Candle wick

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Wick of a candle Docht einer Kerze 2008-01-18.jpg
Wick of a candle
Candle wick in a candle Candle Wick.jpg
Candle wick in a candle

A candle wick or lamp wick is usually made of braided cotton that holds the flame of a candle or oil lamp. A candle wick works by capillary action, conveying ("wicking") the fuel to the flame. When the liquid fuel, typically melted candle wax, reaches the flame it then vaporizes and combusts. In other words, the wick brings the liquified wax up into the flame to burn. [1] The candle wick influences how the candle burns. Important characteristics of the wick include diameter, stiffness, fire-resistance, and tethering.

Contents

Wick types

Wicks are sometimes braided flat, so that as they burn they also curl back into the flame, thus making them self-consuming. The wick sizes determine the amount fuel brought into the flame. [1] Prior to the introduction of these wicks specialty scissors were used to trim the excess wick without extinguishing the flame. [2]

Large diameter wicks typically result in a larger flame, a larger pool of melted wax, and the candle burning faster.

In tealights, the wick is tethered to a piece of metal to stop it from floating to the top of the molten wax and burning before the wax does. Candles designed to float in water require not only a tether for the wick, but also a seal on the bottom of the candle to prevent the wick from wicking water and extinguishing the flame.

Wicks can be made of material other than string or cord, such as wood and (historically) even asbestos, although they are rare. The 17th century rushlight and rush candles also uses rush-pith. The cotton of tampons can be used as wicks for oil lamps in wilderness survival situations. [3]

Specific wick types

Flexible wick burning in wax VINEWICK CANDLE WAVEWICK.jpg
Flexible wick burning in wax
Dipped candles hanging by their wicks Candle Factory and Shop.jpg
Dipped candles hanging by their wicks

History of the candle wick

Wicked candles initially started to be used by ancient Egyptians in 3000 B.C. Wicked candles were assumed to be made by waxes from available plants and animals in this time period. [6]

During this time, the Chinese were using rice paper to create wicks and made wax out of insects and seeds. [7]

Stiffeners

Stiffeners are used to direct the wick to remaining upright so that fuel can get to the flame. [8] This provides two advantages: it makes the wick more rigid, letting it stand further out of the liquid wax, and it conducts heat downward, melting the wax more readily. The latter is particularly important in candles made of harder wax.

Stiffeners were once made of lead, but these have been banned in the US for several years by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, due to the concerns about lead poisoning. Fine wire (such as copper) can be included in the wick. Other core stiffeners, such as paper and synthetic fibers, may also be used. The CPSC was petitioned to ban candle wicks containing lead cores and candles with such wicks by Public Citizen, the National Apartment Association, and National Multi Housing Council on February 20, 2001. The ban against manufacturing, importing, or selling candles in the US with lead wicks became effective in October 2003. [9]

Pretreatments of wicks

Virtually all wicks are treated with various flame-resistant solutions in a process known as mordanting. Without mordanting the wick would be destroyed by the flames and the flow of melted wax to the flame would cease. Beyond that, wicks can be treated with substances to improve the color and brightness of the flame, provide better rigidity to keep the wick out of the melted wax, and improve the flow of that wax up the wick. Common treatments are borax and salt which are dissolved in water in which the wicks are soaked. Wicks can also be pretreated with paraffin wax. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraffin wax</span> Soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal or shale oil

Paraffin wax is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules containing between 20 and 40 carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and begins to melt above approximately 37 °C (99 °F), and its boiling point is above 370 °C (698 °F). Common applications for paraffin wax include lubrication, electrical insulation, and candles; dyed paraffin wax can be made into crayons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candle</span> Wick embedded in solid flammable substance

A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. Candles have been used for over two millennia around the world, and were a significant form of indoor lighting until the invention of other types of light sources. Although electric light has largely made candle use nonessential for illumination, candles are still commonly used for functional, symbolic and aesthetic purposes and in specific cultural and religious settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerosene lamp</span> Type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel

A kerosene lamp is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel. Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe; lamps may be used on a table, or hand-held lanterns may be used for portable lighting. Like oil lamps, they are useful for lighting without electricity, such as in regions without rural electrification, in electrified areas during power outages, at campsites, and on boats. There are three types of kerosene lamp: flat-wick, central-draft, and mantle lamp. Kerosene lanterns meant for portable use have a flat wick and are made in dead-flame, hot-blast, and cold-blast variants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oil lamp</span> Lamp used for lighting by burning oil

An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. They work in the same way as a candle but with fuel that is liquid at room temperature, so that a container for the oil is required. A textile wick drops down into the oil, and is lit at the end, burning the oil as it is drawn up the wick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanctuary lamp</span> Float lamps used in churches or temples

A sanctuary lamp, chancel lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light, or eternal flame is a light that shines before the altar of sanctuaries in many Jewish and Christian places of worship. Prescribed in Exodus 27:20-21 of the Torah, this icon has taken on different meanings in each of the religions that have adopted it. The passage, which refers to prescriptions for the tabernacle, states:

And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (KJV)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lantern</span> Portable lighting device

A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light source – historically usually a candle, a wick in oil, or a thermoluminescent mesh, and often a battery-powered light in modern times – to make it easier to carry and hang up, and make it more reliable outdoors or in drafty interiors. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as torches, or as general light-sources outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealing wax</span> Material used to seal documents

Sealing wax is a wax material of a seal which, after melting, hardens quickly, forming a bond that is difficult to break without noticeable tampering. Wax is used to verify that something such as a document is unopened, to verify the sender's identity, and as decoration. Sealing wax can also be used to take impressions of other seals. Wax was used to seal letters close and later, from about the 16th century, envelopes. Long before sealing wax was employed, the Romans used bitumen for this purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuse (explosives)</span> Device that initiates sudden release of heat and gas

In an explosive, pyrotechnic device, or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately. However, when being specific, the term fuse describes a simple pyrotechnic initiating device, like the cord on a firecracker whereas the term fuze is used when referring to a more sophisticated ignition device incorporating mechanical and/or electronic components, such as a proximity fuze for an M107 artillery shell, magnetic or acoustic fuze on a sea mine, spring-loaded grenade fuze, pencil detonator, or anti-handling device.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Votive candle</span> Type of votive offering in Christianity

A votive candle or prayer candle is a small candle, typically white or beeswax yellow, intended to be burnt as a votive offering in an act of Christian prayer, especially within the Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Christian denominations, among others. In Christianity, votive candles are commonplace in many churches, as well as home altars, and symbolize the "prayers the worshipper is offering for him or herself, or for other people." The size of a votive candle is often two inches tall by one and a half inches diameter, although other votive candles can be significantly taller and wider. In other religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, similar offerings exist, which include diyas and butter lamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Burner</span>

A Buddy Burner is a simple stove made from a can and part of a corrugated paper box. It is usually fueled by paraffin wax but other fuels, such as boiled butter, animal fat or diesel fuel, can be used. It is usually used for cooking but can also provide heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torch (juggling)</span>

Juggling torches are one of various props used by jugglers. Torches are usually commercially made props that are made of wood and/or metal with a wick attached at one end. The wick is soaked in liquid fuel, usually paraffin and ignited before use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of candle making</span>

Candle making was developed independently in a number of countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceremonial use of lights</span>

The ceremonial use of lights occurs in liturgies of various Christian Churches, as well as in Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Hindu rites and customs.

Also known as a "perfume lamp", "effusion lamp," or "catalytic lamp", a fragrance lamp is a lamp that disperses scented alcohol using a catalytic combustion wick consisting of a cotton wick threaded through a natural, porous stone. The catalytic combustion wick was developed and patented by Maurice Berger, a French pharmaceutical dispenser, in 1898 as a means of purifying the air in hospitals and mortuaries. It is claimed that this catalytic oxidation process destroys bacteria in the air and increases oxygen levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argand lamp</span> Type of oil lamp

The Argand lamp is a type of oil lamp invented in 1780 by Aimé Argand. Its output is 6 to 10 candelas, brighter than that of earlier lamps. Its more complete combustion of the candle wick and oil than in other lamps required much less frequent trimming of the wick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindenburg light</span> Candle used in the First World War

The Hindenburg light or Hindenburglicht was a source of tallow lighting used in the trenches of the First World War, named after the Commander-in-Chief of the German army in World War I, Paul von Hindenburg. It was a flat bowl approximately 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) in diameter and 1–1.5 cm (0.39–0.59 in) deep, resembling the cover of Mason jar lid (Schraubglasdeckel) and made from pasteboard. This flat bowl was filled with a wax-like fat (tallow). A short wick (Docht) in the center was lit and burned for some hours. A later model of the Hindenburglicht was a "tin can (Dosenlicht) lamp." Here, a wax-filled tin can have two wicks in a holder. If both wicks are lit, a common, broad flame results.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tealight</span> Type of candle

A tealight is a candle in a thin metal or plastic cup so that the candle can liquefy completely while lit. They are typically small, circular, usually wider than their height, and inexpensive. Tealights derive their name from their use in teapot warmers, but are also used as food warmers in general, e.g. fondue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candle warmer</span>

A candle warmer is an electric warmer that melts a candle or scented wax to release its scent. The candle warmer shown is intended to be used with jar candles or candles in cups, not with taper candles or candles without containers large enough to accommodate all the melted wax. Some candle warmers have a built-in bowl in which the candle is placed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-lit tree</span> Type of artificial tree

A pre-lit tree is a convergent product of Christmas lights and an artificial Christmas tree. The product is an artificial fir tree that comes pre-wired and strung with lights, which cannot be removed and are usually embedded within the artificial branches. The product can be sold as a kit - the user assembles the tree and plugs it into an electrical outlet - or the dealer may assemble it before the sale. Pre-lit trees may have traditional mini bulb lights, LED lights, or fiber-optic lights. Larger trees usually contain traditional strands of bulb lights while smaller tabletop trees have fiber-optic branches. Pre-lit trees are categorised under the headings of electrical goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flameless candle</span>

Flameless candles are an electronic alternative to traditional wick candles. They are typically utilized as aesthetic lighting devices and come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. A flame-effect lightbulb contains multiple small light-emitting diodes and a control circuit to flash them in a semi-regular, flickering pattern. The bulb may be sold separately with a standard Edison screw for use in ordinary fixtures, or in a self-contained housing with battery.

References

  1. 1 2 "Elements of a Candle: Wicks". National Candle Association. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  2. Michelle J. Ferry (18 October 2017). "How To Trim a Candle Wick & Why You Should Do It". graciemoonscents.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  3. Creek Stewart (27 March 2012). "Yes, that's a Tampon in my mouth : The Swiss Army Survival Tampon : 7 Survival Uses". WillowHavenOutdoor.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-15. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  4. "Guide to Candle Wicks | How to Decide Which Wick To Use". lonestarcandlesupply.com. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  5. US9631162B2,Ramirez, John,"Flexible wick",issued 2017-04-25
  6. "History". National Candle Association. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  7. York, LAFCO New (2023-01-30). "The History of Candle Making: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Day". LAFCO New York. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  8. "Candle Wicks - A Detailed And Informative Guide Into All Things Wicks!". All Seasons Wax Company. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  9. "CPSC Bans Candles with Lead-Cored Wicks". Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  10. "Candle wicks - How to prime wicks and why? • HowtomakeCandles.info". www.howtomakecandles.info. Retrieved 2023-12-05.

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