All About Candle Wicks


So, now you have the main ingredient, wax, sussed, it’s time to look at the wicks.
These come in several different types and thicknesses and are readily available on-line through the links provided later in our resource section or at your craft store. They come on a spool by the foot, pre-cut waxed and tabbed for container candles.
 

Choose the right type of wick for the candle. Cored wick for containers, votives and floating candles. Flat, or square braid, for moulded candles and tapers.  There is a new wick, the HTP wick which combines benefits of self-trimming wicks with rigidity found in core candle wicks.

If using a soft wax formula, a 3inch to 4 inch diameter wick would be a good starting point for a 3 inch candle or a 4 inch candle using a harder wax formula. Softer wax requires a larger wick than a harder wax in the same size mould.

It pays to make a test candle to be sure of the right wick. Candles should not be burned for at least 24 hours after making them. It really is best if you make three test candles. The first, with the wick size you’ve selected, one larger and one with a smaller size wick.

Burn the test candle for a minimum of one hour per inch in diameter, but an eight hour test burn is more enlightening. It is important to keep notes about the wick size, burn time, size of the melt pool and problems encountered along the way, like staying lit or smoking.
 

To result in the best candles you should be aiming for a wick that consumes wax at the same rate it is melting it. This will result in a pleasant burn, dripless candle that puts out a lovely perfume as well. 


If you use a spooled, raw wick it’s best to prime your wicks before using. To do this, dip them a couple of times in melted wax to coat them. This helps the wicks burn better and prevents air bubbles releasing from the wick into the surrounding wax.


Recommended Uses

Square braid:    this is used in the majority of beeswax candles, tapers, pillars and citronella candles. It is designed to give a slight bend at its tip when it burns.
 
Flat braid:    is used in taper and pillar candles and is designed to bend slightly when burning, allowing for an even burn and a reduction of carbon (mushrooming) at the tip.
 
Zinc core:    metal is used in wicks to assist them in standing up when in candles which produce deeper melt pools. Zinc core burns the coolest and is the most commonly used wick type in container candles, votives and tea lights. Note here that these are known to mushroom and sometimes smoke more than other types of candles.
 
Paper core:    these burn the hottest and are good for waxes that need heavy duty wicking to get a good melt pool. They are used in container candles. Sometimes you might find these cause candles to smoke more in some uses.
 
Hemp core:   (legal in some countries but not others) is a strong, natural fibre which makes rigid wicks to stand up straight while burning. These are most effective in containers, votives and pillars.
 

Coreless cotton:    All cotton braided wicks are designed to bend at the tip when burning, forcing the tip of the wick into the outer portion of the flame where it burns the hottest. Naturally this causes more complete combustion, resulting in less carbon (mushroom) behind and less smoking with a result of cleaner burning. These tend to need  less trimming, so are sometimes referred to as ``self trimming’’. Applications usually are for container candles, as an alternative to cored wicks.

 

Things To Note When Selecting a Wick:

 
(a) Wick goes out – may be because of a large melt pool. A good indication that the wick is too small so is melting wax faster than it can wick it up.

(b)  Sputtering wick – due probably to little or no melt pool.  An indication that the wick is too large and is wicking up wax faster than it can melt it. The flame running out of fuel causes the flickering or sputtering.

(c)  Candle drips – usually shows you that the wick is too small. The wick needs to consume the wax at the same rate it is melting to have a dripless candle.

(d)  Carbon build-up on wick – a common thing with cored wicks since they do not curl into the flame. A small amount of carbon is unavoidable but large lots indicate that the wick is too big.  Also called mushrooming. (See separate section to follow.)

(e)  Excessive smoke – usually shows that the wick is too big.

(f)  Wax not melting across – most common in container candles. Sometimes a smaller wick will fix it; often the problem is the wax.  If, say three tests, you can’t improve the burn with a different wick, try another wax formula.

Change the wick size using the trouble-shooting steps above and you should get a good burning candle after a couple of test burnings. Always keep the wax formula the same throughout your testing exercise.
 

Wicking Pillar Candles

 

You’ll find that some pillar moulds come with pre-drilled wick holes that you wick before pouring the candle. To hold the wick at the top, tie the wick to a wick rod or a pencil and lay it on top of the mould. Make sure the wick hangs in the very centre of the mould!  For moulded candles, when you plan to overdip them, remember to leave a couple of extra inches of wick to hold onto when dipping. Some candle makers pour their pillars solid and then drill a wick hole afterwards.


Wicking Container Candles

 

You need to anchor a container wick to the bottom of the container you are using. Some candle makers use a hot glue gun to fix the tab to the glass but you may like to use Wick Stickums which are double sided adhesive tape pieces which are cut to fit perfectly on the bottom of a wick tab. You have to use something to hold the top of the wick taut and straight on the top of the container while the wax dries. Something that works well is a wick holder clip, and if the container is small, a bobby pin is ideal for this purpose.
What is important is that the tab must be secured to the container and not just set in the wax because as the candle burns down and turns to liquid near the bottom, an affixed wick could come loose and float to one side of the glass and then it may well be too hot and break.


Wicking Votives


Votives can be `wicked’ after pouring, when the wax is only slightly set up. When it forms a slight skin on top, insert your pre-tabbed wick in the centre and push the tab down in the layer of congealing wax at the bottom of the mould.


Wick Mushrooms

 
No matter what you do, you will have one of these.
They occur most often on container candles and votives using wire core wicks.
A Wick Mushroom is caused by unburned carbon during the burning time of the candle. Over time it builds up to an unsightly blob on the end of the wick. They don’t usually prevent a candle from burning but by eliminating the mushrooming you will produce a candle that performs better – that is, longer burn, better melt pool etc.


What causes wick mushrooming?


There are about four primary causes for this. They are all inter-related and the cure is going to be using more or less of what is causing the problem.
 

Main Causes of Wick Mushrooms.


1. Wick – a wick that is too large for the wax formula/candle diameter. Especially for wire core wicks. Because the wire core holds the wick upright, the end of the wick is held in the coolest part of the flame. If it’s too big it wicks up more wax than can be fully combusted and       leaves a residue of carbon which builds up gradually to form a     mushroom. You’ll find square and flat braided wicks better because the mordanting causes the end to curl into the hottest part of the flame.  Using a home-made wick with string or twine may also cause this problem since it is not mordanted.  Use the same wax formula and make test candles but trying with smaller wicks.  Take the wick size down smaller until the mushrooming stops.  It’s accepted that 95 percent of mushrooming problems are corrected by going to a smaller wick.
 
2. Scent – different scents may affect the way your candle burns and this is so with different brands of scent too, even from the same store. How much scent you apply may have an effect on the problem of mushrooming.  Try reducing the scent percentage to overcome the mushrooming. Try a final test at zero percent. If the wick still mushrooms you’ll deduct that it is not scent causing the mushroom.
 
3. Dye – Not a common reason for mushrooming but do check it out. Make a test candle without the dye. If it found to be the culprit, reduce the amount of dye or try another brand.
 

4. Additives – may be problems with all your other ingredients in the wax formula. Vegetable oils and petro are fore-runners in this problem. It may be a combination of several additives. It’s a bit of a deduction game to find the culprits. The more complex your wax formula, the more trouble you are going to have in tracking down the reason for the mushrooming. 

 

 

Sponsored Links