Aaaagg-- should I go up a wick size, again?

[greeneyes23]

I use Peaks Ecosoya Advanced, and I use the 8 oz tins which are 3.13 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

Well, I followed the Peaks conversion chart for correct cotton core wicks for that tin size... I started conservatively with the C70, which was much too small. So I've gone up to the C75.... which seems to still be too small! I'm confused, because these are supposed to work up until 3.5 inches wide. But, alas, I can't get my burn pool to get more than 1/2 inch to the edges.

Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation? I might go up to c85... the next size up.... but that seems like such a leap. Maybe I'm doing something else wrong? Any help or opinions are greatly appreciated!

[LuminousBoutique]

with soy you generally have to wick up... their chart is really just a guideline. I pour 8oz masons and 7oz tumblers, both require me to use the c-85's to get the best melt pool and throw. I'd order a sample pack of the Cotton wicks from peaks and see what you come up with after testing the 80's and 85s. Dont be afraid to call peaks either, they are really helpful and willing to give advice.

[KoalaGirl]

Greeneyes, the same sized container, could need to be wicked up, up to 3 or even 4 sizes. The chart they give, is usually based on an average 'thickness' oil, an average % of oil {usually 1oz/lb} and a medium colour.

Oil 'thickness', amount of oil, and the colour {and the amount of that colour} all have a huge bearing on the wicks performance, since everything added to the wax, gets sucked up the wick.

If there is too much 'junk' in the wax for the wick to handle, the flame will get smaller on subsequent burns and may even fizzle out.

Imagine doing 3 weeks worth of washing up in one sink load. You'd pull out the plug and the swamp water would soon be only trickleling down the plughole and might even stop completely. The flow has been impeded by too much 'stuff' in the water {or in our case, wax}.

Dont be put off by the chart not working for you. Ive learned that its a lot better to cut down on ingredients, than wick up and up and up etc.

[Stella1952]

Reading the CBA wicking recommendations from the NGI (Ecosoya manufacturer) website:

Wicks such as paper cored, cotton cored or metal cored should be avoided as they tend to cause sooting and carbon build-up. A general rule of thumb: have a full burn pool of ¼ to ½ inch (0.6 to 1.3 cm) deep, from side to side, in approximately the same number of hours for every inch (2.5 cm) of the container diameter.

I'm not familiar with the wicks you are using, but for that diameter container, I would see what a CD 12 would do for me... Many suppliers, such as Lone Star offer wick samplers containing several of each size of the particular type of wick. Those are invaluable when trying to find the right size. HTH Edited January 29, 2010 by Stella1952