How do i choose the right wick size for beeswax candles?

[VioletZP]

I’ve been trying to make my own beeswax candles, but I can’t get the wick size right for the container I’m using. Every time, it either drowns in wax or burns way too fast and sooty. How do you figure out the proper wick for a specific diameter and wax type?

[Aaron_S]

Been there. I treat it like a calibration exercise. I measure the container diameter, then pick a size that the wax supplier recommends for that wax and that diameter. I run two small test candles, each with a different option, and watch the burn. I use a ruler to check the melt pool width; it should roughly cover the base of the container or be a touch narrower. If the pool tunnels, I step up; if it drowns the flame or smokes, I step down. I keep notes on how long it takes to form a steady pool and whether the flame stays centered.

[Kenneth.L]

I did a handful of burns in a 2.5 inch jar with three sizes. The largest got a quick mushroom and a lot of heat; the smallest smoked and barely lifted the wax; the middle one gave a clean pool after about five minutes. I repeated with two other jars to see if the pattern held, and it mostly did, with the middle option again producing a stable pool.

[Tyler.P]

Are you sure the container diameter is the real limiter, or could something else be throwing it off like fragrance load, wax temperature at pour, or the material of the core? Sometimes I fix one variable and the burn still changes with a different batch of wax.

[Riley_H]

I once drifted into thinking about jar shape and air flow, like whether a curved lip makes the flame behave oddly. Kept testing anyway, centering by eye and letting the candle rest before lighting again. Ended up learning that the burn is a moving target and that a few quick tests beat guessing.