About Wooden Wicks

At Winecraft, we believe the best wicks CRACKLE!

Wooden wicks are known for their unique 'crackle' or 'sizzle' sound when burning, which adds a unique and relaxing experience. But, just as with cotton wicks, wooden wicks must be maintained. Here are some best practices.

The first burn is the most important

Give your candle enough burning time to develop a melted wax pool that goes all the way to the edge of the container on the first use - this can take up to a few hours, depending on candle size.

Believe it or not, your jar candles have a kind of “wax-memory,” and once a burning pattern has been established, it can be hard to change.

If you don’t allow your candle enough time to form a full melt pool on the first burn, a little depression or “tunnel” may start to form around the wick.

This will make it more difficult for the wax around the edges of the jar to melt, causing the tunneling effect to continue with each burn.

Eventually the tunnel will become too deep for fresh oxygen to flow in, and your candle will have trouble staying lit for more than short periods of time. 

To prevent this issue, make sure to give your candle enough time to develop a melted wax pool that goes all the way to the edge of the container the first time you use it. This melt pool can take 2 hours or more to form, depending on the candle size.

Keep your wood wick trimmed and free of charred bits

For optimal burn, keep your wood wick trimmed to about ⅛”, and clean off any burnt wood from previous use.

If your wood wick candle won’t stay lit it’s probably because the wick is too long, or it needs to be trimmed clean of charred material.

Remember it’s not the wood fueling your candle’s flame, it’s the wax. The flame is drawing the wax upwards through the wick, so if it’s not trimmed short and clean, the wax can’t make it to the flame.

For optimal burn, keep your wood wick trimmed to about ⅛” - this is shorter than you might think the wick should be - around the width of the metal part of a USB drive. You’ll also want to clean off any charred bits.

For trimming, we’ve always found an old set of nail clippers or wire cutters to work great. In a pinch, you can always use a napkin and your fingers to gently break off the burnt parts of the wick.

Just make sure to let your candle cool before trimming, as you don’t want any bits of ash or wick material left in the wax when you’re done. It’s much easier to clean this up when the wax is hard and cool!

Never burn your candle for more than 4 hours!

If you burn your candle for more than 4 hours at a time, carbon will collect on the wick, and your wick will begin to "mushroom." This can cause the wick to become unstable, the flame to get too large, your candle to smoke, and soot to be released into the air and around your candle container.

How to light a wood wick candle like a pro

You’ll want to light these differently from cotton wicks, but it’s very simple:

When lighting a wood wick candle, the best technique is to tilt it on an angle and let the flame draw across the length of the wick (kind of like how you tilt a match after lighting).

It may also take several tries to get it lit! The heat from the flame needs to draw the wax through the wick before it will really start burning nicely. When in doubt, give it another try - once you get it going once, it should light up more easily.

Your wick shouldn’t produce any soot or smoke

If you are experiencing any smoke from a wood wick candle it’s usually because the wick needs to be trimmed and the burnt parts cleared out, or there is a draft interfering with the natural burn.