Candle Wicks?

[Marts]

Can anyone suggest an easily available material suitable for making wicks for T-lights?

Cheers
Marts

 

[Toddy]

Ordinary cotton parcel string will work, but you have to soak it in molten wax ( or rub in lots of vaseline) first, since it's more tightly spun than proper candle wick. Similarly the insides of rushes work well too, again pre-oil or wax them.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Seagull]

Ho, Marts.
Yup, Toddy is spot-on, I use Eliza Tinsley thin parcel twine...any B&Q

Ceeg

 

[Marts]

Cheers guys

 

[wingstoo]

I bought a load of wicks for home made candles from a craft shop, have you a "Hobby Craft" store near you?


LS

 

[Marts]

Thanks for the suggestion LW, but following Craft-Yoda Toddy's suggestion I found a load of cotton string and once dipped in wax it does the job fine.

 

[JonnyP]

Hi Marts.....I am sure I read somewhere once, that the inner pithy bit of pond reed can be used for wicks, but I have no idea how its done......

 

[torjusg]

There was a comparative test in The Bulletin of Primitive Technology. Juniper bark cordage came out as the definate winner. Far better than a commersial candle wick which was also tested.

 

[Toddy]

What did they do to the bark? Inner bark beaten soft?

Patrick Cave-Brown did a series of experiments on rush dips and reckoned the small field rush, peeled with just a spine of skin left on and mutton fat was the best.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[torjusg]

What did they do to the bark? Inner bark beaten soft?

Patrick Cave-Brown did a series of experiments on rush dips and reckoned the small field rush, peeled with just a spine of skin left on and mutton fat was the best.

Cheers,
Toddy

Can't remember, I will check tomorrow.

By the way, I haven't forgotten about trying to boil wax from juniper berries. I just haven't had much time to find and gather any.

 

[fred gordon]

Hi Marts.....I am sure I read somewhere once, that the inner pithy bit of pond reed can be used for wicks, but I have no idea how its done......

The outer green 'skin' was carefully peeled off to reveal the white pith. This was then dipped in oil, or molten wax. I have read that the preparation of the wicks was a job often given to the kids. They were the only ones with hands nimble enough to peel off the skin. If you have a go you'll see what I mean.

 

[torjusg]

Toddy

Now I have checked up the test of these wicks. There is nothing on the process of making the cords, but it looks like they have used the fluffy outher bark.

They used five wicks, the diametre was slightly different for for them. The sagebrush, juniper and jute cordage were a little thicker than the commercial cotton and the dogbane cordage. All of the candles were made by the same wax and dipped 20 times (Which I think will make errors to the results as thick cord adds exponentially more wax every time dipped).

The results were:
- Dogbane: 35min
- Candlewick 40min
- Sagebrush 90min
- Jute 150min
- Juniper 210min

This is clearly by no means scientific as wick thickness definately seems to have an effect in addition to materials.

 

[JonnyP]

The outer green 'skin' was carefully peeled off to reveal the white pith. This was then dipped in oil, or molten wax. I have read that the preparation of the wicks was a job often given to the kids. They were the only ones with hands nimble enough to peel off the skin. If you have a go you'll see what I mean.

Cheers for that Fred, will get my boy on the job, next time we're out....

 

[WhichDoctor]

Hi Marts.....I am sure I read somewhere once, that the inner pithy bit of pond reed can be used for wicks, but I have no idea how its done......

We made them when camping one year. As said we stripped off the outer skin, leaving one thin strip to hold it together, then soaked in cooking fat. They worked very well, from memory (this was quite a while ago) they could burn for 15/20 minutes or so. Im shore they would work just as well as candle wicks.

 

[JonnyP]

We made them when camping one year. As said we stripped off the outer skin, leaving one thin strip to hold it together, then soaked in cooking fat. They worked very well, from memory (this was quite a while ago) they could burn for 15/20 minutes or so. Im shore they would work just as well as candle wicks.

Did you dry them first, or soak them in fat straight away WD...?

 

[Toddy]

Toddy

Now I have checked up the test of these wicks. There is nothing on the process of making the cords, but it looks like they have used the fluffy outher bark.

They used five wicks, the diametre was slightly different for for them. The sagebrush, juniper and jute cordage were a little thicker than the commercial cotton and the dogbane cordage. All of the candles were made by the same wax and dipped 20 times (Which I think will make errors to the results as thick cord adds exponentially more wax every time dipped).

The results were:
- Dogbane: 35min
- Candlewick 40min
- Sagebrush 90min
- Jute 150min
- Juniper 210min

This is clearly by no means scientific as wick thickness definately seems to have an effect in addition to materials.

Cheers Torjus :You_Rock_
That's a heck of a difference in the effective burning times though Archaelogically, in wet preservation, we find pine candles, but I don't recall any info on Juniper. Interesting I do know of Juniper as a "hearth herb", that is a herb used as a domestic, i.e. household one, used to purify the air, the bedding, etc. It does smell wonderful.
I think I need to have a play

Jon, the loch rush, schoenoplectrus lacustris (I won't swear to my spelling ) sometimes known as soft rush or matting rush, makes excellent rush lights and is the one that was gathered, cut into two foot lengths and sold in bundles to be peeled and soaked in tallow or the like for lighting. I use it when doing medieval stuff, but it pours out black oily smoke (probabaly why medieval roofs and lungs ended up black )

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[JonnyP]

Jon, the loch rush, schoenoplectrus lacustris (I won't swear to my spelling ) sometimes known as soft rush or matting rush, makes excellent rush lights and is the one that was gathered, cut into two foot lengths and sold in bundles to be peeled and soaked in tallow or the like for lighting. I use it when doing medieval stuff, but it pours out black oily smoke (probabaly why medieval roofs and lungs ended up black )

Cheers,
Toddy

Hiya Toddy.....
Cheers for that.....Yes its the Soft Rush that I was on about. I don't know why I always call it pond reed..??? Though I have the Latin name as Juncus effusus...
Going to have to try this one out for myself...
I am now wondering if all that smoke from it will keep the miggies away too...

 

[Toddy]

D'you know I hadn't thought of that.........I make a bog myrtle tincture and the residue of resin rich and alcohol soaked cones burns beautifully well with a glorious anti midge scent .......I'm wondering if I could combine the bog myrtle with the rush somehow ???

Juncus was the name the schoenolpectus stuff used to be named, and it's still labelled like that in older books and texts, but it's the same stuff. Itmakes brilliant soft rush baskets, hats, mats and the like. If you peel off the shrivelled leaves and dampen them a little they make an excellent string and it smells good too, a bit like seagrass

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[madrussian]

Cool. We have that here. The USDA website calls it Common rush. I'll have to see if I can find it close by. Thanks Toddy.

 

[GenghisChris]

oops already answered... sorry, the different forum displays confused me.