How to make candle wicks?

Smooth, plant-based string with a roundish cross-section will give a clean, consistent burn as long as you choose a good thickness. Around 2mm is a good starting-point, depending how big your new candles are.

That said, just about any fibrous material will work as a wick, including an old matchstick or strip of fabric. It doesn't even have to be flammable, since it's the wax that you're trying to burn. (Some people experiment with "everlasting" wicks made of fibreglass or steel. I haven't tried it.)

Synthetic fibres work but some of them give off nasty fumes, although wicks burn so slowly it probably won't bother you in most cases. Maybe don't use them for the candles on an octogenarian's birthday cake.

In my experience the wick's thickness makes more difference than the material. Too thin and you get a pathetic little flame that can't melt the whole of the top of the candle, so it ends up drowning in a little pool of wax. Too thick and it burns fast and sooty, and is more likely to "mushroom" (form a blob on the end of the wick) and need trimming.

If you make a really wide candle (such as by moulding one in a cup) it might be worth using multiple wicks.

A fast burn can be a good thing for an outdoor candle, as it's more wind-resistant and you have good ventilation. The biggest wick I've seen was a bamboo cane wrapped in several layers of cloth (with wax around the outside, so it could still be called a candle although it's more into flaming torch territory).

As an aside, I find reclaimed wax usually ends up brown in colour once it's been melted, mostly because it's hard to avoid getting old soot mixed in with it. Filtering the molten wax through tissue paper reduces the brownness. Another approach is to cut the old wax into pieces and stick them together with heat - a good project for a (big?) kid who has time to spare.

posted 10 months ago

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7mo ago

Pastychomper‭

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