Wicking Different FOs

[candlemama]

I think I am finally close to figuring out the wicking for my wax (comfort blend) and containers. I know every FO is different and may require wicking up or down. My question is, how do you determine before pouring if you should wick up, down or stay the same when trying a new FO? I keep reading in the forums that some FOs are heavier, lighter, more viscous, etc. But, to be honest, I cannot figure out for the life of me how you know that just by looking at the FO! Can you tell just by looking at an FO if it is heavy or light, or do you have to pour it and see how your standard wick handles it to get an idea if you need to wick up or down?

[deb426]

I always start with the smallest wick in my range and go up from there. Rarely will I just jump ahead on a new scent based upon how light the oil looks, etc. If I do, I always wonder if I could have gone down a size and I end up testing it anyway. I know some people start in the middle of their range and work up or down.

HTH

[ChrisR]

:cool2:Use the same wick you do with your other FO's for a particular container and go up or down from there, as 9 out of 10 FO's will use the same wick.

Some 'heavier' oils are typically patchouli, amber, some vanillas and cinnamons. Don't go by how thick the oil is, cause thicker doesn't always mean it's finicky burning. I have a buttercreme that is VERY thick, but takes a normal wick.

[aviator girl]

I pretty much do the same thing. I find that for a particular container I use 2 wick sizes for most FO's. Occasionally I'll have one that is really hard to wick and go up a couple sizes higher or one that's really light.

I usually do what deb said. I start with my smallest and go from there unless I am pretty sure it's going to be a heavy oil I may step it up one. The problem is I always want to use the smallest wick possible so I'll still try a size smaller if I don't start with the smallest.

Typically my florals are a smaller wick with some citrus and bakery scents the heaviest. I always have some surprise me and either take a lot bigger wick than I thought or a smaller wick than I thought.

Edited June 3, 2010 by aviator girl

[LuminousBoutique]

Use the same wick you do with your other FO's for a particular container and go up or down from there, as 9 out of 10 FO's will use the same wick.

Some 'heavier' oils are typically patchouli, amber, some vanillas and cinnamons. Don't go by how thick the oil is, cause thicker doesn't always mean it's finicky burning. I have a buttercreme that is VERY thick, but takes a normal wick.

ditto. And... I make my oils work for me. I'm very picky, so if the oil requries finicky wicking... I simply wont pour it. That means I have no cinnamon in my line... but I'm cool with that, cinnamon scents dont sell well here anyways. Some scents are worth the extra effort.. others. not so much

[candlemama]

Ah, man, I thought I was close to figuring out my wick size, but now reading these replies, I'm not so sure! I was using CS Cinnamon Buns and ME Candle Supply Sugar Cookie FOs when testing. I was very close on the last go around. One needs to be wicked up and one wicked down, which actually brings them both to the exact same size (HTP93). So, I thought I had finally found THE wick for most FOs!

Haha, figures I was testing FOs that tend to be heavier or more difficult. Back to the drawing board...

Thanks for the info. Very helpful!