 The Centered Wick
A very important characteristic of a correctly
burning candle is that the wick is centered inside the candle
from top to bottom.
An
off-center wick can often make even the perfect wick choice
look like a poor one by consuming a disproportionate amount
of wax in one area of the candle, overheating the side closest
to the flame and, in turn, exhibiting an overactive flame and
sooting. As you might imagine, the side farthest from the flame
normally remains unconsumed. This unattractive result normally
leaves the customer feeling cheated.
For those candles which are not pre-glued,
Wicks Unlimited has developed a line of self-centering wick
clips which are offered for votive to apothecary size candles.
The aim is to allow our customers to simply drop the wick in,
pour the wax and straighten the wick.
Adequate Crimp Pressure
Many of the wick-tabbing machines on the
market today produce a crimp strength which varies over the
course of the production run. A weak crimp can cause the wick
to be pulled from the tab during the straightening process on
the production line. This unfortunate event renders the candle
unburnable.
The minimum suggested crimp hold is 2 to
3 pounds of tensile strength. Wicks Unlimited insists upon 4.5
to 9.5 pounds, ensured by our computer-controlled crimpers and
then tested by pull gauges at various points in the production
run.
Uniform Wick Height
In candle manufacturing, the ideal wick will
be exposed 1/4" above the top of the candle. Wicks exceeding
that length, when lit, will have the tendency to produce too
large a flame and to smoke excessively as the candle struggles
to secure its initial fuel supply. Trimming the wicks while
on the production line to compensate for this excess length
adds an additional step to the manufacturing process.
Wicks Unlimited's wick clip machines can
cut to customer requirements at 1/64" increments, usually
eliminating the need for any wick trimming.
Safety (Self-Extinguishing) Wick Tabs
Wick tabs with overall heights of 6 and 10
millimeters are now becoming commonplace in the candle industry,
replacing the 3.8 millimeter tabs which were standard at one
time.
 As
the flame cannot proceed lower than the top of the tab, the
taller tabs naturally keep the flame higher off the floor of
the candle than the 3.8 mm tabs. This inhibits the ignition
of carbon deposits which may be lying on the floor of the candle
hence increasing the overall safety of the candle.
The longer wick tabs are more expensive
due to a more involved manufacturing process required to produce
them and some candle manufacturers may feel that their customers
will perceive the additional wax left at the bottom of the candle
at the end of its burn as waste, but the more safety-conscious
candle manufacturers opt for the longer tabs citing safety as
one of their biggest concerns.
Tails of Wick Clip Assemblies
Many wick clip assemblies in the industry
have a small tail of wick extending from the base of the clip.
However, a good clean cut, flush with the
bottom of the clip is preferable not only for appearance but
to ensure that the wick clip assembly extends straight up at
a 90° angle from the base of the candle, providing the proper
start to a perfectly centered wick.
Wick Collapse
Non-metal-cored wicks are prone to flopping when certain candles
are poured or during the burn when the burn pool is excessively
hot and deep, at which point the wick wax melts away leaving
the wick to support itself without its wax sheathing.
These problems can be rectified by using our
high melt wax which has a drop melt point of 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
|
