How To Rewick A Candle – The Easiest Fix There Is


We may have come across this problem with our candles from time to time and it’s quite annoying, to say the least. You have invested some of your hard-earned cash into making that candle purchase and found that it splitters, tunnels, or even burns too high and brightly indicating the wrong wick has been used. So what can we do to fix it?

How to rewick a candle? The three main ways to rewick a candle are:

  • Using heat to melt the wax around the wick
  • Using pliers to forcefully pull out the wick
  • Using a coring device like an apple corer to remove the wick

So with these techniques in mind let’s look at each one, in turn, to see which one is best for us

Use a corer to remove the wick

Let’s look at using an apple corer first. This one is quite a good technique to use as it allows you to quickly get down into the candle to get the wick out. I like this method as it can be done quickly and easily by prewarming the corer and again whenever it cools too much if needed.

If the wick comes out then great but if not keep repeating the process until it does. If the wick is glued or stuck with a metal wick sticker then you may need to get some long needle nose style pliers to help you.

The downside of this method is that you may scorch the wax if the corer is too hot and you end up taking out a large plug of wax which you now need to either throw away or spend time reintegrating into your candle. The other downside is that the wick sticker, if present, may be larger in diameter than the core hole.

Use pliers to pull out the wick

This technique is simpler but requires more effort. If you feel strong enough get your candle and carve out some of the wax around the wick to expose more of it. This will allow you to get a greater, more reliable grip on your wick. Holding the candle in one hand at arm’s length, slowly pull the wick out using the pliers. This is a fast and easy way if you are lucky enough to have a wick that is as strong as you.

The downside of this method is that it relies on both you and the wick to be strong enough to endure the ordeal. Using this method often results in the top of the wick snapping which puts you in an even more difficult situation than when you started.

Heat the wax to remove the wick

Heating the candle is by far the easiest and least wasteful method, so it’s my preferred method, especially if the candle is expensive, I don’t want to toss a bunch of the wax away and lose precious candle burning time.

Place the candle in a double boiler or a dedicated wax melter if you have one, secure the wick, and wait for the wax to melt. Once melted the wick can be fished out of the melted wax easily. Secure your new wick to the bottom of your container and the melted wax can then be poured in as if you were making a candle from scratch. Your wastage from this method will be minimal but it does take far longer than the previous 2 methods.

The downsides are time and equipment for this method, most people don’t have dedicated wax melters or the time to do this as it will take time for the candle to reset and cure after you have finished.

Reasons you may need to rewick your candle

Your candle begins to tunnel, only burning in the middle leaving unburnt wax along the sides of your container. This could mean the wick flame is not hot enough to reach the sides of the candle.

The flame may be very small and may even go out often, indicating a cheap, fast-burning wick was used and something more robust is needed.

The wick burns and emits sooty black smoke or carbonizes causing a mushroom-like wick that needs replacing.

The flame may be too big and burns the candle too quickly and the excessive heat from this causes any perfumes present to be burnt off rather than thrown effectively.

Conclusion

Just because you have bought your candle from a known manufacturer does not mean they know everything there is about candles and may have inadvertently used an incorrect wick for the candle you purchased.

That said there may also be other environmental factors in your home which may affect how your candle behaves. If your home is very cold or humid then your candle will be affected by this and will burn accordingly which may be at a sub-optimal level.

There can be many reasons why they are not burning correctly but it doesn’t mean we have to just accept it. A little candle surgery can work wonders and save you from wasting your hard earned cash on a dud.

You can even make your own cheaply. Check out these articles for more information.

Profitable Candle Making Business: Can I Do It? Spoiler:Yes!

What Candles Sell The Most? The Best Sellers And Why – Guide

Where Is The Best Place To Sell Candles? How Do I Sell Them?

Which Type of Candle Wax Burns Longest (Slowest)?

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