Wicking Information Resources for Newbies

[Stella1952]

So many new folks have trouble with wicking, I thought it would be helpful to post a couple of my favorite educational resource sites to help folks learn.

There are a couple of wick distributors (the folks from whom our suppliers often buy their wicks) who have sites all candle makers should bookmark, READ and STUDY. Not only do they offer great product descriptions of all the major wick brands and suggested wick size info, but they are rich in information about how wicks work, other important facts about combustion and waxes, and tips that every chandler needs to know to help them make a quality product.

One is Wicks Unlimited. Here we learn that wicks with wick tabs are called "wick assemblies" because they are a combination of several critical components - the brand of wick itself, the wicking wax, the wick clip (or wicktab) used, and the way these components are assembled to make a high quality, reliable product. Don't miss their educational pages linked from "The Wick Clip Assembly Primer." From the top to the bottom of the page, there are links to essential information. There are great illustrations and photos to help us understand how a wick works, common wick problems, etc. Click on them all and study them! Their catalog contains most of the great information, images & illustrations from their website and is available for download in pdf form.

Another wick distributor is WickIt. They have a good discussion on selecting and testing wicks, offer some good tips on how to make better candles, and have a great wick size recommendation page which makes it easy to compare different wicks brands & sizes relative to one another.

Please remember that nearly all wick recommendations and tables are based on tests with paraffin wax and that there are differences between types and brands of wax that make these tools great starting points, but may not be EXACTLY what you should use in your particular application. There are no shortcuts to doing your own testing and homework!!!

While both of these companies have large minimum order requirements (3000 piece minimum) which may exceed the needs of a smalltime or beginning chandler, the information they offer is priceless. HTH

[soy327]

Appreciate the info Stella, You are a gem. I really enjoyed the reading then when I decided to only use the cd and cdn wicks (after alot of reading). That was a year ago and look how many new people we have on the forum now and can use this as a guidline.

[Dolphin146]

Great information stella. This is great info for new and experianced candlemakers. Your allways so helpful.

Edited December 10, 2010 by Dolphin146

[Charolette]

Thank you so much Stella, I'm going to do lots of reading and printing tomorrow.

[Ravens]

Thank you so much, Stella. Exactly what a new "wicker" like me needs ( just made up that term, don't know if it exists :embarasse ).

[Candybee]

I've spent a lot of time over the years on these wick sites, especially wicks unlimited, to read up on wicks and how they performed. Its been very helpful to me in wick selection and helping to determine wick function best suited for my wax and jar combo, pillars, votives, etc.

[Stella1952]

Me, too, Candybee. I learn something new every time I visit there, so it's worth a read for 'most everyone.

In case folks don't know, you'll see that there are different manufacturers for the wicks companies distribute. It's often worthwhile to read at the manufacturer's sites, too.

Heinz Verhaegh

Wedo

Atkins & Pearce

Fil-Tec

[Judy, USMC]

At this time it may be worth a mention that the wick manufacturers use different equipment in their process. Even though the raw wicking is the same their process may affect the burn properties.

Here's the link to a past discussion on the matter: http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85429&highlight=tension

Since our suppliers (who offer tester packs and smaller than 3,000 packages) get their wicks from a single manufacturer, I would heed the advice in the link and consistently get them from the same supplier.

[Ravens]

I requested samples, specified the waxes and containers I use. Hopefully I will receive a few wicks that should give me a good starting point.

Right now I feel that my wick testing is so poor... it's something I should be ashamed of (and I am:embarasse).

I jump from one to another.

For example, with the 415 I try an ECO 8 in my jelly jar, if it doesn't work, I jump to a CD14, that doesn't work so I try an HTP.... not very methodical, just a big frustrating mess:angry2:

[LuminousBoutique]

Ravens do you keep notes? Thats what helped me in the end.. and pouring 4 containers at a time. its not a fun process but WHOA does it make a difference... say you wick with an eco 14, 16, and a c-80 and 85.. burn them side by side and burn fully.. it seems wasteful sometimes but its so nice to get a firm answer!

[mrsadler05]

Bumping this. Maybe some of the new people, like myself, will try to learn from it.

Thanks, Stella and all of you other ladies (and gents) for all of the personal time you take to post helpful information just to make our lives a little easier. I have read posts from each one of you and I have learned so much from all of you. I know how much time goes into this type of research and I appreciate it.

Hope you have the happiest of holidays.

[IwantItgreen]

:bump::bump:Just bumping for the Newbies

[EkoSoy]

I must say that this forum is the friendliest most informative that seen in all of my years on the web!!!

----Eddie

:whoohoo::party:*super banana*

[Stella1952]

bumping

[country bee]

thanks,I loved the sites.I have been playing with 3 waxes for a year or so and I just now(made 2 weeks)made a candle that burns ok and smells yummy,still doing test burns on it.I need all the help I can get!