Testing For Proper Wick Size in Candles

Executive Summary about Candle Wicks by Lyschel Bersch

Candle wick

Candle makers often talk about test burning candles.. It seems like common sense that a candle maker who sells a product would know how their candles burn. A lot of candle makers have different ideas about test burning. Pillars, containers, votives and tea lights all burn differently even if the same wax, wick and additives are used. Size (diameter and depth) and container (metal, glass or none) greatly affect how each candle will burn. Each candle type must be test burned to insure accurate performance. Trapped heat is the heat that is trapped in the jar as the candle burns down. The further down the candle burns the more heat that builds in the jar. A candle that seems to burn well at the beginning of its life could become a flamethrower as the wick nears the bottom of the candle. It is also important to understand, as the candle burns down the diameter burns out. Here are some things to consider when test burning candles.

Many wick sizes and types. Different families of wick burn better in different wax/scent/dye combinations. Some waxes will be easier to burn then others. After you have picked out wicks, wax, additives and scent it is time to start testing.

Burn multiple candles with the same wick.-Another important component of testing is to make sure that you can duplicate your results. You may get an unreliable burn if the wick was not primed correctly, something got into your candle, the wick incorrectly labeled, braiding tension was faulty, etc. Other things to be cautions of while test burning are improper wick priming, trimming the wick too short, not trimming enough, pigment in the color clogging the wick, drafts, etc.

In all we have about 20 - 24 jars burning at a time. . That is 10-12 (wax,wick,scent,) jars with a duplicate. Also, make sure that you burn all of the candles at the same time.

Burn the entire candle. Candles burn differently throughout their life. As a candle burns down vertically it will burn further out horizontally. This is due to the heat of the flame creating more trapped heat as the candle burns down. Containers hold this heat more drastically then pillar candles. This trapped heat helps to burn the sides of jars and pillars. There is little trapped heat until the candle burns about 1″ down. As the candle burns down and the flame nears the bottom of the candle the trapped heat is the greatest.

How the candle should burn. A three-inch diameter candle should take about 3 hours to burn as far as it is going to burn. The burning diameter will expand as the candle burns down. You don’t want your candle to burn all of the way out to the edge until the candle is about 1″ down. The following details are for how a container candle should burn. Pillar candles burn the same after the first inch. Whereas container candle have different burn zones.

When the candle has reached it’s full burn time (2 hours for a 2 inch diameter, 3 hours for a 3 inch diameter candle) in zone two it will leave very little wax on the edges. The deeper the candle the more exaggerated the zones. Keep very detailed information on everything that you do to make your candles and while test burning. After a good torture test we then alternate between normal burns and torture burns. A normal burn is when you give your candle one hour of burn time for every inch of diameter. So a four-inch candle gets four hours.

The final burn-One last step. Again, one inch for every hour the candle burns. If everyone could make a candle there would not be any reason for candle makers. One last word on test burning.

Check out other guides on Candle Jars and Candle Molds

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