There is something really soothing about scented wood wick candles. It produces a crackling noise to mimic the environment of a campfire when the woods are on fire. This stimulates those nostalgic feelings of sitting around a campfire with your friends and family.
But, if you want to make these at home, knowing how to make wood wicks crackle in the candle is important.
The quality of the wood wicks plays a huge role. The type of the wax, the wood wick type, size and shape, and quality of the fragrance oil also determine the degree of the crackle. There are lots of things that come into play to make this nostalgic campfire sound.
Wood wick candles are not like any average candle. You will need to put the same amount of effort into maintaining it as the manufacturers put into making these amazing candles. Also, there are lots of things to know about how to make wood wicks crackle, how to choose the right wick, etc. To become a master of this topic, keep on reading.
How Can You Make The Crackling Sound In A Wood Wick?
Wooden wicks are both natural and environmentally beneficial. They make a crackling sound that is similar to that of a wood-burning fireplace. This one-of-a-kind characteristic is what makes a wood wick candle so alluring. But how can you accomplish this unique feat?
Wood wicks are made from softwood. Manufacturers apply heat to reduce the amount of moisture in the wood. As the moisture reduces, this process forms small pockets and gaps within the structure of the wood.
So, when the wood is burned, the remaining moisture within the wood heats up to the boiling point and releases steam.
The steam gets trapped in the pores that were formed earlier. As the pressure increases in the pockets, the steam is released and produces small bursting noises that mimic the signature crackling of wood burning.
Besides the wick, two main factors determine the quality of the crackle. Let’s discuss them below briefly:
Wax Type: High-density wax produces tamed crackling. Use 100% soy wax, paraffin wax, or palm wax for a more solid crackle.
Oil: The oil you use for fragrance also plays a role in the noise. Using more oil can increase the noise, but the opposite can happen too. A wick test can guide you the right way.
How To Choose The Right Kind Of Wood Wicks For Crackling?
There are three main types of wood wicks on the market; flat wick, single-ply wick, booster wick, and spiral wick.
Flat Wick: Flat wicks make two types of noises: whispering and crackling. The thickness ranges from 0.02 inches to 0.04 inches, and the width is usually between 0.38 and 0.75 inches. Flat wicks are the best for non-natural wax candles such as para soy wax, palm wax, coconut wax, etc.
Booster Wick: Booster wicks are the same as flat wicks; the only difference is that they have a strip of wood in the center from top to bottom. Booster wicks are available in various thicknesses and widths. Booster wicks are excellent for natural waxes.
Spiral Wick: Spiral wicks are sheets of wood wrapped to form a spiral. They produce more heat when burning, so they are suitable for use in wider containers.
So, the wick you should choose depends a lot on the type of wax and the diameter of the container. For paraffin wax, a flat wick works best. Booster wick works great for beeswax. The coordination of container diameter, wax type, and wick type all work in unison to produce the best crackling sound.
Reason Why Sometimes Wood Wicks Do not Crackle
The most common cause behind it is the wick being too long. Shorter wicks burn faster and crack, which makes the crackling noise. Longer wicks are just too long to split by a small candle fire.
It’s important to keep the wick short and clean since the flame is pushing the wax upwards through the wick. Otherwise, the wax won’t reach the flame. If you want the best possible burn, trim your wood wick down to approximately 1/8″, which is a bit shorter than you would expect.
You’ll need to remove any burnt residue as well. When it comes to trimming, a pair of nail clippers is more than capable of doing the trick. You can also use a napkin or something similar to cover your fingers and break any burnt parts of the wood wick.
Just make sure the candle is cool before doing anything, as it will help to keep the candle clean and free from residue.
Wood Wicks Vs Cotton Wicks
Another popular candle that you will come across when looking for the perfect wood wick is cotton wick candles. Cotton wicks are strands of cotton dipped in wax, and wood wicks are thin strands of wood used to make candles. There are quite a few differences between the two, so let’s find out:
Lighting
Cotton wick candles are simple to light and relight. You should trim cotton wicks to 1/8 inch. Or the carbon and soot might build up in your candle. The lighting process for wood wicks is slightly more difficult. While the initial lighting is easy for both types, subsequent lighting becomes difficult for wood wicks.
After trimming the wicks, cotton wick candles take about three seconds to light, whereas wood wick candles can take up to 20 seconds. Also, wood wicks require more maintenance to clean the chars from their bodies for proper relighting.
Fragrance
Both wood and cotton wicks give off an excellent scent. However, cotton wicks will burn and provide scent at any length. So, people often forget to trim the wick before lighting the candle again. A long wick means a hotter flame that will burn the scent faster. Excessive maintenance of the wood wicks makes their fragrance last longer.
Time
Wood wicks burn slowly with a smoldering fire, unlike cotton wick candles. Candles with more than one wick burn faster. So, booster wick candles will burn faster than single wick candles.
The downside is that cotton wick candles burn regardless of the wick length, so we often ignore trimming the wick. If you remember to trim the cotton wick regularly, this type of candle should burn long enough.
Other than the ones I discussed above, there are quite a few minor differences between the two. You cannot light wood wick candles with a match, which you might have already anticipated as they take significantly longer to light up.
Matches don’t give you enough time to provide fire to wood wicks. You will need a lighter to light wood wick candles.
Cotton wick candles do better in slightly windy conditions than wood wick candles. So, wood wick candles are not recommended for outdoor decorations as they are likely to extinguish easily and are difficult to relight.
Conclusion
Wood wick candles aren’t just for serving the purpose, any ordinary candle can do that. It’s more of a hobby and an affordable luxury. Wood wick candles aren’t plugged and played; lots of things determine how it performs, most notably the signature crackling.
To figure out properly how to make wood wicks crackle, you will also need to know some relevant aspects of these wonderful products. Thankfully, I have discussed the fundamentals you need to know regarding wood wick candles, their melodious crackling, and everything in between.
