How to Use and Wick Feather Palm

[topofmurrayhill]

Summary

• Feather Palm is the easiest of the palm pillar waxes to use.
  
• A very striking crystalline surface pattern can be obtained without strict attention to pouring temperature or technique.
  
• Candles have good hot and cold scent throw.
  
• Minimal formation of air pockets allows Feather Palm candles to be made with a single pour of wax.
  
• Candles are very easy to unmold.
  
• Manufacturer is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
  

Manufactured by PT. Sumi Asih

Imported by CandleScience and The International Group, Inc.

Edited May 9, 2010 by topofmurrayhill

[topofmurrayhill]

Additives

No additives are recommended for use with Feather Palm.

[topofmurrayhill]

Pouring & Finishing

Making Feather Palm candles is essentially foolproof.

Feather Palm should be poured between 185° and 195° F, but variations in pouring temperature do not have a dramatic effect on results. Pre-warming molds should not be necessary. Candles may be covered with a box to slow down cooling, but good results can be obtained by cooling them in the open. The shrinkage properties of this wax may result in pillars with subtly bowed sides, but air pockets are minimal and may be entirely absent. A second wax pour is not required.

To help ensure the candle extinguishes before hot wax can leak out, cut the wick so that it doesn’t reach the bottom of the candle. Seal the hole with a small amount of 190° F wax. Level the bottom on a hot surface when fully cooled.

[topofmurrayhill]

Wick Selection

Wick sizes for certain candles are suggested below, but size selection should be based on testing. The best wick size should burn for the length of the test sessions without melting through the side of the candle. It should also not leave an excessively tall or thick shell of wax when the candle has burned to the bottom.

A wick that’s too small can produce a wide melt pool because melted wax accumulates faster than it can be burned. A large wick can also produce a wide melt pool from the heat of the flame. Wick sizes both larger and smaller than the best size may melt through the side of the candle in test burns. To avoid confusion over whether to wick up or down, it can be helpful to test a range of sizes simultaneously to find the wick with the most balanced burn.

3-inch pillars are typically designed and tested to burn for 3 to 4 hours at a time. To minimize the likelihood of hot wax melting through the side during a normal burn, 4-hour burn sessions may be the best choice for testing wick sizes.

RECOMMENDED: CSN

• Fully compatible with Feather Palm.
  
• Burns true to size.
  
• Consistent flame heights.
  
• No manual wick trimming required.
  
• Available as raw spooled wicking and wick assemblies.
  
• Full size range for tealights, votives, containers and pillars.
  

3-Inch Pillars: CSN 12

Standard Votives: CSN 9

Manufacturer:

Wedo

Suppliers:

CandleScience

USABLE: CD, CDN

• Partially compatible with Feather Palm.
  
• Burns true to size upon lighting but subsequently fades.
  
• Requires larger wick sizes.
  
• Flames heights can be inconsistent.
  
• Should be trimmed before the first lighting to avoid a large flame.
  
• No manual wick trimming required for subsequent burns.
  
• CD is available as raw spooled wicking and wick assemblies.
  
• CDN is only available as wick assemblies.
  
• CD has ample size options for pillars and votives.
  
• CDN has ample size options for pillars, but votive sizes are not available.
  
• CDN may slightly outperform CD and require smaller sizes.
  
• CDN votive sizes and raw spooled wicking can be obtained in bulk quantities from specialty distributors.
  

3-Inch Pillars: CD 14, CD 16, CDN 12, CDN 14

Standard Votives: CD 5, CD 6, CDN 4

Manufacturer:

Heinz

CD Suppliers:

Candlewic

CDN Suppliers:

Candle Cocoon

,

Just By Nature

POSSIBLY USABLE: HTP

• Partially compatible with Feather Palm.
  
• Burns true to size upon lighting but subsequently fades.
  
• Requires larger wick sizes.
  
• Flames heights can be inconsistent.
  
• Should be trimmed before the first lighting to avoid a large flame.
  
• No manual wick trimming required for subsequent burns.
  
• Available as raw spooled wicking and wick assemblies.
  
• Size options for pillars may be inadequate because sizes are far apart.
  
• Thickness of pillar sizes can be unwieldy for wicking molds.
  

3-Inch Pillars: HTP 126, HTP 1212

Standard Votives: HTP 83, HTP 93

Manufacturer:

Atkins & Pearce

Suppliers:

Candlewic

POSSIBLY USABLE: Classic Flat Braid

• Partially compatible with Feather Palm.
  
• Burns true to size upon lighting but subsequently fades.
  
• Requires larger wick sizes.
  
• Flames heights can be inconsistent.
  
• Should be trimmed before the first lighting to avoid a large flame.
  
• No manual wick trimming required for subsequent burns.
  
• Available as raw spooled wicking.
  
• Not suitable for votive or container candles.
  
• Size options for pillars may be inadequate because sizes are far apart.
  

3-Inch Pillars: 36 Ply

Manufacturer:

Atkins & Pearce

Suppliers:

Candlewic

,

Bitter Creek

NOT RECOMMENDED: RRD NST2

• Prone to mushroom in Feather Palm.
  
• Does not self-trim.
  

INCOMPATIBLE: ECO, LX

[rebeccajo99]

Thank-you so much for posting this. It was very helpful. Are you saying that with Feather Palm, I don't need to poke relief holes while the pillars are cooling? I've been waiting to do pillars and containers (I know that feather is a pillar wax, but saying in general) because of the poking of holes and repouring since I have small children and wouldn't get finished during thier nap time.

If this wax you don't need to do that, I'm going to start doing votives and pillars!!!

[candles4ever]

Thanks Tops, I was just looking to see what wicks perfomed in Palm wax.. I can't wait to start testing Pillars, through all my years of making candles Pillars are something that I have been putting to the side..

[topofmurrayhill]

Thank-you so much for posting this. It was very helpful. Are you saying that with Feather Palm, I don't need to poke relief holes while the pillars are cooling?

Yes, you can pour the candle and walk away. Once the wax is poured, the candle is pretty much a done deal. Anything else can be done after it's cool. The main thing to do at the end, especially if you're selling the candle or giving it away, is to cut the wick a little shorter at the bottom and pour a bit of wax to seal it into the candle.

You can use Starburst Palm in much the same way. It does make more air pockets than Feather, but I personally haven't found that they cause burn problems. The only extra thing that would be helpful with Starburst is to use a little stearic acid or a little Feather Palm with it as described here.

If you get both Starburst and Feather Palm, you can make the two different kinds of candles as well as use a little Feather as an additive for Starburst.

[soy327]

Top,

Any chance you will do Glass Glow container wax too:drool: :laugh2:How about in a 3" container.

[topofmurrayhill]

Any chance you will do Glass Glow container wax too

Yeah, I'm just taking a little breather. What started as messing around for fun turned into a big project. I have a few other things to catch up on but I'll get into GG soon too.

[dee263]

Hi Top,

First - Thanks so much for all of the testing and reporting you've done on the palm waxes!! It was the final straw and goaded me to try pillars; I'm loving them! I've only worked on the feather palm so far but I'm getting the same results with the CSN 12. It is great to be able to go back through your threads and check pictures and results to compare! Thanks again!!

Second - I have a couple of questions, surprise, surprise. I have only made jar and tin container soy wax candles in the past so I'm an absolute newbie at pillars. When you say to cut the wick short so it doesn't reach the bottom of the candle, do you cut through the wax to get to the wick leaving a depression that you then fill with wax? If the mold is pre-wicked that's the only way I can think of to cut the wick short; am I missing something? The other question is about pillar height and wicks. If a wick works in a 3" tall pillar, can it be expected to work in a pillar of the same diameter but 6" in height. I'll be testing the taller ones next. I'll start with the CSN 12s but I'm wondering if there's some rule I haven't discovered yet about wick sizes and heights.

Again, many thanks! You inspired me to make pillars!

Edited May 23, 2010 by dee263

[snewbie]

From a PM answering the same question.

Posted by topofmurrayhill

Allow the candle to cool completely, then slice into the wax and cut the wick to the desired length with a craft knife.

The bottom isn't ruined because it's not finished yet. Paraffin and tortoise shell palm pillars will require a second pour. Feather and starburst palm pillars can get a bit of hot wax to plug the hole.

The final step is to use a hot surface and a perpendicular guide to flatten and level the bottom of the pillar. That provides the finished appearance, as well as a stable base and a place to affix a warning label if needed.

[dee263]

Thanks, snewbie! That's what I was imagining but needed clarification.

[topofmurrayhill]

When you say to cut the wick short so it doesn't reach the bottom of the candle, do you cut through the wax to get to the wick leaving a depression that you then fill with wax? If the mold is pre-wicked that's the only way I can think of to cut the wick short; am I missing something?

You have it exactly right. Palm wax cuts like butter, so it's very easy to do with an x-acto sort of knife. Filling the hole is just a touch-up. You could save a little of the original candle mixture or even just use plain wax to seal the hole.

The other question is about pillar height and wicks. If a wick works in a 3" tall pillar, can it be expected to work in a pillar of the same diameter but 6" in height. I'll be testing the taller ones next. I'll start with the CSN 12s but I'm wondering if there's some rule I haven't discovered yet about wick sizes and heights.

The height of the candle shouldn't make a difference. The burn is different at the top of the candle, but 3 inches is tall enough to put the wick through its paces. By the time you get to the bottom of a 3-inch tester, that's the way it's going to work for any additional candle height.

[candlemama]

Thanks so much for the info, Top. As always, very, very helpful and much appreciated. Now I want to try palm wax AND pillars. My husband may not thank you because I sure don't need another project to take on which requires more wax and more supplies to buy and store... Oh well, off to browse Peak's store.