What makes a good wick good? - Home - Alafave

1 what makes a good wick good ? Presented by Steven West of Westdeutsche Dochtfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, Germany on April 22, 2004 at the World Candle Congress, Orlando FL, USA. what makesa good wick good ?World Candle CongressApril 21-23, 2004 Orlando, FL The purpose of this presentation is to answer the question what makes a good wick good in as practical a manner as possible. It is a presentation in two parts. The first part examines what the wick Manufacturer can do to make sure that a good wick is produced. The second part examines what the Candle Manufacturer can do to make sure that the correct wick is selected for a given application and set of burning conditions. The second part also looks at some of the problems during candle production which can alter the characteristics of a wick to such an extent as to end up making a good wick perform poorly. 1000 C / 1832 F800 C / 1472 F1200 C / 2192 FWhat makes a good wick good ?The perfect flame1400 C / 2552 F This is what we are all aiming for a perfect wick in a perfect flame.

2 The wick has curved so that the tip of the wick is in the hottest part of the flame. This is the best position to allow self trimming to take place. PAGE - 1 - what makes a good wick good ?The candle systemTonsand Tons and Tons of WaxFragranceProduction methodWickColourCandle material A candle is a system. All elements in the system must fit together perfectly to produce a good burning candle. Changing one of the elements may mean you also have to change the wick . what makes a good wick good ?The main ingredients of a good wick Raw materials Chemical treatments Braiding techniques what can the wick Manufacturer do to make sure that a good wick is produced. The recipe for a good wick . Excellent raw materials (cotton), excellent chemical treatments, innovative and precise braiding techniques. what makes a good wick good ?The raw materialsCotton- approx42 types countries- China, USA, India, Uzbekistan,Pakistan and Egypt. Decisive for capillary action and stability of the wick are: Purity Cleanliness Length of fibres Long fiberous cotton is ideal for making wicks.

3 The less twisting required to produce the cotton threads, the better the wick . Left picture: wick produced with long fiberous cotton. Right picture: wick produced with lower cotton grade note the corkscrew effect. PAGE - 2 - what makes a good wick good ?The braiding techniques Flat wicks Flat braided wicks with extra stability threads Round wicks [USA = square wicks], with cotton or papercore Flat braided wicks with paper Extra high yield wicks Various types of braiding techniques can be used to make good wicks. what makes a good wick good ?The braiding techniques Video sequence showing braiding machines at work in a wick factory. what makes a good wick good ?The braiding techniquesFlat wicks3 bundles withan equalNumber of threads 3x10 = 3 bundles,10threads per bundle[USA = 30 Ply]Flat wicks with extra Stability threads There are several braiding techniques used for making wicks. The simplest type is the flatwick. Flatwicks excellent for dinner candles lack stability for larger diameters.

4 Flatbraided + stability threads. It is essential to ensure even tension and braid tightness throughout the braiding and spooling process to ensure even burning. PAGE - 3 - what makes a good wick good ?The braiding techniquesRound wicksAtleast 8 bundles with anequal number of threads.+ Core bundle(Materialvariations possible)+ Tension threads are asymetrically inserted duringbraidingtofacilitate bending of the wick (wicks are directional!)ThreadbundleCore bundleTension threads Round (USA =square wicks) eight bundles + core + tension threads. These wicks are directional It is essential to order the right spool Head Inside or Head Outside. what makes a good wick good ?The braiding techniquesDifferently braided wicks in pillar candlesFlatwickRound /SquarewickFlatwick withstability threads Flatwicks ar not really suitable for pillar candles better results are achieved with other wick types. what makes a good wick good ?The braiding techniquesFlatwick3x10 18/3 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 12010 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Production time indaysProduction time indaysHigh yield wicks allow the candle manufacturertorun his machines 80%longer before spools have tobe replaced.

5 Specially braided high yield wicks can save time and money. Even though the wicks contain less threads, the braiding technique used gives the wick the same volume of capillary action as a thicker flatwick. Unfortunately the wicks are normally only suitable for dinner candles and tapers. PAGE - 4 - what makes a good wick good ?The chemical treatmentsReasons why good wicks must be chemically treated: Stabilize the wick (crystal- skeleton) Regulate burning and obtainaneven self-trimming effect Avoid afterglow&reduce smoking after extinguishingthe flame! Protect the wick against acids ( stearic acid andmaterials containing colours and fragrances) Reasons for chemically treating wicks. what makes a good wick good ?The chemical treatmentsStearic acidcandle -butwick treated forparaffin wax Paraffin waxcandle - butwick treated forstearic acid It is important to select the correct chemical treatment for the candle material. The candle on the left is made of stearic acid, but contains a wick chemically treated for paraffin wax.

6 The acid in the stearic acid attacks the cotton in the wick . The tip of the wick is eaten away and the flame becomes smaller as the candle burns. The candle on the right is a paraffin wax candle, but contains a wick chemically treated for stearic acid. A wick treated in this way is particularly strong and protects the wick from the acid attack . However it needs the acid to help it to self trim. what makes a good wick good ?The chemical treatmentsStearic acidcandle -withwick treated forstearic acid Paraffin waxcandle -withwick treated forparaffin wax The correct chemical treatments for the candle materials in question. PAGE - 5 - PAGE - 6 - what makes a good wick good ?The chemical treatmentsSUXCNST2 STPNST4 Which treatment for which blend?100 % Paraffin100 % Stearic Acid A range of different treatments are available for different blends. what makes a good wick good ?The chemical treatmentsAs far as the wick is concerned:paraffin wax+ solid colour+ heavy fragrance= stearic acid or natural waxNotalwaysbutoften The more colour and fragrance is added to a paraffin wax candle, the more the material will behave towards the wick in the same way as stearic acid.

7 what makes a good wick good ?The wick stanceABCDED irection of natural curve The wick in the candle manufacturing process. Positioning and correct wick tension = v. important. B&C tension ok but wrong positioning. D&E positioning ok but too little tension. what makes a good wick good ?The wick stanceIf the wick tension in apress is too slack, thewick ends up like this. Typical problem if tension is not set correctly on a press. Machine manufacturer can advise how to set correctly. what makes a good wick good ?The wick stanceThe wrong wick stance in a tea-light can make as muchdifference in burn time as 2 wick sizes Tealights 4 hours burn time. Pressed tealight wick is held at first by the solid candle body. After melting wick can fall over inferior wick hammer sustainer squashing wick curved sustainer. what makes a good wick good ?The right spool for the job It is important to select the right spool. Often the candle machine dictates the spool size how much space between the wick pins under your moulding machine.

8 With other machines you often have a choice. PAGE - 7 - what makes a good wick good ?The right spool ?10 KGCylindricalspool10 KGConicalspoolExtruder Extruder the manufacturer has to find the best solution for his system. Both cylindrical spools and conical spools are common, but we would always recommend a cylindrical spool, because the wick is drawn off the spool at a tangent. Disadvantage = sudden tensioning, due to the stop & go manner in which an extruder works sometimes better to take a smaller cylindrical spool. Conical spool = wick drawn off over head wick twists. what makes a good wick good ?Twisted wicks and over-stretched wicksTwisted wicksOver-stretched wicks Examples of extruded candles where the wicks have been twisted or over-stretched. what makes a good wick good ?LimitationsThere are somenatural barriers to howa good wick can perform. Awick transporting more than10gof waxperhour willhave tendency tosmoke*. This equates to acandle diameter of approx.

9 10 cm+.* source: Dr Michael Matth iDiameter 10cm+Diameter 10cm+ Sometimes it is necessary to use more than one wick depending on the candle diameter. PAGE - 8 - what makes a good wick good ?Burn testsRAL -Burn test : Pillar diameter 70mm + (2 3/4 inches) -burn in cycles:Burn for 5 hours, allow to cool forat least 1 The circumstances under which a candle is to be burned in cycles or continuously for long periods can also influence the type of wick required. what makes a good wick good ?Burn testsCandle burnedcontinuouslyfor 10 hoursCandle burnedfor 2 x 5 hourcycles Different wicks may be required for similar candles if burning conditions are different. The additional self-trimming which occurs after extinguishing/relighting is often necessary to ensure correct wick length throughout the burning life of the candle. what makes a good wick good ? what doesmake a good wick good ?Get a goodwick fromyour supplierEnsure thatthe wick fitsthe candleEnsure thatthe wick fitsthe burningconditions Summary: The wick manufacturer can produce a good wick , but only the candle manufacturer can ensure that the wick fits the candle in terms of candle material, size, production method and burning conditions.

10 At the end of the day, only the candle manufacturer can make a good wick good . PAGE - 9.