SatinDucky Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Ok, I need some expert opinions here. For some reason the last couple weeks, the wicks have been limp and falling over in all my pillars. It's 4625, flat ply and square braid wicks, different sizes of both. Before you ask, nope, I haven't changed waxes, it's the same case. I haven't changed any of my supplies. I'm getting the melt pool just the right size across for a complete burn, until that damn wick falls over. And no, I don't mean the curl, it's actually falling over, not quite enough to drown it, just enough to offset the flame by 1/2". The mp doesn't look like it's too deep, but that's the only thing I can think of that would cause it. Then too, I have no idea why, all of the sudden, the mp would get deep enough to cause this. I need some flaming guru help here, please! :undecided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Ok, I need some expert opinions here. For some reason the last couple weeks, the wicks have been limp and falling over in all my pillars. It's 4625, flat ply and square braid wicks, different sizes of both. Before you ask, nope, I haven't changed waxes, it's the same case. I haven't changed any of my supplies. I'm getting the melt pool just the right size across for a complete burn, until that damn wick falls over. And no, I don't mean the curl, it's actually falling over, not quite enough to drown it, just enough to offset the flame by 1/2". The mp doesn't look like it's too deep, but that's the only thing I can think of that would cause it. Then too, I have no idea why, all of the sudden, the mp would get deep enough to cause this. I need some flaming guru help here, please! :undecidedwhat kind of wax is your wick primed in? Make sure the MP of the primer is higher than the MP of your application Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candle Man Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I never liked braided wicks myself, I only use Zink wicks in my pillars. That way the metal core keeps the wick standing. Also I don't wick before I pour I wick after with a primed zink wick with or without a metal tab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 I use wick pins and prime the wick myself. It's the same wax as the candles as it always has been. That's why it's so frustrating, because I haven't changed anything. I really don't like the mushroom of zincs :undecided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I use wick pins and prime the wick myself. It's the same wax as the candles as it always has been. That's why it's so frustrating, because I haven't changed anything. I really don't like the mushroom of zincs :undecidedMake sure the MP is higher dear. I figured that out the hard way when I did it myself too. "Sometimes" it works with the same wax, and "Sometimes" it does not. I figured it out, and decided that the higher MP always relieves the problem, and made it more consistent. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Since I've got hurricane wax melted right now, it can't hurt to try. Time for some dippin' ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I never liked braided wicks myself, I only use Zink wicks in my pillars.You are living in darkness.And it's spelled zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Since I've got hurricane wax melted right now, it can't hurt to try. Time for some dippin' ...Hard to believe the priming is the problem. Usually I use primed wick, but I can use raw and not notice any difference. Maybe if the melt pool was very deep it would make a difference but then why would your melt pool suddenly be deeper? Are you adding anything to the wax? Are you doing or using anything different at all? Is this called whisky wick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katinka Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 No, actually she called it limp wick.... If all else fails, what about adding some Viagra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvcandleguy Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 No, actually she called it limp wick.... If all else fails, what about adding some Viagra? Enzyte works better....... so I have heard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriWV Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 what about adding some Viagra? :tiptoe: LOL that was going to be my suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatra Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 some parrifin wicks are suposed to bend just a bit ..apparently the curve in them is a part of a self trimming process ..it is difficult to get a wick to stand up when the pool has become too deep ..i put a recomendation on my one pour soy jar candles to not burn it longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time befor you extinquish it and let it cool then relite it .a lot of my clients are naturalists and would never knowingly use a zink wick .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatra Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 candle making with all the new intors of soy palm bees wax and other varities has become a comlicated process ..It is not as simple as it seems ...thank goodness for sites like this on the internet or i would surely be lost with out more precise instructions ...i just spent 2 days making 3 diffrent batches of essential oil pillars using the old fashioned method and all of them have voids and the caps i put in the wells pop off ... i came looking for help here and today i am redoing all three batches using the method discribed on the site ...which i belive will help me eliminate the voids and the rings that develope around the bottom and the cap itself will remain secure because it will be incorperated more with the rest of the candle ...i have learned for a candle to just look good on the out side is not all it takes to make a beautiful functional candle ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatra Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 it never occured to me to use a screw to tie the wick securely to the bottom of the mold ...i had just been using a knot but found my self falling short on the exposed wick used to light the candle ...dose any one know if this wick screw is special or is it just any short screw that i can find in my old box of left over hardware that fits the hole?truth is I dont have time to order special screws and it looks like i will be using potters clay to seal the holes because i live in the middle of no where so my options are slim for the 60 mile round trip into town and back ....but for the future i am going to have to look into the puddy idea ..thanks again for being here ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 some parrifin wicks are suposed to bend just a bit ..apparently the curve in them is a part of a self trimming process ..it is difficult to get a wick to stand up when the pool has become too deep ..i put a recomendation on my one pour soy jar candles to not burn it longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time befor you extinquish it and let it cool then relite it .a lot of my clients are naturalists and would never knowingly use a zink wick ..It's not just paraffin, any self trimming wicks will curl. That's why I pointed out that I wasn't referring to the curl, but that it falls over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Hard to believe the priming is the problem. Usually I use primed wick, but I can use raw and not notice any difference. Maybe if the melt pool was very deep it would make a difference but then why would your melt pool suddenly be deeper? Are you adding anything to the wax? Are you doing or using anything different at all? Is this called whisky wick?Thats why it's driving me nuts. I can't think of anything different. Well, with the exceptions of the working room temp. My "workshop" is the garage and it's quite chilly out there this month. Though, the candles are burned here in the house and they've been in here days usually so the candles themselves aren't still cold. The MP of the primer doesn't seem like it would make that much difference to me either, since the melt pool is hot and the primer wax would've mixed with the pool by then. I haven't wicked one with the high mp primer yet, but I'm going to try it still. Hell, I'll try anything at this point.Somehow I think disolving Viagra in the wax would clog the wick These candles aren't shiny so maybe I'm not rubbing them right :awww: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 it never occured to me to use a screw to tie the wick securely to the bottom of the mold ...i had just been using a knot but found my self falling short on the exposed wick used to light the candle ...dose any one know if this wick screw is special or is it just any short screw that i can find in my old box of left over hardware that fits the hole?truth is I dont have time to order special screws and it looks like i will be using potters clay to seal the holes because i live in the middle of no where so my options are slim for the 60 mile round trip into town and back ....but for the future i am going to have to look into the puddy idea ..thanks again for being here ...Gave up on the wick screw system and went to the metal tape system. I use Elmer's plumbers putty and metal tape. Have to make sure the tape is really smoothed down, so I use a glue stick to do so. Works well for me, you might want to try it./www.candletech.com/metaltape/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsaycb Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I thought at one time I bought metal tape...but it didn't work. I need someone to buy me some and send it so I can try the right stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 I thought at one time I bought metal tape...but it didn't work. I need someone to buy me some and send it so I can try the right stuff.I need someone to buy me a lot of stuff to try Operator error? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Hard to believe the priming is the problem. Usually I use primed wick, but I can use raw and not notice any difference. Maybe if the melt pool was very deep it would make a difference but then why would your melt pool suddenly be deeper? Are you adding anything to the wax? Are you doing or using anything different at all? Is this called whisky wick?Actually I am willing to bet that priming IS the problem. I had the SAME exact issues about 2 years ago. You are not supposed to use raw wick, because it creates air bubbles and therefore air in the wax. Also creating tunnels, and air pockets in the candle during the cooling process. She hasn't done anything different to the application and all the variables were the same (as was my problem as well). Take a look around in the primed wick section of some of your suppliers, and you'll find that they offer either High Melt Point wax coatings (primer), or different grades of it. Like Beeswax, regular MP, or high MP. I don't think they offer these different grades for nothing. I figured it out just because I figured hey, it would only make sense that a higher MP coating is going to withstand the temp of the melt pool better than the same MP. If you search the archives in the old board way back in the day you will find that myself and some other candle maker were experiencing the same problem with Lx's. Same wax and everything. We tried this little experiment and it worked for both of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candlesprite7 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 So beeswax makes a good primer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 So beeswax makes a good primer?As far as I know it does. But I only use Beeswax primer in my "Beeswax blend" candles. I use high melt point paraffin in my paraffin candles. I know I have read on here before that lots of peeps use BW to prime all of their wicks.PS I take it back, I do use the BW to prime my 44-32 z's. I have to do those myself, so Iuse BW primed wicks in J223. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donita Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Thats why it's driving me nuts. I can't think of anything different. Well, with the exceptions of the working room temp. My "workshop" is the garage and it's quite chilly out there this month. Though, the candles are burned here in the house and they've been in here days usually so the candles themselves aren't still cold. The MP of the primer doesn't seem like it would make that much difference to me either, since the melt pool is hot and the primer wax would've mixed with the pool by then. I haven't wicked one with the high mp primer yet, but I'm going to try it still. Hell, I'll try anything at this point.Somehow I think disolving Viagra in the wax would clog the wick These candles aren't shiny so maybe I'm not rubbing them right :awww:Now Ducky.....why don't you just try coaxing it straight with some nice wine, good music and candles????????? Donita:wink2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candlesprite7 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 As far as I know it does. But I only use Beeswax primer in my "Beeswax blend" candles. I use high melt point paraffin in my paraffin candles. I know I have read on here before that lots of peeps use BW to prime all of their wicks.PS I take it back, I do use the BW to prime my 44-32 z's. I have to do those myself, so Iuse BW primed wicks in J223.Hmmm...I have about 3lbs of beeswax that a friend gave me but I've never used it. I'll try priming wicks with it and see what it does....if it works well then i'll finally have a use for it...LOL... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breanna Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I thought at one time I bought metal tape...but it didn't work. I need someone to buy me some and send it so I can try the right stuff.I tried the metal tape and it didnt work,,I had wax everywhere,,,I went by the directions that candle tech has but now that I have re-read the post I see that Dee uses Plumber's Putty and then tapes it,,,MMMM may have to try that again because I hate the screw system and dont want to mess with wick pins,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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