here is a link to my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/calvincandle
My Story:
I have always loved candlelight. It symbolizes warmth and acceptance to me.
In my 3rd year of college however, I had bit of a mishap with a wax candle. I was living in a ‘studio’ apartment that had a separate kitchen space. One evening, from the kitchen, I noticed an unusually bright glow coming from the living and sleeping space. The candle I had lit, sitting atop my speaker, had sprung a leak, and the wax flowed out, spilling on to the speaker and on to the floor. This was what allowed the wick to burn uncontrollably and catch the mini-blinds on fire. Thank goodness for quick thinking and awareness of where the fire extinguisher was.
Naturally, that experience taught me a few things. And it also made me seek out different alternatives for my beloved candlelight. I was, of course, drawn to the oil lamp flame because of its containment, historical look, and the convenience of only having to add oil. It seemed to have it all… Until, I was made aware that the ‘oil’ used is a petroleum distillate. And, quite frankly, that made me uncomfortable to burn inside my home.
(If you’re interested here’s an article about burning another petroleum product in your home:
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/07/1015460605/gas-stove-emissions-climate-change-health-effects.
Also, the most common wax candles on the market are paraffin wax. This is yet another petroleum product: https://goblueox.com/blog/are-candles-bad-for-the-air-quality-in-your-home/#:~:text=The%20emissions%20from%20paraffin%20candles,common%20candles%20on%20the%20market)
After college I moved to Hawai’i for some adventure (and to test my mettle), but my search for the perfect candle continued, along with some research. I learned that the reason traditional oil lamps needed the lighter fuel (petroleum distillates), is that anything more viscous would not be able wick up a distance of more than a half of an inch or so.
Long story short, I decided it would be effective to have the flame float on top of its fuel source so that it could move up and down with the fuel. That thought, combined with a copious supply of corks resulting from my liquid love: wine; it all just came together. This was in October of 2012.
Then, in January of 2019, a tragedy struck our family. Five days before my nephew-to-be was due, my sister-in-law stopped feeling any movement or kicking etc. Her first pregnancy had been flawless up to this point. Our beautiful boy didn’t make it. He was to be named Calvin.
The following year, on January 16th, our family lit candles in his honor. When I lit my candle, my lady at the time suggested we name the candle after Calvin. We lit our candles so frequently, that we felt we were honoring our lost boy every day.
Up until that point, my floating candle idea and design hadn’t received much of my attention. This terrible event in our family gave me a renewed inspiration to finally share my candle with the world. I hope you enjoy your experience with it.
Thank you very much
Aloha and Mahalo
David
calvincandle.com
communication@calvincandle.com
If you or anyone you know has ever gone through, or are currently experiencing grief from such a tragedy, I encourage you to talk about it and to seek out support. Here is one resource from Calvin’s parents: https://starlegacyfoundation.org. Pregnancy loss, stillbirth, and neonatal death are very difficult topics to talk about, but that is the first step. Our prayers and chants and love are with you.
Use and Instructions:
I like to use the most affordable olive oil I can find, but any vegetable oil should work.
Start with the wick about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch (~6.5 – 9.5 mm) high from the metal base. The wick is loose by design, so that it may be adjusted up and down, while it’s floating, without getting your fingers oily. Raise the wick higher for a higher flame, but I wouldn’t go higher than 1/2 inch (~13 mm).
Do not leave any flame unattended.
If you have trouble lighting your candle the next time you try, be aware that after around 8-12 hours of burning the wick will probably need a little trim. Tweezers work well to pluck off the carbon, and also to draw the wick back up to the starting height noted above.
If there is ever a ‘bloom’ present on the top of the wick, I recommend removing this before you light the candle, as it could become detached from the wick and tumble to the cork, potentially setting it aflame.
Build-up on the metal base will also occur around 8-12 hours of burning. It’s important to clean that periodically. Use your best judgment, but please be aware that if the metal base becomes coated in black, the flame could spread across to the cork. And that’s not the flame you’re looking for.
I have had these candles burn continuously for up to 18.5 hours. It may burn much longer… but I like to sleep, so I haven’t yet discovered what its upper limit is. (It is possible to adjust the wick height while the candle is burning, but be very, very, careful).
The best tool I have found for maintenance… well, that my former lady (and still BFF) found, is a gemologist tool with tweezers at one end and a shovel/scoop at the other:
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Tweezer-Pointed-Beading-Tweezers/dp/B096VKL43D/ref=sr_1_20?crid=XXNTHTQTSN51&keywords=tweezers+with+shovel+scoop&qid=1657059781&sprefix=%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-20
Happy burning!
PS. If you’re interested, here are the results of my test burning, in order to determine the candle burn rate. A 6” piece of wick was used. I tried to measure accurately for the purposes of this test, but I made sure to include a little over 6” in each candle. The wick was then measured at the end of the test:
Day 1: 13 hrs 34 mins
Day 2: 10 hrs 03 mins
Day 3: 06 hrs 53 mins
Day 4: 09 hrs 31 mins
Day 5: 18 hrs 30 mins
Day 6: 18 hrs 02 mins
Day 7: 05 hrs 05 mins
Day 8: 09 hrs 21 mins
Day 9: 10 hrs 56 mins
Day 10: 07 hrs 45 mins
Total: 109 hrs 40 mins burned approximately 2 inches of wick; so 6 inches of wick should burn for approximately 329 hours.
