Are you starting your own scented candle business on a small scale? Or do you want to make every item of your wax candles at your home? In any case, this guide about making candlewick can help you.

Besides, we’ll help you identify the main factors to consider while buying or creating your candlewick. So you can be vigilant about these aspects and make sure that you get the right.

What do we want to achieve with a candlewick?

You might know candlewicks to be something that can light your candle, but it is a lot more than that. A candlewick is responsible for

• Managing the consistency in the lighting
• Ensuring minimum blooming
• Maintaining a moderate temperature level for the container
• Nice looking spool

Amazed? With all the features associated with the candlewick, now you can very well understand the importance you should give to candlewick during its creation. 

Types of Wicks:

Another essential thing to consider while choosing your candlewick is its feature. Not every wick is similar, so here are the different types available:

Flat Wick – these wicks are usually made from 3 bundles of fibers. They can curl in to generate the trimming impact.

Square Wicks – rounded or robust wicks, especially in comparison to the flat wick. They form the braided and knotted curls.

Cored Wicks – these wicks utilize a core material for keeping the wick upright. Cotton, paper, and zinc are the essential materials used for the creation of cored wicks.

HTP Wicks – these are the self-trimming wicks but possess the rigidity just like the cored wicks

LX Wicks - this is the flat braided wick made from pure ring spun cotton yarn. Reduction in the afterglow, soot, and smoke are the main features you can get from this wick.

What will you need to create your candlewick?

Here’s the list of material you’ll need to create your candlewick:

• Cotton twine
• Tongs
• Scissors
• Wax Melter
• Candle Wax
• Pliers
• 2 tbs salt
• 4 tbs boric acid powder
• 1.5 cups of warm water

Complete Process:

You’ll have to follow these steps to create your candlewick:

Step 1: Get your wick ready:

Decide upon the container that you want your candles to be in. Based on this selection, you can choose your wick size. A large container would require a long wick, whereas a small one will need the small one.

Besides, you’ll have to decide the wick type before finalizing your preparations.

You’ll require a wick 3 inches longer than the container. If you want the braided candle, then you’ll need three strands of equal length.

Step 2: Soak it in the solution:

Add boric acid powder and salt to the warm water. Mix properly, so everything is dissolved fully. Soak the twine in the solution for at least eight hours to 24 hours, depending upon the time availability.

Step 3: Dry your wicks:

After removing your wicks from the solution, you can hang them to dry for at least 48 hours. If you see some white crystals on the twine, they are perfectly alright. You can brush them off after the drying process is finished.

Step 4: Melt the wax:

Now, you’ll have to melt the wax using the double boiler method. In this method, you can place the container with wax inside the container filled with water. Place both these containers on the stove to melt the wax. Don’t forget to stir constantly.

At this point, you’ll only need the wax to cover the bottom of the container, covering the wick.

Step 5: Tip the twine:

Put the twine in the wax for a minute to coat it with wax. A pro tip here is to use the tongs. Using tongs can help you in protecting your hands from the candle wax.

Step 6: Dry your wicks:

Now hang your twine for drying once again after removing it from the wax coating.

You might want to repeat “tip the twine” and “dry your wicks” procedures to make the coating stronger. The twine won’t absorb wax, but it will form the coating around.

Step 7: Add wick sustainers:

This is an optional step, but you can perform it if you want to keep your wick straight in the container. Place the wick sustainer at the bottom of the container. Thread your wick through the hole and crimp to make it straight.

If you have created the extra wicks, you can store them in a cool dry place.

Alternative to these wicks:

There are different alternatives available for these wicks, which can make your candles look more beautiful. These include:

Oil-Soaked Candle Wicks:

In these wicks, you don’t have to use plain cotton string. You can merge your cotton wicks into vegetable oil, grease, or cooking oil.

You don’t have to put in any extra effort. Just heat the oil and soak your cotton string in the oil. Your oil-soaked candlewicks are ready.

Salt-Treated Candle Wicks:

1. Place the cotton wicks in a container.
2. Add 1 tablespoon salt with water in the container and boil this solution.
3. Take out the wicks and let them dry for 24 hours.
4. They’ll harden a bit, and your salt-treated candle wicks will be ready.

Wooden candle wick:

Balsa Wood can be a great choice for creating the candlewick.

1. You can trim this wood and adjust it according to the length of the container. It should be 1 inch taller than the container you want to put your wax inside.
2. Coat this trimmed balsa wood with olive oil. This coating of olive oil is to ensure continuous and clean burning. 20 minutes will be enough for this purpose.
3. Remove the excess from the wood.
4. Attach a wood tab with the base of the wick.
5. Now your wooden wicks are ready. Use them whenever you want.

Movable Candle Wicks:

Do you know there is another option for creating your wicks? You can produce movable candle wicks. Here’s the process:

1. Melt the wax in a double broiler.
2. Wrap an all-carbon pipe with the pencil
3. Slide the pipe cleaner off the pencil to get it in the proper position.
4. The long ends of the pipe cleaner should be cut. The wick should only be ½ inch above the container.
5. Dip the wick into the melted wax.
6. Let the wick dry, and wax hardens on the surface.
7. Use your wick as required.
8. Once your candle wax burns completely, you’ll see this floating over the surface.

Summing up:

You can try all these methods and choose your favorite one to stick with. But this is just a suggestion; you can employ all these methods to create the candlewick for different occasions.

Also Read: How to Make Candle Wax?