Candle Wicks Guide Choosing the Right Candle Wick

While not mandatory, using waxed wicks to make your candle is highly recommended. This simple step will allow you to light the candle more easily and have it stand straight in the melted wax. Create a batch of candles so we can test the same wax type, fragrance load, dyes, and containers. With ECO Candle Wick you’ll experience less smoke, soot, and mushrooming. This type of wick works well with waxes with low melting points. Larger diameter containers, which are unofficially anything larger than 3-inches, typically benefit from multiple wicks in the candle.

It should vary according to the specific candle you’re making. A right-wicked candle burns cleanly, less or no soot given off. If you are having trouble wicking a particular candle, try using several types of wicks that are in the recommended column until you find one that works. Navigate to the wick table/chart below and find the corresponding range3.

Stabillo KST formerly known as CDN is a flat braided cotton wick with a special paper filament thread. It provides a slow even burn due to how candle wick size chart it curls itself into the flame. In conclusion, several steps are involved when trying to figure out how to choose the right candle wick size.

However, I waited a full week before testing the other test candle that I made. After giving the candle a week to cure, a CD 6 wick was just not big enough and the wick kept drowning out. A complete wax pool means that the wick is hot enough to melt the surface wax of the candle from rim to rim with the surface wax completely melted. A wick that is hot enough to do this, while maintaining its level is essentially the perfect size wick for a container. If your wick is too large, you will experience mushrooming and/or smoke.

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If you want to change the wick type, you need to find another three wicks under the same type. In this part, we’ll show you how to conduct a candle wick burn test so that you can finally choose the right wick size for your handmade candles. Then, you can make batch candles with the right wicks.

I don’t know about you, but I get caught up in choosing the candle wax type, containers, scents and determining my fragrance load. The type of candle wicks I’ll use somehow always gets decided at the last minute. The wick suggested on the chart is a good starting point for choosing your wick size. Wooden wicks are for use in containers, and should not be used in pillars or votives.

• If you haven’t chosen your candle wax type yet, use our swipe file in the Simple Living Library to help you pick one.
• No, the wick sizes between different wick types are different.
• Unfortunately there is not a wick available that is good for every application so you will need different wick sizes for different size and types of candles.
• So read the descriptions of all of the wicks that match your container size and choose one that doesn’t mention mushrooming.

To make things simpler, we have made a list of mainstream candle wicks in the market and what type of wax they work best with. When burning a candle in the room, we want a pleasant atmosphere around. We all want our candles to burn cleanly,  or even better, to purify the air in the room.

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When making candles, choosing the right wick type and size is one of the most essential steps. Furthermore, your candle may burn faster than intended. Each candle wax type has a different melting point and density. These variances influence the recommended candle wick type, as you’ll see below. Please note that this chart can only help you narrow down the range of wick sizes. You still need to conduct a wick test as in the next part.

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. This test throws all standards out the window and burns the candle for extended amounts of time. The best candle makers know this, and usually https://trading-market.org/ won’t fret over their first few choices in wicks; every design has differences. Generally speaking, wicks work well in one set of waxes but not others. Wax manufacturers typically design their wax for a specific application, so make sure you’re selecting one that’s appropriate for your candle.

Is the Candle Wick Size Interchangeable between Different Wick Types?

Most people burning a candle tackle this endeavor without any structure or rules. Also called a stress test, the candle is burned to prove that left unattended, or burned for a long time, is not detrimental to the user. This means testing the candle from start to finish – no exceptions. From simplifying your skin care and cleaning routines to making your own candles and soap. Customers are cautioned to test products in small batches before purchasing larger quantities and before selling or distributing products to the public. You do this so that you will know how the candle will perform for your customers.

Wood wicks are mostly used for luxury candles or to give candles a “higher-quality” feel. The below three candles have been burning for 2 hours. When fully melted, the melt pool is between 1/4” and 1/2” deep. Here are the characteristics of a candle with the right wick size.

To achieve a good « crackle » sound with the wooden wicks, it is very important that you do not use too much fragrance oil. The crackle is a direct result of the correct amount of fragrance oil, type of wax, and amount of dye being used. Referring to the characteristics of a right-wicked candle mentioned at the beginning, you can find out which candle wick size works best for this recipe of candles. CD candle wick is a coreless, flat cotton wick braided with thin paper filament throughout. Now we know what the right candle wick should be, and what factors will affect the choice of the right wick sizes.

The solid wax remaining around the outside of the burn pool will help the candle to retain its shape. For this reason, I always tell my customers that beeswax candles are intended to be burned all evening, not just a couple minutes and then extinguished. The combination of proper burning protocol and correct wick size should ensure that the burn pool reaches the desired width. ECO candle wicks are basically a coreless flat braid, interwoven with 100% organic cotton and paper fibers that provides great strength.

How to Purchase Wicks All of our wicking is available raw (plain or uncoated), primed (wax coated) and pre-tabbed in stock sizes or custom assemblies. We have organized our wick selection by wick types which should be matched with the wax, soy or gel product that you are using. Unfortunately there is not a wick available that is good for every application so you will need different wick sizes for different size and types of candles. Choose your wick type Please read through our product descriptions and usage charts for a guideline. Each wick description will give recommendations for wax types and candle sizes that can be used as a basic guideline in your selection.

Once you find your wick size for a perfect burning candle you can keep using that wick size whenever you make that candle. Here is our starter guide for choosing the correct wick for your chosen container. This is a great starting point for testing your homemade candles with a variety of waxes. 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. Remember to trim your wick following each burn, the best length to trim the wick is around 5mm.

If successful, you can make batches of this candle and be very confident that you chose the right wick. The purpose of phase two is to test the performance of your wick using burn variance. After completing all three tests, you can select a wick that worked the best for phase 2. Petra Ahnert is a specialty candle designer living in the Milwaukee area, and is the author of Beeswax Alchemy. The blocks above, show the top and bottom of a wax block that I bought.

When a candle flame is too small it means that the wick is too small for the size of the candle it is in, or the wick is too small for the type of wax used to make the candle. Possible solutions to these problems include increasing the size of the wick or getting a wick that burns hotter such as hemp. I recently made some 4 oz soy wax candles in tin containers using CD 6 wicks. A CD 6 wick worked great the day after the candles were poured.

The best way to get the last of the honey out of the wax is to allow it to clarify in a heated double boiler or wax tank. The best way to tell if it is done is by checking the clarity of the wax. When the wax is clear, filter the wax through a clean piece of felt cloth and mold into useable portions. I usually do a variety of different sizes, so that I have the right size for whatever I am making. The resulting wax is still yellow and still has the signature honey-like scent, although the filtering may have lightened up the wax a little bit.

Regardless of your choice, the diameter plays a key role in your starting wick size(s). The market offers so many different wick types to compliment the variety of waxes, containers, and fragrances. Keep in mind that these are only our best estimates for choosing candle wicks.