meltpool question

[henhao]

I have expanded my candle supplies now to include some square braid #1, and hope to try making a candle with this soon, but I am still trying to find the right size wick for the candles I've made so far with a wick pin, so that I can get a meltpool that extends over the majority of the surface of the wax. The wax I am using is a "paraffin blend" granulated wax from natures garden. I am making 3" scented pillars and was originally using Yalely wicks for 3" candles, but found I was only getting a small meltpool with these wicks, and there was a tunneling effect.

The candle supply person recommended cotton core wicks to me, so I bought a cotton core wick sample pack. Everything I've read says to burn an hour for each inch of the candle, so I'm assuming a full melt pool should be formed after 3 hours. Is that an accurate guideline, or no? First I tried a C-70 wick. After 3 hours I had a meltpool near 2 inches. So I cut off the melted part of the candle and inserted a C-75 wick. Now after another 3 hours I have the same result: a near 2 inch meltpool.

Is this as large as I should expect for a 3 inch pillar, or is a larger melt pool to be expected? I am perplexed over the fact that the C-75 did not result in a larger meltpool than the C-70, despite being a larger wick.

Assuming a larger meltpool is to be expected, what should be my next step--to try again with a C-80? or could the wax blend I am using be causing the problem somehow?

Or is it just the 1 hour per inch rule doesn't apply here? Are there some 3" pillars that might take 5 or 6 hours to form a full meltpool?

Thanks in advance for helping me with my questions.

Edited September 27, 2009 by henhao

[henhao]

Update: I continued to allow the candle to burn for another two hours with the C-75 wick and the melt-pool continued, very slowly, to grow. So my impression is the candle will probably form a full melt-pool after 6 hours of burning.

Would this be unusual for a 3" pillar?

Edited September 27, 2009 by henhao

[Stella1952]

Sorry - can't help with a parasoy blend.

When making soy & palm wax pillars, I do not worry about achieving FMP on the first burn (3 hours for a 3" pillar).

[henhao]

Thanks for your reply Stella.

you mentioned you dont worry about forming a FMP on the first burn with soy and palm, is that because these waxes are known to take much longer to form a FMP, in which case what I'm seeing might be typical, reflecting the ingredients in the wax blend I'm using?

How is a FMP expected to form with such candles? Would I expect to need to burn it six hours each time? or will it eventually form a full meltpool over time if I just burn it three hours each time?

[Stella1952]

Soy & palm waxes are slower burning and burn differently from paraffin. They both burn down, then out. One cannot "hug" soy or palm wax pillars the way paraffin can be hugged.

How is a FMP expected to form with such candles? Would I expect to need to burn it six hours each time? or will it eventually form a full meltpool over time if I just burn it three hours each time?

Mine achieve a FMP on the second burn. The temperature of the first burn is lower than on successive burns as the wick burns down into the candle slightly and is able to generate more heat.

[topofmurrayhill]

Typical instructions for 3 inch pillars would be to burn them for 3 to 4 hours at a time, so that would be a good way to test them for the design process.

There is no rule for what has to happen on the first burn. The important thing is how they burn down. You have to burn them several times to find out. The measure of success is how satisfied you are with the results.

[henhao]

apprecaite the info, stella and topofmurrayhill.

I had read that the candle forms a "memory" and that whatever the size of the meltpool established on the first burn, that is as far as the the meltpool will extend on subsequent burns. That is why I was wicking up over and over when I saw I was not getting a full meltpool in 3 hours after the first burn. Now that I know I still have a hope of forming a full melt pool within a few burns, I ill spend more time testing with one wick and observe the results.

Edited October 2, 2009 by henhao

[topofmurrayhill]

"Memory" does exist in the sense that each burn is affected by the previous burns. This is mostly due to the way the top of the candle changes shape.

Edited October 2, 2009 by topofmurrayhill

[radellaf]

My problems lately with Palm wax pillars is avoiding spill-over. A 1.5" with CS's CSN-9 burns perfectly. Both 9 and 12 in a 2.125" are leaving a "frame" of wax on the side, and 12 poured over. I'm also trying to properly wick a 2.5" and am going up to a CSN-16 tonight.

I'd like a complete pool across the candle at least on the 2", and that seems to require a large enough wick not only to melt that far, but then to consume the wax fast enough that the pool doesn't overflow the edge. I have the same issues with IGI 1343 paraffin.

The 3" may not be able to burn like that (all the way across). A CSN 12 or 14 both burn through the edge after a few hours. I'll try 16 and 22 but it may be you just _have_ to burn these less than 2 hours at a stretch to get a nice tunnel and no pouring out the side. The Palm wax is truly beautiful in the 2.5" size with the flame completely enclosed by the side walls.

I notice most of the commercial pillar candles are overdipped with high melt wax, or even done hurricane style with a 1/4" or so wall of a different wax. Still, that might keep the palm from pouring out, but I'd sure like to find a way to avoid melting through the side wall, and having it just gradually consume the top of the pillar.

BTW, a 2.5" egg with a CSN 9 did this beautifully.

[Stella1952]

Palm wax pillars

Issues with pillars made from palm wax are very different from paraffin & soy. See the discussion in the veggie wax forum about palm wax pillars...