Candle Carbon Wick Mushroom
Problem Troubleshooting Guide

Candle makers come across carbon mushroom wick problems commonly. This is nearly always caused by using a wick that is too large.

Wick Type
Carbon mushrooms are nearly always associated with use of a cored wick.

Prevention - A small amount of carbon buildup is unavoidable on cored wicks. If you feel there is excessive buildup there may be related causes.

Candle Type
Cored wick usage should be limited to container candles and molds where the wick is added from the top (molds without wick holes such as metal votive molds and standard floater molds).

Prevention - Cored wick does not burn as clean as square or flat braid wick, so use it only when necessary. Cored wick should not be used in molds with a wick hole.

Wick Size
Use of wicks that are too large accounts for most carbon mushroom problems.

Prevention - Experiment with progressively smaller wick sizes. Note: Wick size charts are approximations that cannot take all factors into consideration - consider these as suggested sizes for starting experimentation.

Additives
Some folks advocate the use of petroleum jelly or vegetable shortening to soften wax. In our experience, this causes excessive carbon.

Prevention - Discontinue the use of petroleum jelly or vegetable shortening. If a softer wax is needed, switch to a softer wax rather than trying to make harder wax soft. Note: Removing these products from your wax formula will usually require a wick size change as well. Experiment with smaller wicks.

Scent Oil
Although this is not commonly encountered, some scent oils seem to increase the amount of carbon buildup. If the items above did not correct the problem, then the scent oil is most likely at fault. This will rarely occur if the candle is made perfectly (correct wick size, trimmed wick, no excessive scent oil, etc...). To determine this make an identical candle with a different scent oil and see if the same thing occurs. If it does not occur, then try another candle with the original (problem) scent to make sure you didn't make a measuring mistake on the first one.

Prevention - Make sure your wax formula is mixed correctly . Do not mistake teaspoons (tsp.) for Tablespoons (Tbs.). If necessary switch to another scent oil.

If this does not help with your problem, please search our knowledgebase. If the answer is not in the knowledgebase, click here to submit your question.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and common candle making practices as of the time of this writing - January 2006. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This article is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

This article is provided free of charge for use. Candles may be made and sold using this design royalty free, however no portion of this article may be reproduced for publication elsewhere without express permission from Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc. with the following exceptions:

• Non profit organizations such as religious groups, scouts, 4h, etc... may use this information without permission for printed materials provided it is used without modification and credit is given to both the author and onestopcandle.com
• Reprinting to the web is prohibited without permission, however web sites wishing to link to this article may do so without permission.

All other requests need to be submitted via our reprint request form.

Click here for current shipout time on orders