Candle & Wick Testing - PASS or FAIL (Evaluating My Recent Test Candles)

[@DarkusZarvix]

I've already released 8 autumn or general fall/winter scents. Pumpkin Eggnog, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Latte and Pumpkin Crunch Cake (Lots of pumpkin with a mix of sweet, spice and baked good notes for variety). Also went with an Apple scent, Cranberry Scent, Cracking Birch and Harvest Moon. I enjoy this mix and still trying to gauge what the customers want. I probably won't return all of these year after year though.

[@BlackTieBarn]

Awesome 👍

[@michaeltallie4266]

Lol, man I clicked this video thinking it was about trading.

[@sallieb6435]

thanks for your video, I really enjoyed it. If you get a full melt pool on your first 4hr burn, how do you find it at the end of your candle? Doesn't it get too hot?

[@BlackTieBarn]

I would agree with you on standard single wick candles. And I actually tell people the same thing. But... multi wicked candles will get bigger melt pools faster just by nature of their design. It's one of the reasons customers like them. So it's less of a concern on those and the hars are larger. Also the wicks tend to stay much smaller. All thst being said, mine still took a bit to get thst melt pool. As I mentioned in the video, there was a little hangup for a bit. :)

[@Nicolette.H]

Thank you so much! This was more than I hoped for when suggested a testing video. Please consider doing more like this.

[@BlackTieBarn]

Thank you. And absolutely... I have some.... plane. ;)

[@rachaelg.4804]

this was really helpful to see! 👍 I'm working on an apple scent that's been super easy to wick but my frankincense keeps dying so I don't think it'll be in the line this year. Everyone keeps asking for pumpkin and I don't have it so I just poured 2 testers last night lol 😆

[@BlackTieBarn]

Yah I run into that myself a lot.... so I'm with ya. Lol

[@inthesalonbiz777]

Curious what brand wood wicks you use because you always refer to them by measurements like 5/8ths inch and I don’t know what that means lol. I use Makesy wood wicks and they go by .375/.5/.625/.75. So when you refer to the sizes I’m unsure which sizes you’re referring to. Which would be 5/8ths?

[@baldielocs3]

5/8 is 0.625.

[@BlackTieBarn]

Hi Diana. The measurements are the same. 5/8 is .625, 1/2 is .5, 3/4 is .75, etc

[@ReneeStJames]

Hey Wade! Just ramping up our fall season we tend to focus only on fall/spring seasons :) Just a quick question for you as I go back and forth with this...we still use 16oz mason jars and use GB464 (may venture out and try other waxes but for this year just sticking with 464) Question is I keep going back and forth with doing a single pour and poking then heat gunning verses doing a double pour but still poking as get so nervous for sink holes lol. Would you recommend just sticking with the single pour and poking/heat gunning all just in case of sink whole? Single pour def is a time saver! Thank so much for any advice!! Truly have learned ton from watching your channel and love all you do for the candle community!! :)

[@BlackTieBarn]

Hey Renee. I would stick with single pour and fill in relief holes for 464. I think a second pour is over kill with this wax. I really only do 2nd pours for waxes with extensive shrinking/contraction

[@ReneeStJames]

@@BlackTieBarn Thank you so much Wade!! Really appreciate your help/feedback!! I'm a gonna stick with your suggestion of single pour then poking them all just to be safe then heat gunning em!! So much quicker verses double pour!! Thanks again really appreciate all you do!! By the way love your new 21K baby---looks awesome!!

[@debbiewiitanen5396]

Please help me understand wicking

[@deannawitzenburger5147]

Thank you for sharing your wick testing process! I use wood wicks so that was really helpful to see! I have 3 scents in my fall collection this year: Pumpkin Pie, Fallen Leaves, and Mahogany Shea from CS. They are all doing well so far with pumpkin pie in the lead but the other two are tied 😊

[@BlackTieBarn]

Yah pumpkin tends to lead the charge. Lol

[@abeecruz]

what temperature is too hot for the jar?

[@terriejames9081]

Hi wayne can you please help please, my candles are flickering and dancing around constantly they are not got bad mushrooming the melt pool is good. Why do you think that is happing please?

[@BlackTieBarn]

May be a super viscous wax or just wrong sick type. Experiment with other wicks types and see if you get better results. Also keep them trimmed to 1/4". Also keep away from drafta

[@amberliteNZ]

What was the diameter of the jars 🥝

[@patriciamcmurray5926]

Honey and hive carry 0.75 eco-wicks that are 6 inches I believe.

[@BlackTieBarn]

👍

[@quimilroyriggs1537]

I love the look of the wood wicks but it seems like the cotton premiere jawns is the way to go. I’d hate for my first customers to get a bad performing wick and be immediately turned off from my candles.

[@BlackTieBarn]

❤️

[@heathalbritton]

It seems like there's so many different options for making candles. How do you decide which one to use? It feels like it's easy to get pulled in every direction.

[@BlackTieBarn]

it is VERY easy to get pulled in different directions. I am terrible about it. My advice, pick something and start. You can always change and add later. Keep it simple

[@mizzstarr510]

This video is amazing! Thank you for this. Wick reviews are rarely covered on KZbin which is a shame because there are so many wicks on the market. Maybe some day you make this a series! What is your favorite cotton wick types?

[@BlackTieBarn]

Good idea! And my favorite depends on the wax and jar to be honest. I'm gonna work on this video. ;)

[@joniperiu8308]

I use the premier wicks 99% of the time. I do like HTP but I don’t like the color of the wick.

[@sarahchartrand9398]

I just did my first burn test on a new vessel, it's an ECO 6 and candle science recommended ECO 8, but I had the 6's on hand to try. It mushroomed after the first burn. It was lit for 5 hours to test above the recommended 4 hours. I'm thinking I should go down a size then

[@BlackTieBarn]

Possibly. Small mushrooms was normal and find. I have some that do it as well. Lots of things can contribute to mushrooms. Wax, fragrance load, vessel, wick, etc. If it's small, I wouldn't worry about it. Not sure on sizing to recommend. Will depend on wax and jar diameter

[@joniperiu8308]

Hi Wade. I hvnt seen premier 720 wick. The lowest I s and hv is 725.

[@BlackTieBarn]

I've got thousand if you need em. 🤣 I'll likely be starting to sell premier wicks in the near future as well.

[@qianaricci4502]

Perfect timing. I'm starting round 2 of testing. Wicking is frustrating. 😤

[@BlackTieBarn]

It is. Lol. But it's also what sets ya apart and makes this craft more interesting in my opinion. :)

[@lkwittmayer]

What size is the jar?

[@baldielocs3]

Juniperberry + Pine from Midwest Fragrance for Christmas! It smells amazing!

[@BlackTieBarn]

Awesome. Does sound good

[@baldielocs3]

@@BlackTieBarn can you do a testing video on candle science’s apothecary series? I’m contemplating adding their 16 oz and don’t know where to start.

[@BlackTieBarn]

@@baldielocs3 I can plan that. It will of course depend on wax though. :/

[@baldielocs3]

@@BlackTieBarn I definitely understand that! If you haven’t worked with coconut wax, ceda serica is amazing!

[@gettingbetter2023]

I know you use different waxes but what is the one you recommend the most?

[@BlackTieBarn]

I mostly use problend 600 in standard candles I would say

[@dearmeecha1310]

I just got my variety pack of premier wicks from you. I’m hoping my testing goes well. I have 6oz tins and 9.5oz jars (3.15 mouth opening). 🙏

[@Freedom-xh2hc]

Another AWESOME video. Thank you Wade!!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@BlackTieBarn]

Thank you!

[@lavendertamagotchi]

niiiiiice, love those vessels. I'm working on an awesome evergreen scent blending 3 different ones together I'm very excited about it lol

[@BlackTieBarn]

ooh fun. If love to hear how it went. Let us know. :)

[@dearmeecha1310]

Such a wonderful video. I haven’t tested premier wicks yet and I’m using coco apricot wax. Do you think this is a good wick for that wax? Im very new. Thank you!

[@joniperiu8308]

Hi Wade. Once again another great video. I started making candles 7 months ago. I do hv many scents available thanks to you and Erica . I have 12 fall scents and 6 Christmas scents so far. I love making candles and spend many hours a day in my laboratory….

[@BlackTieBarn]

Some Joni. Thanks for sharing!

[@skylar3967]

Hi Does adding dye to yo candles mess with the hot throw.

[@BlackTieBarn]

Not in my experience but I suppose it could if used too much.

[@mxj28]

This was a really helpful video! Thanks for sharing!!

[@BlackTieBarn]

You're welcome

[@atashahicks8004]

Hello black Tie Barn, I 'm trying to start a candle business this year. I love the colors of your wax and your overall knowledge of all the wax, wicks, and . Thank you for helping all candle business with you knowledge. what size was the candle jars?

[@lkwittmayer]

what size was the jars? I love your videos...! so helpful, thank you

[@MsSecretabundance]

What size are your labels on square jars and straight sided? Are they the same size for both jars? I’m trying to figure out a 1 size fits all vessels 😂 to save on cost. LUV your channel!!!

[@BlackTieBarn]

My normal labels on those jars are roughly 1.5 x 2.5. I find them a little small on these larger test candles but its all I had quickly to use. Lol

[@MsSecretabundance]

@@BlackTieBarn Thanks! FYI I use 3.5 x 2.5 on Aura's. Testing wooden wicks in the aura's now with PB600.

[@shiningstarsoup]

Have you ever thought about reviewing popular candle brands as you do for the subscribers who send their candles in? I would love to hear your thoughts on Bath and Body Work's candles and Nest Candles, just to list a couple I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on.

[@jseek2512]

What size premier double wicked would be a good starting point for a 4 inch vessel?

[@BlackTieBarn]

I'd probably start with two premier 725s? That's just where I'd start my testing. No guarantees. Lol

[@jseek2512]

@@BlackTieBarn that's what I was thinking lol. Thanks :)

[@smsalinasrn]

I want to make some candles to gift for Christmas to friends and coworkers. I don't plan on selling or starting a business at all. Seems like a lot to go through just to give them as a gifts. I was just going to measure diameter of vessel and chose a wick base on wax, the hope for the best. 😆 🤣 😂

[@debramiller3857]

Where did you get those jars?

[@BlackTieBarn]

There was a previous video to this (part 1). But they came from Ambrosina

[@sherinesmikle5953]

Omg I was freaking out. I literally hunted down your videos to see if mine was normal. I’ve been getting mushrooms on the candles during the second time I lit for burn test with CDN wicks. Thought I would have to change all 3 wicks completely 😢😅

[@sherinesmikle5953]

I have a question, the mushrooms after the first burn should I be concerned if it happens everytime after the first burn? I also relocated the candles to another room but while walking it had smoke, once I set them down it went away completely. Is that normal?

[@BlackTieBarn]

Pr etty normal

[@BlackTieBarn]

Some mushrooming is normal and ok and goes and goes sometimes too. You don't want excessive or smoking a lot though for sure

[@sherinesmikle5953]

@@BlackTieBarn awesome! Thank you

[@Soylarimar]

What do you do w the failed candle wax? Melt/reuse w the next wick test?

[@BlackTieBarn]

Yah more testing or personal use. Lol

[@Soylarimar]

@@BlackTieBarn I ask bc I’ve had a couple of failed testers and scent is great but need to keep trying to find a good wick option… didn’t know how to go about doing that

[@IDTELi]

What size/diameter were the test jars?

[@BlackTieBarn]

About 3.75oz diameter holds around 13oz wax

[@fomoerotic]

Thanks for the video, Wade! When double-wicking, how do you determine how far apart the two wicks should be?

[@BlackTieBarn]

It will vary by jar size and shape. But at least an inch apart. But not too close to the jar walls. So it's hard to say without a specific example. And then of course through testing. :)

[@jamiejamison2306]

What is the width of this vessel?

[@BlackTieBarn]

3.75"

[@ezluhan]

Please, Please, Please include "New Quantize Jumps" also in "Edison" and "Slicex".

[@BlackTieBarn]

What? Lol. I vaguely know what those mean in the audio/ music world but not sure what you mean or how it relates to the video. Lol

[@bossfan8]

Hey Wade, I'm intrigued.. when you test your candles, do you tend to use the same percentage of FO with the same wax or do you sometimes change the percentage??

[@firepowerrr3]

that depends on the fragrance oil ! :) sometimes I only need 6% on some candles if it’s strong or I bump up to 8% if it’s a super light fragrance

[@BlackTieBarn]

I start with the same usually and then adjust if I feel like it needs adjusted. Some fragrances need less for sure.

[@bossfan8]

@@BlackTieBarn Ok thanks I'll take that into consideration. The only way to know is if I test different percentages. I'm enjoying learning and testing.

[@bossfan8]

@@firepowerrr3 Ok thanks, I'll go experiment 🙂

[@stevechappellie904]

What software did you use for your labels?

[@BlackTieBarn]

Some lightning labels, some sticker mule for the printing. I design in photoshop

[@stevechappellie904]

@@BlackTieBarn Thank you Wade! Appreciate all you do.

[@candlewhisperer]

Hello Wade Thomas Great review video!!! The red vessel is so beautiful. I have not launch my candles; however, I have been working on some scents for the fall/winter season. I am a blender so I combine two or more scents to create one unique scent. My favorite fall/winter scent is Winter's kiss, Spiked Eggnog, and Autumn as Harvest.

[@candlewhisperer]

Autumn Harvest

[@ttisol]

I recently ran stress tests on a couple of candles that had no mushroom issues during their normal cycles, yet while stress-burn testing, there were mushrooms right off the bat 🥴

[@rachaelg.4804]

I feel your pain!

[@BlackTieBarn]

Yah isn't that super frustrating .. its like the candle knew what you were up to. 🤣

[@IrishQ76]

Yankee, Goose Creek, and most other major brand candles mushrooms when you stress burn them. Even the over priced Lush. I know we want to have perfection but unfortunately we can't expect products to do something they are not meant to do. All we can do is are best and don't stress the rest. 🙂💞

[@BlackTieBarn]

@@IrishQ76 very very true. I think people tend to worry too much about mushrooms, etc. If it burns well and isn't a crazy large mushroom (or too quickly), it isn't an automatic fail for me

[@albelishicks7680]

Thanks

[@BlackTieBarn]

👍

[@brendan3081]

Still trying to find my perfect wick. I went from a eco 12 in the GW454 cocosoy, i felt that it was a little to weak, so with help from the candle science support team i went up to the LX24 wick which they said would be the next up in between the eco 12 and 14.....two burns in though im getting a lot of mushrooming, like the tip of my wick is just one large mushroom head. Thinking about grabbing some lx 22 just to try but wanted to ask if this is common of the lx wick? i know they are more flat then the eco does that have something to do with it or is it just that its to strong for my wax?

[@BlackTieBarn]

All wicks can mushroom for sure. I think lx do more than others but depends on the wax. What diameter of vessel are you using? Some sizes are just SUPER hard to wick well.

[@brendan3081]

@@BlackTieBarn its a 7.5 oz with an opening thats 2.5 in

[@BlackTieBarn]

@@brendan3081 I would definitely stick with ECO, HTP, or CDN for that wax. And maybe even Premier 700 wicks. I would try the ECO 14 before I would settle on the LX. I dont have a ton of experience with 454 but thats what I would try next.

[@brendan3081]

@@BlackTieBarn i tried the eco 14 and midway in my burn the vessle got to hot, like 145 hot so i wanted something less but the 12 left a lot of hang....any recommendations on specific htp cdn or premier for my sized vessel?

[@BlackTieBarn]

@@brendan3081 Did the 12 leave just a lot of hang-up on first burn or two? That is pretty normal. If you didn't already try burning it futher, it usually catches up as you burn the candle down. I probalby wopuldn't try HTP is the ECO 12 wasn't cutting it. You could try a CD or CDN 12 and adjust as needed.

[@katherinenieves9658]

🙂

[@BlackTieBarn]

❤️