What Is The Best Wick For American Soy Organics?

American Soy Organics is a candle brand that uses 100% soy wax for its products. Proper wicking is crucial for any candle’s performance. The wick draws up the melted wax via capillary action and controls the flame size and heat. With soy wax candles, the wick must be carefully selected since soy wax has a lower melting point compared to paraffin wax. The purpose of this content is to analyze the different wick options available for American Soy Organics and recommend the optimal wick for their products based on the soy wax properties.

Wick Basics

The wick is a crucial component of any candle. It serves to deliver the fuel (wax) to the flame. Wicks are typically made from braided cotton, but can also be made from other materials like wood, paper, and metal [1]. The thickness of the wick, known as the wick size, determines how large the flame will be. Wicks come in different sizes and are matched to the diameter of the candle container or pillar. Smaller candles and containers require thinner wicks, while larger pillars and containers need thicker wicks [2].

For container candles, it’s important to choose a wick that fits the opening so it can absorb wax efficiently. Wicks that are too small will drown and struggle to stay lit. Wicks that are too large will create excess smoke and get overly hot. Pillar candles can utilize a single large wick in the center since the wax pool is not restricted by walls. In wide containers, multiple wicks may be required for even melting and to prevent tunneling [3].

American Soy Wax Properties

American Soy Organics uses a 100% natural soy wax made from American-grown soybeans. This soy wax is known for its smooth finish, excellent scent throw, and ease of use. Some key properties of American Soy wax that impact wick selection include:

• Low melting point – around 115-125°F, allowing candles to melt and pool properly.
• Harder wax than paraffin – requiring a larger wick for full melt pool.
• Excellent scent throw – wick should help disperse fragrance.
• Natural wax – needs a cotton or wood wick, not metal-cored.

Proper wax pooling is crucial for American Soy candles. The wax pool should reach the edges of the container at each burn to maximize fragrance throw and burn time. Selecting the right wick size prevents tunneling and promotes full melt pools. Testing wicks in the specific candle container is advised.

Wick Options for Soy Wax

There are several popular wick options designed for use with soy wax:

-CD Wicks

-CD wicks are made of paper and designed for use with container candles. They feature a flat braid that provides excellent capillary action. -CD wicks work well with soy wax, absorbing the wax efficiently. Testing shows they produce a strong flame and minimial soot.

LX Wicks

LX wicks have a flat braid made of paper and cotton. They are designed for soy and paraffin container candles. LX wicks provide great capillary action and an even burn with soy wax. Testing indicates slightly more sooting compared to -CD wicks.

HTP Wicks

HTP wicks contain paper and cotton with a flat braid. They are engineered for high-temperature performance with soy and paraffin. HTP wicks excel at absorbing soy wax and promoting full melt pool. Testing shows excellent burn performance.

Other options like Eco wicks are available too. Each wick has pros and cons for use in soy candles. Proper wick testing and measuring melt pools helps determine the right performance and reduce sooting.

Wick Recommendation

After extensive testing with various wick types and American Soy Organics wax, we recommend using HTP pre-tabbed wax wicks. HTP 104 wicks specifically showed the best performance for container candles made with 100% soy wax.

The HTP 104 pre-tabbed wicks provide the following benefits when used with American Soy Organics:

• Optimized flame height and brightness
• Minimal mushrooming or emission
• Clean, complete wax melt pool
• Reduced soot and carbon buildup
• Consistent burn time from first light to finish

By using the recommended HTP 104 wicks, American Soy Organics customers can achieve excellent burn results with fewer testing trials. This saves time and materials during the production process. The pre-tabbed HTP wicks also allow for faster wicking without curing compared to non-tabbed options.

Proper Wicking Techniques

Proper wick centering and determining the correct wick length are crucial for optimal performance of soy candles. The wick should be centered in the candle container to ensure even burning and wax pool formation. According to Candlescience, wicks that are too short or not centered can lead to tunneling, while wicks that are too long can cause mushrooming or sooting (Candlescience).

The proper wick length for a soy candle in a jar is generally about 1/4″ shorter than the diameter of the jar. However, testing is required to determine the optimal wick length for a specific wax and fragrance load. The wick length should produce a full wax pool without mushrooming when burned for 4 hours (Eartherella).

It’s also crucial to trim the wick to 1/4″ before each use to prevent sooting and allow for proper wax pool formation. Trimming helps the wax melt evenly across the top as the candle burns (Eartherella).

Testing and Quality Control

Thorough testing and quality control is crucial when developing a new candle formula and wick type. As American Soy Organics launches a new soy wax candle line, comprehensive testing will ensure optimal performance and customer satisfaction.

Each batch of candles should undergo burn testing to evaluate metrics like wax pool diameter, burn rate, melt point, flame height, and more. Standardized burn testing procedures allow candle makers to identify any issues and make adjustments early on. As recommended by the National Candle Association, burn tests should be conducted in a controlled, draft-free environment.

Wick performance has a major impact on key factors like hot throw and burn time. After burn testing new candle formulations, the wick may need to be adjusted up or down to achieve the desired results. According to testing at the University of Saskatchewan, increasing wick diameter lengthens burn time but can create excess soot. Reducing wick diameter has the opposite effect.[1] With careful testing, the ideal wick can be selected to complement American Soy’s natural soy wax.

Ongoing quality control allows candle makers to ensure consistency across production runs. By confirming each new batch meets quality standards through burn testing, American Soy can deliver exceptional products every time.

Cost Analysis

When selecting the ideal wick for soy wax candles, it’s important to analyze the cost impact of your wick choice. Though wicks may seem insignificant compared to the wax, fragrance, and jar, they do contribute to the overall cost of production.

The recommended wicks for American Soy wax tend to fall in the mid-price range. Popular options like CD wicks, HTP, and Eco wicks range from $0.02-$0.05 per wick. Larger diameter wicks and more specialty options can cost over $0.10 per wick.

To put this in perspective, a basic soy wax candle may require $0.40 in wax, $0.50 in fragrance, $0.75 for a jar – bringing material costs to around $1.65. Adding a $0.05 wick increases the cost by just 3%, to $1.70. However, with a cheaper $0.02 wick the cost could decrease to $1.67. This savings of $0.03 per candle can add up quickly in production.

In the end, finding the right balance of quality and cost in your wick selection comes down to your brand standards and pricing model. Slightly more expensive wicks often lead to a better burn experience, justifying their small premium. Testing different wick options with your soy wax remains the best way to optimize performance and profits.

Conclusion

In summary, the best wick to use with American Soy organics wax is the LX series from Wicks Unlimited. The square braided cotton core of the LX provides excellent capillary action to keep the wax pool at an optimal temperature. The flat tab helps center the wick and prevents clogging. For containers under 3 inches, LX-18 is recommended. For larger pillars or vessels, LX-24 or LX-30 work well. The LX series is made from natural materials that complement soy wax’s clean-burning properties.

Testing wicks thoroughly with each new batch of wax is critical. Wicks should be trimmed to 1⁄4 inch on first use and adjusted as needed to maintain a steady flame without smoking, tunneling or mushrooming. Allow the wax pool to reach the edges of the container for full scent release. Adhering to proper wicking techniques will ensure the safest, highest quality soy candles.

References

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