Are you planning on starting a small business on scented candles? If you are just beginning any business, you probably need to try out some experiment, right? We are here to help; we will give you different methods on how to make a homemade candle wick!
Methods on How To Make A Homemade Candle Wick
Method #1: Creating Wooden Candle Wicks
You should trim balsa wood sticks. Trim the length of the balsa wood with scissors. It is so that it stands at least 1 inch taller than the container you intend to use for the candle.
Use thin balsa wood strips as you’d get at a craft store. The width of these sticks should be between 1/2 and 1-1/2 inches. If you don’t have a container in mind and aren’t sure how big the candle will be.
Cut the wood to a length of 6 to 12 inches. You can always cut away any excess afterward. So having too much is preferable to having too little.
Fill a shallow dish halfway with the trimmed balsa wood. Pour in enough room temperature olive oil to thoroughly cover the wood in the dish. While wood is naturally combustible, covering it with oil allows the fire to catch faster and burn more evenly.
Because olive oil burns cleanly, it is an excellent choice for candle-making operations. Allow the oil to seep into the wood for at least 20 minutes. You can wait up to an hour if you want the wood to absorb more oil and burn with a more vital flame.
Remove the wooden sticks from the oil and wipe away any excess with clean paper towels. Instead of rubbing the stick dry, set it on a tray lined with paper towels. Let it air dry for a few minutes.
When the wood is finished, it should still feel moist and somewhat greasy to the touch. But it should no longer leave an oily residue on your hands when you contact it. Next, pry open a metal wick tab and gently insert one end of the treated wood into the aperture.
Insert the wick as far as possible inside the tab. The wick tab will keep the wood securely in place during the candle-making process as it sits in the molten wax. You should now be able to utilize the wooden wick to manufacture your candle.
Treated balsa wood is lightweight and easily burns. Using wooden wicks instead of cotton ones will give the candle the aroma of wood as it burns. It is one way on how to make a homemade candle wick.
Method #2: Making Borax Candle Wicks
Warm up 1 cup of water, heated in a small saucepan or tea kettle. Allow the water to come to a gentle simmer, but not a full boil. Dissolve the salt and Borax together.
Fill a glass dish halfway with hot water. One tablespoon salt and 3 tablespoons Borax To dissolve, stir everything together. You will use this Borax solution to cure the base wick material.
Borax-treated wicks can help candles burn brighter and longer. Furthermore, it can minimize the quantity of ash and smoke created by the burning process. However, keep Borax away from children and pets since it may be hazardous if consumed or breathed.
Soak the twine in the solution for a few minutes. Next, submerge a piece of thick cotton butcher’s twine in the Borax solution. Allow the string to soak for a minimum of 24 hours.
Make sure the rope you select is longer than the height of the container you intend to use for your candle. If you’re unsure how tall the candle will be, soak up to 1 foot of twine and cut it later to size. Butcher’s twine is an excellent foundation material for candle wicks, but any thick cotton rope would suffice.
You can use embroidered cotton, ripped cotton material, or a clean shoelace without the plastic cap. You will obtain the best results by soaking the twine for 24 hours. However, you can remove the yarn after 20 minutes. The results will be less than ideal.
You should dry the string. Using tweezers, remove the string from the Borax solution. Allow the twine to dry for two or three days.
Before proceeding, the twine must be completely dry. Hang the treated cord in a warm, dry place with a clothespin or similar clip. Place a piece of aluminum foil beneath the drying rope to catch any extra solution that drops off.
You should melt the wax. Have 1/4 to 1/2 cup candle wax broken up. Melt the wax over a double boiler.
If you don’t have a double boiler, a clean metal container and a small saucepan will suffice. In a saucepan, heat 1 to 2 inches of water over medium heat. It allows it to simmer and steam without boiling.
Insert the metal can into the boiling water. Allow the can to heat up for another minute before adding the wax. Because melted wax can cause severe burns, employ extreme caution throughout the rest of the operation.
Dip the dry, Borax-treated twine into the molten wax with care. Coat the yarn as much as possible. Technically, you may use Borax-treated string without covering it with wax.
However, the wax stiffens and makes the wick simpler to handle. It may also make it easier for the flame to catch on the end of the wick. Hang the twine as before and allow it to cure for a few hours to allow the wax to set.
It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Place a sheet of aluminum foil beneath the hanging rope, as previously, to catch any extra wax that drips off. Dip and dry the twine a few more times to get a thick layer of wax on it.
The twine should have a firm feel while yet keeping some suppleness. If there isn’t enough wax left to dip the string again, place it on a sheet of aluminum foil. Then, carefully pour the remaining wax on top.
Conclusion
So, how to make a homemade candle wick? These are two methods on how to make a homemade candle wick. You can choose from both ways since both are of different materials.