bugtussle Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 I'm not sure all of the problems Brenda has been having with zinc wicks/wax is the fault of the wax. Yesterday, we delivered 96 11 oz tureens to one of our wholesale customers and she gave us back 3 tureens that were not burning right - 3 different scents, made at different times, with different waxes, (both waxes had 30% soy), all double-wicked with Z44-32s. They had sorta tunneled with no complete meltpool. They had a lot of wax on sides, Zs had white ash top. Since there was at least 2/3 of the wax left I melted them down and repoured using new wicks. Guess what, they are all burning perfect now!!!!! All 3 have a great meltpool and are burning as tested. No question, bad Zs, probably just one of them was bad and the other couldn't keep up. They were bought by the 1000 pack from BCS, but I think BCS gets them from BCN. My theory, bad wicks mixed in with good from the mfg. BCN probably doesn't even know.About 4 or 5 yrs ago, there were a lot of bad Zs that got a lot of chandlers in trouble. They had the white ash and quit burning.Don't know what the answer is, but I definitely have bad wicks!!!! Now to go eat my TURKEY!!!! Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda (OH) Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Oh MERCY ~ I hope your few candles that white ashed is an isolated issue. I cringe at the thought . . .If zinc wicks are bad makes me wonder who the original manufacturer would be and how many suppliers have them stocked. I don't get my wicks from BC but that is not to say that my suppliers don't purchase from the same source. I have used unmentionable choice words toward my zincs the past couple of weeks. Words not to be repeated . . . :lipsrseal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 I do think the bad wicks are a small % of total. We have sold our customer almost 500 tureens in the past 3 months and 3 candles have been reported as burning badly. I don't think there is anyway to identify the bad ones, they just don't get hot enough.I'm on my 2nd burn with the 3 I repoured and I can't believe they are burning so good. When DH brought them in yesterday, my heart just sank. We are on a different 1000 package now & hope it doesn't happen again. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda (OH) Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 That is encouraging news !!! Glad to know it was an isolated problem and the new batch of wicks is burning fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alajane Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Bugtussle, like you, I don't think it's necessarily an entire bad batch, just an occasional bad wick. I've had one candle returned recently from a very regular customer who has probably burned hundreds of my candles over the years and this is the first one she's had tunnel like this. I called my supplier and he said occasionally you might get a bad wick in an otherwise normal lot. By the way, this one was an LX20.Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireStarter Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Bugtussle, like you, I don't think it's necessarily an entire bad batch, just an occasional bad wick. I've had one candle returned recently from a very regular customer who has probably burned hundreds of my candles over the years and this is the first one she's had tunnel like this. I called my supplier and he said occasionally you might get a bad wick in an otherwise normal lot. By the way, this one was an LX20.JaneAlajane you just partially answered the question I was about to ask.. lolIs this primarily a zinc wick issue that happens on the blue moon or does this happen with other wicks as well? Just something that goes with the trade? Has anyone experienced a handful of bad wicks from other wick types, i.e. CD, HTP, LX, RRD... flat braided, etc...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 I asked this same question in another place and was told that sometimes a zinc wick does fine in a parasoy and sometimes it just quits burning. This is not a very reassuring answer. One wick tests fine, the next does not. Because I rewicked and got a good burn, I do think there are bad wicks in some batches. I doubt any supplier would ever be honest. They just give you the "runaround." If zincs are so unreliable, why would they be sold?? I wish I could find a wick that was rigid like a zinc, but did not curl and that you could trust to burn!!!!!!! :undecided Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovy Chic Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Bugtussle, have you tried CDN's in your parasoy? I have tried the zincs in my blend but found that CDN's perform so much better for me. JBN carries them but I usually buy mine from The Scented Bean. They are coated in something a little different than JBN's and seem to be more rigid. They don't curl like the HTP's do and they burn hotter than LX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 Aren't the CDNs just CDs with a different coating? I've never used them. The reason I can't use my CDs is because they curl in crazy directions when you double-wick. It makes my meltpool lopsided. If they don't curl, I will definitely try them. Thks, Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ah-soy Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Hemp wicks have a rigid core like zincs, but there aren't many sizes to choose from. Also, Fil-tec Ultra Cores are rigid, but I think I read a post by you saying you use them in some containers, so you already know that...I've tried 'em all and keep coming back to zincs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theresa t Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I saw this thread and have to ask this question. I have had the same problem with some of my zinc wicks with the white ashy tops and they won't burn. My problem only happens with certain FO tho. I have decreased from an oz. down to 3/4 oz and still the same thing happens with one of the oils. I've not tried the others yet. I love this scent so that is why I am working on it first. It is cider snap and I do this scent just like the rest with same heat when I add the FO, same jars each time. I don't do anything different with this scent than I do with any of the others but for some reason my wicks will not burn past a certain point (can't remember how long they burn off the top of my head and forgot to write it down so I would know!), get the white ashy tops. It's not just one of them when I dbl. wick, it is both wicks. I'm not sure what is going on. Could the oil be a bad oil? I use eco soy advanced, 51-32 wicks. I let the wax get slushy before pouring which is what I do with all of them. I use a scale to measure the oil also. Anyway, when I saw this thread thought rather than start a new one would ask here to see if anyone had any ideas on this!TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquiO Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I gave up on zinc wicks way back in the early days of candlemaking. So many problems with them going out that I quickly switched to cotton core or braided and I haven't looked back since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickchick Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I'm having the exact same problems. BUT...I'm wondering if maybe it's the FO formulation changes that might be causing the problem?? I know so many suppliers have changed to phalates free (and no, I have no idea what a phalate is, LOL). I'm wondering if that is affecting the wick performance? That being said, I have zincs from BCS also...ordered probably 8 months ago...and am having the same drowning/ashy top problem. It's so frustrating. I too use parasoy. I've tried every wick in the book, and have found zincs (up until now) to be the best. Not very helpful, just wanted to let you know you're not alone. Please keep us posted if you find any solutions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clonefan80 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 ahhhh, i barely saw this thread when scimming thru stuff and...i've been having the same problem with oils I know aren't phalates free....so much that I ordered new wicks to test them. I also get my wicks from BCS...hum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 I really believe the wicks were bad. Not all of them, but a few. You just can't tell the good ones from the bad ones. I don't know who I will order 44-32Zs from now?? Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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