Candle Burn Test...
A vital and necessary part of candle making is a burn test or wick testing or candle testing, which ever you prefer to call it. So when it comes to testing out your candles as a candle maker it is can be very tedious yet rewarding. If you plan to sell or you're sharing your candles with others then I'd highly suggest you test first. That way you can be sure that you're giving away a safe product.
The method for candle testing is a simple method. It can take a few days or longer depending on your schedule. Now before I get into my way of doing this I will first share the reason why it should be done. The number one reason for me is candle safety and that should be all candle makers top priority over anything else.
The method itself is pretty easy and simple. It's so easy that it should never be skipped. So the steps are.
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Trim your wick
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Make sure your candles are on a clean even surface - inches apart if testing more than one candle
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Light candles, a note pad is needed to record time, keep an eye on candles as they burn when testing new wicks
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Two hours in - jot down the details of the appearance of the candle include wick appearance, mushrooming or soot details - if the wax is melting properly - edge to edge (depending on diameter of vessel it may have reached edge to edge)
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Four hours in - jot down the details once again. Examine the melt pool and wick. At this point it should have reached a full melt pool, edge to edge - minimal to no soot, minimal to no mushrooming, melt pool 1/2 to 1 inch
Wick Too Big: The flame will dance consistently, it'll mushroom lots, it'll soot crazy and melt pool will be ocean deep
Wick Too Small: Melt pool shallow, no mushrooming or soot, wick barely burning, wax tunneling, flame low or barely there
Allow your potential candle(s) to cool for at least 3 to 4 hours - Repeat the steps again. Do these steps in 4 hour increments until the candle is fully burned out. Test will then be complete.
Remember, the best candles are SAFE candles.
