# Why are my candles not burning?



## beaglady

I've been wanting to get into making candles, too and have done enough reading on the subject to be well intimidated. Beeswax, from what I've read, uses a larger diameter wick than soy wax. Some of the beekeeping catalogs that also sell candle stuff give recommendations for wick sizes in relation to candle diameter. 

There seems to be a lot of trial and error with candlemaking. Every time you change containers, or add a different fragrance, or color, etc., the wick requirements change. This is why I've never actually gotten around to making candles.


----------



## GaSteve

It sounds like you have the wrong type and/or size of wick. Mann Lake has a very good candle section in their catalog and sells wick specifically for beeswax candles. They also have a guide to help you select the right wick for the mold you're using. 

Don't waste your time with cheap wick. A good wick actually has some threads tighter than others so when it burns, it curls 90 degrees for a perfect burn. If it stands straight up, it will develop a big black carbon mushroom cap. If it curls too far, the tip will fall into the puddle and extinguish itself.

>There seems to be a lot of trial and error with candlemaking. 

Very true.


----------



## Hillside

The size of the wick varies with the size of the candle and also with the type of wax the candle is made from. 

Mann Lake lists these sizes in their catalog. 

60 Ply Wicking - >3" diameter candle
2/0 Wicking - 1" - 3" diameter candle
4/0 Wicking - <1" diameter candle 

I would assume they are making this recommendation for beeswax.


----------



## Pete0

Hasn't been mentioned but you also should prewax your wicks. Hope I'm explaining this correctly. Anyway, we cut our wicks into 24" lengths, tie each to a paper clip and then soak them in wax. Then hang them with the paper clip on a coat hanger to dry before ever using them in a candle.

--Pete0


----------



## livetrappingbymatt

pre waxing wicks with parafin helps on some candles.yes most candle making is trial & error but it's still fun.
bob


----------



## shoefly

Besides the right type wick is there reason to believe the cleanliness of the wax makes a difference to maintain a flame? We have used two types of wick from the local craft store. One for tealites and one with a zinc core. Both did not work. Very small flame and after 20 minutes the flame goes out.


----------



## Dick Allen

That's about what happens to my votives too, shoefly. They burn pretty good for not much more than half an hour. Then the flame gets smaller and smaller until it goes out in its pool of wax.

The type of wax?? Richard Taylor writes that for dipping, poorer quality wax is fine until the last few dips when you would want to use your best wax. My wax is not all cappings wax, some of it contains burr comb wax and even old combs wax. It is clean, though. I don't get any sputterting from my dipped candles. They burn ok. It's just those poured votives I'm getting frustrated over.


----------



## Jim Fischer

> Then the flame gets smaller and smaller until 
> it goes out in its pool of wax.

What you are saying appears to indicate that
the wick is burning away too quickly. Is there
any wick protruding above the pool of wax when
the flame goes out? If not, this would indicate
that you do not have a thick enough wick.

When I look at any candle that has been burned
and then blown out, I see a length of wick that 
is anywhere from 1/4" to 1/2" long.

As pure beeswax will burn longer than paraffin
or a wax/paraffin mix, this implies that beeswax
candles would require thicker wicks.


----------



## Dick Allen

>Is there any wick protruding above the pool of wax when
the flame goes out?

Yes, there appears to be about the 1/4 to 1/2 inch you mention.


----------



## Jim Fischer

> Yes, there appears to be about the 
> 1/4 to 1/2 inch you mention.

Well, _fuel, air, spark_ is the rule,
just like any other combustion. What happens
when you re-light the candle after it goes out?


----------



## Fuzzy

I have been told that the candles used in Catholic churches are strictly beeswax. I would be guessing that they are made by some monks or friars at some monastary.

So, for advice on beeswax candles, find a friar or monk who makes them.


----------



## Jim Fischer

> I have been told that the candles used in Catholic
> churches are strictly beeswax. 

No, they are, for the most part 51% beeswax
and 49% petro-chemical. And they are not made
by monks, many are made by the A.I. Root candle
company, publisher of Bee Culture magazine.

100% beeswax candles are rare, but can be 
found at retail if one looks around.


----------



## BerkeyDavid

Fuzzy I heard / read the same thing somewhere. That is was a law that all candles burned in the catholic church had to be pure beeswax.


----------



## BerkeyDavid

OK I figured Jim had some basis for his statement. Here is what I found, the footnotes and detail can be found here Catholic Culture 



> It is undoubtedly the mind of the church that the candle be made of wax. The Missale Romanum, listing the things required for the celebration of Mass, plainly orders luminaria cerea.7 Van der Stappen lays down the general principle that no other material should be used.8 However, he notes that in our day it is increasingly difficult to obtain candles unmixed with other substances, and accordingly several bishops at the turn of the century asked the Holy See to recognize this situation and advise. The Sacred Congregation of Rites answered that it would no longer require candles made entirely of wax, but the Pascal Candle, the candles used in the blessing of baptismal water, and the two candles needed for the celebration of Mass, must be made of wax, at least in maxima parte; all other candles used on the altar must contain a "greater or notable part of wax". Pastors and rectors of churches should follow the norms approved by their respective Ordinaries.9 In view of this decree, Van der Stappen says that he and others hold that for the Pascal Candle and for the candles necessary for the celebration of Mass, it is sufficient that 75 % wax be used; for all other candles used on the altar, for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the public recitation of the Office, etc., it suffices that the candles used contain about 50 % beeswax. Fortesque has this to say: "The proportion of beeswax in church candles is regulated by law. The Pascal candle, the two candles for low Mass, six for High Mass, and the twelve necessary for Benediction must have at least 65 % of real beeswax. All other candles used on the altar must have at least 25 % of real beeswax. So the Bishops of England, and Wales on 4 December, 1906. The Bishops of Ireland, in October 1905, directed that the Pascal Candle, and the two principal candles on the altar at Mass should contain at least 65 % beeswax and that all other candles used on the altar should contain at least 25 % of beeswax."10 Augustine states: "The general rule is that all candles used at liturgical functions should be made of pure beeswax. Therefore, candles made of stearine (animal fat), or of paraffin (hydrocarbon or brown coal), or of tallow are not permitted for liturgical use (S.R.C. No. 3063)". Commenting on the decree of 1904, he says: "This would spell, perhaps in percentages: 67-75 % of beeswax for the first class (maxima parte) and at least 51 % for the other candles".11 Looking through other standard works on liturgy and rubrics, we find that these opinions are the ones commonly accepted. Since we are not at liberty to follow in this country the special rules promulgated by the local Ordinaries of England, Wales and Ireland, we must obey the statutes of our own local dioceses, when and where the Ordinary has seen fit to legislate in this matter. Otherwise, we should be guided by the opinions of prudent liturgists. It is safe to conclude that the Pascal Candle and the candles used at Mass must have at least two thirds wax in their composition. 67 yo would be the minimum. About the other candles, the Sacred Congregation of Rites prescribes that a greater ( 51 %) or notable part of the candles must be wax. 25 % seems rather low. 40 % looks better. In any case, a little wax put in the candle by the manufacturer to bind the basic matter together or make it workable would not suffice. The priest should buy those candles only which have the percentage of wax used clearly stamped on the individual candle. To resolve all doubts, the Holy See leaves the final word to the local Bishop.


----------



## BerkeyDavid

I couldn't resist another quote, sorry about the length but I thought it was worthwhile... 



> The Laus cerei is mentioned by St. Jerome about the year 378, and he himself composed a hymn, in which he includes the symbolism of the bees and the wax. Later Ennodius of Pavia (d. 521) composed two hymns in like vein, in which he speaks of the chastity of the working bee as typical of the virgin birth of the Saviour, and of the lighted candle being offered and consecrated to God. While the idea of the virginity of the bee has been relegated to the shades of mythology, yet it had a deep influence at the time, of making sacred the use of the wax candle in ecclesiastical services.


----------



## Jim Fischer

> OK I figured Jim had some basis for his statement.

Yeah, I took the nickel tour at A. I. Root,
and like any beekeeper, was interested in
the amount of beeswax in each type of candle.


----------

