Flame out of control

[Hardwood Wickster]

First off I'd like to personally thank all of you for your input!!! Your comments and especially your concerns will not go unnoticed. I want to say I have zero intentions of producing any product that would cause harm to anyone or their lively hoods. When i found out about this my stomach dropped like i lost my first born. Make no mistake about it, I have and will continue to have all my concerns towards safety. Stella as well as others make good points and this "event" for lack of a better word, brought a whole new light on to candle making for me and my wife. To date we have literally tested and burned hundreds of our candles throughout the home, none producing what was noticed in the picture.

Looking back at hind sight, here's what happened thou. As a person burns one of these hardwood wicked candles you learn fairly quickly that they do burn differently. They are unique in thier own way. Some crackle, some pop more than others. Some i've noticed put up a very small amber above the candle when lit and some do nothing but burn nicely. I have had some that the wood has burned off quicker and creates a smaller flame like it wants to drown out in the melt pool. My point to all of this is I've burned hundreds, I've become educated, and by burning hundreds you learn how to burn them, how they react, to accept how unique each one of them is and when its a low flame you tweek. Or if the flame become to high from burning too long, you blow out and trim. No different than cotton braided wicks as you all know. To achieve optimal burn you have a correct flame height. However the customer only burns one every now and then, therefore its imperitive that we as candle makers make sure they are as safe as possible. This hit home with me.

Last night i took one of my candles from inventory, same batch, same fragrance as the "event" one and lit it and here's what i learned from it.

To date I have intentionally left the wicks trimmed just a little bit high, knowing from past experience the wood will start to burn a little big and then tone into a good burn in about 15 to 20 seconds as I hate to dig out wax or not have the candle burn at a good height to burn out to the edge of the jar. However last night i noticed that the flame kept increasing and increasing. If this would had happened any other time, and it hadn't, I would had blew it out immediately and trimmed the wick accordingly. This time thou and left it go. About another 20 seconds or so into the burn the flame was now at least 2 1/2" to 3" tall. Like a flipping torch. I had never seen any of my candles do this. At that point i carefully watched as the wax around the wick was burning and increasing almost like if someone had dropped a little alcohol on the wax and spread across the top of the wax. Of course then i blew it out before it got out of control as it surely would had. Why my customer didn't blow it out by now is beyond me, but i never want to make a candle thats gets to this point in the first place. So i'm here to continue to analze with everyone so I know exactly the whats and why's to all of this, from a technical standpoint.

As I have learned each fragrance burns a little different. The Lemon one has always burned a little more aggresively. Easy to light, always a nice flame and more so than not i've noticed these want to crackle more so than others.

I want to analyze whats going on here. I realize the extremely high flame caused the wax to exceed its flash point, therefore causing what happened in the "event". Now my question is why. I question everything i've done in the process to make this batch of candles. Why didn't the flame tune in like everything i've always done in the past? Did i calculate my fragrance load correctly? What would happen if I didn't, say I had 12% or 15% load, would that cause this? I know the wax is rated to hold 12% or 2 ozs per lb. but did i push it to its extremes by mistake? I didn't persay take notes on each batch i make, cause 1st off i thought i had it down, maybe i should from now on. I consider myself fairly good with numbers, I estimate costs all day long but I'm human like everyone else, did I mess this batch up and cause all of this?

Would an over load of FO in wax, puddle up to the top, maybe just below a skin of wax and cause this? If not puddle up maybe just its extreme content reduced its flash point to the point where a flame up would happen easily? Does FO rest to the top?

And maybe its not the FO at all?

And just so you know, once I blew out the candle, let it cool, trimmed accordingly and re-lit it burned fine the rest of the evening..

Without getting into great detail. the process I go about making the wick is very precise. I know from trial and error this past year to keep it as consistant as possible the process i go about making them. They have the same thickness, drying them to have the same water content, etc, etc and conceiled in wax by dipping each one of them afterwards so they remain at their constant state. And this process has proven to me their constancy is as good as it gets. I will say thou they are unpredictable to some point, not to the extremes some of you have mentioned but to the point from each one to be unique in its own way.

Some of you may still believe the wick to be the problem and if so its only because of how i trimmed it a little high to begin with. Something happened for it to react and continue to grow in height instead of tuning in like the rest and i will continue to try to find the answer as to why.

I look forward to your analysis and and comments

Sorry for the long read

Edited January 12, 2012 by Hardwood Wickster

[HorseScentS]

:werd:Well said, Stella!

And while reading your comment, I suddenly realized that 3 of the candles that have caught fire and had pics posted on this board were caused by CD wicks, I guess because they burn really hot.

But, until you mentioned it, I didn't realize it could be dangerous to burn a candle in a really cold room, which could cause thermal shock to the glass. That's very worrisome. I thought burning a candle in a cold room would be safer because it would cause the candle to burn cooler, like an under-wicked candle.

[HorseScentS]

Last night i took one of my candles from inventory, same batch, same fragrance as the "event" one and lit it and here's what i learned from it.

To date I have intentionally left the wicks trimmed just a little bit high, knowing from past experience the wood will start to burn a little big and then tone into a good burn in about 15 to 20 seconds as I hate to dig out wax or not have the candle burn at a good height to burn out to the edge of the jar. However last night i noticed that the flame kept increasing and increasing. If this would had happened any other time, and it hadn't, I would had blew it out immediately and trimmed the wick accordingly. This time thou and left it go. About another 20 seconds or so into the burn the flame was now at least 2 1/2" to 3" tall. Like a flipping torch. I had never seen any of my candles do this. At that point i carefully watched as the wax around the wick was burning and increasing almost like if someone had dropped a little alcohol on the wax and spread across the top of the wax. Of course then i blew it out before it got out of control as it surely would had. Why my customer didn't blow it out by now is beyond me, but i never want to make a candle thats gets to this point in the first place. So i'm here to continue to analze with everyone so I know exactly the whats and why's to all of this, from a technical standpoint.

As I have learned each fragrance burns a little different. The Lemon one has always burned a little more aggresively. Easy to light, always a nice flame and more so than not i've noticed these want to crackle more so than others.

I want to analyze whats going on here. I realize the extremely high flame caused the wax to exceed its flash point, therefore causing what happened in the "event". Now my question is why. I question everything i've done in the process to make this batch of candles. Why didn't the flame tune in like everything i've always done in the past? Did i calculate my fragrance load correctly? What would happen if I didn't, say I had 12% or 15% load, would that cause this? I know the wax is rated to hold 12% or 2 ozs per lb. but did i push it to its extremes by mistake? I didn't persay take notes on each batch i make, cause 1st off i thought i had it down, maybe i should from now on. I consider myself fairly good with numbers, I estimate costs all day long but I'm human like everyone else, did I mess this batch up and cause all of this?

Would an over load of FO in wax, puddle up to the top, maybe just below a skin of wax and cause this? If not puddle up maybe just its extreme content reduced its flash point to the point where a flame up would happen easily? Does FO rest to the top?

And just so you know, once I blew out the candle, let it cool, trimmed accordingly and re-lit it burned fine the rest of the evening..

Sorry for the long read

I'm sorry, but it sounds like you're casting about for another explanation so you don't have to stop doing your homemade wood wicks, but to me it's obviously the wood wicks causing the danger. I know it's heartbreaking to give up on a product you've worked so hard to develop, invested so much time on, and are proud of, but it happened to Thomas Edison hundreds of times before he got a good light bulb.

We can't expect our customers to follow instructions, trim wicks, or even watch their candles; we have to design our candles to be idiot proof. I never even read a warning label until I decided to learn how to make candles, and I always torture burned candles, and sometimes even left my house to run errands while burning Febreeze candles...typical customer stupidity.

Edited January 12, 2012 by HorsescentS

[Hardwood Wickster]

You're missing the whole point of my reply, but thats ok i respect your opinion and no offense taken... I have no intentions of just giving up because someone said it can't be done, thats its "obvious"... There was a reason this particular batch of candles reacted this way and i intend to, if nothing else, figure out the technical aspect as to why it occurred when all the other batches and hundreds of tests, etc, etc have been proven fine. If it was the wick, then obviously i would have to re-analyze that process and maybe it was. But it would had happened to probably most of the 4 dozen or so of wicks made from their wick making batch and I have yet to see any others react from any other fragrances or the probably 6 or 7 i've personally burned from that batch of wicks, so i can see where its "obvious" from your stand point to come to your conculsion as you didn't know this portion of the story. But i first want to rule out and know about the FO loads, etc, etc and hear professional and other experienced candle makers comments about those aspects if thats alright...

[Beth]

You're missing the whole point of my reply, but thats ok i respect your opinion and no offense taken... I have no intentions of just giving up because someone said it can't be done, thats its "obvious"... There was a reason this particular batch of candles reacted this way and i intend to, if nothing else, figure out the technical aspect as to why it occurred when all the other batches and hundreds of tests, etc, etc have been proven fine. If it was the wick, then obviously i would have to re-analyze that process and maybe it was. But it would had happened to probably most of the 4 dozen or so of wicks made from their wick making batch and I have yet to see any others react from any other fragrances or the probably 6 or 7 i've personally burned from that batch of wicks, so i can see where its "obvious" from your stand point to come to your conculsion as you didn't know this portion of the story. But i first want to rule out and know about the FO loads, etc, etc and hear professional and other experienced candle makers comments about those aspects if thats alright...

If you don't have notes on each batch, how can you pinpoint which part of the process may be off? & another point on taking notes is the possibility that a crazy candle like that could've done actual damage & the insurance company would've questioned you about the specifics of that particular candle. And without notes, how could you do that?

Sorry, not trying to sound snippy AT ALL, but I don't know you can figure this out without some reference to the actual process of making that particular candle.

[Hardwood Wickster]

understand and i agree.. its not like this was a test batch, i made these particular ones to sell... i did write down the ratios before i made them on a scratch pad but not nothing i kept.... which i know is part of the problem here perhaps. I still would like to know if by chance if i had figured it wrongly would it even matter as far as the fragrance load being heavy causing this flare up... on a side note unless each batch is somehow date stamped or batch stamped once on the shelf or in shops or in peoples homes, etc how would anyone know what specific batch each and every candle is made from. again a learning experience for sure.

again i'm pretty confident i did have my ratio's correct but have to question my entire process to know the technical aspects as to why this batch of candles reacted the way it did

thanks for your input

Dave

Edited January 12, 2012 by Hardwood Wickster

[Beth]

Can't help ya with that, lol. Hopefully some veterans will chime in here.

[Stella1952]

I suddenly realized that 3 of the candles that have caught fire and had pics posted on this board were caused by CD wicks, I guess because they burn really hot.

This is how internet rumors begin...:rolleyes2

CD wicks did not "cause the fires" - the flame, container, wax type, FO amount, wick size and environmental conditions "caused" the fires, not the particular brand of wick. That's like saying butane lighters caused all of the fires because they were used to light the wick, or humans caused the fires because it was they who lit the wicks! This is not characteristic of CD wicks any more than it is of any other brand.

I still would like to know if by chance if i had figured it wrongly would it even matter as far as the fragrance load being heavy causing this flare up...

I doubt it, but did not readily see how much FO you actually used... Air pockets in candles cause flares.

I have no intentions of just giving up because someone said it can't be done

No one said it couldn't be done - what is at issue is whether it can be done SAFELY. Wood wicks do not burn a candle as accurately nor efficiently as do woven wicks - and we have enough trouble getting the wicking correct on those sometimes!

Wood simply does not burn uniformly and that is the problem with using it as a wick. It's not that it doesn't work - heck, you can use a twisted piece of twine or a rag for a wick - the idea is to use the BEST, SAFEST, most EFFICIENT material to burn the wax. You could even use repurposed toilet paper tubes, or rolled up newspaper but that doesn't make those materials the best choice...

on a side note unless each batch is somehow date stamped or batch stamped once on the shelf or in shops or in peoples homes, etc how would anyone know what specific batch each and every candle is made from

Candlemaking is a SERIOUS business. Manufacturing ANYTHING responsibly requires that one can trace EACH product and each material used in it back to the source. There IS a code on each one of the labels on my candles. Corresponding to that code is a batch sheet that contains all the information about the batch of wax that candle came from down to the last detail - the Lot # from the case of wax, the FO; any additives and dyes; the wick type & size; the container type & size along with the source of each component, the purchase date, lot numbers if I bought in case lots and the amounts of each component used in that candle. Along with the material source information, I keep detailed notes about WHAT I did when I made the candles - the ambient room temp and humidity, the temp to which the wax was melted, the temp at which I added FO & dyes, etc. If there was some question about how a material was stored or appeared, that goes into the notes, too.

When a recall is issued for candles, they ASK for the product code, dates of manufacture, etc. If the problem is with glassware, they look at that. If the problem is with a different component, they look at that component. In other words, unless you have the data for the problem-child candle, ALL of your candles become suspect. In any kind of investigation or, god forbid, legal action, this data will be requested so hopefully it can be ascertained what caused the fire (if this is not already known) so that that particular component of the candle system can be narrowed down and recalled from the market. It pays to have your ducks in a row. If you do not, that's 2 strikes against you already because you did not maintain normal manufacturing records.

There was a reason this particular batch of candles reacted this way and i intend to, if nothing else, figure out the technical aspect as to why it occurred when all the other batches and hundreds of tests, etc, etc have been proven fine.

You will never be able to ascertain that with any accuracy because you have already stated that you do not keep good records or your testing and batch data. Unless you have a lab at your disposal and can test the actual candle that was at fault, anything from there becomes conjecture.

Just going by what I have read here, you are nowhere near ready to be selling this product, IMHO. I hope you have a good product liability insurance policy...

[001]

Nobody ever said it can't be done, we just don't think it can be done safely. Like I said before every piece of wood is different, you're relying on the wood grain to wick the wax into the flames allowing it to burn, well every cross section is different, if they are cut with the grain, on a knot, in the middle of the growth ring (the lighter part) or the actual darker ring. Each will wick differently and this is something you won't be able to accurately predict. Wicks from a drought period will be harder than one where they had more rain. Each genetic variation will grow a little differently, the ones that will grow faster will be softer generally with larger grains, and will wick more efficiently than slower growing specimen. The only real way to pin something down is to grow your own grove of genetically identical specimens irrigated for a set amount of time, trim them all exactly the same and then disassemble each specimen and then it might be good enough.

I mean, I like wood wicks, and I like burning them when I get them in as a trade but from a production standpoint it just isn't something I will be doing anytime soon. Perhaps if they come up with a composite wick that looks and burns like them I would try it, but there is nothing like that on the horizon that I know of.

Good luck and please keep us updated (with pics if you can) We can all learn together.

[Hardwood Wickster]

stella - wheww.... good thing i don't take any of this serious. Mark this up to being 10,001, good job!

Ok i get it.. YOU have an issue using wood wicked candles, I'm sure all of us are grateful for your opinion into that. But the fact is, they are produced and there are current manufacturers out there that are successful making similiar products. Just because we / I choose to go this route over your cotton braided wicks doesn't make them any better. It makes us different. Sounds like you're having issues of your own wicking them correctly, maybe I could rant on your threads how many times i've burned them and they either burn like c**p or not burned cleanly to the edges, they mushroom, full of lead, burn too hot, not hot enough, etc, etc and because of this or that they shouldn't be trusted or used.

The fact is there is no perfect candle in my honest opinion. There is a science to all of this and this forum is a testiment to that, not a hodgepodge and those who take this seriously for the safety of others know it, as we both do. So I would appreciate it if you wouldn't undermine me and accuse me of not taking any of this serious, its why i started writng in here in the first place.

As far our wick.. I am truly certian its not the issue to this problem. I seen what this reaction is doing, I was there, whether I can PROVE the wax / FO ratio's or not is irrelevent. There is something within the wax that increased the flame, then the heat to exceed the wax/FO flash points and do what it did, both for the customer and the one I tested last night. I also may not be able to pinpoint exactly but knowing what the cause and affects to certian issues narrows down the root cause. I also have wondered if there was/is something in this batch of FO I received. I have done recalled all my product in this FO from my customers, which wasn't a lot thank god until i resolve and know.

Now as far as the documentation, you bring up very valid points, something I truly never thought of. Not because i wasn't taken any of this serious but just didn't even cross my mind about lot numbers, coding, batch data, etc... it will be from now on and thanks for bringing that to my attention. I would love to take a poll to see how many of us out there code each product they sell, I would tend to bet i'm not of the minority, right or wrong.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Hardwood Wickster

[Hardwood Wickster]

001 - you are so correct in a lot of what you said. Personally thou I do think they can be done safely, but thats my opinion. Wood does have all those characteristics and trust me i've taken it into account. None of you know me or know how anal I am about what I do. I spent months getting the wick as consistant as possible. I omit the knots, dry to certian moisture contents, size them down to within millimeters, etc, etc Why? because I wanted to create a great product, consistant in how they burned, one that had natural burn characteristics, smelled awesome and people would enjoy burning them as we have. Basically most of you who have tried the wooden wick have brought the wick from one of the suppliers or burned other manufacturers and discarded them for what they were and the opinions are a result. I can understand.

Again I truly do not think the wick is the issue here, I seen it burn and can compare it to all the others. This flare up was a result from within the wax

I appreciate your comments and will definitely keep you abreast cause its becoming obvious none of you know either if FO or the possibility of overload would cause such a thing... I will batch that up tonight and burn a test in a week or so

thanks

Dave

Edited January 12, 2012 by Hardwood Wickster

[tlc]

Dave, just a thought here... Maybe you should/could be looking to the wax manufacturer for some help in determining what the cause of the "flare up" might be. From what I'm reading so far you are not going to give up and roll over on your wicking idea (for lack of a better word) so the manufacturer may be able to give you some insight as to how you can answer some of the questions you feel are not getting addressed. Who but the manufacturer (of the wax that you used/or are using) would have the lab/funding/science etc, etc and have most likely tested with wood wicks.

Like I said, just a thought.....

Good luck.

Oh, and I forgot. Welcome to the forum since you are a newbie.

Edited January 12, 2012 by tlc

[Hardwood Wickster]

thanks... been a heck of a way to get started in here... gotta love all the welcoming threads... was beginning to think this was an all republican site.. lol jk.. (don't need to start another round of hate mail)

have a great day

[001]

From what I understand you have several from this same batch and you got a result that you think happened with another from the same batch, why not pull the wick and replace it with a different wick to see if it does the same thing.

I will be the first to say I do not believe it is the wax, and here is why, the lots you are using I am assuming you've used in other candles, so saying it is purely the wax is improbable, so what about the FO, If you've used this FO before with this wax which I assume you have you should know the burn characteristics. Going from 9-12% shouldn't be much of an issue, once they wax and fo are added together it will reduce the flashpoint overall, but three extra percent would only bring down the flashpoint by 5 degrees max. I do not think this could have been the problem.

Here is what I think happened

The candle hit something, maybe an air pocket, or maybe a place in the wick that decided to wick extra wax into the wick, it wicked it up reducing the melt pool dramatically, the flame got too large and hot and increased the surface temperature to the flashpoint, and the whole thing caught on fire. I think if you do figure out what happened exactly it can only be useful in reducing the risk of this happening, but I have a feeling it will do it again. If anything I would think you would need to hedge your bets and do something like (carefully) double wicking so if one malfunctions the other hopefully would not. If I were you I probably would try commercially available ones and see if you can use those.

TLC the biggest problem with asking about the batch is that they use home made wood wicks, (I'm assuming) untreated to control burn. All commercially available wood wicks that I have seen were treated with something to control burn and the wicking properties.

None of my posts were hate by the way, I want you to figure it out, like I said we can all learn together.

Edited January 12, 2012 by 001

[tlc]

thanks... been a heck of a way to get started in here

Yeppers, it sure is. I always try to remember that the way something is written isn't always they was it was meant when the writer wrote it (read typed). You can't see the writer's face to have any facial expressions to go on and it's real easy to miss understand something that is written (read typed). Just a little something I learned long ago as a newbie. That is all the lessons today from the "great wise one"

On a side note..This is the second thread today that I've tried to post to that gave me troubles. I might has to smash something here in a minute.

[ksranch]

HW - I for one wouldn't want you to feel you got off to a bad start here. Actually, if nothing else (and I'm sure there is more), you have already shown that you are educated, reasonable, and committed - those are great attributes. This thread is obviously not going to detour you from your chosen product - don't let it detour you from participating in the forum either. Beleive me, a lot of us do something that others on the forum don't agree with (including me). I for one am curious to see if you are able to identify a viable cause in this situation, and look forward to hearing what you find out. Good Luck, and welcome to the forum.

[tlc]

TLC the biggest problem with asking about the batch is that they use home made wood wicks, (I'm assuming) untreated to control burn. All commercially available wood wicks that I have seen were treated with something to control burn and the wicking properties.

Right and another reason to ask IMO.

Edited January 12, 2012 by tlc

[Candybee]

Just wondering if you have tried and tested out any of the wood wicks sold by candle suppliers? Just as a test comparison to yours.

Old Virginia Candle was the first to start using and selling Woodwick Candles. After their line came out copy cats started coming up with similar wood wicks. I've tried one and it crackled nice and burned just fine. The wood did pop occasionally reminiscent of a log fire with sap but produced no flare ups. The candle was actually very nice. They have been selling thousands of these candles for years now. I'm sure they have a trademark and a patented wood wick system on their particular wood wick for the materials and assembly. I'm sure it includes the whole candle assembly as well; wax blend, dye, scent, etc. With their money they can afford a lab, an inventor, and trained technicians to test theirs.

I guess what I am suggesting is you look towards your successful competitor for ideas, try a few different woodwicks from candle suppliers, and comparison test them to yours.

I never got into the woodwicks so I can't say whether they are safe or not. But from what I have viewed and read on this thread there are certainly many safety issues to address. Who knows, maybe you can come up with something as good or better than Old Virginia (now Virginia Candle) and their WoodWick line of candles.

[CaftCandles]

Without getting into great detail. the process I go about making the wick is very precise. I know from trial and error this past year to keep it as consistant as possible the process i go about making them. They have the same thickness, drying them to have the same water content, etc, etc and conceiled in wax by dipping each one of them afterwards so they remain at their constant state. And this process has proven to me their constancy is as good as it gets. I will say thou they are unpredictable to some point, not to the extremes some of you have mentioned but to the point from each one to be unique in its own way.

Do you purchase the wood you use for your wicks or do you cut and mill your own? Are they from the same species of wood as you would normally use? Wood as it is burning is always unpredictable due to speed and location of tree growth as well as many other factors. I personally don't use wood wicks because they seem too unpredictable for me but I do work with wood regularly for making furniture and things and in my experience wood no matter what the use differs greatly from one plank to another. I believe the FO is part of the problem but only because your wicks are magnifying it. Is it possible that you may have gotten some wood that may have more sap in it or maybe some young growth that will burn quicker or hotter? Do those same wicks have issues with other FO's?

[Ravens]

I use woodwicks in my paraffin candles. You do have to be very careful with them; always start with the smallest possible wick and watch it constantly, especially at first; if woodwicked properly, the flame will settle down in less than a minute.

Also, not all wood wicks are created the same; some may disagree, but that's my experience. I tried wood wicks from 3 different suppliers and put them all through a lot of testing; some can be a real fire hazard or total duds (keep going out)!

Now I buy my wood wicks from one place only; recently received an email from a supplier, to notify me of their new/different/improved (?) wood wicks; have yet to try them, but probably will - they offered to send samples, lol

In a way, and again this is just my opinion, wood wicks require just as much testing as other types of wicks, perhaps more. when you decide to sell, make sure you have insurance, and keep those wicks trimmed at all times, nearly level with the surface. Untrimmed wood wicks will turn into a blaze as the wax is consumed. Please do be careful and good luck! :smiley2:

After years of testing, I still do not trust wood wicks, but I use them for personal use. I don't give/sell them to friends or family. Ok, so perhaps I'm a chicken - but I want to be a careful, safe chicken before crossing that road

Edited January 13, 2012 by Ravens
typo

[HorseScentS]

With their money they can afford a lab, an inventor, and trained technicians to test theirs.

Right. And they can also afford a huge legal team to defend them against any lawsuits, and they can afford to settle out of court to the tune of thousands, hundreds of thousand, or even millions, if necessary.

Edited January 13, 2012 by HorsescentS

[Starr]

Okay, I've been reading this for a day or two and whereas I make much less in the way of candles than I used to, I think I can still impart a little potential wisdom here.

It IS possible that you simply cannot use that FO with the rest of your setup. There are plenty of people here who will tell you that there are certain FO's they either don't use at all or have to use w/different wicks, wax, etc... because it burns differently. If this is the ONLY scent that is causing the problem, then you may need to look into alternative methods of using it or eliminating it from your supply altogether.

You most certainly can (and likely should) contact the company you purchased the wax from and/or the manufacturer and ask them if there were any problems, issues, and so on with the batch. If you don't have the batch info, you can make it a general inquiry and see what they say. Not sure how much help that will be, especially if you've used the same batch of wax on other candles without problems.

I think there's TONS of merit in trying a mass produced wood wick and just see what happens. I'm not saying you need to change what you're making necessarily but sometimes the best way to find a problem is to try and isolate each piece of the puzzle until you figure out where the problem occurred.

Now, what I would do personally is this....

Get some mass produced wood wicks. Make 2 candles, each one of them with JUST the wax and the container in question here. Burn each one under conditions as similar as possible. Make notes of what happens.

If there are no differences and the flare up doesn't happen, add in another variable.

This time, make 2 candles, each one with the wax, the container, and the dye you used. Burn each one under similar conditions and make notes. If you still don't have any differences add another variable.

Next, try another 2 candles this time they'll have the same wax, same container, same dye, and the FO. Burn each one under similar conditions and make notes.

By process of elimination, SOMETHING *should* happen differently somewhere.

I've never tried wood wicks, I don't have any experience with them either making them myself or from commercial vendors. Personally, I probably wouldn't try to market them but I might like one for home use. I'm not going to tell you that it's definitely your wicks. It's possible sure. It's possible just the same that there was another factor causing the problem. I can definitely relate to having put in the time, effort, testing, money, patience, and so on with a particular project. I think it's really neat that you can make those wicks yourself but just because it's your baby doesn't mean that there's no way it could be causing the problem. You'll really need to approach this with an unbiased POV and that can be incredibly difficult.

I wish you the best of luck and should you ever get a website or full product line up and running, I'll gladly take a peek and give a wood wick a try but I think this is a serious problem that you need to address first.

[Judy, USMC]

Just wanted to add a comment. I've been pouring paraffin candles since 1997 and never experienced or had any reports of this type of problem with paraffins. However, when I started developing a soy line (CB-135) I did have one flare on me just like the video. It was a 4oz quilted jelly jar with 8% load of Monkey Farts FO, no dye, and an LX wick. I felt it best to continue onward and never tried to figure that out ... and never made that combo again.

That is the only 1 out of thousands I've made over the last 15 years. My best "educated guess" is since there are a few FOs that need to be wicked up so there must be a few that need to be wicked down ... and that FO just happened to be one of them.

[rjdaines]

All of this talk of wood wicks got my curiosity up so I went out and bought a wood-wicked candle to try. I will be watching it like a hawk.

[Stella1952]

I suggest some marshmallows... what's a crackling fire with no marshmallows?