Making DIY candle wicks just makes sense if you make your own candles from scratch! It only requires a few tools, string and wax.
Nothing much better than the warm glow of a beeswax candle, especially a homemade one. After last winter, I decided I need more of that in my life. It's one of the easiest ways to quickly lift my spirits.
Winter is so cold and dreary. To get through it we need simple pleasures like a warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, a good book and a flickering candle.
This year I gave myself a day to make a bunch of beeswax candles. I figured if I was going to be making homemade candles, I may as well make my own candle wicks as well. I already had wax and butcher's string!
There are other options too, like wood wicks, flat wicks, square wicks, etc, but I chose to keep it simple with cotton wicks, which work fine if you have the right diameter.
I ended up with 2 large jarred candles and 22 taper candles, made with under 4 pounds of beeswax. Candle making is so fun and satisfying, and now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor at this time of year and in the colder season ahead!
If you wish, you can add fragrance oils or essential oils, but I decided not to. I love the pure, unadulterated smell of beeswax!
Can I Make Candle Wicks at Home?
Making candle wicks at home is quite simple! It can be a little messy, but nothing a little preparation can't make better.
You can use plain cotton string for DIY wicks, but the added step of soaking them in wax gives the wick structure, making it easier to work with when making candles. It also makes the candles easier to light and they perform better.
Candle Wick THickness
Using the correct wick size will result in an optimal melt pool (about ¼-½ inch deep), cleaner burning, no flickering and a longer lasting candle.
It can be tricky to know what size of string to purchase when there are so many choices. To choose the right wick size, you must consider the type of wax you're using (beeswax candles are my recommendation! Soy wax and paraffin wax aren't great to breathe in when burned.) and the width of the container you're using.
Consult this wick guide from Village Craft and Candle to determine the candle wick size that will give you the best results.
It doesn't have to be an exact science either. You can look at the candles you already have and estimate an appropriate width based on which ones had thinner wicks and which ones had thicker wicks.
Pretty straightforward; smaller candles have skinny wicks and larger candles have thick wicks or multiple small wicks!
FAQ
What Can Candle Wicks Be Made of?
There are many different types of candle wicks. They are most commonly made with cotton string, but can also be made of hemp, paper and wood. This tutorial uses cotton.
How to Make Candle Wicks Last Longer
Choosing the right wick size plays a huge part, but also coating the wick in wax (see the process below) can make your candle burn longer.
Every time you go to light a candle, make sure the wick is trimmed to about ¼ inch before lighting. If it's much taller than that it may burn too hot and if it's shorter, it may not generate enough heat to keep going.
Adjust the wick to be vertical if it's leaning to one side. This will allow for even burning.
Stick your candle in the freezer for a few hours before burning. This cools down the wax which will make it burn more slowly when lit.
How to Make Candle Wicks Stand Up
When you make candle wicks coated in wax, you can stand them right up! Now, this isn't enough to hold the wick upright when pouring melted wax, but it makes it easier to work with. Glue down your wick sustainer in the bottom of your jar and bend the top of the wick over a pencil you've rested on top of the jar. This will keep it in place while you pour and while the wax sets.
What do I Do If My Jar Cracks?
I was really worried about this at first (until I realized I should use a trivet) and my husband told me, "Hey, if your jar cracks, the wax will run into the water and you can just get it out after it cools!"
So true. It wouldn't be a very fun mess to clean up, but the candle wax wouldn't be wasted. Just get it out, dry it out and try again!
Tools You May Need
Small pot
Metal trivet (I use the one from my Instant Pot)
Glass jar or heat-resistant container (that you can devote to using for melting wax)
Laundry drying rack (optional, I used it to hang the wicks to dry)
How to Make Candle Wicks
Materials:
- Cotton string
- ½ cup pure beeswax (pellets melt faster, beeswax bars cut into pieces work fine too!)
- Wick sustainers (optional, also known as wick tabs)
- Small screws or nuts (optional, to weigh down the wicks)
Instructions:
Keep in mind when you are preparing to do this that wax is very difficult to clean, so you need to set up in a way that makes the least possible mess and preferably use tools that you can devote to working with wax. It's just such a pain to try to clean off!
Your first step is to prepare the area where you will hang the candle wicks to dry. To do this, I set up my laundry drying rack right by my stove and loosely wrapped the bars I would be hanging the wicks on in a layer of foil. The bars underneath I wrapped in plastic wrap. I did this so that any wax that dripped off the wicks would be easy to clean up (just remove the foil and wrap).
I also placed a large piece of cardboard under the drying rack to catch any wax drips that made it to the floor. You could also protect the floor with some paper towels if you don't have cardboard.
Cut up your wax into small pieces and place them in your jar.
Fill your pot about halfway with water and place your metal trivet in the bottom. The trivet keeps your jar away from direct heat, creating a double boiler effect and decreasing the chance the jar will crack.
Place your jar on the trivet in the pot, place the pot on a burner and turn the heat to medium-low. The wax will melt the fastest if the water level is at or a little bit above the level of wax in the jar, so add a little more to your water bath if needed.
While the wax is melting, prepare your string. When deciding on the length of the wick, add 2-3 inches to that length when you cut your string. You can always cut away the wick, but you can't add any!
I made wicks for both dipped beeswax candles and poured jar candles. For the dipped candle wicks, I cut a string long enough for two candles, plus about 4 inches. Those strings were 20 inches long. For the jar candles, I made the strings all about 10 inches long.
I tied small screws to both ends of the string meant for dipped candles because I wanted some extra weight to help in the process of making those.
I also tied screws to the ends of my jar candle wicks so they would dry straighter.
Once the wax is completely melted, you can drop all the strings in the jar and allow them to soak in the wax for at least one minute.
Using the tongs, carefully pull out one string and quickly hang it on the drying rack. For the dipped candle wicks, hang them in the middle so both sides are an equal length and for the regular wicks, just hang them by the very end so the majority of the string is on one side of the bar.
The wicks will set fairly quickly, but you will be able to straighten them out with your hands once set if need be.
At this point, the wicks are ready for the dipped candles and the next steps are for the regular wicks.
Cut the screws off the wicks.
Depending on the width of your wick, you may need to shave off a little beeswax on the end of the string to thread it through the hole of the wick sustainer.
Once dried, you can add wick sustainers to the bottom of the regular wicks (or you can use a wick sticker when you make the candle).
Take a pair of pliers and pinch the neck of the sustainer. This secures the wick in the sustainer.
Your wicks are ready to glue to the bottom of your candle container!
To use the wicks for dipped beeswax candles, follow this tutorial.
How to Store Candle Wicks
Store the wicks in a cool dry place until you're ready to make candles.
I hope you enjoy the whole candle-making process! Did you try making these wicks? If so, I would really appreciate a 5-star rating and your comments below! Thanks!
More DIY Home Projects
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- HOW TO DRY FLOWERS AND GREENERY
- DIY WREATH AND SPHERE
- TALLOW BALM
- HOW TO PAINT A WATERCOLOR SUNFLOWER
📖 Recipe
How to Make Candle Wicks
Making DIY candle wicks just makes sense if you make your own candles from scratch! It only requires a few tools, string and wax.
Materials
- Cotton string
- ½ cup pure beeswax (pellets melt faster, beeswax bars cut into pieces work fine too!)
- Wick sustainers (optional, also known as wick tabs)
- Small screws or nuts (optional, to weigh down the wicks)
Tools
- Small pot
- Metal trivet (I use the one from my Instant Pot)
- Glass jar or heat-resistant container (that you can devote to using for melting wax)
- Tongs
- Laundry drying rack (optional, I used it to hang the wicks to dry)
Instructions
- Keep in mind when you are preparing to do this that wax is very difficult to clean, so you need to set up in a way that makes the least possible mess and preferably use tools that you can devote to working with wax. It's just such a pain to try to clean off!
- Your first step is to prepare the area where you will hang the candle wicks to dry. To do this, I set up my laundry drying rack right by my stove and loosely wrapped the bars I would be hanging the wicks on in a layer of foil. The bars underneath I wrapped in plastic wrap. I did this so that any wax that dripped off the wicks would be easy to clean up (just remove the foil and wrap).
- I also placed a large piece of cardboard under the drying rack to catch any wax drips that made it to the floor. You could also protect the floor with some paper towels if you don't have cardboard.
- Cut up your wax into small pieces and place them in your jar.
- Fill your pot about halfway with water and place your metal trivet in the bottom. The trivet keeps your jar away from direct heat, creating a double boiler effect and decreasing the chance the jar will crack.
- Place your jar on the trivet in the pot, place the pot on a burner and turn the heat to medium-low. The wax will melt the fastest if the water level is at or a little bit above the level of wax in the jar, so add a little more to your water bath if needed.
- While the wax is melting, prepare your string. When deciding on the length of the wick, add 2-3 inches to that length when you cut your string. You can always cut away the wick, but you can't add any!
- I made wicks for both dipped beeswax candles and poured jar candles. For the dipped candle wicks, I cut a string long enough for two candles, plus about 4 inches. Those strings were 20 inches long. For the jar candles, I made the strings all about 10 inches long.
- I tied small screws to both ends of the string meant for dipped candles because I wanted some extra weight to help in the process of making those.
- I also tied screws to the ends of my jar candle wicks so they would dry straighter.
- Once the wax is completely melted, you can drop all the strings in the jar and allow them to soak in the wax for at least one minute.
- Using the tongs, carefully pull out one string and quickly hang it on the drying rack. For the dipped candle wicks, hang them in the middle so both sides are an equal length and for the regular wicks, just hang them by the very end so the majority of the string is on one side of the bar.
- The wicks will set fairly quickly, but you will be able to straighten them out with your hands once set if need be.
- At this point, the wicks are ready for the dipped candles and the next steps are for the regular wicks.
- Cut the screws off the wicks.
- Depending on the width of your wick, you may need to shave off a little beeswax on the end of the string to thread it through the hole of the wick sustainer.
- Once dried, you can add wick sustainers to the bottom of the regular wicks (or you can use a wick sticker when you make the candle).
- Take a pair of pliers and pinch the neck of the sustainer. This secures the wick in the sustainer.
- Your wicks are ready to glue to the bottom of your candle container!
Notes
To use the wicks for dipped beeswax candles, follow this tutorial.
Store the wicks in a cool dry place until you're ready to make candles.
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