coming back to zinc wicks for my container candles. I have a parasoy blend and like the zinc wicks the best. I keep trying different wicks but end up with the zinc cause I like the steady flame and low container heat. I am not partial to having to trim them and hate the shrooms on em but I get the best burn and fragrance from a zinc in my candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenny Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 On the other board I belong to, it said the z series wicks were no longer being made by whatever company produced them. There is a WU zinc wick out now that I have been testing and so far they are working great. I tested with 4630 wax and I usually use the 44-24-18z wick but decided to test the WU 270 Z wick and everything is good. I tested with Snicker Doodle in a 8 oz jj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleHippie Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 I use zinc wicks only and I haven't had a problem. I normally do not have huge mushroom problems unless I use 8% FO. My normal range is 5-7% with 6% being the average. Curling wicks also bug me because I always seem to have an uneven melt pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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