Many people (myself included) have found that a large amount of hemp remains in their home. So what can you do with all this? One of the best, easiest, and simplest things you can do is make your own hemp candle wicks. How do you do it?
First, a quick explanation of makes a wick a wick (rather than a string or anything else). It is simply a strand of something flammable that is covered with something else that is flammable. Although this sounds strange, it actually makes it burn slower. However, there are a few things you need to do to properly transform your hemp into a wick. Normally, with cotton, you need to soak it with water, salt and acid. Since hemp is already much drier than cotton, you can either do this step or skip it, it’s up to you.
If you decide to soak the hemp in this solution, be sure to let it dry completely before the next step. Once it is completely dry, melt some wax in a double boiler to submerge it. You can use paraffin wax, soy wax, beeswax, or just use an old candle that has burned out (a great way to save money and the rest of the candle!). Ideally, heat the wax between 160 and 170 degrees. (Fahrenheit) before starting to wet the wick.
If possible, you should submerge the wick while keeping it perfectly straight. The easiest way to do this is to tie a weight to the bottom of the thread (anything will work, like a quarter) and then hang it from something while it dries so that it stays straight. If you want to make more than one at a time, you can buy specially made grids (a bit pricey for my taste), or you can glue clips (the thick ones) to a dowel rod for a much cheaper alternative.
After you have dipped it in the melted wax, hang it so that it is straight and let it dry and cool completely. If you really want your own hemp wicks to burn evenly, you can dip them a second time and let them dry completely. This will give them a thick, even coat that will burn slowly and steadily, plus you won’t need to trim it very often. Once you have it covered and dry, you are ready to turn your wick into a candle. What’s the easiest and cheapest way to do it without buying supplies?
Use something around your house as a mold, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First, we need to get or make a wick tab. A wick tab is just a small piece of metal at the bottom of the candle that prevents the wick from burning out completely, which would overheat the bottom of the container if it is a container candle or burn whatever is on top of the candle. Now, truth be told, wick lashes are so incredibly inexpensive (around 10 cents each) that if you think you’re going to make more than 3 candles, just buy a pack. If you’re impulsive like me and can’t wait to get some, you can make one out of a tack. How?
Just stick the thumbtack through the wick and set it to the bottom of your mold, that’s it. So now we have a wick ready to go, and it is on a wick tab for safety reasons, we are ready to find a mold to make our candle. Almost anything will work, you can use a soup can, a coffee can, or even a soda can. I personally like the soda can because I can unmold the candle (soup cans are rimmed so the candle stays in the can). Simply cut the top of the soda can very carefully, keeping the sharp edges in mind, and place the “ wick tab ” in the bottom center of the mold. To keep the wick centered and straight, hang it from something until the candle has cooled.
Once everything is done, simply pour the 170 degree wax into the mold and let it cool for several hours. It will sink a bit in the middle, you can leave it like that or top it off with a little bit warmer wax (around 175 degrees). Once it has completely cooled down, cut the wick to a quarter inch, unmold the candle, and voila! Now that you know how to make your own hemp candle wicks, you can make as many candles as you want!
