Soot with CD wicks

[lrbd]

Ok Now I am wondering if there is anyway possible that my CD wicks are screwed up. I have started many threads about soot on the top of my wax while trying to test the CD wicks.

I am on burn 3 using CD14 , CDN 14, HTP126, and CSN14 . The soot is now forming on the CD candle as it did when I used CD8, 10 and 12. This has happened to me with about 7 or more scents.

Could I have purchased bad wicks ? Could they all be bad I have tried all sizes above . The other are still going with no soot . Heres the thing the CD is the one that is not mushrooming like the others. I want them to work . This is days and days of the same thing happening with the CD wick .

please see http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91332

Edited May 9, 2010 by lrbd

[topofmurrayhill]

I'm not sure why it's just happening, so I'll just speculate if that's OK.

I once read on the NGI site that the soot on top of the wax is caused by the flames not getting enough oxygen, so partially-burned stuff leaks out and settles on the wax. That seems pretty plausible. If that's the problem, then I suppose both wick size and airflow would be an issue.

As far as size is concerned, I wonder about your melt pool expectations. Folks here are taught to fear hangup like the devil, even though it's all gonna melt near the end. CD 14 is obviously too large, seeing as you have zero hangup on the 3rd burn. If I can use a CD 8 for a 2 1/2 inch tumbler, that seems like the largest size you'd need for a 4 inch container.

As far as airflow is concerned, maybe you could try placing the wicks differently. Those don't look right to me anyway. In a container like that you'd generally want to make a circular melt pool, which you get by putting the wicks close together. They really shouldn't be more than an inch apart. Maybe that would help the airflow too and make them burn cleaner. It might also help them work together, so less chance of drowning out.

You know, you may be having the problem because the wicks are simply burning well and need more oxygen to support their efforts. They certainly seem like they're burning great from the looks of them. If a wick was shrooming and clogging it might not need as much air.

Probably your wicks are fine.

Edited May 9, 2010 by topofmurrayhill

[8-GRAN-ONES]

maybe do what top says....put your wicks closer..

i have my metal touching when i place my double wicks..

so the wick are only an inch or so apart while buring..

[lrbd]

Thank you ... both of you . Give me a minute I will shoot shots of the other scents that I used 8 and 10 and the wicks are closer . These were this past week . be back

This is how I normally wick . Tabs touching. These new wick holder clips I got have holes too far apart I tried them with the pink candles( cherry lemonade. ) anyway these photos are CD 8 and 10 . The ones with no soot are CDN.

Thanks for looking and helping

Edited May 9, 2010 by lrbd

[mzpickles]

Maybe I missed it in another thread but what size container are you double wicking, and what wax?

I'm currently testing CDs in my mostly 464 blend with zero, zip, zilch, nada soot in 3" status jars & 3.5 inch Platinum Ball Jars (WM), as well as other smaller libbey status & whisper jars. They are behaving much better than the ECO wicks I tested in the same size jars, with the exception that they do mushroom, but I'd rather have the mushrooming than the drowned wicks I had with the ECOs.

[lrbd]

It is not letting me upload my photo . I want to show you the other 3 pink ones. not a spec of soot and they are large shrooms and large wicks. I just don't get it. The Cd is looking better but the soot is crazy .

Tops when do you achieve a full melt pool if not by 3 burns?

Thanks

[lrbd]

4 inch elevation jars . 415 is the wax

Maybe I missed it in another thread but what size container are you double wicking, and what wax?

I'm currently testing CDs in my mostly 464 blend with zero, zip, zilch, nada soot in 3" status jars & 3.5 inch Platinum Ball Jars (WM), as well as other smaller libbey status & whisper jars. They are behaving much better than the ECO wicks I tested in the same size jars, with the exception that they do mushroom, but I'd rather have the mushrooming than the drowned wicks I had with the ECOs.

[topofmurrayhill]

Would wicking down not be worth a try? The CD testers seem to have no hangup at all.

[lrbd]

of course yes its worth a try so you think lower than an 8

I will pull the wick on one of my clean ones and try that

When do you get a full melt. and since the others have no hang up and they are not sooting I wonder if that really is the issue.

Would wicking down not be worth a try? The CD testers seem to have no hangup at all.

[topofmurrayhill]

Tops when do you achieve a full melt pool if not by 3 burns?

The thing to judge is how much hangup and soot there is once it's burned all the way down. Ideally, none and none. Or at least very little. How it gets from point A to point B and when it got a full melt pool really doesn't matter. That can vary a lot for different candles, and it would be fine with me whether it was at 1/4 way down or 1/2 way down or 3/4 way down.

[topofmurrayhill]

and since the others have no hang up and they are not sooting I wonder if that really is the issue.

I thought I saw more hangup on the CDN testers than the CD but I might have misinterpreted.

Anyway, we don't really know what the issue is so we can only try stuff and see if we hit upon it. I don't know if wicking down until it goes away is the answer, but as long as we aren't obviously underwicked it seems like a reasonable thing to test.

[lrbd]

The thing to judge is how much hangup and soot there is once it's burned all the way down. Ideally, none and none. Or at least very little. How it gets from point A to point B and when it got a full melt pool really doesn't matter. That can vary a lot for different candles, and it would be fine with me whether it was at 1/4 way down or 1/2 way down or 3/4 way down.

I see . I would just stick with the CDNs if it wasn't for the mushroom and how hard they are to get.

The Cd looks so much better . I just can't get it right. I have gone all they way down to an 8 and all the up to a 14 .

I certainly will try lower again and appreciate your advice I just have a bad feeling about it. I am very frustrated

[topofmurrayhill]

Maybe try CD 6. Even if it turns out to be too small, what you want to find out is if size matters with the soot on the wax. Going down a few sizes is more likely to answer that question quickly.

[lrbd]

I thought I saw more hangup on the CDN testers than the CD but I might have misinterpreted.

Anyway, we don't really know what the issue is so we can only try stuff and see if we hit upon it. I don't know if wicking down until it goes away is the answer, but as long as we aren't obviously underwicked it seems like a reasonable thing to test.

no your right there is a bit more. I just listen to everyone else loving them and the sizes they are using are the same and I have tried so many already that I get frustrated and wonder if the wicks could somehow be bad.

I will try again thank you .

If Betty white wasn't on Sat night live right now I would be crying . she has me laughing my ass off

[bah67]

Have you tried wicking a smaller container to see how your CD wicks burn alone, instead of a container that needs to be double wicked?

[lrbd]

Maybe try CD 6. Even if it turns out to be too small, what you want to find out is if size matters with the soot on the wax. Going down a few sizes is more likely to answer that question quickly.

ok I already know 8, 10 and 14 soot so six it is

[lrbd]

Have you tried wicking a smaller container to see how your CD wicks burn alone, instead of a container that needs to be double wicked?

yup I did a jelly jar that did ok with a 12 it had just a small amount of soot. I forgot about that till you mentioned it. .that had a small amount of soot

[CandleMama6]

I use the CD wicks and have about 6 scents that soot. It does not matter what size jar, wick, fragrance amount, color or not, or whether they are single or double wicked.

After months of pulling my hair out, someone told me (can't remember who) that there are times when a scent with vanillan will do that. A couple of them were vanilla scents and a few had vanillan in with the spice blend. The last was one that had a miniscule amount of vanillan, even so that you could not detect it. But it seems that the vanillan was counteracting with some of the other ingredients and caused the sooting.

Now that was over a year ago, before my shoulder surgery, and I have not tried those fragrances since. But I would be very interested to know what other results you get. I got so frustrated that I refused to even make the scents, even in melts, for a while!!

[topofmurrayhill]

You can always go back up to a CD 7 if necessary, but if the soot goes away with CD 6 it will be useful information.

Bah67 has a good suggestion. With a single-wicked tumbler you might find your CDs work just like everyone else's. That would be good info too.

Two wicks is a lot of firepower and uses a lot more O2 than one, so you might be surprised how low you have to go when double wicking. Last time I tried to double wick a 4" soy container I was messing with CDN and the smallest size I could get was decidedly too big. It was a different wax, but still.

[lrbd]

ok here are all 4 . I just wanted you to see that the CDN14 the HTP 126 and the CSN14 have no soot.

[lrbd]

ok so since all 4 are tester I just stuck the wick in them. I will pull one or two smooth out the tops and throw in 2 sixes and 2 sevens

[lrbd]

Here you have 2 CD6 wicks that burned for 4 hours. Please note that the jar was not filled all the way to the top . I pulled my 2 HTP 126 wicks out smoothed out the candle , re-wicked and let it sit over night.

Did leave hang up which is ok but also mushroomed

Let me know what you think please.

I know there are double wickers out there that use Cd. I so would appreciate if you gave me some input as well . Maybe you could give me an idea of your average wick size please. I am not a slacker I test and test and test . I am just at a pint where I don't know what to do to improve myself. Thanks

Laura

PS won't know if I get the soot layer until about burn 3 to 5

Edited May 9, 2010 by lrbd

[ChrisR]

Those mushrooms aren't that bad and your melt pool looks good......how is the throw? Trim you wicks and keep burning, if all you get is little shroons, no soot and a good throw, I'd stick with the that size wicking. I use LX, so can't really comment on the CD's, but with my LX's if they shroon a little like that and everything else is good, I leave them.

[safetysue]

As I mentioned on your first post I too am having this problem. I don't recall who posted it but I agree the scents with vanilla seem to be the worst. Mine doesn't show up until it the wax level is below the halfway point. So I think between the lack of oxygen (I probably over wicked - I've been up and down the CD and ECO series) , the vanilla in the FO and based on what I've read here I'm spacing my wicks too far apart. Like you I'm not a slacker when it comes to testing. If my name is on the damn jar it's gonna be right! Thanks for posting this again it has provided me with tips to correct the problem and once again Thanks to all those who replied with corrective information.

Happy Mother's Day.

Edited May 9, 2010 by safetysue

[lrbd]

Thank you both. I certainly will keep going . A few things to mention. I previously wicked closer together , I don't have any vanilla in this or other I tested yet, and I too don't get the soot until after a couple of burns.

But as I said I will definitely keep going and keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks again and happy mothers day !