Over on eHow: Cracking the Code on How to Make Wooden Candle Wicks

In one of our recent project collaborations with eHow, we tackled uncovering the mystery behind how to make wooden wicks for candles.

For those unfamiliar, wood wicks have become a natural alternative to traditional candle wicks and emit a slight crackling campfire sound when lit. They're visually interesting, easy to light and are known for their natural burning quality.

When setting out to research how to make wooden candle wicks, we found several tutorials for making candles that use wooden wicks, but absolutely no information on what goes into the wick making process itself. We'd read several forums where pre-fabricated wicks often list the wood type and as having been treated with a "natural burning agent," though no further details on what that burning agent might be. Similarly, others who've tried to make the wicks at home have had difficulty with the wicks staying lit or the ability to re-light them after the initial burn. Curious, right?

So! Wooden wicks seemed to be quite the mystery, and we love a good DIY challenge. We'd picked up a few sets of balsa wood sticks from our local craft store to experiment with (they are long and lightweight, easy to cut and super budget-friendly). When brainstorming the different options we might be able to test treating the wood in a way that would supplement the burning process, we thought back to one of our all-time favorite winter projects — making natural candles with clementine peels and olive oil. The olive oil worked as a completely natural burning agent when paired with the fruit peel, so we immediately figured it might also be the key to a successfully burning wood candle wick:

After soaking the balsa wood sticks in olive oil, we tested them in newly poured candles, which turned out to be yet another use for our never-ending collection of glass jelly jars, ha! #masonjarproblems

After the freshly poured candles had fully cured, we lit up the wicks and crossed our fingers. When they lit straight away, then stayed lit for hours, and then re-lit after burning with no issue at all, we couldn't believe we'd cracked the proverbial code on "making wood wicks." That's right, a little olive oil soak turned out to be the secret "natural burning agent" treatment that worked for us.

Head on over to eHow to find our full tutorial with step-by-step instructions for making wooden candle wicks and the full process for pouring candles of your own!



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