Starburst Palm Testing

[topofmurrayhill]

End of burn 10 for 30 ply and burn 7 for HTP 105.

The 30 ply is not having any problem with air pockets.

[topofmurrayhill]

End of burns 8 and 9 for the no-other-options HTP 105 tester.

[topofmurrayhill]

End of burns 11 and 12 for 30 ply.

I'm not sure how extensive the air pockets were. I only specifically noticed one while the candle was burning. There have been no problems with them.

[topofmurrayhill]

The first photo is the end of burn 10 for the HTP 105 tester. This wick is roughly in the same ballpark as the 30 ply but a little weaker.

The 30 ply went out during burn 13. It lasted at least 3 hours, so the total burn time for the candle was about 51 hours and the final result was pretty decent. I would say the wick was too small but not crazy small.

I burned the 30 ply tester to the bitter end without cutting the wick short. Eventually it melted to the bottom and the wick fell over, but any wax leakage remained under the candle. I picked it up before it was fully set and it left just a wee blob of mushy wax on the surface. There were no air pocket problems with this candle.

These testers were made with the two different additive recommendations in my how-to instructions thread for starburst. The flat braid tester used feather palm and the HTP tester used stearic acid.

[topofmurrayhill]

End of burn 11 for HTP 105.

[topofmurrayhill]

Here's burn 12 for HTP 105. I'm going to wrap it up with this burn. The candle isn't done, but I've got the idea.

Bottom line, this wick kinda sorta works but it's too small. At it's highest, the outer wax shell is still just about as tall as the original candle, and there's a lot of leftover wax on the inside. Unfortunately HTP 126 is definitely too large, so the gap in sizes at this point in the HTP range doesn't give us a good option. HTP 126 worked for feather palm, but for starburst we need something a little smaller. All we have is a lot smaller.

Like the flat braid tester, this one had no burn problems due to air pockets. I'm sure there must have been some but I didn't notice anything except that possibly the wax level dropped a little faster in the past 2 or 3 burns. Maybe wax just seeps into those voids gradually.

Whoever claims that something bad will happen lest we take extreme measures to exterminate air pockets is full of baloney. The only one of the three CandleScience pillar palms that even needs a second pour is tortoise shell, and none of them need that "wrecking" BS. Far as I can tell, that's an impractical load of crap that just makes it hard for people. Pour your palm pillars and go to bed. They don't need attention while cooling. Any finishing work can be done the next day or at your convenience.

Remember that folks who hover over palm pillars and torment them for hours are probably only making half a dozen candles at a time. They don't need a practical procedure. Also remember that talk is cheap. Don't trust people who tell you what to do but don't share any tests to show you why.

[snewbie]

Is there a reason why the square braid wicks havent been tried?

[topofmurrayhill]

Is there a reason why the square braid wicks havent been tried?

I guess I didn't get around to those because I don't use them much. We had a member test them in palm pillars a while back without very good results--but it may be worth revisiting.

Edited May 16, 2010 by topofmurrayhill

[debratant]

I have some square braid wicking. I may give it a try. I've been busy the last week or two, but will try to start a test on square braid using feather and tortoise. I'd like to try out the starburst too. Another order I need to place lol.

[snewbie]

The difference between the 2/0, 1/0, 1, 2 is gradual, so I thought it would be a good choice with a 3" pillar.

[topofmurrayhill]

The difference between the 2/0, 1/0, 1, 2 is gradual, so I thought it would be a good choice with a 3" pillar.

That certainly would address the problem with flat braid.

[snewbie]

Well, I ve figured out that my mystery wax is feather, so I can comment now on my test. 3"x6" pillar, rose, pink, square braid #1. No blowout after 8 3-4hr burns. Was doing well, but the last 2 burns, the flame is very small. None of the shell has burned but it is close. I call it a failure. Maybe a #2 squarebraid would work, but I'm just waiting on my order of CSN wicks. Oh and I think the 50/50 featherburst is a better starburst than the 100% starburst.

[topofmurrayhill]

Well, I ve figured out that my mystery wax is feather, so I can comment now on my test. 3"x6" pillar, rose, pink, square braid #1. No blowout after 8 3-4hr burns. Was doing well, but the last 2 burns, the flame is very small. None of the shell has burned but it is close. I call it a failure. Maybe a #2 squarebraid would work, but I'm just waiting on my order of CSN wicks. Oh and I think the 50/50 featherburst is a better starburst than the 100% starburst.

Why do you have mystery wax? The last person with mystery wax turned out to be making pillars out of glass glow.

Size may matter, so I'll be interested in your result with #2 SB, but the previous testing I read about seemed to suggest that SB doesn't generally stand up well to palm wax. Starburst may be the most forgiving in that regard and tortoise the least. Anything except a specially treated wick burns dysfunctionally in tortoise shell palm. The only really good wick for that one is CSN because it has both a suitable chemical treatment and good self-trimming characteristics.

Starburst and feather seem to mix harmoniously in any proportion to create a variety of surface patterns. A 96/4 mixture fixes the issues with starburst without changing its aesthetics, so basically I would recommend feather as an additive when you want to make characteristic starburst pillars. More info here.

[snewbie]

Ya, thanks. Ive come to the conclusion that starburst is only good as a 50/50 mixture in 3" pillars not even votives. Aesthetically, I just dont like starburst.

The mystery wax was because the imbeciles at swans candles couldnt even tell me what the wax was that was misslabeled, "crystal brite"(11lb bags). I only discovered its real identity because I switched distributers and bought a case of star and a case of feather.

For me it will be feather pillars and votives and 50/50 pillars. I'll wait and use CSN wicks because time and money are of the essence,and there's no point in trying #2 SB. The #1 is still burning slowly with no blowout. It is hurricaning, but I think it will brake the top of the shell in the next burn or 2.

Edited May 21, 2010 by snewbie