Some Newbie Questions

[NyteBlade]

Hey guys!

Pretty big newbie here, but I have a few general questions that hopefully some people can answer.

1) Is there a general guideline of what "type" of wicks are good for what candles?

I've been using 30 ply flat braid for my 3"x3.5" pillars, and zinc wicks for all my containers (both gel and Astor J223).

2) This question may be best directed at Peaks, but is there any rhyme or reason for what scents are "gel safe" and what aren't? I thought this had something to do with the flashpoint, but I got a free sample from them of 'Spruceberry.' It has a FP of 156, it's not listed under their gel safe section, but it says it's safe for gel.

While I assume something like 'WIld Cherry' with a flash point of 90 isn't safe for gel, do I have to take any special precautions to not blow myself up? (I use the double boiler method for candles)

3) I read somewhere that 1 lb. of melted wax = 18-20 oz. of melted wax. Do people go by this when trying to figure out how much wax to melt for a candle, or is there some other cool way to do it?

4) One thing I've been having a little bit of a problem with is in my finished candles, it seems like after buring for awhile, the melted wax is too much for the wick, and the candle will extiniguish itself. This is probably some rookie mistake, but what's the general guidelien for avoiding this?

Thanks in advance!

[topofmurrayhill]

1) Is there a general guideline of what "type" of wicks are good for what candles? I've been using 30 ply flat braid for my 3"x3.5" pillars, and zinc wicks for all my containers (both gel and Astor J223).

What you've been using is kind of the "classic" choice of wicks. Traditionally you would use flat braid or square braid for molded candles. You would use cored wick (originally lead, which is now zinc, plus cotton or paper core) for container candles, because the braided wicks are too floppy for that application. However, nowadays there are lots of flat braid wicks that are made to be rigid enough for container candles, such as LX, HTP, CD and ECO. Also, people sometimes use cored wicks for molded candles. So you have a lot of choices, and the only thing you probably shouldn't do is use plain flat or square braid in a container.

2) This question may be best directed at Peaks, but is there any rhyme or reason for what scents are "gel safe" and what aren't? I thought this had something to do with the flashpoint, but I got a free sample from them of 'Spruceberry.' It has a FP of 156, it's not listed under their gel safe section, but it says it's safe for gel.

The flash point is often used as one criterion, but "gel-safe" mainly concerns how soluble the FO is in gel, which is basically a hardened form of mineral oil. The supplier or manufacturer tests this, but in a few cases there could be a mistake. There are instructions somewhere online for how to test it yourself. I don't remember the exact procedure, but essentially it comes down to putting some FO in mineral oil and shaking it up to see how well it mixes. The FO isn't good for gel if it results in a cloudy mixture or separates over time. This can create an unattractive candle or a fire hazard with gel.

While I assume something like 'WIld Cherry' with a flash point of 90 isn't safe for gel, do I have to take any special precautions to not blow myself up? (I use the double boiler method for candles)

If you're asking about making a non-gel candle with it, you don't generally have to take any special precautions, but with a FP of 90 I'd be careful to keep open flames away from the mouth of the bottle. In any event you won't blow up. It wouldn't flash off that dramatically, unfortunately. No fun really.

3) I read somewhere that 1 lb. of melted wax = 18-20 oz. of melted wax. Do people go by this when trying to figure out how much wax to melt for a candle, or is there some other cool way to do it?

You could make use of that information, which says that 16 oz in weight of wax becomes an 18-20 fluid ounce volume of wax when melted. But probably the best thing is to forget all about that and just do everything by weight. Don't get confused between weight (ounces and pounds) and volume (fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, etc.). 16 oz of solid wax is still 16 oz of melted wax when you put it on a scale. You can figure out the weight of wax a container holds and do everything with a scale.

4) One thing I've been having a little bit of a problem with is in my finished candles, it seems like after buring for awhile, the melted wax is too much for the wick, and the candle will extiniguish itself. This is probably some rookie mistake, but what's the general guidelien for avoiding this?

Typically you would try a larger wick in a case like that. However, you might also need to consider decreasing something in your mixture that makes it too hard to burn. Too much of an additive or a fragrance can contribute to that. In the case of a pillar candle, it can also happen in some instances when the melt point of the wax is too low.

Edited September 6, 2009 by topofmurrayhill

[deb426]

In any event you won't blow up. It wouldn't flash off that dramatically, unfortunately. No fun really.

:laugh2::laugh2: That's funny.

[scrochet]