Continuing our series on Choosing the Perfect Candle Wick...

Wicks for Votives
In a votive, any of the above series will work well in addition to some of the additional wick series.

LX – A flat braided wick that also has stabilizing threads. This wick offers solid wick construction from pure ring-spun cotton yarn to advanced treatment that is designed to reduce afterglow. 

TL – A specialty wick that has the proper treatment to be used with natural waxes. In addition to being an excellent choice for votives, they work very well with tea lights.

Many people like to make containers, so we will focus on common series of wicks that candle makers use in their containers.

Cored Wicks (Zinc, Cotton , Paper) – Cored wicks may be the most common wicks used in containers because the core offers rigidity to the wick during the manufacturing process and burning cycle. These wicks have an all-natural exterior with a core of either paper, cotton or zinc. This wick size is generally available for some of the smallest containers up to a larger diameter probably up to 4”. 

RRD Series – A round directional wick with a cotton core and tension threads. It has been designed to help improve the burn of scented candles. This series works very well in all paraffin waxes and natural waxes.

HTP Series – Designed to provide the benefits of a self-trimming posture with the rigidity found in cored wicks. These wicks have a specialty yarn fiber that is incorporated into the construction of the braid. The HTP series also work very well in all natural wax candles.

ECO Series – A specialty flat wick braided with interwoven paper threads. This braiding technique gives the wick an increased stability level. The ECO are good to use with paraffin wax and natural wax candles.

Consumers purchase candles for many different reasons, they may like the particular fragrance, color, shape/design, but, I am not sure anyone has ever identified that they purchased there first candle because of the wick. They may have commented how past candles tunneled, smoked, burn to hot and other flaws that can occur without the proper wick. And when they purchased candles that they had that type of experience they will not come back a second time.

Picking out a fragrance can be fun and exciting, choosing a unique piece of glassware can be rewarding, but selecting the proper wick can be time consuming and tedious task. There is not a perfect science to selecting the proper wick, and in fact, there is not a right or wrong wick if the end result is a safe burning candle that achieves the scent throw you desire. This article will introduce the various choices available for the different types of candles to be made.

It seems that all informative articles have to begin with some type of definition, so we figured we better follow that protocol. In that spirit, Webster’s defines “wick” in the following manner:

"A bundle of fibers or a loosely twisted, braided, or woven cord, tape, or tube usually of soft spun cotton threads that by capillary attraction draws up to be burned a steady supply of the oil in lamps or the melted tallow or wax in candles."

When you apply this definition to the candle world, it actually becomes much more than that. There are many different types of wicks including braided (both square and flat), cored (paper, cotton , zinc), round and other specialty types. It is not surprising that selecting the proper wick for a beginner can be overwhelming.