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A wick trimmer is an implement similar to scissors, used to trim down the wicks of candles.
Are wick trimmers worth it?
Wick Trimming Tools Fancy wick trimmers aren’t necessary (but as a candle nerd myself I always use my specialized wick trimmer!). For the larger jar candles that have a lot of the wax burned down and the wick is way at the bottom of a jar a specialized wick trimmer definitely comes in handy.
How do you use a wick trimmer?
How (and how often) do you use a wick trimmer? Place the wick trimmer handle inside the rim of the jar. Bring the blades towards the wick parallel to the wax. Cut the wick to a height of about 4/5 mm. Throw the wick debris.
What does trimming the wick mean?
Why Trim Candle Wicks Trimming the wick allows the flame to have a clearer and brighter burn. Keeping wicks shorter also means your candles will have a cleaner burn. Some candles create a black, sooty residue when you burn them. Longer wicks tend to burn at a faster rate, which means they’re used up more quickly.
Can I use scissors instead of a wick trimmer?
A good sharp pair of scissors can be fantastic when trimming wicks, just be sure to remove the clipped wick debris from the candle wax. Scissors work best for simple cotton wicks and less so for wood wicks.
What happens if you don’t trim the wick?
Trimming the wicks will keep the candle burning without any black soot and it will give your candle a longer burn time. Here is what happens when you do not trim the wicks properly. When a wick gets too long it cannot draw wax all the way up to the top of the wick. Therefore, the wick itself will start to burn.
When should I trim my wick?
Keep the wick trimmed to 1/4 inch at all times. It is suggested to trim the wick every 4 hours of burn time. When wick trimming, you should always extinguish the flame, let the candle come to room temperature, and trim the wick before relighting.
Why should you use a wick trimmer?
Keeping the candle wick trimmed helps control the amount of melted wax (i.e., fuel) that the candle has access to, which helps limit the amount of soot it creates. The trimmed wick also helps the candle burn more evenly, controlling the soot and prolonging the life of the candle.
Why is trimming your wick important?
Keeping the candle wick trimmed helps control your flame height. Too big of a flame will cause the candle to burn to hot which isn’t safe for you, your space or your candle. It will also cause and create black soot, not cute.
How do you sharpen a wick trimmer?
You simply hook and dip the wick into the wax to extinguish it and straight away set it upright again. Tip- to sharpen wick cutters that seem blunt or aren’t cutting cleanly, simply cut up some alfoil with them. They’ll sharpen up again.
How do wicks work?
A candle wick works by capillary action, conveying (“wicking”) the fuel to the flame. When the liquid fuel, typically melted candle wax, reaches the flame it then vaporizes and combusts. Important characteristics of the wick include diameter, stiffness, fire-resistance, and tethering.
What is candle tunneling?
Tunneling happens when only a small portion of the wax around the wick melts while the candle is burning. Instead of having the entire surface of the wax melt evenly, it will appear as though the flame is burrowing into the candle and creating what resembles a small, vertical tunnel — hence the name.
What happens if I cut my candle’s wick too short?
Burning a candle without trimming the wick between uses could cause a dangerously large flame. It also increases the amount of soot that forms when the candle burns. That’s why you should always examine the wick length and trim it if necessary before lighting the candle.
Why do candles mushroom?
If you’ve ever had a candle with a black cap on the end, or what looks like a mushroom cap, it means your candle wick is mushrooming. In essence, the ratio of wax to wick is off. The buildup of excess materials left from not burning correctly is the cap of carbon particles you see, otherwise known as a mushroom wick.
Should you trim a new candle wick?
If you have all these assets, and the candle does not burn correctly, you’re in the dark. So, back to WICKSthe first thing you should do when you buy our candles or any other, is trim the wick before first burn. Trim it about 1/8″ above the surface of the wax. Then burn your candle.
Do you light all 3 wicks?
If you decide to burn just one wick at a time, still do the first burn with all three wicks — then alternate between wicks for the single burns, so that you keep the level of wax more or less even across the surface of the candle.
