Brooke Martin
The Magic Traveling Flame trick involves blowing out a candle and then relighting it without touching the wick. This is achieved by using another flame and placing it into the smoke trail produced by the blown-out candle. While it may appear that the smoke is being lit, it is actually the vaporized wax that reignites and allows the flame to travel back to the wick. This trick works because the residue heat from the wick keeps vaporizing wax, and the vaporized wax can catch fire. The smoke trail is more visible in still air, and the flame should be placed close to the wick without touching it.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What happens when a candle is lit? | Heat from the flame vaporizes the candle wax. |
| What happens when a candle is blown out? | Vaporized wax remains in the air for a few seconds. |
| How can the candle be relit? | By applying a heat source quickly, the wax can be ignited. |
| What is the smoke from a candle? | It is a complex material that contains substances like soot, unburned wax vapour, and water vapour. |
| What is the science behind the trick? | The flame travels along a path of smoke to the wick, igniting the wax vapour and relighting the candle. |
| What are some tips for performing the trick? | Ensure still air around the candle and move the second flame closer to the wick for a clearer smoke trail. |
| What are trick candles? | Candles that relight themselves after being blown out, often containing magnesium in the wick. |
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What You'll Learn
The trick works because of vaporized wax, not smoke
The "smoke trail" you see after blowing out a candle is not smoke but vaporized wax. This wax remains briefly in the air, and if you apply a heat source quickly enough, you can ignite it. The flame will then travel down the smoke trail to the wick, relighting the candle.
The trick works best when the air is still, as this maximizes the amount of wax vapor around the wick and creates a clear smoke trail. The flame should be placed close to the wick, as this is where the concentration of vaporized wax is highest.
The vaporized wax is a hot gas, and its hydrocarbons break down into hydrogen and carbon. This gaseous wax then burns in oxygen to produce water vapour, carbon dioxide, heat, and light.
The yellow flame you see on a candle is composed mainly of burning soot, which is a black material composed mostly of carbon that comes from burning organic items. The blue flame that travels along the smoke trail to relight the candle is much hotter, with temperatures of around 2,500°F (1400°C).
The reason scented candles give off their strongest smell immediately after being blown out is that the odorants in the vaporized wax are not being burned.
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The smoke trail is a straight, hot fuel trail
When you blow out a candle, the smoke trail you see is not smoke but vaporized wax. This wax vapour is a hot fuel trail that can be ignited by a flame. The smoke trail is straight when the air is still, and you can touch the flame to any part of the trail connected to the wick.
The wick of the candle remains hot enough to continue to vaporize the wax for a short time after the flame has been extinguished. This creates a trail of hot fuel vapour that rises from the wick. This vapour is the "smoke trail" you see.
When you bring a flame close to the fuel trail, the wax vapour ignites. The flame then travels along the trail of hot fuel vapour to the wick, and the candle glows once again.
The trick works because of the properties of the wax vapour. The vapour is hot and combustible, so it can be ignited by a flame. The flame then travels along the trail of hot fuel vapour to the source of the vapour, which is the wick of the candle.
The straightness of the smoke trail is important for the success of the trick. If the air is still, the smoke trail will be straight, and you can touch the flame to any part of the trail. This allows you to relight the candle without touching the flame to the wick.
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The wick contains magnesium, a highly reactive metal
The relighting candle trick is a fun experiment for children and adults. It involves blowing out a candle and then relighting it without touching the wick. The trick works because when you blow out a candle, vapourised wax briefly remains in the air. If you apply a heat source quickly enough, you can ignite the wax vapour and relight the candle.
Magnesium is used in trick candles because it is flammable at a lower temperature than other pyrophoric metals such as aluminium or iron. However, experts caution that these candles pose a fire hazard. The vapourised wax from the candle can catch fire, and the flame will travel along a path of smoke to the wick.
To perform the trick, light a candle and have a second source of flame ready, such as another candle, a lighter, or a match. Blow out the candle and immediately place the other flame into the smoke trail. The flame will travel down the smoke trail and relight the candle. It helps to ensure that the air is still around the candle to maximise the amount of wax vapour and create a clear smoke trail.
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The wick must be kept short to prevent too much wax from vaporizing
When a candle is lit, the heat from the flame vaporizes the wax. An overly long wick allows too much wax to vaporize, making the flame too rich and producing smoke. This is why candle wicks need to be trimmed regularly.
When a candle is blown out, the residual heat from the wick keeps vaporizing the wax, and a trail of vaporized wax is visible as smoke. This vaporized wax can be ignited using another flame, which will then travel along the smoke trail to the wick, lighting the candle again.
The vaporized wax can be ignited because it is a fuel source. When a candle is lit, the wax vapor burns in oxygen to produce water vapour, carbon dioxide, heat, and light. The smoke from a candle contains unburned wax vapour, which is why it appears white or grey.
Therefore, to perform the trick successfully, it is important to ensure that the wick is not too long, as this will produce too much wax vapour, which will ignite and produce smoke. The ideal conditions for this trick are still air and a clear smoke trail, which will maximize the amount of wax vapour around the wick.
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The smoke is combustible material that hasn't ignited yet
The "'smoke trail' you see when you blow out a candle is not smoke, but vaporized wax. This wax vapour is combustible material that has not ignited yet. When a candle is lit, the heat from the flame vaporises the candle wax, and when you blow out the candle, this vaporised wax briefly remains in the air. If you bring another flame close to the vapour trail, you can ignite the wax vapour and use that reaction to relight the wick of the candle.
The smoke from a candle is a complex material that contains substances such as soot, which is composed mostly of carbon, and unburned wax vapour. The yellow flame you see on a candle is made up of burning soot, while the surrounding blue flame, which can reach temperatures of around 1400°C, is not visible to the naked eye.
The reason scented candles give off a stronger smell immediately after being blown out is that the odorants are not being burned by the flame. Vaporized but unlit wax vapour will smell stronger than fully burned vapours.
It is important to note that smoke is combustible. When something is burning, the smoke that is produced is material that has burned inefficiently. It is made up of gases that did not ignite due to their chemical structure but will combust if exposed to high heat.
In the case of the candle trick, the unignited gases in the smoke trail follow back to the wick, which is still hot enough to act as a fuel source and relight the candle.
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Frequently asked questions
When you blow out a candle, the residue heat from the wick keeps vaporizing wax. The smoke trail is made up of vaporized wax. By bringing another flame close to the smoke trail, you can reignite the candle.
The smoke trail is made up of vaporized wax, or wax vapour. It is not the smoke that catches fire, but the wax vapour.
The wax vapour ignites, and the flame travels down the smoke trail to the wick, relighting the candle.
The closer the flame is to the wick, the easier it is to light the candle. This is because the concentration of wax vapour is highest near the wick.
Trick birthday candles contain magnesium powder in the wick. When the flame is blown out, the hot embers from the wick ignite the magnesium, which then relights the wick.
