How to Make a Candle Wick Out of a Shoelace
Introduction
A candle wick is a thing that makes your candle burn. It’s a piece of string or rope-like material that can be made out of some kind of fibrous plant product like hemp, cotton, flax, jute, etc., and it’s usually dipped in paraffin, making it burnable and waterproof. They are typically used for candles, but some people do use them for oil lamps. Today I will be discussing how to make a candle wick out of a shoelace.
Step-wise Guide on How to Make a Candle Wick Out of a Shoelace
You Will Need:
- A shoelace
- Scissors
- Candle wax (a candle with a short wick)
- An old spoon/broomstick/long syringe-like object that is clean, non-metallic, and free of wax residue
- Something to act as a wick holder – either an empty bottle or glass or just the mouth of the jar you are using
Ensure your shoelace doesn’t have any metal parts dangling around! If it does, cut these off before you start at Step 3! If any other parts might melt during this process, remove them too! They usually have little plastic bits or glitters attached at the tips. Remove these bits too!
- Gently melt the tip of your shoelace along with its plastic/rubbery-like coating at the end using a candle (with a short wick) and an old spoon or something to act as a wick holder so that you don’t burn your fingers/fingers.
- To do this, first dip the spoon into some hot water in a container large enough for it to hold the melted wax and rest on it without sinking, then pinch out any excess water from the spoon before dipping into the wax! If there is no spare spoon around, use whatever long clean object you have – like a stick or a broomstick, etc. You might have to test it first by dipping the tip of the object into the hot water, pinching out any excess water, and then swiping with your finger along with the wax until you find a spot where there is no wax on your finger.
- Melt a small amount of your candle wax – enough to coat the end of your shoelace – using an old spoon or broomstick as a wick holder. Apply just enough heat so that only the melted wax is touching the shoelace; do not let any flame come in contact with the plastic coating or nylon core! Keep the spoon at an angle to ensure that there is minimal flame contact with the shoelace. If you can’t perform this step using a spoon or long object, use a blow-torch but switch it off and on several times while performing the procedure.
- If your shoelace is not soaking up the melted wax within 20 seconds, keep adding a little more until it does. But be careful not to overdo it! Once some of the wax has soaked into your shoelace completely, turn off your candle or blow torch (if you are using one) and remove any cold leftover liquid wax from your shoelace using a paper towel or tissue paper. Be very careful during this step because any hot candle wax on the shoelace will harden as soon as it makes contact with air!
- Once you’re done, thread your not-so-new wick through the edge of a jar cap or something similar that is wide enough for it to be threaded through. (If you don’t have any empty jar caps hanging around, use an empty bottle). If you are using a glass jar, ensure that there are no metal parts that might touch the hot candle wax and damage it before placing the threaded wick in the center of its mouth carefully – but quickly because if you take too long here, residual hot wax will start to cool down and form solid clumps at regular intervals along with your shoelace wick! Instead, wait for a few seconds until the melted wax at its tip coagulates, then remove it quickly from your wick holder and wind the elongated shoelace around itself to form a tight spiral. The more tightly you wind it up, the stronger your candle will be!
Precautions While Performing How to Make a Candle Wick Out of a Shoelace
Candle wicks made of shoelace are slightly dangerous when you burn them. When burning a candle, there is always the risk of fire and wax dripping. This is why it’s important to supervise children while making a candlewick out of shoelaces.
Any object that falls into a lit candle can start a fire, even if it is not necessarily flammable in its own state. This makes candles especially dangerous for children who will be using shoelaces as material to make their very own candles with the supervision of an adult. Therefore, the following steps should be taken no matter what material you use as your candle wick:
- Be sure all materials used are away from open flames or heat sources.
- Ensure the area where you are working is cleared of clutter and will not catch fire easily.
- Make sure you have a fire extinguisher or water source nearby if something goes wrong.
- Never leave your candle burning while unattended, even if it’s on an outside porch! If left alone, the candle could tip over with disastrous results! This is especially important when using shoelace as the material for your wick because when it burns, the wax will drip onto whatever surface the candle is sitting on. If anything catches on fire, run to get a fire extinguisher immediately! Even though shoelaces aren’t flammable by themselves, any fabric will catch fire if left long enough near a flame.
- When working with or burning a shoelace wick, make sure no one is holding or wearing anything made of synthetic material, such as artificial fibers like rayon socks or polyester pants. If anyone touches the burning shoelace and their hand is covered in these synthetics, it could cause friction that sparks, resulting in a small burn injury or even worse, depending on what is being worn or held.
How to Use a Toothpick As A Candle Wick?
This article doesn’t just show you how to use a toothpick as a candle wick; it also shows you what the purpose of the little hole at the bottom is. If you don’t know about this feature, I’ll reveal it to you now-
The hole is used for control over where the flame will be dispersed from. It can help prevent soot and ensure that your flame grows in an upward direction. This is very common when making taper candles since they are not self-dipping like votive or tea light candles.
There are two ways to make a candle with a toothpick. The first method is used when making large diameter candles such as tapers or pillars. The second method shows how small surface area candles such as votives or tea light candles are made.
When making large diameter candles, you can use a sharpened toothpick to dip the wick into your melted candle wax, then place it on your candle holder and let it cool. The hardest part of this method is attempting to get rid of all the little bits of wax that stick to the tip when dipping, but with some practice, this becomes easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can Be Used as a Candle Wick?
Candles can be made using many different materials. The most common ones are cotton, reeds, and wicks made from cloth or paper.
If you want to make a candle out of a material that is more natural, you can use straws, hay, corn husks, tree bark, or cattails.
Can You Make Candle Wick From Shoelace?
Yes, you can make candle wick from shoelaces. This is a very easy process that takes less than 5 minutes.
First, take the end of your shoelace and pull it through the small loop at one end to create a knot on the other side. Then use scissors to cut off about 2 inches of the free trial from the knot so that you have about 1 inch of thread left on each side. Next, take this piece of thread and start braiding it around itself until you get to where it was before cutting off some length. Now braid one side over the other in opposite directions until you reach where you started again, but now with an even number of strands going both ways instead of just one way like before.
Finally, finish by weaving both sides together tightly, using your fingers to form a tight ring around all three strands of yarn that were used in this process (the two starting ones plus what was cut off).
What Is the Difference Between Candle Wick and String?
A candle wick is a thin piece of metal that is heated and used to light a candle. It has a lead-in and a tip. The lead-in supports the weight of the flame and the tip is shaped like a flattened cone or doughnut with an eyelet at its center for attachment to the wick holder.
String on a candle means when there are multiple wicks on one candle, usually 2 or 3, each different color string is used to distinguish between them.
What Do You Do When Your Candle Wick Is Gone?
1. A wick is used to help the candle burn and create heat for light.
2. You can try re-wicking your candle by taking a small piece of string, paper, or ribbon and wrapping it around the bottom of the flame as many times as needed until you get a long enough strip that will be able to go all the way around the circumference of your candle without any gaps in between (you may need more than one strip).
3. If you have access to liquid wax, use a spoon or other utensil to carefully scrape off some of it from the top of your wick before dipping it into it again so that you can re-wick your candle properly without needing more strips of material.
Can I use jute twine as a candle wick?
No, jute twine is not a good candlewick. It will burn very quickly and create a lot of smoke. You can use cotton string as a wick for your candles because it burns slowly and creates less smoke.
Conclusion
I hope you have obtained a clear idea of how to make a candle wick out of a shoelace from this article. Also, ensure proper safety while performing the process. Thank you and have a nice day!
