heavenllyhash Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Hi, I'm a newbie to candle-making. I guess I'll jump in with my first question. :smiley2: I'm using 464 soy wax and I've made a few 8oz jelly jars, some hex and square based mason jars.So, I think the wicks I'm using are working, but what do I look for while it's burning? How do I know if I have the perfect wick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky_CO Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 That is actually a harder question than you think. Are you getting a full melt pool in the time you have alloted for your size container?Are you gettting the scent throw you would like once melt pool is reach?Is your container getting to hot?Are you getting hang up and how many burns till the hangs up stop?See it not any easy question but that does not mean we can not help you. If you could give us more information we can help you better and even a couple of picture would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavenllyhash Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 I guess that's what I'm looking for...the answers to the questions.What should the wick look like when burning?How long should it take to acheive melt pool?I'm not familiar with all the terms yet either.:embarasse What is hang up?When the bottom half is burning, should it be cool enough to handle?I will try to take some pics next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda (OH) Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I guess that's what I'm looking for...the answers to the questions.What should the wick look like when burning?How long should it take to acheive melt pool?I'm not familiar with all the terms yet either.:embarasse What is hang up?When the bottom half is burning, should it be cool enough to handle?I will try to take some pics next time.Ok - I am going to try to answer some of your questions . . What should the wick look like when burning? This will depend on the type of wick you are using. A braided wick will curl and burn off center slightly whereas a cored wick will be more rigid and typically remain centered. A wick that is too small will not develop a FMP or burn hot enough. A wick that is too big will either look like a torch and burn the wax to quickly or weird as it may sound may even tunnel burn.How long should it take to achieve a melt pool? Rule of thumb is 1 hour for each 1" diameter of a jar. A 3" diameter candle typically should achieve a melt pool in 3 hours. This is only a rule of thumb or guideline. What is hang up? Hang up is wax that "hangs" on the side of the container. Depending on the shape of your container sometimes it is better to wick so that there is slight hang up on the top so when the candle burns down the hang up catches up with the wick. You don't want to wick too hot at the top of a candle when the bottom of the jar typically burns hotter. When the bottom half is burning, should it be cool enough to handle? I judge and compare my jar temperature to a cup of coffee. You want it hot but not to hot to pick up. HTH . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavenllyhash Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Ok - I am going to try to answer some of your questions . . What should the wick look like when burning? This will depend on the type of wick you are using. A braided wick will curl and burn off center slightly whereas a cored wick will be more rigid and typically remain centered. A wick that is too small will not develop a FMP or burn hot enough. A wick that is too big will either look like a torch and burn the wax to quickly or weird as it may sound may even tunnel burn.How long should it take to achieve a melt pool? Rule of thumb is 1 hour for each 1" diameter of a jar. A 3" diameter candle typically should achieve a melt pool in 3 hours. This is only a rule of thumb or guideline. What is hang up? Hang up is wax that "hangs" on the side of the container. Depending on the shape of your container sometimes it is better to wick so that there is slight hang up on the top so when the candle burns down the hang up catches up with the wick. You don't want to wick too hot at the top of a candle when the bottom of the jar typically burns hotter. When the bottom half is burning, should it be cool enough to handle? I judge and compare my jar temperature to a cup of coffee. You want it hot but not to hot to pick up. HTH . . .Thank you for answering!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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