Candle Business 101: How To Choose The Right Wick
Never underestimate the power of the wick! The difference between a candle that burns fully and evenly and a candle that smokes and runs, can all be attributed to the wicks you choose. So choosing wisely is a must!
Luckily Charlotte and Jeff from Standley Handcrafted have a few years of experience under their belt, and are here to share with you all the tips and tricks for picking the perfect wick for your candle project.
There are so many different options for wicks.There are crackling wicks (robust crackling noises), whisper wicks (quiet), and shaped wicks (like the tube wicks used in this video). Jeff shares that he personally likes to use the crackling wooden wicks since it sets him apart from his competition that doesn't use wooden wicks as well as the fact that he really enjoys the crackling noise.
Once you've decided the type of wick you want to use, you need to consider both the type of wax you're using as well as the size of the vessel (diameter). Certain waxes require thicker wicks, and similarly, wick width is going to correlate perfectly with your jar diameter. The larger the jar, the larger the wick.
We suggest getting the wooden wick sample kit to try out the different kinds of wicks and properly test them out with the wax and jars you are going to be using.
NOTE: Even if you find a wick that seems to work perfectly, try one size down. There is a common myth that candles have "memory." This means that the small wax buildup at the edge of the candle is going to stay there. However, if you use the right size wick, it's going to burn the wax better and is actually able to remove that side wall and give you a longer burn (extend the life of your candle). Jeff shares that this was the case with him when he changed what he thought was the "perfect" wick size to one size smaller and it worked even better since it got rid of the wax wall.
Check out our wick selection guide after using our wick sample kit. It will give you recommendations on the wick and wick size you should use based on your vessel and wax type. The labels on the wicks in the wick sample kit also have a suggested wax companion!
