How to Make Your Own Wicks for Candles

Candle making is catching on. Here's how to make a wick.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cotton Kite Strings Or Twine
• Clothespins And Line
• Table Salt
• Table Salt
• Scissors
• Scissors
• Old Newspapers
• Paper And Binder Clips

1. Dissolve 2 tbsp. table salt and 4 tbsp. borax in 1 1/2 c. warm water.

2. Soak a 1-foot length of regular cotton kite string or twine in the solution for 15 minutes.

3. Hang the string with a clothespin for five days to be sure it is completely dry.

4. Use a paper clip to dip the string in melted wax three or four times, coating it completely. Hang it up to dry as before.

5. Store wicks rolled up in a newspaper.

Tips & Warnings

• Add 1 tsp. of one of the following chemicals for colored flames: strontium chloride for a brilliant red flame, boric acid for a deep red flame, calcium for a red-orange flame, calcium chloride for a yellow-orange flame, table salt for a bright yellow flame, borax for a yellow-green flame, copper sulfate (blue vitriol/bluestone) for a green flame, calcium chloride for a blue flame, potassium sulfate or potassium nitrate (saltpeter) for a violet flame or Epsom salt for a white flame.
• Add only one chemical for color variation.

[carefreecandles]

on 4/16/2009 Wow! This seems like a lot of work. Try Scentsy. They have over 80 scentsational scents available in wax bars, room sprays and car candles. Contact me for a free sample and catalog. I can also send you receipe cards with mixing our wax bars or fun to create your own. www.Scentsy.com/SimplyPerfectCandles

[darkfaeriequeen]

on 3/18/2009 Soo.....do you add the chemical into the wax when you're making the candle...or what? Also, what chemical/wax ratio should I use with different sized candles?

[transientbynatr]

on 1/17/2009 It is impossible to produce a black flame. Black is what is seen in the absence of light. The flame that you see is a release of photons (light) due to a drop in the energy level of the electrons in the atom that reacts with oxygen during the combustion process; thus you see how producing a visible flame that emits no light (and in fact absorbs all light) is paradoxical.
However, here are some salts you can add to make different colored flames that might work beautifully with a black candle:

Copper Chloride - BLUE flame
Borax - LIGHT GREEN flame
Copper Sulfate - GREEN flame
Strontium Chloride - RED flame
Potassium Chloride(water softener salt) - PURPLE flame
Calcium Chloride - BLUE flame
Lithium Chloride - PINK flame
Alum - GREEN flame
Sodium Chloride(table salt) - ORANGE flame
Magnesium Sulfate(Epsom salts) - WHITE flame

[gomeda]

on 11/19/2008 I am just wandering if we could make black flame for my black candle...is it possible...if you have the answer please send it to me...thank you...

[gomeda]

on 11/19/2008 I am just wandering if, we could produce black fire...if that is possible...just email me back [e-mail] thank you...