If you want to blow something up without getting injured, you need to ensure that the pyrotechnic charge can detonate safely. The most common way to do this is to make a wick that can be lit at a safe distance. Below you will see a couple of methods for making a wick.

How to make a kickford cord

For insulating wires, empty paste from an ordinary pen or a soda straw is perfect. Fill the shell with crushed (be careful, they may detonate while crushing) match heads. If you want, you can replace them with gunpowder or another similar mixture. If you light such a cord, the wind will not extinguish it, but if it is well insulated, you can use it under water. The more you compress the filling, the longer the fuse will burn.

In order to optimize the process, if you use match heads, the sulfur may not be scraped off, but the match heads may be broken off immediately, since there is no more than 10 sulfur on one match, and the main ingredients are Berthollet salt and phosphorus, KSIOZ). Lay them out in a row, then wrap it all with tape. However, some craftsmen manage to remove wax with one graceful movement of their fingers.

How to make a jute wick

An ordinary jute rope will do, which must first be soaked in potassium or sodium nitrate dissolved in water.

How to make a stopin

For this type of wick, the same jute rope is suitable, or better yet, if you take an old cotton rope. Repeat the already familiar procedure of soaking in a solution of potassium or sodium nitrate and dry thoroughly. Then mix organic glue and gunpowder pulp to a viscous, thick consistency. Stopin is a cotton rope that is pulled through this mixture and soaked in saltpeter.

Hunting matches - wick

Why isn't this a wick? One match can burn for about 20 seconds without going out even in bad weather. Just make sure that the charge does not detonate before the required time due to sparks flying in all directions.

The candles are over 2 thousand years old. The first mention of the device dates back to the 1st millennium BC. In ancient China and Japan, wax was extracted from sumac seeds. This is a shrub that bears fruit in the 5th year of life. Younger plants were not suitable for creating wax, because they did not yet produce seeds.

By the beginning of our era, candles based on animal fat were invented. They dipped the wick into it, covering it layer by layer. The wick itself was made from tow, cotton, timothy or milkweed stems. You can still make a candle yourself. How? More on this later.

Making a candle wick

To make a candle at home, you should start with the wick. They buy natural cotton thread for it. A striking example of this is “floss”. This embroidery material is available in any sewing store. For a candle with a diameter of 2-7 centimeters, about 15 single threads are required. For a product with a diameter of 10 centimeters, 24 threads are taken, and for a souvenir with a width of more than 10 centimeters, 30 threads are woven.

But, the diameter of a candle is not always an indicator of the thickness of the wick. There are models that burn through only partially. Such products only partially consist of flammable materials. The core burns out, leaving an untouched outline. The calculation of the power of the wick is made taking into account the paraffin, helium, or wax part. Wax does not require tight twisting of the wick threads, but paraffin and gel samples require tight twisting.

The wicks are crocheted, braided, or simply twisted. All options are valid. In order not to waste extra time, they even use ready-made parts from household candles. To make a candle with your own hands, you can soak the threads in advance, or you can do it at the same time as pouring.

Determining the shape of the candle and installing the wick

In the matter of form, the author’s imagination plays a decisive role. Any container made of plastic, metal, or ceramic will suit it. Paraffin is poured into table cups, teapots, metal tubes, boxes, and yogurt cups. If there is a paper label, it is removed. During the process, the cellulose may catch fire.

It is most convenient to work with plastic containers. They are recommended for beginners. It's easy to make a hole in the bottom of a plastic container. A wick is inserted into it. The threads are tied in a knot on the outside of the glass. It will negate the flow of stearin or paraffin through the hole. The hole is made with a thick needle.

Place a toothpick, wire, or any crossbar on the top of the glass. The second end of the wick is tied to it. Thus, its position is fixed. The threads should stand straight in the middle of the container. Otherwise, the candle will burn and melt unevenly.

Coloring a candle

How to make a candle color? A simple and affordable way is wax crayons for children. They are easily mixed with the lamp material, unlike gouache and watercolor. These dyes are created on a water-soluble base.

It is impossible to distribute them evenly in paraffin. Illuminating elements are required exclusively on a fat-soluble basis. Interestingly, lipsticks are one of these. Therefore, some craftsmen use old, unnecessary lip samples when making candles.

Among children's candle crayons, soft samples are ideal. Specialized stores and creative salons also sell tablet dyes. The granules are specially created for those who think how to make candles with your own hands. Tablets have a much wider range of colors and shades than wax crayons. True, store-bought supplements are more expensive.

Pouring a candle

Typically, tin cans are used to melt wax. They are washed well and flattened a little. A trench is formed, from which the paraffin then flows in a thin stream into the mold for pouring. A canned food container is convenient, but, in principle, any container except glass will do.

In addition to a container for melting paraffin shavings, you will need a saucepan. Water is poured into it and brought to a boil. A jar of paraffin is placed in the seething solution. The scraps of unnecessary candles should be approximately the same in quality.

The molten material is poured into a pre-selected mold with a wick installed. First, the bottom is filled. If you pour everything at once, a lot of wax will flow out through the hole in the bottom. When pouring in layers, the “escaped” material is collected and again sent for remelting. This is the answer to the question how to make a candle at home with minimal costs.

After pouring, the candle cools and hardens at room temperature. Placing it in the refrigerator can cause the material to harden unevenly.

If the candle comes out a little rough, place it under hot water for a few seconds. This way the contour is leveled and melted. But sometimes roughness is the author’s idea. Deciding how to make your own candle, many craftsmen deliberately choose forms with a ribbed surface.

The most convenient way is to fill it upside down. That is, the head of the candle ultimately becomes the wick tied at the bottom of the container. The top of the fill becomes the base of the product. In this case, you do not have to separately fill the recess next to the wick at the top of the bowl. It almost always forms during the process of settling and hardening of the wax.

In addition to standard ones, scented candles are also poured. In this case, odorous mixtures and ethers are added to the melted material. They are thoroughly mixed with paraffin before forming the product. Regular coffee beans, cloves, or cinnamon from your home kitchen are suitable as a flavoring. Dried slices of lemons, oranges, and limes are also placed in paraffin.

First, for a homemade candle you will need to make a wick. The wick is a kind of capillary through which the melt of the candle mass enters the combustion zone. The wicks are woven from cotton threads. Wax candles should have a loosely woven wick made of thick fibers; for all other candles, the wicks are made of tightly woven threads. This is due to the viscosity of the candle mass in the molten state: viscous wax requires wide capillaries, while easily moving paraffin, stearin and fats require thinner capillaries, otherwise the candle will begin to smoke heavily due to excess combustible material.

The wick is impregnated with solutions containing sodium nitrate, for example, of the following composition:

• 8.5 g sodium nitrate and 30 g slaked lime in 550 ml water;
• or 1 g sodium nitrate and 1 g ammonium chloride in 700 ml water;
• or 5 g sodium nitrate, 5 g ammonium chloride, 5 g calcium chloride and 10 g borax in 500 ml of water.

The prepared wicks are soaked in these solutions and then dried.

Using wicks from white IKEA (17 cm) candles has only one drawback. The shape should be no higher than 17 centimeters. This wick is equally suitable for candles with a diameter of 20 to 100 mm. Using thicker wicks is impractical (candles burn out quickly and produce a very high, smoky flame).

If you don't have a ready-made wick, make one from ordinary cotton thread (twine). Such combustion will have meaning. Don't forget that the wick can be simply twisted, or it can have charms woven into it. In this case, you use a weave with the pattern of the element you are working with. For example, an ordinary braid is the element of water.

Where to buy candle wicks

If you don’t want to make the wicks yourself, you can buy ready-made ones. candle making kits, they have everything you need included (including wicks).

There are also wicks for heating candles on sale.

To ensure that candles burn better and the lard does not drain, several methods are recommended:

a) Dip the wicks into a solution of lime water to which saltpeter has been added: for 5.5 water, take 85 g of saltpeter and 300 g of lime. Dry the wicks before use.

b) Prepare a solution of 85 g of borax, 45 g of calcium chloride, 45 g of nitrate and 45 g of ammonium chloride in 4.5 liters of water and filter. Soak the wicks in this solution, then dry.

c) Soak the wick for several hours in the cold in a solution of 1 kg of boric acid in 37 liters of water.

d) Prepare a solution of 4 kg of boric acid, 2.5 kg of sulfuric acid in 370 liters of water. Proceed as in the previous recipe.

e) Dissolve 10 g of ammonium chloride and 10 g of sodium nitrate in 7 liters of water. The wicks are soaked in this solution for 10 - 15 minutes at a boil and then dried at 40-50°C.

f) Place the wicks for 24 hours in a bath consisting of sulfuric acid and 100 times the weight of water. Dry at low temperature and place in another bath consisting of 12.5 kg of boric acid, 9 kg of ammonium sulfate and 370 liters of water. The wicks are then dried in a warm room.

For impregnation, melt a little wax, then the end of the wick is immersed in it for a short time and removed, allowing the drops to flow into the pan. After this, the wax is allowed to cool slightly, and the wick is placed on a board for further drying (by the way, a wick soaked to its entire length is well suited for lighting many candles on a Christmas tree).

The tip of the wick of a burning candle should be as short as possible - this prolongs its burning life. Therefore, at a lit candle, it is constantly trimmed.

Wicks with knots

Candles with such wicks have additional magical powers. To make such a candle, first pick up the wick and after the “filling with light” exercise, mentally focus on the purpose for which this candle is needed. Let's say you need to get rid of a bad habit - for example, quit smoking. To do this, you have planned a ritual with candles. Previously, you smoked a pack, that is, twenty cigarettes a day, or 140 cigarettes a week. You want to quit smoking in one week.

While holding the wick in your hand, mentally focus on your smoking habit. Imagine how you reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke in a week from 140 to 120. It’s easier to imagine that you will smoke one pack less per week. Imagine that at the same time you will feel much better, your breathing will improve, your mood will improve. Focus as hard as you can on this picture and tie a knot on the wick.

Then do it all again, but imagine that you smoke a hundred cigarettes a week. Again, imagine yourself feeling better. Focusing on the imaginary picture, tie another knot on the wick. Continue in the same vein: mentally reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke per week to eighty, then sixty, forty, twenty, and finally stop smoking. Tie a knot every time. As a result, you will have seven knots tied on the wick at equal distances.

Now make a candle. Cast it in a mold, in a vessel or by dipping it in wax. In short, use any method, but personally I would recommend making a candle in a vessel - so that the knot on the wick, corresponding to 140 cigarettes per week, is at the top of the candle. During the ritual, you will burn the candle in seven stages. You will light it when you smoke 140 cigarettes a week and let it burn until the wick burns down to the first knot. At this point, you will repeat the ritual, receiving the additional energy that you put into making the thin candle. Ideally, it takes a full day for the candle to burn down to the first knot, so you will repeat the ritual every day to keep the candle burning almost continuously. But if the candle burns down to the next knot before you are ready to move on to the next day's ritual, extinguish it as soon as you see the next knot. At the appointed time, repeat the ritual and light the candle again. By the beginning of the seventh day, you will reach the zero point of the thin candle and quit smoking. Let the candle burn out completely, do not extinguish it.

Quitting smoking or getting rid of any other bad habit is quite difficult, even with the help of magic. Additional energy can be of great help in this matter.

The process of making bulk candles is simple and safe: just place the wick in a wine glass and fill it with stearin granules. There are many ready-made kits that include everything you need.

The candle is one of the great inventions of mankind. For many millennia, it was necessary to somehow feed the burning lamps, pour melted fat or oil into them. Such a lamp had to be re-installed each time. It smoked strongly, and the smoke had a persistent unpleasant odor. The invention of the candle eliminated all these inconveniences. Nowadays, candle making is more of a wonderful hobby - a way to realize your creative potential. One of the difficulties on the way to mastering this revived craft is precisely the manufacture of wicks.

What is it and what is it for?

Traditionally, a wick is a piece of fabric or thread of varying thickness and weave density. Its material absorbs flammable liquid and helps it rise up. From the molten liquid, even more flammable vapors spread between the fibers of the wick fabric and around it. The wick is easy to set on fire, the vapors and flammable liquid burn, illuminating the area around. But setting fire to the mass (oil or fat) in which the wick is lowered can be difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Thanks to the special design of the wick, kerosene or other highly flammable liquid (for example, alcohol) does not ignite immediately, and their combustion in more advanced burners can be controlled.

In a candle, the wick is impregnated with wax or paraffin. Thanks to the correct wick (material, density, thickness), the flame is even and illuminates the room without soot or flares. Paraffin or wax gradually melts into a liquid state, is absorbed into the fabric and feeds the flame with flammable vapors. This way the candle gradually burns out, remaining stable enough not to completely melt.

Thanks to the correct selection of the diameter of the candle and the thickness of the wick, as well as its exact position in the middle of the candle, a device for long-term and reusable use is obtained.

What are they made of?

Wicks for oil lamps were made from any absorbent fabric of plant origin. The oil or fat was placed in a shallow vessel. A twisted piece of fabric pre-soaked in the same flammable liquid was placed at its edge. For lack of anything better, these were, in general, passable lamps. However, they still had quite a lot of shortcomings. Firstly, such a bowl with a burning wick is difficult to move - it is easy to spill melted fat, and even more so oil. Secondly, the flame of such a lamp constantly smoked. And the fat also gave off a very noticeable unpleasant odor. However, precisely such lighting devices were often used by whalers in distress or Arctic explorers at the beginning of the 20th century.

For candles, wicks began to be made from specially prepared thread or twine, also of plant origin. Unlike an oil lamp, the combustible material now began to flow gradually, and it became possible to select the correct diameter and structure of the wick. In addition, the candle could now be moved, although quite carefully so as not to extinguish the flame with the flow of air.

For candles, a wooden wick is made from foundation (specially processed wax)- a splinter, simply a dried sliver. Of course, it must be prepared in a special way. The splinter must be taken well dried, then it must be impregnated with wax and only then rolled into foundation. Such a candle, if all the parameters are selected correctly, burns evenly and for quite a long time.

Modern candles can be equipped with a reusable wick. The candle and fuel material are burned, but the wick remains and can be used to make a new candle. The material for such, one might say, eternal wick is fiberglass. In this case, the spark plug has to be replaced. This approach can be justified for decorative candles with complex shapes.

Sometimes the wick of a purchased candle also needs to be replaced. One of the reasons for the emergence of such a need may be non-compliance with the wick preparation technology, first of all, its insufficient drying. It happens that this element does not quite correspond to the candle for which it was used. For example, a thread that is too thick can form a carbon ball at the end and will smoke heavily. Or it turned out to be thin, and the flame is filled with melt.

To replace the wick you need to prepare a small set of tools:

• needle nose pliers;
• paper napkins;
• wire;
• You may need a soldering iron.

Most often, you can remove the wick quite easily; you just need to hook the edge of the metal cup, which is found in many candles, or pull the protruding end of the wick. But difficulties may also arise. In this case you can use heated wire, it must be held with pliers. And heat over a flame, for example from a gas stove. The wire must be immersed in the candle at the place where the wick comes out, and then pulled out. Turn the cooling wire and remove it too. A new thread can be inserted into the resulting hole. To do this, you can again use a piece of wire. The new wick needs to be glued to it. The end free from the thread must be heated again and pulled through the candle, so that the glued thread takes the desired position. Next, all that remains is to trim off the protruding ends. The wick should protrude 6–8 mm.

How to choose the thickness?

Still, the main material for wicks for centuries has been cotton or linen thread. Selection of its parameters, as practice shows, is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

• It is important to consider the thickness and structure of the thread. If it turns out to be too thin, the flame will be weak, and such a candle will give little light. A thread that is too thick will contribute to the formation of large soot and, in addition to light, will also create a lot of smoke, and the candle will burn out much faster.
• The density of the material also matters. During combustion, the space between the fibers must be filled with flammable vapors; they are the ones that support the flame. So, for a wax candle you need a thread that is thicker, but less dense, compared to the wick for a paraffin or stearin candle.
• The diameter of the candle can also be a significant parameter influencing the selection of the wick. It would seem that a thicker candle should be equipped with a thicker wick. However, this is not at all true. A strong flame will cause intense melting of the top layer of combustible material of the candle mass, the wick will be flooded with melt and the flame will go out.

It is, of course, possible to correctly maintain the ratio of the material and diameter of the candle with the indicators of the wick. In an industrial environment, where everything is standardized, errors are virtually eliminated. For various candles, specially prepared thread of various knitting, thickness and density is supplied. But in the case of self-production, you will have to go through the thorny path of trial and error.

How to make it yourself at home?

The most commonly used material for candle wicks is cotton thread. It can be twisted, braided or crocheted, thus expanding the application options for different candle masses and candle diameters. Moreover, threads can be woven with different densities, and this, as mentioned above, is very important, since the molten masses from which candles are made behave differently.

For a candle with a diameter of 2 to 7 cm, a wick of 10–15 threads is usually used. If the diameter of the candle is close to 10 cm, 25 threads will be required. A product exceeding 10 cm in diameter must be equipped with a wick of 30 threads.

When making a wick at home, of course, you will have to rely on your experience, which does not develop immediately. Like any hobby, candle making (and especially wick making) requires patience.

When making a candle, it is important to place the wick clearly in the middle, otherwise the product will float unevenly and burn faster than required. It is convenient to use a plastic glass or any other hollow plastic product as a casting mold. In this case, you need to make a hole in the lower part and, after tying a knot on the wick, insert its second end into this hole from below. Pull it into the upper part of the future candle, secure it by tying it to some kind of spacer, for example from a toothpick or pencil. You should pour the molten candle mass carefully, being careful not to dislodge the wick.

The finished candle should be removed from the mold after the candle mass has completely hardened; this can be determined quite simply by the temperature of the surface of the mold. While it is hot, it is better not to touch the candle.

Required impregnation

Creating a wick is not only about making a thread of the required density and thickness. In order for her to become a candle wick, she must be prepared for this. So that the wick does not burn out immediately, but performs its function, the thread must be soaked.

In the case of a wax candle, sometimes impregnation with the same molten wax is sufficient. The wax is melted over a fire in an enamel plate. The thread is placed in a plate and allowed to soak. The procedure must be repeated three to four times until air bubbles no longer appear in the liquid wax. Then it must be hung until the wax has completely hardened. The thread for storage can be loosely wound on a bobbin, laying layers of paper. It is better to store in a cool place so that the wax does not spread. When necessary, you can use scissors to cut the pieces to the required length.

If we need to explode something without getting injured, then we need to ensure the harmless detonation of the pyrotechnic charge. The most primitive method to do this is to make a wick, one that we can set on fire at a harmless distance. Here are some methods for preparing a wick.

Instructions

1. Bickford cord. We take ordinary wire insulation or several drinking straws fastened together. We fill them with crushed heads from household matches, gunpowder or another flammable mixture. This method is convenient because our wick will not be able to blow out the wind. Even if it rains, he will not be able to soak such a wick. To prevent the “filling” of the Bickford cord from burning out too quickly, it can be compacted. If we don’t have gunpowder or anything else besides matches, we can save ourselves the trouble of scraping the heads off the matches. We simply break them off, lay them out in a row and wrap them with tape.

2. Jute wick. We take a jute rope, soak it in a solution of sodium or potassium nitrate and dry it thoroughly. The wick is ready for use.

3. Stopin. To make such a wick, we also need jute rope, but old cotton rope can also be used. Soak a not too thick rope in a saltpeter solution and dry it. But that is not all. Now let’s mix organic glue with powder pulp. You should get a homogeneous thick mass. We need to stretch a rope through this mass. When everything has hardened, the wick can be used.

4. Hunting matches themselves serve as a wonderful wick. They do not go out and burn for approximately 20 seconds. But so that our charge does not detonate prematurely, it is necessary to monitor the sparks flying off the matches.

5. Poplar fluff. An extraordinary summer version of the wick, due to the fact that poplar fluff is released in June. But making a wick out of fluff is easier than anyone and there is no need to impregnate anything. We simply collect the fluff, scoop it up and wrap it inside with a rolled up tube of newspaper or paper.

You will need

• – Zippo lighter;
• – newest wick;
• – sharp scissors;
• – screwdriver;
• - tweezers or tweezers.

Instructions

1. It turns out that even the famous lighter, which will burn invariably and everywhere, also needs to be taken care of. In particular, she needs to change the wick. Yes, in its advertising the Zippo company says that the wick will last forever, however, when using gasoline that is not the purest, the impurities contained in it can contribute to the burning of the wick. When ignited, the wick may spark, or may not ignite at all right away - this means that it is time to change it.

2. Try using tweezers to little by little pull the wick up (finally, on a non-burning lighter). When the wick stretches up a little, cut off the upper part with scissors - the part that protrudes above the edges of the windscreen.

3. If this procedure does not help or you decide to replace the entire zippo wick, first of all pull out the lighter insert. To do this, grab the windshield - the upper protruding part of the lighter - with one hand, and the lower part of the lighter with the other hand. Now look at the bottom of the insert. Did you see the screw head? It is he who holds the wick. Carefully unscrew the screw.

4. Now you can remove the felt pad from the insert. After this, using tweezers, remove the cotton filler and the old wick from the housing. Take the newest wick and thread it through the insert, carefully insert it from the bottom into the hole, pick it up from the top with tweezers and pull it up.

5. When inserting the cotton filler back into the body of the lighter, place the long part of the wick between its layers. Carefully trim the top of the wick flush with the edge of the windscreen.

6. Replace the felt flap and secure the structure with a screw. The screw must be tightened sufficiently in order for the lighter to fit properly into the body. Before inserting the lighter into the body, check that the flint is free in place. If necessary, insert a new flint. Assemble the lighter and check whether it opens and closes properly.

Tip 3: How to make a panel of poplar fluff with a picture of a kitten

Poplar fluff is an annual scourge of cities where poplars are planted in large numbers. During the period of his “departure” there is no escape from him anywhere! If you show your imagination, you can use poplar fluff with benefit and pleasure - for example, to make authentic panels. Soft and shaggy white fluff is a beautiful natural material for creativity!

You will need

• – thick dark paper – the basis of the panel; ideally, black velvet paper or cardboard, but it is also possible to use a dark blue, dark chestnut or dark green base;
• – a photograph or picture of a kitten;
• – a blank sheet of paper and a sheet of copy paper;
• – chalk or white pencil;
• - scissors;
• - glue stick;
• – small cosmetic tweezers;
• – clean and dry poplar fluff, cleared of seeds;
• – frame with glass (optional).

Instructions

1. Place a carbon copy and a photograph or picture on a blank sheet of paper. Transfer the silhouettes of the kitten onto a blank sheet of paper, not forgetting about the eyes, nose, and mouth. Cut out the resulting silhouette; Use small scissors to carefully cut out the eyes. The result was a sample for the panel.

2. Place the sample on a dark base, with the support of chalk or a white pencil, outline the silhouettes of the sample, carefully draw the silhouettes of the eyes.

3. First make the kitten's eyes. Flagella made of poplar fluff are used to create silhouettes. To make them, you need to take a small ball of fluff, stretch it and roll it between your fingers until it becomes a rope. Apply a small amount of glue to the eye area and carefully apply the poplar flagellum along the silhouette. To make the pupils, roll small balls and secure them with glue inside the eye silhouettes.

4. The body and head of the kitten are made like this: the silhouettes are outlined in the necessary places with glue, and then fluff flagella are applied. Inside the silhouettes, the surface of the base is also smeared with glue, and after that, with the help of tweezers, fluff is laid out. The more fluff, the whiter and shaggier the kitten will be. The muzzle is two loose balls rolled from fluff. You can “draw” the nose by pushing the fluff apart with the back of tweezers or the tips of scissors. The whiskers and claws on the paws are made from flagella.

5. Last but not least, you can create a landscape: grass, clouds, etc. In order to secure the image, and also to prevent the panel from collecting dust, it is recommended to insert it into a decorative frame with glass.

Video on the topic

Note!
In a similar way, you can make an image not only of a kitten, but also of another animal: a dog, a bunny, a polar bear and other white animals, and not only animals - whatever your imagination tells you!

Currently, the production of candles at home has become famous. The necessary thing for this is a wick. It can be extracted from ready-made, store-bought candles, but it is not always of great quality. Therefore, you can make the wick yourself.

You will need

• Thick cotton thread (twine, rope or floss will also work) about 30 cm long
• Salt – 2 tablespoons
• Borax – 4 tbsp. l.
• 1.5 glasses of water
• Soaking utensils
• Utensils for melting wax
• Paper clip

Instructions

1. Pour one and a half glasses of warm water into a cup or other container, dissolve 2 tbsp in it. spoons of salt and 4 tbsp. l. Boers. Soak the thread or tourniquet in this solution for 15 minutes.

2. After soaking, hang the thread on a line to dry clothes in a dry room. To ensure the thread is completely dry, let it hang for five days.

3. Melt the wax in a specially prepared container. Secure the thread with a paper clip. Dip it into melted wax 3-4 times. It is necessary that the future wick be completely covered with wax. After this, hang it again on the clothesline to dry. In a few minutes, your homemade wick will be ready.

4. To make a candle, cut the required length, not forgetting about the reserve. The finished wick can be stored rolled into a skein.

5. To create a colored fire, you can add one teaspoon of chemicals to the wick soaking mixture. Let's say, strontium chloride will give a red flame, table salt - clear yellow, borax - yellow-green, potassium nitrate - purple.

Video on the topic

Note!
When creating a wick with a colored flame, it is impossible to use several chemicals at the same time, because... this may cause a chemical reaction.

If you have oranges or lemons and indecent candles at home, then make genuine candles out of them to decorate your home and festive table. Their production will take just a little time, but the result will certainly please you.

You will need

• – oranges or lemons;
• – candles or paraffin;
• - nylon thread.

Instructions

1. Cut the orange into two identical halves and carefully remove all the pulp with a spoon. You won’t need it much, so you can squeeze juice out of it or easily eat it. You can use not only this fruit, but also lemon, tangerine or grapefruit. The result is a half that looks like a saucer. Now take paraffin or candles, put them in a saucepan and melt them over low heat or in a water bath.

2. Make a wick from a piece of nylon thread; its length should be slightly larger than the height of your candle. You can take ready-made wicks from candles that have been melted, if they are suitable in height. Next, hold the wick in the middle of the “saucer” with one hand, and carefully pour melted paraffin into it with the other. It is necessary that a small piece of wick remains on the surface. Wait until the paraffin hardens, this usually takes a few minutes.

3. This candle looks amazing on the table and smells great. If desired, you can place a few clove stars or cinnamon slices along the edges of the peel. All that remains is to light a candle and have a romantic dinner. Do not forget to follow safety precautions when using a candle, be careful with fire.

Video on the topic

As you know, candles can be made at home. Basically they are all made from paraffin. Now I bring to your attention a water candle. Making it much faster and much easier. Go!

You will need

• – water;
• - sunflower oil;
• – stack;
• - candle;
• - plastic bottle;
• - stationery knife.

Instructions

1. First you need to cut a circle from a plastic bottle equal to the diameter of the stack. After this, take a stationery knife and make a small hole in the middle of this circle.

2. The next step is to pull the wick out of the candle. This can also be done with the help of a stationery knife. After this, take a holed plastic circle and insert the wick into it. To do this, you can use a primitive pen rod.

3. Now pour water into the glass. After that, pour vegetable oil there. Its layer should not exceed 5 millimeters.

4. After this, we take a circle with a wick stuck into it and wipe it thoroughly so that there are no marks. Then we put it in a stack with water and vegetable oil. Your candle is ready! You can try to set it on fire. Is it burning? I think so! Good luck!

Helpful advice
The candle will stop burning when the oil runs out. If this happens, carefully pour it into the water candle, having previously pulled out a plastic circle with a wick.

Do you want to create romance in nature? But there is nothing at hand. From an old bowl and a candle you can create a unique designer accessory, one that will delight you and your companions on a chilling evening.

You will need

• – An old camping mug;
• – Candlestick;
• – Blue acrylic paint;
• – Matches (toothpick);
• – White acrylic paint;
• – Transparent varnish for fixing.

Instructions

1. Take a mug, rinse, clean. Dry thoroughly. Cover with blue paint. Leave to dry for 2-3 days.

2. Using a match or toothpick, apply small white or yellow dots - these will be stars. Dry thoroughly.

3. Cover your product with clear varnish. Insert a candle inside. Ready! Enjoy the charming romantic mood while the candle wick smolders.

Gel candles add uniqueness and mystery to any interior. They will create a romantic atmosphere and serve as a nice present. Making gel candles with your own hands is very easy. If you have some imagination, they will turn out almost worse than those sold in stores. In addition, candle making is an interesting process in which children can also be involved.

You will need

• Glass glass, small vase or flask
• Decor: shells, pebbles, beads, etc.
• 1 tbsp. spoon of gelatin
• 1 tbsp. l. glycerin
• 1 glass of water
• Mug or bowl
• A saucepan with water for the steam bath
• Pencil, pen or stick
• Essential oil
• Food coloring
• Wick (you can make it independently, buy it ready-made, or extract it from an ordinary candle)

Instructions

1. Mix glycerin and gelatin in a mug or other container, pour a glass of cold water and leave for 1 hour. During this time, the gelatin will swell.

2. In a glass, the one that will later become a candle, put decorative elements, say shells. When you fill them with liquid, they may float, so you can glue them with superglue or pour a gel mixture into them and displace the air. Place the wick in the glass and secure it to a pencil or stick so that it stays level.

3. Heat the mixture in a steam bath until the gelatin grains are completely dissolved. You need to make sure that the solution does not boil.

4. After this, add a few drops of essential oil and dye to the gel mixture. These ingredients are not essential and may not be used.

5. Carefully pour the mixture into the decorated glass, making sure that the wick remains vertical. After this, you need to leave the candle for a while and let it harden.

6. Check and make sure the mixture is set. Your DIY gel candle is ready!

Video on the topic

Note!
The amount of essential oil should correspond to the size of the candle. You can add about 5 drops to a small glass.

Helpful advice
To speed up the hardening process of the candle, you can put it in the refrigerator.

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