Despite the abundance of electrical appliances, candles are still popular, and if you want to make a candle with your own hands, then you need to know how to make a candle wick. Candles add a special mood during the holidays, they can create a special atmosphere during a romantic dinner, and candles can also come in handy during a power outage, from which no one is immune. You can buy a candle in a store, or you can try to make it yourself - of any shape and size, with different decorative elements or flavored. But before you start making a candle, you need to make a wick.
The wick is a kind of capillary through which the molten candle mass enters the combustion zone. Each type of candle has its own wick. The texture and thickness of the wick may depend on the thickness of the candle, its material, coloring, its filling with decorative particles and much more. For example, there are candles in which only the middle burns out, while the walls remain intact, and for them their own types of wicks are used.
For each candle, the wick is selected by trial and error, and sometimes you need to try several options. It should be remembered that a wick that is too thin will constantly go out, and a thick wick will smoke and the candle will melt too much.
Usually the wick is woven from cotton threads. They can be twisted, braided and even crocheted; the optimal type of weaving is selected based on the characteristics of the candle. If the candle is made of wax, then thick, loose threads are used as a wick and they are not woven tightly, but for other candles, on the contrary, thin threads and tight weaving are used to avoid soot. This is due to the viscosity of the molten candle mass: more viscous wax requires wide capillaries, and lighter paraffin, stearin and various fats need thinner capillaries, otherwise, due to an excess of flammable material, the candle will become very smoky.
Typically, wicks are impregnated with solutions containing sodium nitrate, namely:
- 30 gr. slaked lime, 8.5 g. sodium nitrate and 550 ml. water;
- 5 gr. ammonium chloride, 5 g. sodium nitrate, 10 g. borax and 5 gr. calcium chloride is dissolved in 500 ml of water.
- 1 gr. ammonium chloride, 1 g. sodium nitrate and 700 ml of water;
Do homemade wicks and as follows: dissolve 2 tablespoons table salt and 4 tablespoons of borax in one and a half liters warm water and dip a cotton thread or twine of the required thickness into the solution for 15 minutes. The soaked wick is hung and kept for 5 days to dry completely. Then a paperclip is attached to the wick and dipped into the melted wax 3-4 times until completely covered. After this, the wick is also hung until completely dry. Prepared wicks should be stored wrapped in newspaper.
Since ancient times, candles have been a wonderful interior decoration. Warm light, the pleasant aroma of burning candles gave and continues to give the rooms coziness and comfort. Although the time of candles as the main source of light has sunk into oblivion, nevertheless, candles still find their use in our time. And, mainly, they are used for decorative purposes. At the same time, you are amazed at the imagination of the candle makers. If earlier candles were rectangular or conical shape, but now designers make them incredibly attractive, so you don’t even want to light them, so as not to spoil such beauty. But not only professional designers can create beautiful candles. This can be done by anyone with imagination and love for beauty. And we will give some tips on how to make candles with your own hands in this article.
And we'll start with something simple.
Wick for a handmade candle
A few words about candle wicks. This is one of the most important elements of a candle, on which high-quality combustion depends. Firstly, the wick must be made of natural fibers (linen, cotton, hemp, etc.) This is usually checked by setting the thread on fire. If after burning a hard melted ball remains on the thread, then it is synthetic. If ash forms and crumbles when touched, then it is a natural thread.
Secondly, it is necessary to correctly calculate the thickness of the thread. Selecting the thickness of the wick is a responsible task. The size of the candle's fire will depend on the thickness of the wick; with a thick wick, the fire will be strong, with a thin one, the fire will be weak. The size of the wick when selecting will depend on the size of the candle (diameter). A strong flame from a thick wick will produce a lot of heat and will ultimately melt a small diameter candle much faster, while reducing its burning time. A weak flame from a thin wick will not melt the edges of the candle. The wick in the center of the candle may be filled with wax and it will go out. In addition, if the wick is thin, it may not hold up.
DIY conical wax candle
To create such a candle you will need wax, a few drops of dye, fragrance, sticks for stirring the wax, wicks, and two saucepans. Ordinary paper cups will serve as a mold for candles.
Paper cups are placed on flat surface, for example, on a baking sheet.
Take cocktail tubes and attach a wick to them. We arrange the tubes so that the wick is in the middle of the glass.
Then we melt the wax using the water bath principle.
Wax is placed in a smaller pan, then it is placed in a larger pan with water. And then all this is put on fire.
After the wax melts, a few drops of dye are added to it...
and flavoring.
Everything is thoroughly mixed and sent to the stove. After the wax has heated to 80 degrees, the saucepan is removed from the stove and the wax is carefully poured into cups.
To make the top plane of the candle even, you can blow it with hot air from a hairdryer.
After the wax has completely hardened (at room temperature), remove the tubes and leave 0.5-1 cm of wick. The candles are ready.
You can use candles as is, or you can decorate them with sparkles or other decorations.
Go ahead. Transparent gel candles look very impressive.
How to make them? To do this you will need glycerin, colorless gelatin and tannin. The candle mass is prepared as follows. 5 parts of gelatin are diluted in 20 parts of water and 25 parts of glycerin are added. This mass is placed in water bath and heats slowly until it becomes transparent. At the same time, a mixture of two parts tannin and 10 parts glycerin is heated and carefully added to the first mixture. Heating continues until it becomes transparent again. While the candle mass is heating up, the molds into which it will be poured are being prepared. The molds must be transparent and can withstand the temperature of the hot gel. Then the shapes are decorated by placing, for example, small shells or other decorations on the bottom. We cut off the wick and, using a cocktail straw, secure it to the mold. The wick should not reach 0.5 cm up to the decorations. Then carefully pour the candle mass into the molds. After hardening, we get original candles. Gel candles burn longer than wax and paraffin candles, while the gel does not melt, but evaporates. In addition, the gel perfectly dissolves various dyes, and therefore it can be not only transparent, but also have other colors and shades.
The technology for making such candles is as follows. A mold for a candle is being prepared. Wax or paraffin is melted and poured into the mold. We do not add any dyes or flavors yet.
After some time, when the wax hardens 5-7 mm from the edge, pour the unfrozen mass back into the container where the wax was melted. Now add dyes and flavors, heat it up, and pour it back into the mold. Don't forget about the wick.
How to make decorative candles?
For example, such as in the photo.
The technology, in this case, looks like this. Two forms are made, one bigger size, another smaller one. It is not necessary that they have the same geometric shape. Forms are inserted into one another.
The gap between the forms is filled various items– dried flowers, various decorations, trinkets, etc. The candle mass is being prepared. It is then poured into the gap between the molds.
After the wax begins to set, remove the inner mold. After the intermediate layer has hardened, the candle mass is heated and poured into the remaining space of the candle. Install the wick.
The candles are ready.
You can also use a hairdryer to heat the surfaces of a ready-made candle and melt any objects into it. For originality of candles, you can also install several wicks.
How to make a striped decorative candle with your own hands?
In this case, the wax must be poured in layers. A layer of one color, a layer of another.
Pour layer after layer only after the previous one has hardened.
As a result, we get the following combination
Fill the empty center and get a candle with a stripe. Depending on the number of operations with alternating wax filling different color, we get the corresponding number of stripes. It is very easy to remove the candle from the cup if you heat it in a water bath.
You can also pour wax on the top of the candle in some form. In this case, an asterisk, but this pattern will only be on the surface and will quickly disappear when the candle burns.
DIY candles in sand molds
Candles made in sand molds are primarily interesting because they can be made into almost any shape. First take a container with sand, and it must be moistened. Its consistency should be similar to that suitable for making children's Easter cakes in the sandbox.
We squeeze out shapes that interest us in the sand...
And then we fill them with melted wax. To prevent the walls of the sand mold from being washed away, pour the wax into a spoon.
The wax is poured into the mold, wait for it to harden.
We install them in a box with sand. Candles can be used.
The candle is made using natural ingredients, in particular orange. The service life of such a candle is limited, it is more likely that it should be made for a specific occasion, but the aroma and its originality will live in your memory for a long time. So, let's take an orange.
Cut into two equal halves.
Remove the pulp from the halves.
The edges of the halves can be decorated with carvings. We put the wick on.
Fill the cavity of the half with wax. We are waiting for the wax to harden.
When burning, the flame will heat up the orange peel, while the aroma of the overseas fruit will emanate from it.
Perhaps it was worth starting with this example, many will think, since this method of making a candle will seem easy to you. This option for making a candle will not require you to use a wax mass and a water bath, but in reality, everything is more complicated here. In this case, it is necessary to feel the material, at what stage it is just bending, and where it is already melting. To make a candle, wax is used, which is widely used in beekeeping (the basis for honeycombs). In addition, you will need a candle, scissors, and thread for the wick.
First of all, measure the length of the wick and cut it to the height of the candle with a margin.
We warm the edge of the foundation and wrap it around the wick.
Perhaps this is the most crucial and difficult moment.
The wax should evenly wrap around the wick along the entire length of the wick.
Roll the foundation into a roll. If necessary, heat the foundation while twisting it.
Your DIY wax candle is ready.
We hope that the given examples and techniques for creating candles will help you decorate your home.
Threads. You can make a wick according to a factory recipe. IN industrial conditions it is woven from cotton threads. At home, you can braid them, simply twist them or crochet a rope. It all depends on the candle in which the product will be used. If it is made of wax, then it is recommended to use thick, loose threads for the wick. There is no need to intertwine them tightly. Tight weaving can be safely used for all other types of candles. This will avoid soot during their use.
Impregnation. If you manage to make a wick from a thread, you should soak it in the solution. The most commonly used compositions are:
- slaked lime (30 g), sodium nitrate (8.5 g) and water (550 ml);
- ammonium chloride (1 g), sodium nitrate (1 g) and water (700 ml).
If such components are difficult to find, then you can use a simpler recipe. To do this, dissolve 20 salts and 40 g of borax in 1.5 liters of warm water. Then the threads are lowered into the solution and left for a quarter of an hour. Next, they need to be hung and kept for 5 days, after which they should be dipped in melted wax and dried well. Store wicks in newspaper.
Saltpeter and gasoline. If you need to make a wick for a firecracker, you will need to purchase a thin rope and soak it for several hours in kerosene or gasoline. Then it is pulled out, wrung out, dried and can be used for its intended purpose. It is worth knowing that it is not difficult to make a wick according to this recipe, but it burns out almost instantly (1 m in 6 seconds). It is better to buy saltpeter in the store, prepare a saturated solution and soak the rope in it. The burning speed of such a wick is 10 cm in 3 seconds. Poplar fluff. Few people know that you can make a wick from materials that are under your feet. To do this, you should collect poplar fluff during the season. When you need to make a wick, you should put it in a newspaper and roll it into a tube. This product can be safely used for firecrackers. A wick made using this technology burns out quickly, so you need to have time to run away to a safe distance.
The candles are over 2 thousand years old. The first mention of the device dates back to the 1st millennium BC. In ancient China and Japan, wax was extracted from sumac seeds. This is a shrub that bears fruit in the 5th year of life. Plants younger age They were not suitable for creating wax, because they did not yet produce seeds.
By the beginning of our era, candles based on animal fat were invented. They dipped the wick into it, covering it layer by layer. The wick itself was made from tow, cotton, timothy or milkweed stems. You can still make a candle yourself. How? More on this later.
Making a candle wick
To make a candle at home, you should start with the wick. They buy natural cotton thread for it. Her shining example- “floss”. This embroidery material is available in any sewing store. For a candle with a diameter of 2-7 centimeters, about 15 single threads are required. For a product with a diameter of 10 centimeters, 24 threads are taken, and for a souvenir with a width of more than 10 centimeters, 30 threads are woven.
But, the diameter of a candle is not always an indicator of the thickness of the wick. There are models that burn through only partially. Such products only partially consist of flammable materials. The core burns out, leaving an untouched outline. The calculation of the power of the wick is made taking into account the paraffin, helium, or wax part. Wax does not require tight twisting of the wick threads, but paraffin and gel samples require tight twisting.
The wicks are crocheted, braided, or simply twisted. All options are valid. In order not to waste extra time, they even use ready-made parts from household candles. To make a candle with your own hands, you can soak the threads in advance, or you can do it at the same time as pouring.
Determining the shape of the candle and installing the wick
In the matter of form, the author’s imagination plays a decisive role. Any container made of plastic, metal, or ceramic will suit it. Paraffin is poured into table cups, teapots, metal tubes, boxes, and yogurt cups. If there is a paper label, it is removed. During the process, the cellulose may catch fire.
It is most convenient to work with plastic containers. They are recommended for beginners. In the day plastic container easy to make a hole. A wick is inserted into it. WITH outside glasses of thread are tied in a knot. It will negate the flow of stearin or paraffin through the hole. The hole is made with a thick needle.
Place a toothpick, wire, or any crossbar on the top of the glass. The second end of the wick is tied to it. Thus, its position is fixed. The threads should stand straight in the middle of the container. Otherwise, the candle will burn and melt unevenly.
Coloring a candle
How to make a candle color? Simple and affordable way– wax crayons for children. They are easily mixed with the lamp material, unlike gouache and watercolor. These dyes are created on a water-soluble base.
It is impossible to distribute them evenly in paraffin. Illuminating elements are required exclusively on a fat-soluble basis. Interestingly, lipsticks are one of these. Therefore, some craftsmen use old, unnecessary lip samples when making candles.
Among children's candle crayons, soft samples are ideal. IN specialized stores, creative salons also sell tablet dyes. The granules are specially created for those who think how to make candles with your own hands. Tablets have a much wider range of colors and shades than wax crayons. True, store-bought supplements are more expensive.
Pouring a candle
Typically, tin cans are used to melt wax. They are washed well and flattened a little. A trench is formed, from which the paraffin then flows in a thin stream into the mold for pouring. A canned food container is convenient, but, in principle, any container except glass will do.
In addition to a container for melting paraffin shavings, you will need a saucepan. Water is poured into it and brought to a boil. A jar of paraffin is placed in the seething solution. The scraps of unnecessary candles should be approximately the same in quality.
The molten material is poured into a pre-selected mold with a wick installed. First, the bottom is filled. If you pour everything at once, a lot of wax will flow out through the hole in the bottom. When pouring in layers, the “escaped” material is collected and again sent for remelting. This is the answer to the question how to make a candle at home with minimal costs.
After pouring, the candle cools and hardens at room temperature. Placing it in the refrigerator can cause the material to harden unevenly.
If the candle comes out a little rough, place it under hot water for a few seconds. This way the contour is leveled and melted. But sometimes roughness is the author’s idea. Deciding how to make your own candle, many craftsmen deliberately choose forms with a ribbed surface.
The most convenient way is to fill it upside down. That is, the head of the candle ultimately becomes the wick tied at the bottom of the container. The top of the fill becomes the base of the product. In this case, you do not have to separately fill the recess next to the wick at the top of the bowl. It almost always forms during the process of settling and hardening of the wax.
In addition to standard ones, they also fill aroma candles. In this case, odorous mixtures and ethers are added to the melted material. They are thoroughly mixed with paraffin before forming the product. Regular coffee beans, cloves, or cinnamon from your home kitchen are suitable as a flavoring. Dried slices of lemons, oranges, and limes are also placed in paraffin.
Someone is trying to acquire skills that will help them survive in a global catastrophe. Someone just found a new hobby. And someone managed to turn this hobby into a profitable business, creating real works of art. What is it about? About DIY From this article you will learn how to make a wick from threads.
Required part
If you can still achieve some variations in the material for creating a candle, then you will not be able to exclude one of its components. We are talking about the wick. We will talk about how to do it at home later. Now let’s just look at what this important thread is.
Origin of the wick
It may seem logical that the wick should be contemporary with the candle, but this is not the case. Candles appeared a little later. About fifteen centuries later. At first, wood chips were used as a wick. Later we decided to use pieces of fabric. This was in those days when candles had not yet been invented, and for lighting they used small bowls with a liquid flammable substance (mostly fat), which mercilessly smoked and smelled disgusting.
However, if you think that a wick is the simplest particle that can be made from anything, then you are deeply mistaken. It is not as simple as it might seem. In order to know how to make a wick with your own hands, you must understand how and why it burns.
Processes in the wick
For a wick to be of high quality, it must consist of several interconnected fibers. This is important so that capillary forces come into play, which raise liquid fuel to the combustion source. At the molecular level, a candle wick serves as a kind of pumping substation, which allows, among other things, to better saturate the liquid with gas. As a result, the vapor pressure increases and decreases. All these processes, naturally, take place at the microscopic level, but this does not make them any less interesting. And understanding them will help you make a high-quality wick that is most suitable for a particular product.
What can a wick be made from?
Throughout history, people have tried to make a wick with their own hands from everything that burns. Thin wood chips, pieces of fabric, woven threads and even compressed poplar fluff - this is an incomplete list of materials.
Today, the most reasonable option seems to be to use cotton thread or fiberglass. The fundamental difference between these materials is that cotton burns completely, while the fiberglass wick remains. If suddenly you have a legitimate question about who needs this and why, then perhaps you are not aware of a new fashion trend - making figured candles with a frame. For example, you bought a candle in the shape of a cute cat, and when it burned down, you find a frame in the shape of the skeleton of this very animal. Some connoisseurs are simply delighted with such ideas.
When thinking about how to make a wick for a candle, pay attention to the fact that its size and diameter must be selected in accordance with the size of the candle itself. If it is too thin, it will simply fade. And if it’s too thick, it will smoke mercilessly. In automated production these parameters were calculated long ago. But when you make a wick for candles with your own hands, most often you have to achieve the desired proportion through trial and error.
Another trick is that a long wick also produces smoke. And as the fat, wax or paraffin burns, it inevitably lengthens. In the Middle Ages, this problem had to be dealt with manually. Houses always had scissors to cut off the ends of the wicks. That's what they were called - wick scissors.
Nowadays, this problem has been solved in a very original way. A candle wick (which in the vast majority of cases is a thread woven from thin fibers) began to be made using an asymmetric weaving technique. As a result, the tip bends to the side and completely burns out completely on its own. 
How to make a wick at home
If your candle will be made from wax, you will need a thick wick with a loose (not tight) weave. If the starting material is paraffin or various fats, the diameter of the wick should be small, and the individual threads should be twisted quite tightly.
This is done because these substances have different viscosities. In order for the wax to successfully rise through the capillaries of the wick, fairly wide passages will be required. If the same ones are left for less liquid paraffin, then it will simply lack the necessary traction, and the candle will burn dimly, unevenly, or even go out altogether.
Required impregnation
When you make a wick, remember to impregnate it before direct use. This process is not particularly labor intensive. However, it will take time, since the soaked wick must be thoroughly dried.
Impregnation is carried out so that the wick burns better and less wax or paraffin deposits are formed.
Various solutions can be used. Here are a few options.
- For 500 ml of water: 5 grams of ammonium chloride, 10 grams of borax, 5 grams and 5 grams of calcium chloride.
- For 550 ml of water: 30 grams of slaked lime and 8.5 grams of sodium nitrate.
- For 700 ml of water: 1 gram and 1 gram of sodium nitrate.
The wick is immersed in the solution for at least 15 minutes. And then they hang it out to dry. It is recommended to dry the workpieces for at least five days.
Among home craftsmen, a solution that requires fewer specialized chemicals is popular. And although it is somewhat inferior in quality to the mixtures described above, since we are still talking about how to make a wick at home (trying, as far as possible, not to turn the house into a branch of a chemistry room), we will consider this option.
It is done as follows: take 2 tablespoons of regular table salt (not iodized), add 4 tablespoons of borax and stir it all in one and a half liters of warm water. When the solution becomes homogeneous, you can send the wick blanks there for soaking.
For better preservation of the wicks, after complete drying, you can additionally impregnate them with molten wax. To do this, you need to dip them in pre-melted wax three to four times. After this procedure, the wicks must be dried again. However, wax impregnation is only needed if you want to prepare the material for future use. The wick will be able to perform its direct function in the candle you have made without this final touch.
Wide field of activity
Once you have already figured out how to make a wick at home, think about where you can use it. In truth, working with candles is a very exciting activity. And from a cute hobby, it may well transform into a decent source of income.
Candles come in different types. The simplest ones are household ones. Their only function is very mundane - to provide light in case of a power outage. They have a simple cylindrical shape and a boring translucent white color.
Table candles are already more attractive. Various dyes are used in their production. Their shape varies from cylindrical to twisted. Such candles may well serve as an important element in creating the atmosphere for a romantic dinner.
Made with the addition of substances that have a pleasant odor. In some cases, they can also be used in aromatherapy. This way you can not only lift your mood, but also improve your health.
Gel candles are also very popular these days. Firstly, because they are unusual, secondly, because they are beautiful and, thirdly, because they burn absolutely without any odor. They are easy to make. All you need is a transparent container (preferably in the shape of a bowl), some colored sand, beads or decorative figurines (this depends on your imagination), a wick and a melted gel mass, which is used to fill the composition.
So go for it! All in your hands.
There are several ways to make a candle wick, the simplest of which is: soak a cotton or jute cord in the same wax that you use to fill candle molds. When the wax starts to bubble or foam a lot, it’s time to remove the wick, straighten it and lower it into the water. After dipping in water, place the wick to dry on paper or other clean surface.
The second method requires that you have boric acid and salt, which you need to mix 2 to 1 in a glass of water. Our wick is soaked in this solution for 12 hours. After everything has dried, the wick can be cut into pieces of the desired length.
More complex wick compositions
- 5% slaked lime, 1.4% sodium nitrate (sodium nitrate) and 93.3% water;
- 1 gram of ammonia and 1 gram of sodium nitrate per 700 ml of water;
- 1% ammonia, 1% sodium nitrate, 2% boric acid, 1% calcium chloride and 95% water.
How to make a wick of the required size
If you are using a cotton backing for the wick, you will need to know how to weave it. Some compositions require denser and thinner wicks, while others, on the contrary, require thicker and looser ones.
Wax requires a thicker, looser wick, while stearin or paraffin requires a tighter, less thick wick.
Kerosene lamp - indispensable assistant on a hike for lighting when there is no flashlight or its batteries are dead. She is not afraid of either wind or frost, she will help illuminate the path at night, and provide illumination when the fire goes out. However, you need to keep in mind that this is a source of non-directional lighting, and it will not be possible to illuminate the road beyond one or two meters. If consumables finished, making a wick for a kerosene lamp is easy to do with your own hands, just like the lamp itself.
The wick for a kerosene lamp should consist only of natural fiber. This could be a lace, a cotton piece of fabric, a piece of insole with a cellulose composition, or a sock. Wool fabric is not suitable for this role.
Lace wick
To create a simple wick you will need a wire of 1 mm, a cord from natural material. If there is no lace, you can twist a piece of cotton fabric several times. You need to clamp one end of the wire with pliers and start winding it so that you get something like a spring with a diameter of 1 cm with five or six turns and a distance between them of 2 mm. The last turn should be wider than the rest; it will hold the entire spiral with the cord in a vertical position. The other end of the wire is bent with a hook. A cord is inserted into the wire, its end (5-8 mm) is clamped with the top turn. Then it is placed inside a glass jar with oil, which should soak the wick, and the hook is thrown over its edge. You can pull out the ignition cord using the holder.
In past times, kerosene lamps contained wicks made from asbestos fabric. Today it is little used, since asbestos releases a large amount of carcinogens when burned. It was replaced by cotton wicks. Therefore, today it is easy to find replacements for factory wicks. The main thing is that they do not contain artificial fibers, since the fabric will spark or melt; in addition, they must be woven from several rows of threads so that the wick is well saturated with fuel and holds the fire for a long time. The weave of the fabric allows the flame to more easily rise up the microcapillaries. If you make a wick from twisted cotton fabric, it will burn faster, kerosene will evaporate faster and stay less in the fibers.
The simplest, “camping” option for making a wick is from a sock. To do this, you need to twist it into a sufficient thickness so that it does not burn out immediately. The top of the wick should not form a fringe. It must be completely soaked in kerosene or oil, lowered into a regular tin can. Using an old sock as a wick you can make an oil ooze kerosene lamp with your own hands from an ordinary light bulb. To do this, you need to carefully open the copper disk at its base and remove the central part with pliers. It may not be possible to remove it entirely, then you will have to remove it in parts, breaking it with a screwdriver. The main thing is to preserve the integrity of the glass surface of the lamp. If the lamp has an internal white coating, you can remove it using salt, a tablespoon of which should be poured inside the flask and shaken. The fastening for the wick will be a disk cut from aluminum can. You need to make a hole in the center of the disk. A narrow strip is cut from an old sock, but it should not fall apart into fibers, it can be twisted. The filter is threaded through a hole in the aluminum disk and its long end is lowered into the light bulb. You need to pour kerosene into it and wait until the wick from the sock is completely saturated with it. It should protrude about one centimeter from the flask, otherwise it will smoke. In order to be able to tighten the wick as it burns, its end is fixed with a wire twisted into a spiral. To prevent it from smoking, it is recommended to moisten it with vinegar before installation.
An alternative to a fabric wick can be a carbon one. To do this, you need to take a piece of charcoal, process it, giving it the shape of a little finger 2-3 cm long. The wood fibers should be located along the wick. After this, the workpiece must be soaked in heated paraffin to impart strength. The coal is then wrapped in metal foil, which will prevent it from burning with a large flame. One part of the wick should be left uncovered, protruding 5 mm above the foil. Next, a holder is formed from the same foil, paper clip or wire, which is wound around the coal billet. The end of the holder is bent with a hook to hang on the edge of a glass container with oil. You need to make holes in the walls of the foil wrapping the coal to allow fuel to access the wick. It is desirable that the exposed surface of the coal is flush with the fuel. Homemade lamp ready, you can light the charcoal wick.
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Handmade is gaining more and more popularity. Extravagant jewelry, paintings, toys, decorative elements, gifts - this is just a small part of what passionate craftsmen and amateurs create with their own hands. Today we will talk about how to make a candle at home.
This process does not require special skills or equipment. After reading our recommendations and detailed master classes, even beginners can begin this exciting process.
Creating a candle: where to start
Making your own candles is much easier than you might think. And the main advantage of such an activity is that the necessary materials are easily accessible. If you look hard enough, you can even find them in your home.Materials for a homemade candle
Wax, stearin or paraffin are best suited for the job. Moreover, it is better for beginners to start getting acquainted with the latter; it is the least demanding to use. You can buy paraffin at the store or use leftover old white candles.
Wick
It is best to use natural threads as a wick, ideally thick cotton ones. Do not try to use synthetics: such a wick will quickly burn and leave behind bad smell. To check if the thread is natural, simply set fire to its tip. If it melts, forming a hard ball at the end, you have synthetics.
If you have an unusual candle in mind and are thinking about how to make an original wick for it, then use colored floss threads. This is an excellent and natural material.
Remember important rule: the thicker the candle, the thicker the wick should be.
It's easy to make it yourself. To do this, prepare a solution: dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of boric acid in a glass of water. Soak cotton thread or floss in it for 12 hours. Then dry them and twist them into a rope or braid them.
If this process seems tedious to you, carefully remove the wick from the finished household candle and use it.
Candle mold
First of all, decide on the configuration of the desired candle, and then try to find a hollow object of the same shape. You may find it useful:- cardboard bags for milk and juices;
- plastic cups for yoghurts and desserts;
- egg shells;
- silicone baking molds;
- glass goblets, wine glasses, glasses and glasses;
- baby beads;
- shaped ice cream molds;
- tin and glass coffee jars;
- empty tin cans.
Another interesting option- pour candles into beautiful transparent glasses. You won’t be able to get them, but they will look very stylish and unusual.
Sometimes scented candles are made in tangerine or orange peel. The fruit is first cut in half and the pulp is carefully removed. You can also use large shells or coconut shells.
Dyes
A white candle is elegant but boring. Naturally, the question arises of how to color paraffin in order to obtain bright interior decorations.For lovers of candle making, the best and cheapest option is to take wax crayons for children's creativity. Want to get a special candle? Look for pearlescent crayons - your creation will be unique.
Do not try to use water-soluble gouache or watercolor - you will fail. The dye will inevitably settle to the bottom or fall out in flakes. Ready product will look very unpresentable.
Paraffin melting utensils
In order to melt the paraffin, you will need a small saucepan for a steam bath and an iron bowl. Experienced craftsmen recommend heating paraffin in a steam bath, considering other methods, including the microwave, to be fire hazardous.To begin with, we recommend that you also use this method, proven over the years: place a bowl of paraffin in a container of boiling water. If you plan to have a colored candle, add the chalk immediately and stir the melted mass several times to obtain a uniform color.
Flavors and decor
Any available materials are suitable for decorating candles. First, decide on the topic of your work. Pebbles and shells will effectively complement candles in nautical style. For a New Year's theme, use beads, small cones, small decorative balls, ribbons and bows. Decorate Valentine's Day candles with hearts, sparkles, bows, dried flowers, coffee beans, etc.It is best to scent homemade candles with essential oils, which can be purchased at your nearest pharmacy. Another option is to find vanilla cinnamon in your kitchen. You should add flavors to the melted paraffin at the very end, after coloring.
Step-by-step master classes
We bring to your attention a selection of accessible master classes that will help beginners learn basic techniques and techniques. If you already know how to create candles with your own hands, you can draw interesting ideas from them to implement in your creativity.Coffee candle
Want to create a romantic mood? Light a coffee candle - its divine aroma will take away all worries, leaving only good mood and peace. This is especially pleasant in the rainy autumn or cold winter. This is also a great gift for any occasion or even no occasion.
To work you will need:
- paraffin;
- solid coffee beans;
- two plastic cups or boxes of different sizes;
- wick holder - teaspoon, wooden stick or plastic coffee stirrer.
If you don’t find paraffin, take household candles, you can also get a wick from them.
Crush the paraffin into small pieces with a knife to speed up the melting process. If you took store-bought candles, carefully crush them blunt side of the knife so as not to damage the wick.
Place paraffin in glass jar and place it in a pan of warm water. Heat the water over low heat until the paraffin is completely melted in the jar - it should become transparent.
At this time, prepare the mold for pouring. Place the smaller one in a larger plastic cup (or whatever mold you have), after filling it with water. There should be a fairly wide space between the walls of the cups. Pour coffee beans up to half the height between the walls.
Pour the melted paraffin into the mold to the level of the grains, wait about 10 minutes. Then pour the paraffin to the edge of the mold and let it harden completely. This will take about an hour.
Carefully pour the water out of the inner glass and remove it from the paraffin ring. Lower the wick into the workpiece so that it reaches the bottom of the glass. Tie its upper end to the holder and place it on top of the glass, centering the wick.
Pour melted paraffin into the middle of the candle. Place a few grains on top for decoration. Now you will have to wait 4-6 hours until the candle hardens completely.
Carefully remove the frozen candle from the glass. At the same time, it can be cut with scissors to facilitate manipulation.
If you want the grain to be better visible, blow the sides of the product with hot air from a hairdryer. The paraffin will melt and the surface will become embossed.
It turned out to be an excellent aroma candle, isn’t it? Do you want to make it even more romantic? We invite you to use the same technology to create heart-shaped candles that will become an unforgettable gift for your significant other for Valentine's Day or a birthday.
Still have questions? Watch a detailed video of creating a fragrant coffee candle and you will see that everything is even simpler than it seems at first glance.
Rainbow candles
Want to add to your home bright colors? Interior rainbow candles will help you with this self made.To make them you will need the following ingredients:
- paraffin;
- stearin;
- cylindrical shape;
- dyes corresponding to the colors of the rainbow.
Multi-colored candles in layers
Spectacular multi-colored candles in a transparent glass will become the highlight of your interior. How to make them, see our master class, illustrated with step-by-step photos.Another interesting idea is a square multi-color candle. Wax pencils are also used to color it. If you are a beginner, be sure to check out the clear video tutorial, with its help you can easily make such a cool craft as a gift for friends and family.
Openwork candles
Decorative candles can be of the most varied designs, because talented craftsmen never tire of amaze with their imagination and creative experiments. To confirm these words, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the method of making an unusual openwork candle.
To work you will need:
- paraffin;
- optional coloring and flavoring;
- wick and holder for it;
- cylindrical shape;
- small ice cubes.
Place the wick in the mold so that it reaches the bottom. Don't forget to secure it on top with an improvised holder. Fill with crushed ice, not reaching a couple of centimeters from the edges.
Pour the melted candle mixture into the mold. Leave the workpiece until the paraffin has cooled completely. In this case, naturally, the ice will melt, and cavities will form inside the candle.
Carefully drain the water and remove the product by pulling the wick.
Be careful, this beauty is quite fragile and requires careful handling. This unusual openwork candle will be a wonderful gift for your family and friends. If you use paraffin from old candles for your work, you will get this beauty completely free.
You will receive visual instructions for action from detailed videos of creating openwork candles. After viewing them, you can make such beauty yourself at home.
Video #1:
Video #2:
Option #3: And if you are thinking about it, surprise them with a handmade red openwork candle. It will be an unforgettable gift and will bring a holiday feeling and Christmas mood to your home. Watch the master's work and be inspired by your own masterpieces.
Massage candles
The main ingredient for creating a massage candle is soy wax. By adding useful components to it, you can get a product that has healing properties. It is no longer a decoration, but a homemade cosmetic product that makes the skin soft and well-groomed.
Healing properties essential oils:
- Essential oil will help rejuvenate the skin and cleanse pores lemon.
- Orange the oil has an anti-cellulite effect.
- Rose oil stimulates the regeneration of skin cells and promotes skin elasticity.
- Can clear the skin of pigment spots and make it smooth rosemary oil.
- Oil does a great job of moisturizing patchouli.
- Lavender the oil will delight you with its healing effect.
Solid vegetable oils are also added to massage candles. For example, cacao butter used to moisturize and tone the skin. And with its regular use, cosmetologists promise you smooth and soft skin.
Exotic foods can save dry skin from flaking Shea Butter. Coconut oil, rich in natural antioxidants, can smooth the skin.
General algorithm for creating a massage candle:
- melt the wax with solid oils in a water bath;
- let the mixture cool slightly and add liquid oils;
- Cool the mixture a little more and add essential oils, extracts and vitamins;
- pour the resulting candle mass into the mold, after inserting the wick into it;
- wait until the candle has completely hardened and remove it from the mold;
- The hardened candle is ready for use.
Recipe No. 1
- soy wax - 85%;
- avocado and shea butter (aka shea butter) - 5% each;
- patchouli essential oil - 2.8%;
- ylang-ylang essential oil - 2%;
- vitamin E - 0.2% (a few drops).
Recipe No. 2 “Massage candle with a calming effect”
- soy wax - 80g;
- shea butter - 40g;
- almond oil - 40g;
- cocoa butter - 20g;
- essential oils of sage and lavender - 2 g each.
Recipe No. 3 “Massage candle with anti-cellulite effect”
- beeswax - 100g;
- cocoa butter - 60g;
- ground chili pepper - 5-10g;
- essential oils of orange and grapefruit - 3 g each.
Regular massage will help get rid of the hated " orange peel", will make the skin soft and elastic.
Decorating candles using decoupage technique
If you don’t have dye, but want to create something bright and memorable, don’t worry. The simplest candle made from cinders can be turned into a work of art. To do this, you need to have a little patience and decorate the product to your liking.Candle decorated with dried flowers
Dried leaves, stems and flowers will help you create an exclusive candle that will be almost impossible to repeat. Usage natural materials limited only by the local flora and your imagination. That's when the skill will come in handy.
To work you will need:
- any dried flowers;
- 2 candles - for decoration and regular;
- tea spoon;
- tweezers;
- nail scissors;
- paraffin for final coating.
Heat a teaspoon over a regular burning candle ( internal side above the fire, because the spoon will turn a little black, and in order not to stain the candle, then we will carry out all manipulations with the other side of the spoon).
Place a dry flower on the candle to be decorated and gently stroke its petals external side of the spoon so that they melt to the paraffin and do not stick out. Thick stems may need to be ironed several times while heating the spoon.
Carefully trim off any excess stems that extend beyond the candle with scissors.
Glue the remaining elements in the same way, choosing the desired location for them. Make sure that the edges of the leaves and petals do not stick out.
All that remains is to consolidate the result. Melt the paraffin in a water bath and pour it into a container into which you can completely dip the decorated candle.
Holding the candle by the wick, immerse it in melted paraffin, place it on a flat surface and let cool. If the petals were not smoothed well and protruding ends remain visible, repeat this procedure again.
Such an elegant candle will conquer any heart and will not go unnoticed. Complement it with a beautiful candlestick and it will become a unique decoration for your home.
Decoupage candles with paper napkins
The desire to decorate a candle could come instantly, but there are no dried flowers at hand. In this case, you can get by with paper napkins. With their help you can easily decorate a candle for any holiday.
Choose a napkin with the pattern you want. Cut out necessary elements from a napkin. Carefully remove the bottom two layers of paper from the resulting blanks. Further, the principle of operation is similar to decorating with dried flowers.
Place the prepared element on the candle and iron it with a hot spoon. Sand the cooled surface with the rough side of a regular kitchen sponge. There is no need to immerse the candle in melted paraffin with this method.
Your masterpiece is ready. Compose beautiful composition from candles to New Year's style, fir branches and colored balls. It will bring a good mood and a festive atmosphere to your home.
Photo design ideas
Want even more inspiration? Browse our selection of decorative candles. You will definitely find one that you want to repeat immediately.
We were able to convince you that it is possible to create unique masterpieces even from scrap materials? That is why candle making has become a favorite pastime for many, beginners and not only masters.
Original form templates:
Now you know what and how candles are made from, you can get to work. Don't try to use the photo you like as a template and an unconditional ideal. Get inspired finished works to create your own unique candles. A little effort and perseverance - and your masterpieces will become a standard to follow.
Are you thinking how to make a lamp with a wick with your own hands? This article provides tips on making a homemade lamp and wick for it. Read now!
How to make a lamp with a wick with your own hands?
How to make a lamp
The lamp is a Christian symbol of divine light that warms the souls of people. Usually it is hung in front of the iconostasis at home or in a church. But such a hand-made lamp can also be used for household or decorative purposes. It may come in handy if the electricity suddenly goes out. Or it can become a central design element summer gazebo on the site of a country house.
As a vessel that will serve as an oil reservoir, you can use a small beautiful tin can from under cookies or sweets. If you don’t have one on hand, then go to a kitchenware store. As a rule, there is a large assortment of tins and jars of various sizes and the most delightful colors.
A lamp can serve not only as an attribute of religious rituals, but also as a magnificent interior decoration.
The next step after choosing a jar is to make a wick holder:
- take a not very stiff wire of sufficient length and the core of a regular ballpoint pen;
- place the rod in the middle of the wire (like a cross);
- wind the wire around the rod in a spiral so that the turns are tightly adjacent to each other, and the total length of the turns on the rod is about 1 cm;
- remove the rod and place the wick holder on the jar: lying strictly in the center of the jar opening, it should protrude slightly beyond its limits (0.5 cm on each side);
- on the side surfaces of the jar, where the holder will be attached, make small holes with an awl;
- insert the holder into the pierced holes and bend the protruding ends of the wire.
That's it, the base of the lamp is ready.
How to make a wick for a lamp
A homemade wick can be made from an ordinary medical bandage. Take a narrow bandage and cut it to the required length. Let's cut this piece in half lengthwise. We tie the resulting ribbons on one side with a small knot. Then twist the strips of bandage tightly and tie at the end. Carefully, using a thin wire, thread the wick into the spiral of the holder (from bottom to top). Having pulled out the wick 2 cm, cut off the top knot.
