Want to Know How to Make Wood Wick Candles?
It doesn’t take long once you start making candles to fall in love with the end result. And who doesn’t want to make growing popular wood wick candles? But in just a short time, you’ll also realize there’s a lot more to candle making than most talk about.
From working with different types of wax, wicks, and containers to figuring out fragrance loads and much more. Whether this is your first time making wood wick candles or not, I recommend you start with one of our guides for soy candles or scented candles. Each goes into great depth about how to make candles and solving candle making problems.
But, to understand how to make wood wick candles, you’re in the right place!
I grew up gathering around a warm campfire every autumn to roast marshmallows and the like while sporting our best flannel and boots. As the flames reached into the night sky, the wood popped, sizzled, and crackled in a way that soothes the soul and leads to deep thought. I’m guessing you’ve noticed wood wick candles can create the familiar, relaxing ambiance of a crackling campfire or fire in the hearth, only in mini form.
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Why do wood wicks crackle?
Wood wicks actually crackle, just like wood stacked in the fireplace or in an open campfire. But how and why do wood wick candles crackle? The phenomenon of crackling candles occurs for two reasons.
- Wood wicks are real wood containing thousands of tiny cells just like all plant matter. And gas molecules are naturally contained inside the walls of cells. When you raise the temperature of these cell walls, the gas expands, and a mini-explosion occurs as the cell walls rupture and the gas escapes. This event causes the crackling, popping sounds we hear from a lit wood wick.
- The amount of crackle we hear from wood wick candles also depends on the moisture present in the candle wax, fragrance, and any additional additives.
That being said…
Are wood wick candles safe?
As with any candle, safety and proper candle burning are always important for you, your family, and your home. Outside of the basics of candle safety, such as keeping an open flame away from children, pets, curtains, and drafts. In addition to burning candles on flat surfaces, never burn a candle with less than ½ an inch of wax left. Wood wicks are just as safe as all candle wicks.
And even safer than some wicks, each is 100% natural, non-toxic, and harvested from sustainable sources – resulting in a clean burn. So, if you were wondering if wood wicks are toxic or if wooden wicks are eco-friendly – the answer to both is “YES”!
Related To: Soy Candle Making Guide
Are wood wicks good for soy candles?
Soy wax is the best candle wax to use with wood wicks! It is often recommended to use soy wax with wood wicks by candle suppliers too.
To create the best amount of crackle, you’ll want to choose a fragrance load between 6 and 8 percent. While soy wax can hold a higher fragrance load, you won’t get as much crackle beyond 8 percent. And too much fragrance can extinguish the flame of a wood wick.
Confused by the fragrance load of candles? Grab our Candle Making Glossary Swipe File in the Simple Living Library for a quick breakdown. And get a good grasp on choosing and calculating the fragrance load for homemade candles with my candle fragrance calculator.
Related To: Candle Making Supplies Index
How to Get the Most Out of Your Wood Wick Soy Candles
Wood wick candles are a little different than traditional cotton wick candles. They burn longer than cotton wicks and create an ever-charming crackling sound. Here are several things you can do to get the most out of your wood wick soy candles!
Light with Patience:
Wood wicks light slower than cotton wicks. It’s a fact! You could go as far as to compare it to lighting a fire in the hearth. It takes a little time to get a wood wick flaming. Use a long match to light wood wicks, and be prepared to hold the match flame to the wood wick for 20 seconds or more to fully light the wood wick.
Wood Wick Length:
Wood wicks are considered self-trimming once lit. However, the shorter a wood wick is, the better the flame and crackling sound will be. Not to mention, if a wood wick is too long, it won’t be able to pull the wax up the wick and will quickly extinguish. Therefore, keep the wood wicks trimmed at ¼ inch above the wax.
Excess Burnt Wood:
If you burned a wood wick candle many, many times and the wax is becoming low, you may find the wick has an excess amount of burnt wood on the top. Trim this off before lighting the candle again. Just remember, never to burn a candle with less than ¼ inch of wax remaining, and always burn candles for a maximum of 4 hours. Burning candles longer than 4 hours in one setting can reduce the life of your candles.
Ready to give crackling candles a try?
Here’s how to make wood wick candles with soy wax and coffee beans! Do you love the aroma of roasted coffee beans, too? I’ve always been drawn to their fragrance. This recipe for crackling wood wick soy candles captures the brilliant, alluring smell of a coffee house and brings it into your home with the quick light of a candle.
There are three ways you can get the coffee scent:
- Make your own coffee-infused oil shared in this tutorial
- Grab an easy-to-use natural coffee oil great for candle making from Makesy
- Opt for Coffee Essential Oil from Plant Therapy
Coffee Bean Crackling Wood Wick Candles Supplies:
- 4 wood wicks and clips
- 2 amber glass 6-ounce jars
- 3/4 ounce coffee oil
- 2 wick sticker tabs or glue dots
- .70 lbs soy wax beads
- 1 teaspoon roasted coffee beans
How To Make Wood Wick Candles
1. Double up, placing two wood wicks in each wick clip. Use a glue dot or wick sticker tab to adhere to the center base of each amber glass jar.
2. Place a candle melt pot on a digital kitchen scale to measure .70 pounds of soy wax. Then, put the pitcher filled with wax inside a large saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water. Using the double boiler method, heat on medium to low heat with a gentle simmer at most, stirring often.
3. Promptly remove the pitcher from the heat after melting to avoid the wax from burning. Clip a candle thermometer inside the pitcher to monitor the temperature of the wax.
4. Cool the wax to 150 degrees before adding 3/4 ounce of coffee oil. To thoroughly incorporate the oil, stir constantly for 2 minutes. Warm your amber glass jars with a heat gun. Then, carefully pour the wax into each prepared jar, avoiding the top of the wood wicks.
5. Let coffee wood wick candles cool for approximately five minutes before sprinkling with roasted coffee beans. After that, allow the candles to cure for up to 3 weeks before use for the best aroma! And make sure to trim the wood wicks approximately ⅛ an inch above the wax for the best burn rate. (In case you’re wondering, this is much shorter than trimming cotton wicks.)
Crackling Wood Wick Soy Candles
How to make wood wick candles creating popular cracking candles sounds. Blended with coffee oil and roasted coffee beans, these wood wick soy candles are a great way to jump-start your day!
Materials
- 4 wood wicks and clips
- 2 amber glass jars
- ½ ounce coffee oil
- 2 wick sticker tabs or glue dots
- ½ lb soy wax flakes
- 1 teaspoon roasted coffee beans
Tools
- candle melting pitcher
- candle thermometer
Instructions
- Double up, placing two wood wicks in each wick clip. Use a glue dot or wick sticker tab to adhere to the center base of each amber glass jar.
- Place a candle melt pot on a digital kitchen scale to measure .70 pounds of soy wax. Then, put the pitcher filled with wax inside a large saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water. Using the double boiler method, heat on medium to low heat with a gentle simmer at most, stirring often.
- Promptly remove the pitcher from the heat after melting to avoid the wax from burning. Clip a candle thermometer inside of the pitcher to monitor the temperature of the wax.
- Cool the wax to 150 degrees before adding 3/4 ounce of coffee oil. To thoroughly incorporate the oil, stir constantly for 2 minutes. Warm your amber glass jars with a heat gun. Then, carefully pour the wax into each prepared jar, avoiding the top of the wood wicks.
- Let coffee wood wick candles cool for approximately five minutes before sprinkling with roasted coffee beans.
Notes
After that, allow the candles to cure for up to 3 weeks before use for the best aroma! And make sure to trim the wood wicks approximately ⅛ an inch above the wax for the best burn rate.
Recommended Products
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Enjoy the familiar, relaxing ambiance of a crackling campfire by lighting homemade crackling wood wick candles. Blended with coffee oil and roasted coffee beans, these wood wick soy candles are a great way to jump-start your day!
Have you made wood wick candles before? I’d love to hear about your experience – leave a comment here or tag #lifenreflection on Instagram to share. Pin this close look at wood wicks and instructions on how to make wood wicks candles now.
Hi , I am having issues with a hollow along side my wood wicks once hardened. Would wrong ?
If this is before lighting, you may have wiggled the wick while it was curing. You can use a heat gun to easily fix it in a few seconds. I’ve got one linked in our candle supplies. You may also want to read our article on how to fix common candle making problems.
In reviewing the company indicated as a place to purchase wood wicks, they had the following comment…Please make sure soak the wicks in wax(molten) 5-10 minutes before making…
I haven’t seen this suggestion before-do you recommend soaking the wicks, if so could you share how to do so?
Thank you
Nancy in my experience if you use cotton wicks that are not pre-wax you will need to dip them in wax first. But, as for wood wicks, they don’t require that.
Thats an awesome idea for melting the wax **IN** the jar! Less waste!