Hardest Part of Testing

Other than the obvious cost of testing something with so many factors, the most annoying thing about making a candle is finding the right wick for it. There's so many different wicks for so many different types of waxes which are enough as it is. For coconut apricot, the CDN series, the Premier series, the Lx series, and some wood wicks are good for it. Once you figure that out, you need to figure out the size and each one is different. The time it takes to wait until the candle hardens plus the 10 hours it takes to test just makes things even more stressful, especially when you've got an order. So, how is it done? ALL the factors effect the wick. The type of fragrance oil, the type of wax, the type of wick holder or wick sticker...etc. It's like being a scientist trying to understand the body. You have the gist...but the body keeps surprising you.

Another thing you have to look for is sooting. It's that black stuff on the glass. I prefer my candles to be small enough to where it doesn't burn the glass, but big enough for a melt pool. I have tried CDN 8, which creates a wonderful scent, but some sooting on the rim. Although normal, I try to aim for aesthetically pleasing. I'm currently trying CDN 5, which worries me a little. It gives little to no soot, but tunneling is very possible. I suppose I'll try a CDN 6. Tunnelling will give it a very weak smell since you'll need a full melt pool spread the scent.

And then, there's making sure the wick is centered, which is hard to do once the wax is hard. How would you know if the wick didn't slip out of the wickholder? You don't.

Like I said, the fragrance oil matters as well. One candle is very different for the other. If one works with a CDN 5, that doesn't mean it'll work for another fragrance. That 2nd one might be a CDN 8.

Out of everything, wick testing is the most time consuming of all. Hopefully, this gives a brief insight as to how wicks are tested and why it's so important to find the right one.