Candles are an interesting detail in the design of the interior, arbors and verandas. They are installed on cakes, etc. You can make candles yourself. However, there are several subtleties in resolving this issue. One of the most difficult stages of work is the creation of wicks. For this, special materials are used.
How do wicks for candles , what factors affect the choice of material, as well as other subtleties of work, should be considered in detail. This will create beautiful, high-quality products that can be used to decorate a holiday, a romantic evening, or simply create additional lighting in the event of a temporary lack of electricity.
Where to get the wick?
Creating your own candles for the New Year, birthday or just for domestic use, you will always encounter the problem of choosing a wick. It can be bought, made from improvised materials. Also, the wick can be obtained from a nondescript household candle.
You can purchase the presented item in specialized stores. Many candle making factories are selling this way. Such a product must be well soaked with wax before use.
You can make a wick yourself from threads or other improvised materials. In this case, you can achieve a stunning decorative effect. Threads may be colored.
If the candle is created as a gift for friends and relatives, you can use a ready-made wick. It is found in purchased wax products.
Material for the wick
It should be noted that candles for the cake will significantly differ from decorative products that are used to decorate the room. This difference will also be in the wick materials. But in any case, you can create it yourself.
The wick needs to be made of natural materials. In this case, cotton (for example, “iris”) or woolen thread is best suited. Before making a wick, you need to make sure that the selected material is natural. It should not melt if brought to heat. Such wicks will not burn.
If an artificial variety is present in the plexus with natural thread, it can simply be removed from a common bundle. Otherwise, the candle will emit an unpleasant odor during burning, smoke, etc.
Wick Thickness
It is very important to choose the right wick size. It should not be too thin, otherwise the candle will constantly go out. However, too large a diameter of the wick is not welcome. In this case, the candle will smoke and melt too quickly. For example, thin candles for the cake involve the use of the thinnest wicks. But for thick candles, which should brightly illuminate the space, it is better to choose a core of a larger diameter.
Today, there are quite thick decorative candles on sale. They should not be burned completely. Only their core gradually melts. If you plan to apply a similar effect in your product, you should give preference to the average thickness of the wick.
Also, when choosing, take into account the material from which the candle is made. For wax, you can take thick threads. Their interweaving should not be too tight. If another material is used to create the candle, it is better to choose thin threads. They are tightly intertwined.
If the candle will be painted or a small shavings are present in its material, the wick should be strong. It should not go out if pieces of the fraction begin to crumble into the product.
Creating a wick
Having considered what a wick for a candle is made of , you should also pay attention to the technique of its manufacture. The thickness of this integral element of the wax product will have to be selected by trial and error. The factors listed above influence this.
The selected material for the wick may be a thread that is twisted from several flagella. You can apply it in the form in which it was originally located. In some cases, the wick is woven from several threads.
The tightness of the flagella to each other depends on the type of material. You can simply twist several threads together. For a denser structure, you can use a small hook. Weaving in this case will be interesting. This technique is often used for decorative candles that are made for sale or as a gift.
Impregnation
If the wick was purchased or made of thread, it will need to be pre-soaked. This does not need to be done only if the main element of combustion has been removed from the purchased candle. Although even in this case, you can play it safe.
There are several options for what a candle wick is impregnated with. The choice of substance depends on the purpose of the product. However, in the vast majority of cases, the wick is impregnated with wax. To do this, you need to melt it on the stove.
Folded several times or crocheted by a thread, you need to soak it well in molten wax. Next, the wick is removed from the container and twisted with your fingers. You can not be afraid of burns. While the thread with wax makes its way from the container to the table, the wax has time to cool. It will be warm, but not hot.
Shape layout
The wick for a homemade candle should be located exactly in the center of the mold. In its bottom, you need to make a small hole and stretch a wax-soaked thread through it. Further here it is better to make a knot. It will prevent liquid wax from flowing through this opening from the mold.
The second end of the wick must be tied to a stick or pencil. If the thread was well saturated with wax, it is easily fixed on them. Pencil wrap wick. Next, you need to make sure that the wick is exactly in the center of the future candle. So it will burn evenly.
After all these manipulations, the wax is poured into the mold. After the material hardens and becomes room temperature, the candle can be removed from the mold. The wick may be the tip that was tied in a knot under the bottom. Sometimes the candle is not turned over. In this case, the wick is simply cut off from the pencil. When pouring material, it is necessary to carefully align the recess near the wick.
Finishing touch
After the work is almost completed, the wicks for candles are slightly adjusted. They need to be trimmed correctly. This will contribute to proper burning and easy lighting of the candle.
Experienced craftsmen leave approximately 0.5 cm of wick above the candle. However, for those who are just beginning to learn all the intricacies of this process, it is recommended to leave a slightly larger segment. It should have a length of about 1 cm. In extreme cases, it can be slightly trimmed. But this length will allow you to light a candle.
Oil candle
There is another option for installing the wick in the candle. In this case, a mold filled with oil is taken for the base of the product. You will need to prepare a thick wire and a match. Wicks for candles of this type should also be created by weaving thread and impregnation.
A wire needs to be wound around a match, but not very tightly. Next, it must be carefully removed from the rod. A small tail should remain below. It will allow the coiled wire to settle stably at the bottom of the candle.
A wick is installed inside the wire. If it is saturated with wax, the design will be quite stable. Next, the wire with the wick is installed in the center of the bottom of a small container with oil. The tip of the thread should protrude above the surface. Then you can set fire to the wick, and the candle will burn. This is one of the simplest options that can be used for business purposes.
Having considered how to make wicks for candles , you can independently create various versions of such products.