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Modern-day wicks are tightly woven or braided threads of cotton or other fabric
material; sometimes including a core (cotton, paper, zinc). The woven material of the
wick is then treated with a chemical solution to make them flame retardant. This
process is called
mordanting. Wicks are made fire retardant so that the fuel (the wax) travels up the
wick, forms a vapor fuel and the fuel is burned. If the wicks were not made fire
retardant, the wicks would burn themselves out before the wax of the candle could be
used as fuel. Some candle wicks include a core that the threads are woven around;
providing the wick with the ability to stand up. By the way, candle wicks made in the US
do not contain lead. Lead core wicks were banned in the US back in 2003.
4. No candle wax has ever been shown to be toxic or harmful to human health.
5. There is no such thing as a soot-free wax. All organic compounds when
burned will emit some carbon (soot) due to incomplete combustion.
In fact, we all experience small levels of carbon in our air everyday simply by
cooking our food. It would be ridiculous to tell people to stop cooking their food
to avoid carbon in the air. How about carbon dioxide- the air we all exhale?
Should we all stop breathing to prevent putting this carbon in the air? It is time
for science and common sense to unite!
The science behind a burning candle is important to understand because for a wick to
perform effectively, it is reliant on other components of the candle. Some fuel sources
will easily travel up the wick and produce the fuel vapor needed to keep the wick
burning (refined paraffin wax is a good fuel source). Other waxes, such as soy wax, will
require a larger wick to allow for pyrolysis to occur. That is why at Natures Garden, we
suggest that candle makers wick-up when making vegetable wax candles.
Other candle components that affect the efficiency of the burning wick are fragrance
and coloring. Fragrances are composed of a combination of essential oils, resins, and
other aromatic chemicals (ketones and aldehydes). Some of these fragrance
ingredients will easily travel up the wick and react with the oxygen, others do not
travel up the wick as easily. Each component of a fragrance oil has individual flash
points (the temperature at which its vapor will combust).
CD Wicks- These wicks are a flat braid wick composed of cotton with special paper
woven around them. These wicks provide excellent capillary action. CD wicks provide a
hot burning wick and provide for significant rigidity. These are our favorite types of
wicks here at Natures Garden. Used with all types of waxes.
Hemp Wicks- These braided wicks are made with natural fibers of hemp instead of
cotton. Hemp wicks provide for a hotter burning wick and increased rigidity. Used with
all types of waxes.
Wooden Wicks: Composed of wood, these wicks provide 100% rigidity in candles.
These wicks do not require any type of trimming, produce no mushrooms, and allow
for a fast melt pool.