It can be. I have to do trial runs every year because the wax can vary so much. Last Christmas I made some candles in tins, in fact a few of us used the same tins and I was using wick twice the size of the others. I find for tea lights, adding scent reduces the size of wick so it is really trial and error for me
How do they vary? I thought they are just the same.
So I'm doing a test burn. The spiral candle (1/2" wick) is about 1.5mm narrower than the straight candle at the base (3/4" wick), at the top there is almost no difference in diameter. To me the burn looks pretty much the same, I can't see the benefit of one wick over the other. I asked at Thornes (not a Thornes mould) which wick to use, their view was toss up either way. Both candles seem to be burning at roughly the same rate. Complete novice here, not sure what I should be looking for. Any pointers would be appreciated.
You need to avoid the burn tunnelling which means the wax pool is small round the burning wick and lots of wax gets unburned. This is really only important with fat candles. With the thinner ones just look for the longest burn.
you should have no snot running down the side of the vabdle - all the wax should burn away. I have two identical candles on the top of the desk in front of me, one has a wick as recommended by the supplier, the other is half a size thicker, the one with the recommended wick has wax running all down the side, the other has none
I’ve bought some to try but not had a go yet…my neice though makes a lot of soy candles and over Xmas my sister lit one. They do make a crackle sound but it’s not that loud, my sister said she doesn’t like the sound preferring a quiet flicker instead. Personally I thought it was quite effective. Worth a try. I bought mine from 4candles online
I sometimes find this - that wick sizes either side of the one I’ve chosen also work. In that case it’s personal choice whether you like the look of a smaller or larger flame size. The advantage of a smaller flame is the candle lasts longer.
Wax has over 300 components, hydrocarbons, esters, lipids, propolis, pollen. Guess the wax from different plants have slightly different constituents resulting in different burn times
I was observing the beautiful beeswax candles at the queens funeral, particularly the ones around where she was laying in state. As time went on they started dribbling! Even the experts find large pillar type candles very difficult to get right. Imagine the burn tests and the frustration for those! Was v atmospheric though.
Post in thread 'Beeswax votive candles'
