Asher Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I was told that "mushrooming" occurs when the wick is too large for the candle. So, I went from these 44-28-18 zinc core wicks to the 34-40 SP zinc core for votives. Things were going well for the first 30 minutes, and then the mushrooming started :embarasse In fact, another 30 minutes and the "mushroom" was actually bigger than I got on the 44's.If the 44's were too big, why do the smaller 34-40's cause more mushrooming? I'm guessing wax type plays into the whole thing, too. Just when I thought I had the problem lickedIs it just zinc core wicks that develop mushrooming?Does anyone want 242 leftover 34-40 SP zinc-core wicks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FragileXmom Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I don't know what 34-40 SP wicks are but if they are zinc they will mushroom, especially on the first 2 burns. You can try the LX 10 and LX12 for votives if you don't like the mushrooming. I've learned to live with the mushrooming of my zincs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Mushrooming can be worse if the wick is too large. However, zinc wicks are going to mushroom. That's the nature of the beast. Some other wicks tend to mushroom as well. There's probably a scientific or logical explanantion for this, but all I can give is my experience. Wicks will do one of 3 things as they burn, grow very large and become torches, curl over and self trim, or mushroom. You pick which you can tolerate the most and try to minimize the side effects.As for why the smaller one mushroomed more, I have no idea...sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Mushrooming is a sign of incomplete combustion. Means the burn wasn't hot enough to completely consume everything, thus it just gets burned and sticks on the wick. It can be from a couple of different things.The wick is too small, and the wax and FO is too "thick" to move up the wick - it clogs it so the fire doesn't get enough fuel to burn well. That's why soy waxes need larger/more open wicks, they are a more viscous wax. And also why decreasing the amount of the FO can help sometimes. And why really dark candles might need a larger wick.Zincs tend to mushroom cuz they have that metal core - they burn "cooler" anyway, and don't have the open weave that a lot of the other wicks have, so they clog up easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asher Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 Sometimes that silly metal core doesn't get consumed so I'll have this thin wire protruding above the flame, and the black gook will form on it. I figured mushrooming was common with the zinc cores, since I didn't see how a cotton wick could produce a big black thing like that (or can it?).Time to try the LX series.Thank you all for your replies P.S. Does anyone want 242 zinc core wicks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.