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Proper wicks |
Ever get that black cauliflower knob on top of you wick? The wick is to
big. It can't absorb the wax fast enough for the burning candle. It will
cause excessive smoke. See candle supplies making all the difference in the
candle making world?
If the wax is too hard or the wick too small, a crater will form burning
down the center. The diameter of wick determines how large the circle will
burn, but the hardness or softness of the wax is also a factor. When they
talk about small, medium, or large with, they are talking about the diameter
of the circle the wicks burns, not how tall the wick is. Supplies are the
key.
The wick tab does a couple things. First, it stops the wick from burning
beyond the tab to prevent fire and second, it keeps the wick from falling
over near the end of the burning, drowning out the wick. It also stabilizes
the wick in the liquid wax. I, also, like the big bottom votive wicks for
making votives. The big bottom lets you place the wick in the votive cup
before pouring the wax! This is a great time saver and you don't splash the
wax over the cup trying to get the wick in. I don't drill votives, so the
wick has to go in when the candle is being poured. Just give a little pull
to the wick, after the wax has cooled, but not hardened, to straighten the
wick up. Votives are so short, this is an easy way to make them, then after
they have cooled all the way, I add the second pour. Even for votives, I
wait overnight before I fill in the "sink hole".
If I have a tall candle, I will pour the wax, let it cool, pop the mold,
drill a hole for the wick and thread wick through the bottom like threading
a needle, then place the candle back in the mold and finish the project.
This keeps your wick perfectly straight when burning. Paraffin wax will
shrink when it is cooling, so the wick will "snake" up from the bottom and
be pulled down from the top if you add the wick during the pouring of the
candle. The only way to avoid this - as it is sometimes necessary - is to
hot glue the wick to the bottom of the container and tie it tight to a stick
or pencil across the top of the container, while it cools.
Paraffin wax will expand when it is melted and contracts when it is
cool. It is suppose to do this, otherwise you would never be able to get
wax out of a mold. This is all well and good but this will cause the wick to
"snake up" from the bottom, like I said earlier. You will not get a straight
wick and therefore, not a straight burn. Uneven burns equals poor candle
making. Drilling the hole in the candle after it is finished cooling
corrects this problem. See candle making instructions page for photos and
techniques on the drilling of a wick hole.
Another secret in the art of candle making is the right air temperature in
the room, so the product will cool correctly. Cooling to quickly will cause
a bubble in the middle. You won't see the hole, but it is there, just
beneath the top. When burning, all the wax will drain into the center and
drowned out your wick. When making candles, consider the air temperature of
the room. If you get a hole in the center of the scented candles, then drill
down in the base and fill the hole with wax and prevent drowning of the wick
when burning. This is one problem summer heat cures! The cold weather will
make creating pie crust or hand rolled cinnamon rolls a hassle in the winter
too. The wax just isn't cooling right without the right air temperature and
the product is harder to make perfect.
If Wax is too cool when poured into glass jars, this will cause "frost
marks" on the jar's sides. This will also, cause "frost marks" on a pillar
candle when you take it out of a mold if you poured the wax to cool.
Pour wax in a mold with harden wax caked all over the outside and you have
the same thing. You have to clean your candle molds. I use a box cuter to
scrap the wax off of votive cups and ceramic container molds. Sometimes you
can just melt the left over wax dripping off by dunking your mold in hot wax
then wiping it down with Bounty paper towels. I find that Bounty works best
with wax.
Everything affects a candle making product. For instance, J50 Astorlite - If
you fill a mason jar up past the point where the jar starts to concave in
and you may get a "worm hole" beside the wick. This is caused by cooling to
quickly on top where the jar is smaller. Air temperature of the room!
About molds, you can use metal, tins, ceramics, pager cups (the kind
without the wax coating, just tear off when cool), milk cartons (perfect for
the ice candle), just about anything that will hold hot liquid will hold
wax. Just make sure there are no funny ridges that would prohibit hard wax
form coming out. With the paper cups and the milk cartons, you are tearing
these away anyhow, no big deal, as they are not expensive. The cake, ice,
drizzle, and decorate with wax, cut out, paint (there is a medium for use
with acrylics that will adhere the paint to the wax. I always make my first
new creation without scent. If I don't like it, I just melt it back down.
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