Waxes

[Gbhunter]

This is the link to the waxes I was looking at. For Pilars I was thinking the 132 MP point wax or should I do the 140?

[Gbhunter]

Aslo Is double wicking a good idead... Braiding two wicks together to make a larger one. Since I have to deal with the cheap wax for now I figured to use it to experiment. I did get a sample of LX wicks from one of the wick places(by sample I mean 200 pieces SHEESH thats a ton).

However I seem to have more success with the cotton praided wicks for pillars then the LX wicks

[barncat]

pillars must be 140 defrees or higher. I would not recommennd twisting 2 wicks together unless u plan on haveing a huge wax mess

[topofmurrayhill]

Hardly anything works better in a paraffin pillar than the regular plaited wicking, though LX is worth a try in some cases.

Basically, you want the 140 MP for scented pillars and 132 MP (or some mix of both) for unscented. Skinny pillars may also need a higher melt point that wider ones, but maybe stick with 3 inch pillars for now to keep it simple.

One paraffin is not the same as another even if it has the same melt point. You might want to try a few different one and see which works best for what you're doing. Unfortunately it's not a simple hobby.

[CareBear]

double wicking is generally having two wicks in a candle - spaced apart, not twisted together.

[Gbhunter]

well ill let you know how it works..Its an experiment after all.

[Gbhunter]

Topofmurayhill are the RRD wicks good?

[topofmurrayhill]

Topofmurayhill are the RRD wicks good?

Everything is good for something, but let's not add complications that you don't need. You should probably stick to plain flat braid for what you're doing. If you can, get maybe 21, 24, 27 and 30 so that you have different sizes to try. Otherwise concentrate on wax, additives and fragrance.

[Gbhunter]

http://www.angelfire.com/on3/shellandpaulsphoto/candle1.jpg

would this be considered tunneling?

[Gbhunter]

also Im looking at http://www.wicksunlimited.com/ Which one from there would you select thats where i got the rrd thing.

[Stella1952]

Wicks Unlimited is a distributor of wicks. They have a large minimum order quantity. You may want to read about wicks there, as their information is pretty good, but regular candle suppliers offer wicks in lesser quantities and sample packs, making it much easier for small candlemakers to afford and buy a selection of wick types and sizes from which to choose.

Edited March 8, 2010 by Stella1952

[topofmurrayhill]

http://www.angelfire.com/on3/shellandpaulsphoto/candle1.jpg

would this be considered tunneling?

Yeah, that one's pretty hopeless.

[Gbhunter]

Bigger wick?

[Gbhunter]

Also where could I gat small amouts of these ply wicks. The places I find sell them in large rolls.

[Gbhunter]

"Just remember that the pigments are really intended for dipping molded pillars. I can't say for sure how any particular one might affect the burn of a candle."

Could that be my problem? Since i use the blocks to color the wax and I collor the entire wax( I can see the little particles) perhaps that is what is cloging the wick?

[topofmurrayhill]

Blocks are dye, not pigment. Those are fine to use.

I don't know what you call a big roll, but candlesupply.com has plaited wicking. I think that Candlechem on e-Bay might sell smaller amounts.

[Gbhunter]

WhenI look into the wax after disolvng a block(again made by yuley (or whatever it is) it looks like a mechanical mixture with small particles floating around.. Is that sopposed to be like that. This happens regardless of wax temp.

[topofmurrayhill]

I notice you used red. That color is often difficult to disperse, but others may work better. Ultimately, you should get more reliable colorants. If you like color blocks, there are some that work much better than that. There are also liquid colors that don't have that problem.

[radellaf]

I've had some success dual or tri wicking in the same wick pin hole. You have to determine the curl direction and make sure they curl away from each other. Main problems with this are that the "spacing" between wick sizes is large. 2xLX-8 to 2xLX-10 can be a big gap. Worse of course with three. Other prob is that sometimes they don't curl apart on thieir own and need a prodding.

If starting out, don't bother, but fun for experimenting later.

But, if you want a larger flame with lower smoke it is the way to go.

[Garf]

Yeah, that one's pretty hopeless.

Murray, could you post a pic of a good example?

[mzpickles]

If you like color blocks, there are some that work much better than that.

I've found that the color blocks known as "French" color blocks don't seem to leave as many little specks of color. Again CandleChem on eBay (or their online store) carries these.

[topofmurrayhill]

I've found that the color blocks known as "French" color blocks don't seem to leave as many little specks of color. Again CandleChem on eBay (or their online store) carries these.

I agree that those are by far the best. Another advantage to them is consistency. And the colors are nice too. Sometimes if you buy a whole set you can get the brochure from the manufacturer showing the color variations using different amounts. It doesn't deal with mixing, but it's still helpful.

I got them from CandleChem, but they are available from more and more suppliers. For instance, I think I remember seeing that CandleScience carries them now.

Edited March 12, 2010 by topofmurrayhill

[Gbhunter]

Well it was the color blocks. When I used the same wick on a plain candle from the same wax it burned fine. As soon as I added the color blocks the wicj got cloged. I switched to liquid dye.