Posted: 12/5/2008 5:30:29 PM EDT
| what do you use for candel wicks?? The people that make them that is?? thanks |
|
Depends on what wax you are using...
I am a beekeeper so I am biased. Use Bees wax for candle only. Traditional paraffin wax is a petroleum byproduct that kicks off noxious fumes. Bees wax requires a larger diameter wick than paraffin wax candles. Click on the link below for detailed information regarding wicks. Linky Good Luck. Let us know what you end up pursuing |
| I was wondering the same thing just last weekend. I've got a couple 1K foot spools of cotton string about 1/8" in diameter and a couple dozen soup cans. I was wondering if the cotton would make a good wick.... Now to find a good source for a large amount of wax on the cheap. |
| I recently read in a book titled Down Home Ways that cotton should be soaked in a solution of 1 cup water, one tablespoon salt and two tablespoons borax (available in the laundry detergent section of a grocery store) for six hours, then dried completely. This apparently will facilitate the flow of wax and prevent the cotton wick itself from burning too completely. |
We need a wick wiki 
I was once told that a good wick will curve over just the right amount as it burns, so that the end is burned off at the correct rate to reduce the amount of trimming needed. My experience with candles: I bought some of the blister-pack coghlans candles from Fred Meyer. Then when the power went out, I broke them out and found that the wicks were much too small diameter, and the dang things wouldn't even support combustion. The flame drowned in its own wax pool So I went and got some plumbers candles at Ace hardware. Huge improvement. Much brighter light. The wick is about twice the diameter of the blister-packs, and flat woven or rectangular cross section. Somewhere I read that wicks are sometimes made with lead, or zinc for some reason - which could turn into vapors as it burns. |
