A burn test is made up of many sections which helps you to ensure your candle is burning correctly and safely and, of course, smells as it should. Once you’ve found the wick size you’d need as a starting point, made up your candles and allowed them to cure for the recommended time frame, it’s time to conduct your burn test. One of the most important aspects of candle making is finding the right wick size for your candle. A properly wicked candle burns cleaner and gives reliable burn times and fragrance throw.
It is also apparent how much faster the candle on the right is consuming the wax. An over wicked candle will not burn as long as one wicked correctly. It’s so important to choose the right candle wick for your DIY candle projects. But there are many options; different wick materials and sizes, different wax types and candle sizes. Here’s a guide to our candle wicks to help you get started. Briefly, you need to add another wick if your jar or tin is larger than 3 inches in diameter.
When conducting your burn tests, it’s also handy to have a notepad and pen at the ready as well as a timer so you can set each burn to 3-4 hours (depending on the size of your vessel). Most candle makers start with making three candles at once, each with a different size wick to see what happens. At this stage, select one or more wick series to start. Choosing the right wick size is not as easy as rolling logs.
Hemp cored wicks are 100% hemp core enclosed in a cotton sleeve. These wicks offer you very good rigidity during the production of container candles. Hemp cored wicks are very effective in natural and paraffin based container, votive and pillar candles. The wick suggested on the chart is a good starting point for choosing your wick size. Spending time choosing wax type, color, and scent, to then watch your beautiful candle burn too fast—or not at all—can be frustrating.
We’ve listed the common problems you may meet during the testing process. You can check the recommended solutions and adjust the wick size or type. A right-wicked candle burns cleanly, less or no soot given off. But if not, you need to choose the right wick size by yourself. The only way to know how long and how thick your candle wick needs to be is through testing.
LX wicks are easy to distinguish, as they have a flat braided style with a stabilizing thread. The thread creates a slight curl as it burns; it gives the candle a consistent and stable flame. Choosing the right wick size is crucial if you want to make a high-quality candle. The color, scent, and container don’t matter if the wick isn’t correctly sized because your candle simply won’t burn properly.
The dual wick is ideal for natural waxes such as soy as well as waxes that can hold a lot of fragrance oil. So if you test your candle with an LX 14 and after testing it appears to be under wicked, try the next size up, in that case, an LX 16. Referring to the characteristics of a right-wicked candle candle wick size chart mentioned at the beginning, you can find out which candle wick size works best for this recipe of candles. Now we know what the right candle wick should be, and what factors will affect the choice of the right wick sizes. We will go on to show you how to choose the right wick size step-by-step.
Mushrooming
TCR wicks are designed for use with soy and other vegetable waxes such as rapeseed or coconut. Some popular waxes we’d suggest for use with these wicks are KeraSoy 4130 container wax, Nature Wax C3 container wax and Golden Wax 464 container wax. The candle on the left is under wicked meaning the wick size is too small for the candle.
- SFC SV81 Series Wick – Our SFC SV81 series wicks are cotton wicks with a high melt point paraffin coating for rigidity.
- The wick is sometimes the last choice to be made when making candles.
- Don’t stress over this too much – the nuances with square containers works itself out during the burn test.
- Wick sizes mentioned may not work with all fragrance oils or every wax.
- Each ingredient and container can slightly affect the wick size you will need, so carrying out tests is important to find the right wick for your creation.
The combination of proper burning protocol and correct wick size should ensure that the burn pool reaches the desired width. Wedo Eco wicks work well in both vegetable and paraffin waxes but are especially suited for use with Sasol 6213 wax which is a paraffin and vegetable wax blend. Some other popular waxes we’d suggest for use with these wicks are Kerawax 4600 paraffin pillar wax (pillar candles only) and Kerawax 4105 paraffin rapeseed blend container wax.
LX
Watch our “Choosing the Right Wick Size” video to see how a properly wicked candle burns. So how does one ensure that the candle flame gets the oxygen it needs? The width of the tunnel created by the burn pool is usually determined with the initial burning of the candle.
A right-wicked candle has a less flickering flame.
Remember, these suggestions are just a starting point so you may need to go up or down a size or more depending on the fragrance oil you choose. For example, you may have made a well-burning unscented candle using a Stabilo8 wick. If you then decide to add fragrance oils to your candles, using the same Stabilo8 wick as before, you may find the candle doesn’t burn as you’d expect from your previous tests. It’s also important to periodically test your candles to ensure that occasional variances in your wax or fragrances still work well with your chosen wick size.
Step 3: Measure diameter
As you can see, the diameter of each vessel is different so you would need to use a wick suited to this diameter specifically. Some vessels may need just the one wick, some may work better with two or even three wicks. Use our Wick Guide tool to find a wick recommendation for your candles.
As you can see, the actual diameter is about the same, bu the number of threads and the configuration of the thread clusters that make up the wicks are different. Remember, when using two or more wicks, it’s important to space them out evenly in your vessel. The wicks shouldn’t be too close or too far apart and they shouldn’t be too close to the glass.
It’s not a perfect system since we don’t have wicks that burn in a square pattern (yet). Don’t stress over this too much – the nuances with square containers works itself out during the burn test. Wax selection plays one of the largest roles in your wick type because liquid wax (as the fuel) transports through the wick into the flame. How that wick is built determines how easily, and how much, of the melted wax moves through the wick over time.
Actually, the odds of getting it right on the first try is pretty rare, so this test probably needs to be performed multiple times until the right wick size is found. So, what makes a great candle and how is it achieved? Beeswax candles are more than wax and a cotton string. They are a symbiotic relationship between air, wax, and wick. Since the most challenging candle to get right is the pillar candle, I will focus most of this article on the components of making a great pillar candle.