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Candle making is becoming increasingly popular. People are interested in making their own candles, and for some, it has become a hobby or a business. Whether you are a pro or a beginner, you should know how to choose the best wick for candle making. As you may know, the candle wick is the heart of any candle, providing fuel to the flame. Let's have a look at some of the wick and their specialties.
What Are Candle Wicks?
Wicks are the most crucial and central components of a candle. The candle would be useless without them; the flame would never burn, and the light would never warm the atmosphere in your living room. A wick is the heart of a candle; it is what gives the candle its shape.
What Do Candle Wicks Do?
The candle's flame is fed by a wick, which is made of wax. The wick functions as a fuel pump, drawing the melted wax up into the flame and burning it. Candle wicks are made out of a coiled, twisted, or knit bundle of fibers. The candle's absorbing part is the fibers, which absorb molten wax and transport it to the light by capillarity.
Factors For Choosing Best Candle Wicks For Your Candle Making
Choosing the right candlewick for your candle making is not as difficult as it may appear, but if you're a beginner, these considerations will assist you in determining why a thicker, better wick will benefit your candle making.
- Type of Wax: The texture of your candle and how long it will last is determined by the type of wax used; for example, soy wax candles burn more slowly than paraffin wax candles. With a thicker wick, a denser wax solution lasts longer.
- Size and Shape of Candle: Such that no two candles aromas are alike, no two candle-lit spaces are alike. When it comes to distributing the amount of candle aroma throughout a room, size does important. The scent is provided by a thicker spherical candle with a thick wick.
- Wax Melting Point: As previously stated, the denser the quality of the wax, the longer it takes to melt, implying a greater melting point. However, because they burn slower, they emanate aroma equally as slowly and continuously, which some of you may not like.
- Candle Fragrance: Fragrance oil boosts the candle's aroma as well as the size of its flame, which is ideal for scented candles. Using additional fragrance oil, on the other hand, does not always imply a stronger scent throw. Too much fragrance might cause the wick to clog, resulting in a weak scent throw from your candle.
- Type of Colorant: Colorants increase the overall look of your candles, but pigments don't always burn well, and the color particles can choke a wick if burned. This makes them inappropriate for a candle colored all over and intended to be lit, but they are useful for coating the candle's outside.
By choosing the right candle wick, you will be able to have:
- Consistent Flame Size: The correct wick size and diameter, combined with a steady flame, improves both the aroma throw and the candle's burn time.
- Moderate Container Temperature: Moderate container temperature increases candle wax density and allows it to cool down evenly and fast. The denser the candle wax is, the longer it will last when lighted.
- Minimal or No Blooming (Carbon Deposits): The amount of soot produced by a candle is determined by the wax, wick, and fragrance oil used. When burned with a thicker wick and natural fragrance or essential oil, natural waxes like soy do not produce soot.
- Well-formed Wax Pool with No Dripping: If the candle's density is poor, it will melt quickly and drip continuously. To avoid this, pour the candle mixture once, wait 10-15 minutes, and then pour the mixture again.
- Minimal Glow After Candle Has Been Extinguished: The right amount of wick ensures that it only takes the necessary substance from the candle's wax, resulting in no soot or surplus glow after extinguishing.
Various Types Of Candle Wicks
There are many different candlewicks that you can use to make various types of candles, and many of them provide unique features to the user. Let's look at some of the wick varieties and their benefits.
1. Ribbon Wicks
- Ribbon wicks ignite with a whitelist-bluish glow that is highly constant.
- They're frequently used with beeswax.
- To create a bouncy flame, use medium-sized and thick candles.
2. Pre-waxed Cotton Wicks
- Pre waxed cotton candle wicks also known as flat cotton wicks.
- Three bundles of fiber are commonly used to make flat-plaited or knitted wicks.
- These wicks burn evenly and curve in the flame to provide a self-trimming look.
- They are often used in taper and pillar candles.
3. Square Wicks
- Wicks that are braided or crocheted curl in the light.
- They're thicker and more rounded than flat wicks. When burning, square wicks are meant to flex slightly near the tip.
- It's preferable to use beeswax with them.
4. Wooden Wicks
- Hardwood and softwood wicks are the two varieties of wooden wicks.
- Softwood wicks crackle and pop as they burn, creating the distinct sounds of a wood-burning fire.
- Hardwood wick is an excellent standing wick for liquid low-density base candles that require a strong aroma throw.
- Wooden wicks, unlike cotton wicks, rarely need to be trimmed.
5. HTP Wicks
- Self-trimming HTP wicks have the same stiffness as core candle wicks.
- Compared to cored candle wicks, they have better wax pool alignment and less carbon heading.
- In paraffin, soy, and palm wax, HTP wicks work nicely.
6. Performa Coreless Wicks
- The Performa cordless wicks are evenly braided and made of cotton.
- While burning, they remain upright and do not bend.
7. LX Wicks
- The braiding on LX wicks is distinctive. They're coreless, flat wicks with stabilizing threads to promote a good burn.
- LX wicks produce a very stable and uniform flame that reduces afterglow, smoke, and soot while minimizing carbon buildup (mushrooming).
- It's a wonderful wick for containers and pillars since it helps paraffin wax and soy wax burn better.
8. RRD Series Wicks
- Round braided cotton cored wicks are known as RRD wicks. They boost the amount of fuel (wax and aroma) flowing to the flame.
- They're recognized for keeping a steady flame.
9. CD Series Wicks
- CD wicks feature a flat braid shape with a specific paper filament weaved around them and are coreless.
- It's designed to provide a constant and maximum burn.
- CD wicks perform well with waxes that are difficult to melt, such as paraffin and soy waxes.
10. Cored Wicks
- The core material is used in braided or knitted wicks to maintain the wick level or vertical while burning.
- Cotton Paper Zinc or wicks have been used in jar, pillars, and votive candles and are the most used core materials for wicks.
- For improved stiffness, pre-waxing these candle wicks is suggested.
Conclusion
Candle wicks aren't only about size. As we've already seen, candle wicks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This will give you an idea of how to choose the best wick for your candle-making so that you can create candles that are both aesthetically pleasing and fragrant.
In addition, your homemade candles' scent throw and burn time are both improved by their qualities. The organic wick burns for a longer time and is safe for you and the environment.
