Choosing the Right Wick Size & Burn Testing

When choosing the right wick size it needs to be based on the opening diameter of your container. You will need to measure across the top of the container to find the diameter. You would then decide which type and size wick based on the wick chart below. I have found this wick chart to be highly accurate.

Now we move onto burn testing. After we finish making our candles for the first time we need to burn test them to make sure we have a properly sized wick and it is functioning as it should. To do this we will follow the steps below.

1. Trim the wick to 1/4 inch. If testing multiple candles, make sure they are clearly labeled.
2. Light the candles and record the time. It is highly important to keep an eye on the candles while they are burning especially when testing new wicks.
3. Light the candles and keep track of the time. It is important to keep an eye on the candles while they are burning especially when testing new wicks.
4. After 2 hours your going to want to check the melt pool and wick appearance. If burning correctly the melt pool should almost reach the outside of the container. If it hasn't, the wick is most likely too small. Inspect the wick for any soot or mushrooming.
5. After 4 hours check the melt pool and wick again. At this point the melt pool of a proper wicked candle will have reached the outside edge and should be approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch deep. If the wick is mushrooming or the melt pool is deeper than 1/2 inch the wick is most likely too large.
6. Allow the candle to completely cool and repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 until the candle is completely burned. The quality of burn will most likely change during the entire burning of the candle and you will have a better idea if you need to change wick sizes by this point.

Below are a couple links to items that I recommend from Amazon. Good luck on your candle making adventures and if you need any help or advice feel free to contact us at  sales@naturesitems.com