Buying Wicks Guide for Your Homemade Candles
So you have survived the first two posts that talked about the types of candles that you can make as well was read on and on about the numerous types of materials that you can use to create beautiful waxy creations that you can light on fire!!
Today I want to discuss the next group of supplies that you will need to consider and purchase after you’ve picked the type of wax or gel you plan to use for making your candles. Depending on what you’ve chosen, you will need to buy wicks based off of the temperature that the wax melts, how large the candles are, etc. While this may seem like a daunting task to the novice candle maker, let me assure you that it is very simple to do and this post will put to rest any burning questions you have about the wick selection!!
Wick Size Requirements
There are not really any hard fast rules that you need to stick to when choosing the wicks to use in your candles. Typically the recommendation from the maker of the wax or from the candlemaking supplier as to the best wick to use. These recommendations are usually based off of the thickness in width of the candle.
Types of Candle Wicks
When you start shopping for wicks for the candles you will find that they come in a few common styles: cored, square braided wicks and flat braid wicks
Homemade Candles using Square Braid Wicks
Square braid wicks have four corners and can be either tightly woven or may have looser weave that will make the wick larger. Square braided wicks are used in pillar candles, beeswax and sometimes in custom shaped candles since they are known to be “stiffer” and straighter. This allows for a more even burn down the center of the candles core.
Using Flat Braid Wick for Desired Burn of Candle
The flat braid wick is the simplest of the types of wicks available. They are made from three strands and have varying types of braid (tight braid or loose braid). Due to the simple nature of a flat braided wick they do not burn in a symmetric fashion and are known to lean down when burning.
Make Candles using Wire Cored Wicks
Core wicks are actually made with material in the center of them to give them a rigid and solid upright standing. The most common materials found in the core of these wicks is either zinc, cotton, paper and even new materials such as hemp have begun to appear in the centers of these candles. The latter filler has come about as more environmentally conscious candle makers have frowned on the long standing lead cored wicks. You can still find lead-cored wicks but as most chandlers become more knowledgeable about their craft they have demanded higher quality wicks and have avoided buying any lead based ones.
Buying candle wicks, whatever the type you feel would best fit your candle projects are relatively cheap and you can get a lot in bulk when you’re purchasing.
Wick Techniques & Wick Preparation
Priming the Wick
After you’ve decided on whehter you want your wick to have a flat braid or a square braid or if it should have the core filled with some material you can’t just go putting a new wick into your latest candle project without first prepping it to be used.
This is where priming comes in. It is important that you eliminate any pockets of air that might be stuck in the braids of your candle wick. Doing so will allow the wick to burn more evenly and you will not experience flares in the candle flame. This is done by making sure the wick is saturated in wax. The effect is similar to putting a dry sponge under water; all of the bubbles coming to the surface are the air pockets releasing from the sponge.
Now to step back just a moment, a lot of times the mere process of putting the wick into the melted wax in the mold, the priming process will be taken care of. This becomes more of a conscious effort type step for your more novelty candle making ventures like a molded candle of some sort. Also, if you’re using a cored candle wick, you don’t really need to prime the wick.
Wicking the Candle
Simply put, wicking the candle is the process of putting a heated needle or even an old shish kabob skewer through the center of a hardened candle. This allows you to then thread your wick into the candle. I’m not going to go on too much since this is another simple process.
Wick Tabs are Handy
After you have wicked your candle you will need to take steps to make sure the wick does not come out one of the ends, especially while its burning. Here you can use wick tabs which have the wick fed through one end. Any excess wick can then be cut off and the wick tab pinched to prevent the wick from moving out of the tab. These cheap little tools are usually made of metal.
Other Candle Making Supplies
I’ve already mentioned the wick tabs just a moment ago, so we will now move onto another essential supply that is related to the wick and it’s use with the candle.
Mold Sealer
After you have wicked your candle and placed the wick along with the tab to hold the wick in place, you need to seal the hole that the wick is now filling. If you don’t do this then you will run into the annoying problem of having hot melted waxed escaping through the hole.
The solution is to use mold sealer or sometimes its called mold putty as well; they’re both the same thing. The sealer is a gummy and sticky material that can be put in the wick hole and eliminate the risk of getting melted wax everywhere. The mold sealer also holds the wick tab in place and prevents it from squirming around.
Types of mold sealer that I can think of off the top of my head are Yaley candle mold sealer and….well you know what? I only know of Yaley as a name brand mold putty maker. I’ve never paid attention to the brand when I’m buying it online or even a supply store because I’ve never really had one that made me stop and say, “This mold sealer is crap”. If any of you can think of good or bad brands then please leave a comment.
Well this has been a relatively short post compared to the first two. I will close by saying that if you want to go all out you can make your own wicks for candle making, but I’ve never really been successful in making them and don’t recommend the time needed to make them. It’s probably because it felt like needlework…and that is not something I have the desire or patience to do.
So what is your favorite type of wick to use and where did you get it?
Make Candles
So we have come to the beginning of an ongoing series of posts that will be about getting your discount candles an affordable, but more importantly, a fun way; and that’s by making candles at home. I figure the best place to start is by having a discussion of all of the types of candles you can make at home. We don’t want you to think your options are going to be limited!!
Traditional Candles
If you happen to not have the time to make any of these wonderful types of candles you can buy them at a very affordable price by clicking on the associated image.
Pillar Candles
These are the large self standing candles that are normally round in shape. However, you can make them in a number of different shapes such as square or rectangular in shape. The really big pillar candles will usually have two or more wicks to allow for a more effective and even burn. Pair up three or more pillar candles that are of different heights and you can create a visually pleasing setting for your home.
Jar Candles
Jar candles are pretty much a self-explanatory type of candle. When a jar candle is made the melted wax is poured into a container. A very popular example of jar candles would be those sold by the Yankee Candle Company or Gold Canyon Candles. These are the easiest candles to have around since they are already contained in something that is heat resistant and minimizes the potential for fires in the home.
Taper Candles
Taper candles are a more formal type of candle in my opinion. These are the type of candles that are in fancy candle holders and you will see decorating a dining room table or where guests will be entertained. Another common use of these candles are for holidays. Their lazy flicker creates a soothing and happy environment and creates a relaxing ambiance that will soothe even the most savage beast.
Gel Candles
Gel Candles are one of the more unique types of candles you can make, and in my opinion allow for the most creativity when actually making these candles. They are also candles that are not made the traditional way using wax. In fact, they are made from this gelled mineral oils compound that makes them see through and a rubbery feel to them. Using these mineral oils allow you to create many different shapes and designs. If you consider yourself the creative type then you are limited only by your imagination….and patience, as to what types of gel candles you can make!!
Floating Candles
So a trivia question for you. If water is soothing as well as the flickering candle, what happens if you were to combine the two concepts? Well you get yourself a floating candle. Floating candles are typically smaller designed candles that are able to float on water. A lot of times you will pair these candles with a specially made holder that will hold the water. They can create quite a contrast decoration piece.
Another unique use for these candles is when you’re having a party at your home that is going to be in your backyard. For example, last spring we had a barbecue at my house and we placed almost 20 floating candles in our pool. I thought it was quite a beautiful setting!!
Unique Designed Candles
Tealight Candles
I almost hesitate to mention tealight candles since they serve more of a functional purpose than that of beauty or decoration. They are usually very small candles made in a small metal container. These are the types of candles you see at buffets for events, keeping your food warm. They are also used in the containers to heat up fragrance oils or similar. I’m sure you have seen these fancy looking pots or holders that hold the scented liquids.
Votive Candles
Votive candles are a candle that are usually no more than 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall and a cylinder shape. Think of them as the small sister to the much larger pillar candles. When I use them I like to get fancy candle holders for them and place them out in fairly large numbers just for effect. They can be white and odorless, or you can create a rainbow with all of the colors you can choose from. The only problem I’ve found with scented votive candles is that the scent lasts a very short time before it is hardly detectable to your nose.
Luminaria Candles
One of the rarer types of candles are those luminaria candles. Like the tealight candles they are not necessarily the prettiest candle in the box. What makes a luminaria candle unique is that instead of a candle holder these are put in sand. These candles are most commonly associated with various cultural events or celebrations, where the people will place sand in a white bag and place the candle on the sand and then lighting the candles.
This list I’ve provided for you to choose when you make candles will definitely keep you occupied for awhile. Usually you will start out with simple candles like a pillar one since there isn’t a lot of difficulty in that. When you become more experienced, then the fun starts with how creative you can get with the gel candles. At some point you will realize that with all of the fun you’ve been having making these candles, you will have created, for yourself, a large stock of discount candles to burn to your hearts content!!
What type of candles are you going to make first or that you’ve had the best results with?




















