3-Wick 4" Pillars

[radellaf]

I'm trying to make 3 wick 4 inch pillars. Only mold I could easily get was a 4x6.5" 1 wick. I almost always use wick pins, so I taped over the wick hole with metal duct tape.

My "brilliant" idea was to use 3 votive pins like so:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radellaf/4328647397/

And it does work:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radellaf/4324043830/

(3x LX-10, not burn tested yet)

But, now that I see how pretty those can be, I'd like to make taller ones:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radellaf/4327492273/

(IGI 1274, 2.5% CS Cucumber Melon, LX-20, getting some mushrooms and it might tunnel, but the flame is on the edge of being too tall and sooting)

And am trying to figure out how to position and hold 3 larger wick pins. I have several pins with no bases that I use by sticking them into the (taped over) wick hole for most of my 1 wick pillars.

I came up with this idea for the top, using pipe hanger strap:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radellaf/4329382328/

But, can't figure out what I might use to secure the bottom of the wick pins. Might be able to just let their weight hold them, but I'd still need something at the bottom of the mold to show where exactly they should go.

Thinking some sort of metal or plastic disc, or perhaps even wood. I suppose if I'm really dedicated to it, I should just drill the mold, but then I'm not sure how to be sure the holes were properly placed. Not even entirely sure, given that they were all at the right angles, and centered, how far from the center should they be. I'd guess a little closer to the center than the half-way mark.

[Stella1952]

I use a ball of mold putty under my wick pins to hold them in place. I just "eyeball" the placement. With the bases, it makes it a LOT easier to eyeball. I love your strapping jig to hold the wick pins up top. That's handy because when I pour these, I often klutz around and bump one of the wick pins and it has to be reset.

[topofmurrayhill]

It would be a lot nicer if you could use the bottom of the mold as the top of the candle.

I believe Candlewic has the three-wick molds. You can get the wick pins and positioning tools from http://www.wickcenteringtool.com/.

[Stella1952]

It would be a lot nicer if you could use the bottom of the mold as the top of the candle.

I dunno about the OP, but I do. Sometimes I leave the recesses made by the wick pins; other times if I am using a flat wick pin (as opposed to a concave one), I run the candle over a hot surface to flatten it. When I use the "top" of the candle as the top, I always run it over a hot surface to smooth it before inserting the wicks.They end up looking pleasing and "finished" either way.

[topofmurrayhill]

You don't really want to run the top this kind of candle over the heat. It can screw up the natural mottle pattern. Those CW molds, if they still sell the same ones I got, have nice concave depressions around each wick hole.

I just now realized that I've never heard of 3-wick 4" pillar molds. The ones I'm thinking of are actually 5 inches across. They work with this kit: http://www.wickcenteringtool.com/default.asp?S=503&A=E&PKV=PWCT-5-3W|0

[radellaf]

Had success making a 6.5" one:

Solved the problem of positioning the bottom of the wick pins by using the wax itself to hold them in position. I poured a 1/2" of wax into the mold, let it mostly cool, and then used a paper template and a needle to mark the positions. Heated the end of the wick pin, stuck them in, put the jig on top, and they stayed in position nicely.

With the votive pins, using the bottom of the mold as the top of the candle would create an odd looking top... that looks like the bottom of 3 votives.

With the base-less pillar wick pins and the taller candle, I could just as easily flip it over.

4" 3-wick supplies, well, I've never seen any - neither drilled molds, or top bars. As for premade candles, only Partylite, from what I can find on the web, makes one. My experience with commercial, and homemade, 4" 1-wick pillars, though, is that it's hard to keep them from sooting. OTOH, they have nice thick spill-proof walls.

My tests so far have very thin walls but haven't spilled yet...

8 hour burn:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radellaf/4338703452/in/photostream/

I'd love to try the one commercial 4" 3-wick, but my bet is that you wouldn't want to burn it on an unstable surface either. Perhaps that is why the size is rare?

If I go to 5 or 6" molds drilled to hold the pins, I'll definitely want the pin holders at http://www.wickcenteringtool.com for the top.

Not sure if it's significant on the bigger sizes, but for these I'm being careful about which way the (LX) wicks curl, so that they all point to the center. Pointing to each other would probably be OK too.

Edited February 9, 2010 by radellaf

[radellaf]

Better images of tops and bottoms. Not sure why the bottom of the blue one, especially, comes out so much worse than the yellow. The yellow was a straight one-shot pour at 175. The blue and red use the wick pins inserted into the wax after the bottom half inch or so cools. I poured the half-inch at 185, and the other 3 pours at 195 (trying to ensure bonding). Maybe I should warm the mold and/or pour at 185 but not wait so long between pouring the layers.

[radellaf]

Tried warming the mold for the first pour (initial 1/2") and a bit on the 2nd. All pours at 185, and waiting only long enough for a thick skin to form on the previous layer. The blue and red candles previously, I waited until there was no clear liquid in the previous layer (just "slush" under the skin).

Any idea what's with the "frosting"? I like that the initial 1/2" (darkest part at the "top") has less of a seam, but the layer transitions were better in the other candles.

Maybe wait as long as with the first ones before pouring, but still pour at 185 vs. 195?

FWIW these are IGI 1274, 2% stearic, 3% FO, LX-10.

My one 3% stearic tester burns too low with LX-10s, and the one with LX-12s looks like it might overflow after a couple of hours.

[radellaf]

Another way to use 3 wicks. These are 3 LX-8 wicks, tested for curl direction and arranged to splay out from the center.

Advantage over one larger wick is that the flame is big (tall and wide) but isn't smoking. Also, it looks cool.

Problem from my perspective, is that it's a big jump between wick sizes. I'd have to try to adjust burn rate with more or less stearic if I'm not satisfied. Using 1274, 2% stearic, 3% FO (BCN Cinnamon Raisin), 5 drops red, 7 black.

[Stella1952]

Great flame photo!!

[radellaf]

Thanks. Had to bring out the Sony 828, with its manual controls, for that one. Neither the phone nor the pocket-sized camera could cope.

[Sharon in KY]

Very nice candles and pictures. You are doing a very good job figuring out what works. We will have another to ask for advice, thanks. I haven't done much with pillars but they are my favorite candles. My all time favorite was a 6"X6" 3 wick from Party Lite in Mulberry. I still have some of the wax in a plastic bag, keeping a draw smelling great. It's more than 20 years old, wish I could find a scent like that. Don't know what kind of wax it was, solid smooth color that I loved "hugging".:smiley2:

Edited February 16, 2010 by Sharon in KY

[radellaf]

Thanks much. I haven't been at this at all long compared to the veterans on the board, but I think I have the basics in hand, and I love to experiment with different configurations.

Yes, Partylite... money sink extraordinaire. Used to "hostess" (oh, the gender stereotyping) just to get the specials <rolls eyes>. Overpriced, but they did have some nice stuff.

I had one of those big 3 wicks, in Pumpkin Spice I think. The stand was really nice:

Unfortunately the glass broke, and they don't sell replacements. Well, for $70+ you can get either the whole stand or the glass on eBay. Saw your mulberry one on there, too, for $56. One reason I'm glad I'm learning this craft Though, (6x8") that's almost 7 lbs of wax, so with the mold and FO costs... about $40 to make the first one.

[radellaf]

About 2 hrs into a 3rd burn, 1st two were 6-8 hrs. I'd call this a success. I know some would prefer a shorter wall, but I prefer it to be around an inch high. Makes the candle glow more, and it's less likely to spill if moved.

Edited February 17, 2010 by radellaf

[soy327]

WOW that's beautiful. What kind of wax? What size candle and wick? I love your butterfly wick. :yay:Maybe someday for me.

Linda