The wicking is one of the most important components of a candle. We've discussed the various waxes, and we've discussed our containers. We had a brief discourse about the psychology of fragrance...now it's time to see what puts it all together to make it all work! The wick is the core (literally) of any candle. It's the fuel delivery system that lets the candle burn.
The History of Candle Wicks....
The Egyptians are credited with the early use of rushes, which are the fibrous reeds that grow in the land, for torchlight. They'd discovered that animal fat would burn, and that these natural reeds were quite the natural because of their fibrous construct. The reeds were a natural wick, if dipped in animal fat, as the fibrous material would absorb that fat to provide the fuel for keeping the "rushlight" lit.
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The Romans later improved on the original idea by weaving the fibrous strands together, which allowed the wick to burn longer.
Today, our wicks are tightly braided threads of cotton, sometimes with a core of paper, cotton or zinc, sometimes coreless. The woven wick is dipped in a fire retardant...yes, a fire retardant, in a process called 'mordanting'. Why? What sense does this make? Well, without it, the wicks would burn up before the wax can become fuel. The wicks are then 'primed', that is, coated with wax. When the wicks are woven, they have many tiny pockets of air within the weave. The priming fills those air pockets. The fuel of the candle can, then, come from the candle wax traveling up the wick to the flame. With the candle wax comes the fragrance oil, and you have fragrance filling your room! After priming, the wicks are 'tabbed'. Wick sustainer tabs allow the wick to be secured to it's proper spot on the candle container bottom. The neck of the sustainer tab controls how far down the candle will burn, extinguishing the flame before it can come too close to the bottom of the container. This helps prevent the container overheating and cracking, causing a fire hazard.
Wicks are graded by size...it does matter. The larger the number grade, the larger the area it's capable of melting while burning. If you use too small a wick, your candle won't burn all the way across the surface of the candle, and you may not have sufficient scent throw. If you use too big of a wick, your candle will burn too fast, and you'll end up with carbon buildup on the wick, called 'mushrooming'.
The burning candle is a chemical reaction between three major elements...oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. The wax is made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. When you light the wick, the wax starts to melt, and the carbon and hydrogen atoms move up the wick to react with the oxygen atoms at the flame. The flame is the dance of this chemical reaction. The heat causes the carbon and hydrogen atoms to break apart and combine with the oxygen to form a gas in a process called 'pyrolysis'. Ultimately, the candle gives off water vapor and carbon dioxide.
The science behind the burning candle is important for the candle crafter to understand. For the wick to do its job correctly, it depends on other components of the candle. A refined paraffin wax will travel up the wick easily, providing the fuel vapor needed to keep the wick burning. A soy wax will require a larger wick for this pyrolysis to occur. So, in looking at my candles, above, with my Joy wax, a paraffin blend, I use dual wicking in the 44-24-18 size of wicking. If this were a 100% soy wax, I'd use the 51-32-18 size wick.
Other components that will affect the burn are fragrance and coloring. Fragrances are made up of essential oils, resins and other aromatic chemicals, called ketones and aldehydes. Some fragrances will easily travel up the wick and react to the oxygen. Others are a little heavy. Each component of the fragrance has its own flashpoint, that being the temperature at which its vapor will combust. Fragrance oils that have higher levels of heavier base notes, like vanilla, amber or musk, the candle may need a larger wick to allow pyrolysis to happen. The lighter, lower flash point fragrances travel easily up the wick, the citrus fragrances being the prime example. If your citrus based fragrance has a wick too large, it will cause it to give off a petroleum like aroma instead of citrus...it can also present a fire hazard should the entire top of the candle ignite! No bueno!!!
Color can also be a factor in the performance of your wick. It's critical that you use only dyes or colorants that are specifically made for candle crafting. If a colorant contains water or glycerin, it will not work in candles. (Those would be your bath and body product colorants) Colorants with mica pigments or titanium dioxide are not for use within the candle, and should only be used to color the outside of the candle by dipping it...this would be pillar candles, naturally! Those pigments cause the wick to clog, causing increased smoking, sooting and can cause your wick to stop burning entirely. Crayons are an example of pigments suspended in a wax medium...it's really not a good idea, particularly if you are selling your craft! The darker hues require more or the colorant, which can, also, cause sooting and mushrooming of the wick.
Choosing your wicking can be quite the confusing matter, as there are, literally, hundreds of types to choose from.
Candle wicks are typically one of the following types of wicks (provided by the national candle association) :
Flat Wicks. These flat-plaited or knitted wicks, usually made from three bundles of fiber, are very consistent in their burning and curl in the flame for a self-trimming effect. They are the most commonly used wicks, and can be broadly found in taper and pillar candles.
Square Wicks. These braided or knitted wicks also curl in the flame, but are more rounded and a bit more robust than flat wicks. They are preferred for beeswax applications and can help inhibit clogging of the wick, which can occur with certain types of pigments or fragrances. Square wicks are most frequently used in taper and pillar applications.
Cored Wicks. These braided or knitted wicks use a core material to keep the wick straight or upright while burning. The wicks have a round cross section, and the use of different core materials provides a range of stiffness effects. The most common core materials for wicks are cotton, paper, zinc or tin. Cored wicks can be found in jar candles, pillars, votives and devotional lights.
Natures Garden, my main supplier, and source for this article, offers several varieties of wicks based on their own successful testing.
HTP wicks- These wicks are created with a flat braided cotton fiber design, but also have paper fibers contained with the braid. These wicks provide a cleaner burn, controlled curling, and self trimming capabilities. Typically used when a hotter burn is necessary. Used with all types of waxes.
Zinc Core Wicks- These wicks are made with a cotton fiber braid, surrounded by a zinc core. Zinc wicks are known for allowing wicks to stand up in applications, and are thus frequently used in container candles. In the event that you are using vegetable waxes for your candles, you will want to "wick up" on the size of your zinc core wicks, as they do not burn as hot as other varieties of wicks.
CD Wicks- These wicks are a flat braid wick composed of cotton with special paper woven around them. These wicks provide excellent capillary action. CD wicks provide a hot burning wick and provide for significant rigidity. These are our favorite types of wicks here at Natures Garden. Used with all types of waxes.
Hemp Wicks- These braided wicks are made with natural fibers of hemp instead of cotton. Hemp wicks provide for a hotter burning wick and increased rigidity. Used with all types of waxes.
Wooden Wicks- Composed of wood, these wicks provide 100% rigidity in candles. These wicks do not require any type of trimming, produce no mushrooms, and allow for a fast melt pool.
Candle wicks are typically one of the following types of wicks (provided by the national candle association) :
Flat Wicks. These flat-plaited or knitted wicks, usually made from three bundles of fiber, are very consistent in their burning and curl in the flame for a self-trimming effect. They are the most commonly used wicks, and can be broadly found in taper and pillar candles.
Square Wicks. These braided or knitted wicks also curl in the flame, but are more rounded and a bit more robust than flat wicks. They are preferred for beeswax applications and can help inhibit clogging of the wick, which can occur with certain types of pigments or fragrances. Square wicks are most frequently used in taper and pillar applications.
Cored Wicks. These braided or knitted wicks use a core material to keep the wick straight or upright while burning. The wicks have a round cross section, and the use of different core materials provides a range of stiffness effects. The most common core materials for wicks are cotton, paper, zinc or tin. Cored wicks can be found in jar candles, pillars, votives and devotional lights.
HTP wicks- These wicks are created with a flat braided cotton fiber design, but also have paper fibers contained with the braid. These wicks provide a cleaner burn, controlled curling, and self trimming capabilities. Typically used when a hotter burn is necessary. Used with all types of waxes.
Zinc Core Wicks- These wicks are made with a cotton fiber braid, surrounded by a zinc core. Zinc wicks are known for allowing wicks to stand up in applications, and are thus frequently used in container candles. In the event that you are using vegetable waxes for your candles, you will want to "wick up" on the size of your zinc core wicks, as they do not burn as hot as other varieties of wicks.
CD Wicks- These wicks are a flat braid wick composed of cotton with special paper woven around them. These wicks provide excellent capillary action. CD wicks provide a hot burning wick and provide for significant rigidity. These are our favorite types of wicks here at Natures Garden. Used with all types of waxes.
Hemp Wicks- These braided wicks are made with natural fibers of hemp instead of cotton. Hemp wicks provide for a hotter burning wick and increased rigidity. Used with all types of waxes.
Wooden Wicks- Composed of wood, these wicks provide 100% rigidity in candles. These wicks do not require any type of trimming, produce no mushrooms, and allow for a fast melt pool.
Candle wicks are typically one of the following types of wicks (provided by the national candle association) :
From Natures Garden Wicking Chart
Votives and Containers up to 2" diameter ~ 2 ½” long (44-28-18) zinc, 6” long (44-28-18)zinc, 6” long (44-24-18) zinc or
6” long CD 5; HTP 31 (2.5” long) or Hemp (838) 6” long. The votives in the picture are self centering zinc 44-28-18, 2 1/2" long.Pillars & Containers with 2” –3” diameter ~ Hemp (1400) 6”long ; 6” long (51-32-18) zinc, 6” long (44-28-18) zinc;
HTP52 (4” long), HTP 73 (6” long); 6” long CD 7 or 6” long CD 10Pillars& Containers with 3” -3.5” diameter ~ 6” long CD 12; 6” long Extra Large (62-52-18) zinc; Hemp (60048) 6” long;
HTP 73 (6” long) or HTP 83 (6”)...I do a process of double wicking, using two of the 6" long 44-28-18, which works out beautifully.Pillars& Containers with 3.5” or more diameter ~ Hemp (60048) 6” long; 6” long Extra Large (62-52-18) zinc;
HTP 104 (6”long ) for 4” diameter candles; HTP 1212 (6” long) for 4.5” diameter candles; CD 12 for 3.5” diameter candles, CD 14 for 4” diameter candles, CD 16 for 4.25” diameter candles, CD 18 for 4.5” diameter candles, CD 20 for 5” diameter candles, CD 22 for 5.5” diameter candles. About the only time I do candles this size would be the heart shaped or star shaped open top containers. I use three of my 6" long zinc cored 44-28-18 wicks, evenly spaced for a full melt pool.
These wick suggestions are for those using fragrance oils designed for candle crafting. For those using only essential oils, you'll need to test each fragrance separately, to see what best works with which.
What are these wick types?
- Zinc-core wicking...Most popular wicking, Used in all applications...my personal choice
- CD flatbraided coreless wicking...Almost self-trimming, Very popular in soy/veggie waxes...I have used this with my 100% soy candles...I still preferred the zinc cored.
- HTP all cotton braided...Very popular wicking in soy/veggie waxes...I've not used this product
- Hemp core wicking...All natural,Hot burn, Very popular in soy/veggie waxes...I've not tried it, I don't want a hotter burning wick for these products
With that, my Steemian friends, I'll leave you! My vat of wax is melted and is calling me to finish the Tea Cup Florals!
Peace, Love & Happy Valentines Day!!
Sources:
http://www.naturesgardencandles.com
National Candle Assn
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