Someone is trying to acquire skills that will help them survive in a global catastrophe. Someone just found a new hobby. And someone managed to turn this hobby into a profitable business, creating real works of art. What is it about? About independent From this article you will learn how to make a wick from threads.
Required detail
If you can still achieve some variations in the material for creating a candle, then you will not be able to exclude one of its components. It's about the wick. About that, at home, we will talk further. For now, let's just consider what this important thread is.
The origin of the wick
It might seem logical that the wick should be contemporary with the candle, but it is not. Candles appeared a little later. Fifteen centuries that way. At first, chips were used as a wick. Later they guessed to use pieces of fabric. This was at a time when candles had not yet been invented, and for lighting they used small bowls with a liquid combustible substance (mostly fat), which were mercilessly smoked and smelled disgusting.
However, if you think that a wick is the simplest particle that can be made from anything, then you are deeply mistaken. It is not as simple as it might seem. In order to know how to make a wick with your own hands, you must definitely understand how and why it burns.
Processes in the wick
For a wick to be of good quality, it must consist of several interconnected fibers. This is important so that capillary forces come into play, which lift the liquid fuel to the source of combustion. At the molecular level, the candle wick serves as a kind of pumping substation, which allows, among other things, to better saturate the liquid with gas. As a result, the vapor pressure increases and the flash point decreases. All these processes, naturally, take place at a microscopic level, but this does not make them less interesting. And understanding them will help to make a high-quality wick that is most suitable for a single product.
What can you make a wick from?
Throughout history, they tried to make a wick with their own hands from everything that burns. Thin wood chips, pieces of fabric, braided threads and even pressed poplar fluff - this is an incomplete list of materials.
Today, the most reasonable option seems to be using cotton thread or fiberglass. The fundamental difference between these materials is that the cotton burns out completely, but the fiberglass wick remains. If suddenly you have a legitimate question about who needs it and why, then perhaps you are not aware of a new fashion trend - the manufacture of curly candles with a frame. You bought, for example, a candle in the shape of a cute cat, and when it burns out, you find a skeleton-shaped frame of this very animal. Some connoisseurs of such ideas are simply delighted.
When considering how to do it, pay attention to the fact that its size and diameter must be selected in accordance with the size of the candle itself. If it is too thin, it will simply go out. And if it is too fat, it will smoke mercilessly. In automated production, these parameters have long been calculated. But when you make a wick for candles with your own hands, most often you have to achieve the desired proportion through trial and error.
Another trick is that the long wick also smokes. And as fat, wax or paraffin burns out, it inevitably lengthens. This problem had to be dealt with manually. Houses always had scissors with which they cut off the ends of the wicks. They were called wick scissors.
In our time, this problem was solved in a very original way. A wick for a candle (which in the overwhelming majority of cases is a thread woven from fine fibers) began to be made using the asymmetric weaving technique. As a result, the tip bends to the side and completely independently burns out completely.
How to make a wick at home
If your candle is going to be made of wax, you will need a thick, loose (not tight) wick. If the starting material will be paraffin or various fats, the diameter of the wick should be small, and the individual threads should be twisted quite tightly.
This is because these substances have different viscosities. In order for the wax to successfully climb the wick capillaries, sufficiently wide passages are required. If you leave the same for less liquid paraffin, then it will simply lack the necessary traction, and the candle will burn dimly, unevenly, or even go out altogether.
Necessary impregnation
When making a candle wick with your own hands, remember to soak it before using it directly. This process is not particularly time consuming. However, it will take time, since the soaked wick must be thoroughly dried.
The impregnation is carried out so that the wick burns better and there are fewer beads of wax or paraffin.
Various solutions can be used. Here are several options.
- For 500 ml of water: 5 grams of ammonium chloride, 10 grams of borax, 5 grams and 5 grams of calcium chloride.
- For 550 ml of water: 30 grams of slaked lime and 8.5 grams of sodium nitrate.
- For 700 ml of water: 1 gram and 1 gram of sodium nitrate.
The wick is immersed in the solution for at least 15 minutes. And then hung out to dry. It is recommended to dry the workpieces for at least five days.
A popular solution among DIYers is a solution that requires fewer specialized chemicals. And although in quality it is somewhat inferior to the mixtures described above, since we are still talking about how to make a wick at home (trying, as far as possible, not to turn the house into a branch of a chemical cabinet), we will also consider this option.
It is done as follows: take 2 tablespoons of ordinary table salt (not iodized), add 4 tablespoons of borax there and stir it all in one and a half liters of warm water. When the solution becomes homogeneous, you can send the blanks of wicks there for soaking.
For better preservation of the wicks, after complete drying, you can additionally soak them with melted wax. To do this, you need to dip them in the previously melted wax three to four times. After this procedure, the wicks must be dried again. However, impregnation with wax is needed only if you want to prepare material for yourself for future use. The wick will be able to perform its direct function in the candle made by you without this final touch.
Wide field of activity
Once you've figured out how to make a wick at home, think about where you can apply it. In truth, candlestick work is a lot of fun. And from a cute hobby, it may well be transformed into a decent source of income.
Candles come in different types. The simplest are household ones. Their only function is very mundane - to provide light in the event of a power outage. They have the simplest cylindrical shape and a dull translucent white color.
Table candles are already more attractive. Various dyes are used in their manufacture. Their shape ranges from cylindrical to twisted. Such candles may well serve as an important element in creating an atmosphere for a romantic dinner.
They are made with the addition of substances with a pleasant smell. In some cases, they can also be used in aromatherapy. Thus, you can not only cheer yourself up, but also improve your health.
Gel candles are also very popular nowadays. Firstly, because they are unusual, secondly, because they are beautiful and, thirdly, because they burn absolutely without any smell. It's easy to make them. All you need is a transparent container (preferably in the shape of a bowl), a little colored sand, beads or decorative figurines (this already depends on the flight of imagination), a wick and a molten gel mass, with which the composition is poured.
So go for it! All in your hands.
Someone is trying to acquire skills that will help them survive in a global catastrophe. Someone just found a new hobby. And someone managed to turn this hobby into a profitable business, creating real works of art. What is it about? About making candles on your own at home. In this article, you will learn how to make a wick from threads.
Required detail
If you can still achieve some variations in the material for creating a candle, then you will not be able to exclude one of its components. It's about the wick. How to make a wick at home will be discussed further. For now, let's just consider what this important thread is.
The origin of the wick
It might seem logical that the wick should be contemporary with the candle, but it is not. Candles appeared a little later. Fifteen centuries that way. At first, chips were used as a wick. Later they guessed to use pieces of fabric. This was at a time when candles had not yet been invented, and for lighting they used small bowls with a liquid combustible substance (mostly fat), which were mercilessly smoked and smelled disgusting.
However, if you think that a wick is the simplest particle that can be made from anything, then you are deeply mistaken. It is not as simple as it might seem. In order to know how to make a wick with your own hands, you must definitely understand how and why it burns.
Processes in the wick
For a wick to be of good quality, it must consist of several interconnected fibers. This is important so that capillary forces come into play, which lift the liquid fuel to the source of combustion. At the molecular level, the candle wick serves as a kind of pumping substation, which allows, among other things, to better saturate the liquid with gas. As a result, the vapor pressure increases and the flash point decreases. All these processes, naturally, take place at a microscopic level, but this does not make them less interesting. And understanding them will help to make a high-quality wick that is most suitable for a single product. 
What can you make a wick from?
Throughout history, they tried to make a wick with their own hands from everything that burns. Thin wood chips, pieces of fabric, braided threads and even pressed poplar fluff - this is an incomplete list of materials.
Today, the most reasonable option seems to be using cotton thread or fiberglass. The fundamental difference between these materials is that the cotton burns out completely, but the fiberglass wick remains. If suddenly you have a legitimate question about who needs it and why, then perhaps you are not aware of a new fashion trend - the manufacture of curly candles with a frame. You bought, for example, a candle in the shape of a cute cat, and when it burns out, you find a skeleton-shaped frame of this very animal. Some connoisseurs of such ideas are simply delighted. 
When considering how to make a candle wick, pay attention to the fact that its size and diameter must be selected in accordance with the size of the candle itself. If it is too thin, it will simply go out. And if it is too fat, it will smoke mercilessly. In automated production, these parameters have long been calculated. But when you make a wick for candles with your own hands, most often you have to achieve the desired proportion through trial and error.
Another trick is that the long wick also smokes. And as fat, wax or paraffin burns out, it inevitably lengthens. In the Middle Ages, this problem had to be dealt with manually. Houses always had scissors with which they cut off the ends of the wicks. They were called wick scissors.
In our time, this problem was solved in a very original way. A wick for a candle (which in the overwhelming majority of cases is a thread woven from fine fibers) began to be made using the asymmetric weaving technique. As a result, the tip bends to the side and completely independently burns out completely. 
How to make a wick at home
If your candle is going to be made of wax, you will need a thick, loose (not tight) wick. If the starting material will be paraffin or various fats, the diameter of the wick should be small, and the individual threads should be twisted quite tightly.
This is because these substances have different viscosities. In order for the wax to successfully climb the wick capillaries, sufficiently wide passages are required. If you leave the same for less liquid paraffin, then it will simply lack the necessary traction, and the candle will burn dimly, unevenly, or even go out altogether.
Necessary impregnation
When making a candle wick with your own hands, remember to soak it before using it directly. This process is not particularly time consuming. However, it will take time, since the soaked wick must be thoroughly dried.
The impregnation is carried out so that the wick burns better and there are fewer beads of wax or paraffin. 
Various solutions can be used. Here are several options.
- For 500 ml of water: 5 grams of ammonium chloride, 10 grams of borax, 5 grams of sodium nitrate and 5 grams of calcium chloride.
- For 550 ml of water: 30 grams of slaked lime and 8.5 grams of sodium nitrate.
- For 700 ml of water: 1 gram of ammonium chloride and 1 gram of sodium nitrate.
The wick is immersed in the solution for at least 15 minutes. And then hung out to dry. It is recommended to dry the workpieces for at least five days.
A popular solution among DIYers is a solution that requires fewer specialized chemicals. And although in quality it is somewhat inferior to the mixtures described above, since we are still talking about how to make a wick at home (trying, as far as possible, not to turn the house into a branch of a chemical cabinet), we will also consider this option.
It is done as follows: take 2 tablespoons of ordinary table salt (not iodized), add 4 tablespoons of borax there and stir it all in one and a half liters of warm water. When the solution becomes homogeneous, you can send the blanks of wicks there for soaking.
For better preservation of the wicks, after complete drying, you can additionally soak them with melted wax. To do this, you need to dip them in the previously melted wax three to four times. After this procedure, the wicks must be dried again. However, impregnation with wax is needed only if you want to prepare material for yourself for future use. The wick will be able to perform its direct function in the candle made by you without this final touch. 
Wide field of activity
Once you've figured out how to make a wick at home, think about where you can apply it. In truth, candlestick work is a lot of fun. And from a cute hobby, it may well be transformed into a decent source of income.
Candles come in different types. The simplest are household ones. Their only function is very mundane - to provide light in the event of a power outage. They have the simplest cylindrical shape and a dull translucent white color.
Table candles are already more attractive. Various dyes are used in their manufacture. Their shape ranges from cylindrical to twisted. Such candles may well serve as an important element in creating an atmosphere for a romantic dinner.
Scented candles are made with the addition of substances with a pleasant scent. In some cases, they can also be used in aromatherapy. Thus, you can not only cheer yourself up, but also improve your health. 
Gel candles are also very popular nowadays. Firstly, because they are unusual, secondly, because they are beautiful and, thirdly, because they burn absolutely without any smell. It's easy to make them. All you need is a transparent container (preferably in the shape of a bowl), a little colored sand, beads or decorative figurines (this already depends on the flight of imagination), a wick and a molten gel mass, with which the composition is poured.
So go for it! All in your hands.
How to make a candle wick at home.One of the most important tasks when creating a candle is choosing the right wick. If the wick is too thick, the candle flame will be large and smoke, if the wick is too thin, then it will burn faster than paraffin or wax, and the candle will "choke". For the manufacture of the wick, natural cotton thread is used, which does not smoke or crack when burning.
The ability to correctly make a wick for a candle is a guarantee that the flame will be beautiful.
So let's get started:
Option 1:
To make a braided or twisted wick, take 3 pieces of cotton cord or yarn. Mix 1 tbsp. l. salt, 2 tbsp. boric acid in a glass of water. Soak the cords or yarn in the solution for 12 hours. Hang them up to dry. When they are dry, twist or weave them together to make a wick. The wick is ready! Use scissors to cut the desired length (candle length + 10-15cm).
To get a waxed wick, dip the already twisted wick in the melted wax until it is completely saturated. So as not to miss this moment, watch the bubbles, as soon as the wick starts to blow bubbles, you can pull it out. When pulled out, straighten the wick and place it in the water. Then spread it out on wax paper to dry. Ready-made wicks can be rolled into coils and stored until the desired moment.
Option 2:
First, take the wick out of another candle. To do this, you can buy household candles: they are very cheap and soft. The wick is very easy to get out of them - you just need to pull on the tip of the wick.
Since ancient times, candles have been a wonderful decoration for the interior of premises. Warm light, pleasant aroma of burning candles, gave and give the rooms coziness and comfort. Although the time of candles, as the main source of light, has sunk into oblivion, nevertheless, in our time, candles find their use. And they are mainly used for decorative purposes. At the same time, you are amazed at the fantasy of candle makers. If earlier candles were rectangular or conical in shape, now designers make them incredibly attractive, so you don't even want to light them, so as not to spoil such beauty. But not only professional designers can create beautiful candles. Any person with fantasy and love for beauty can do this. And we will give some tips on how to make candles with your own hands in this article.
And we'll start simple.
DIY candle wick
A few words about candle wicks. This is one of the most important elements of a candle, on which high-quality combustion depends. First, the wick must be made from natural fibers (linen, cotton, hemp, etc.). This is usually checked by lighting the thread. If, after burning, a solid melted ball remains on the thread, then this is synthetics. If ash is formed, which crumbles from touch, then this is a natural thread.
Secondly, it is necessary to correctly calculate the thickness of the thread. The selection of the thickness of the wick is a responsible task. The size of the candle fire will depend on the thickness of the wick, with a thick wick the fire will be strong, with a thin wick, respectively weak. The size of the wick when fitting will depend on the size of the candle (diameter). A strong flame, from a thick wick, will generate a lot of heat and, as a result, will melt a small diameter candle much faster, while shortening its burning time. A weak flame from a thin wick will not melt the edges of the candle. The candle of the wick in the center can be filled with wax and it will go out. In addition, if the wick is thin, then it may not resist.
DIY tapered wax candle
To create such a candle, you need wax, a few drops of dye, fragrance, sticks for stirring wax, wicks, two saucepans. Ordinary paper cups will act as a mold for candles.
Place the paper cups on a flat surface such as a baking sheet.
The cocktail tubes are taken and a wick is tied to them. We arrange the tubes so that the wick is in the middle of the glass.
Then we melt the wax using the water bath principle.
Put the wax in a smaller pot, then put it in a larger pot of water. And then the whole thing is put on fire.
After the wax has melted, a few drops of dye are added to it ...
and flavoring.
Everything is thoroughly mixed and sent to the stove. After the wax heats up to 80 degrees, the saucepan is removed from the stove and the wax is carefully poured into cups.
You can blow hot air from a hair dryer to flatten the top of the candle.
After the wax has completely solidified (at room temperature), remove the tubes, leave 0.5-1 cm of the wick. The candles are ready.
You can use candles as they are, or you can decorate with sparkles or other decorations.
Move on. Transparent gel candles look very impressive.
How to make them? This will require glycerin, colorless gelatin, and tannin. The candle mass is prepared as follows. In 20 parts of water, 5 parts of gelatin are diluted and 25 parts of glycerin are added. This mass is placed in a water bath and slowly heated until it becomes transparent. At the same time, a mixture of 2 parts tannin and 10 parts glycerin is heated and carefully added to the first mixture. Heating continues until it becomes transparent again. While the candle mass heats up, the molds are prepared into which it will be poured. The molds must be transparent and withstand the temperature of the hot gel. Then the forms are decorated by placing small shells or other decorations on the bottom, for example. Cut off the wick and, using a cocktail tube, fix it on the mold. The wick should not reach 0.5 cm to the jewelry. Then carefully fill in the candle mass according to the shapes. After hardening, we get the original candles. Gel candles burn longer than wax and paraffin candles, while the gel does not melt, but evaporates. In addition, the gel perfectly dissolves various dyes, and therefore it can be not only transparent, but also have other colors and shades.
The technology for making such candles is as follows. A candle mold is being prepared. Wax or paraffin is melted and poured into a mold. We do not add any dyes or flavorings yet.
After a while, when the wax hardens 5-7 mm from the edge, pour the not hardened mass back into the container where the wax was melted. Now add the dyes and flavors, heat it up, and pour it back into the mold. Don't forget about the wick.
How to make decorative candles?
For example, such as in the photo.
The technology, in this case, looks like this. Two forms are made, one of a larger size, the other of a smaller one. It is not necessary, however, that they have the same geometric shape. Forms are inserted into one another.
The gap between the shapes is filled with various objects - dried flowers, various decorations, trinkets, etc. The candle mass is being prepared. Then it is poured into the gap between the forms.
After the wax starts to set, remove the inner mold. After the intermediate layer has solidified, the candle mass is heated and poured into the remaining space of the candle. Install the wick.
The candles are ready.
You can also use a hair dryer to warm up the surfaces of a ready-made candle and melt any objects into it. Multiple wicks can also be installed to make the candles look original.
How to make a DIY striped decorative candle?
In this case, the wax must be poured in layers. A layer of one color, a layer of another.
Fill layer by layer only after the previous one has hardened.
As a result, we get the following combination
Fill in the unfilled center and get a candle with a strip. Depending on the number of operations with alternating filling of wax of different colors, we get the corresponding number of stripes. It is very easy to remove a candle from a cup if it is heated in a water bath.
You can also pour wax on it over the top of the candle, in the form of some form. In this case, an asterisk, but this pattern will only be on the surface and will quickly disappear when the candle is lit.
Do-it-yourself candles in sandy molds
Candles made in sandy molds are primarily interesting in that almost any shape can be obtained in their manufacture. Pre-take a container with sand, while it must be moistened. Its consistency should be similar to that suitable for sculpting baby cakes in a sandbox.
We squeeze out interesting shapes in the sand ...
And then fill them with melted wax. Pour wax in a spoon so as not to blur the walls of the sand mold.
The wax is poured into the mold, we are waiting for it to solidify.
We install them in a box of sand. Candles can be used.
The candle is made using natural ingredients, in particular, an orange. The service life of such a candle is limited, rather even that it should be made for a specific occasion, but the aroma and its originality will live in your memory for a long time. And so, we take an orange.
Cut into two equal halves.
Remove the pulp from the halves.
The edges of the halves can be decorated with carvings. We put the wick.
Fill the cavity of the halves with wax. We are waiting for the wax to harden.
When burning, the flame will heat the orange peel, while the aroma of the overseas fruit will emanate from it.
Perhaps it was worth starting with this example, I think many, since this method of making a candle will seem easy to you. This option for making a candle does not require a wax mass and a water bath from you, but in fact, everything is more complicated here. In this case, it is necessary to feel the material, at what stage it only bends, and where it already melts. For the manufacture of a candle, wax is used, which is widespread in beekeeping (the basis for honeycombs). In addition, you will need a candle, scissors, and a thread for the wick.
First of all, we measure the length of the wick and cut it to the height of the candle with a margin.
We warm the edge of the foundation and wrap it around the wick.
Perhaps this is the most responsible and difficult moment.
The wax should wrap the wick evenly along the entire length of the wick.
We roll the foundation into a roll. If necessary, warm up the foundation while twisting it.
A do-it-yourself candle made from foundation is ready.
We hope that these examples and candle making techniques will help you decorate your home.
Every person is a child at heart. What do children like? That's right, everything is clapping and sparkling! After all, no holiday can be imagined without fireworks, and some manage to make them at home.
Fortunately, this is rarely the case. Much more often we buy pyrotechnics on the eve of New Year's holidays. Unfortunately, the quality of their workmanship is often poor. This is especially true of cheap pyrotechnics, the wicks of which are sometimes obscenely short.
And how to make a wick from scrap materials? Is this real at all? There is practically nothing complicated about it.
The simplest option
Surely everyone in childhood at least once, but dabbled with matches. Remember how beautifully saltpeter burns, peeled off from them? Before making a wick, you need to scrape it off a couple of boxes. The resulting saltpeter is tamped into sticks from juices or something similar. A dense rammer is a guarantee of long burning.
Despite the primitiveness, such wicks burn very steadily, and with proper sealing, they are practically not afraid of getting wet. Ideal for safe use of questionable pyrotechnics!
If possible, before making a wick, try to get them.They burn excellently, they can easily withstand even getting wet, so that you can make an excellent one out of them.
There is also a method involving the use of regular tape. Again, you will have to grind the sulfur from a couple of matchboxes, and then cut off a narrow strip of duct tape of the required length. Lay it with the sticky side up, sprinkle a thin strip of match nitrate on it.
On top of this entire structure, press down with the same strip of adhesive tape. The resulting ignition cord can be used even in winter conditions, since it is weakly exposed to moisture. Since it is extremely easy to make a firecracker wick in this way, it can be recommended for pyrotechnics lovers of all ages.
Attention! Strictly follow all fire safety rules, otherwise you can easily start a fire.
For city dwellers
If you have a little poplar fluff on your balcony since spring - great! One has only to stuff dry fluff into a rolled-up newspaper to make a pretty good wick from it. Needless to say, all material must be completely dry.
Method for young chemists
To make a reliable wick according to this recipe, you will need ordinary potassium permanganate, Moment glue or similar, and matches. A small amount of potassium permanganate is taken, glue, and then these two component parts are mixed until a homogeneous mass is achieved.
Attention! It should not be forgotten that Moment is not only extremely flammable, but also contains many substances harmful to your health. Be sure to provide adequate ventilation of the room when performing this type of work.
You should not rush, it will take at least ten minutes to completely mix the components. Since the resulting mixture is too liquid, you should wait a few minutes until the hardening process has passed.
After this time, the resulting puddle must be carefully molded, giving it a more compact appearance. When the composition acquires the consistency of plasticine, it must be rolled out, giving the appearance of a sausage. Thickness doesn't matter.
And how to make a wick from matches and the composition we have described? It's simple: if you need a wick that burns quickly and very reliably, then a certain amount of ground match nitrate should be added to the composition before it hardens.
How it works?
Have you wondered why such difficulties are? The fact is that the wick obtained as a result of our actions not only burns perfectly (and at an acceptable speed), but also easily withstands the ingress of water and snow. With its help, you can easily launch fireworks from a safe distance, even setting it right in a snowdrift.
Potassium nitrate is our choice!
If you ask the representatives of the older generation, they will probably tell you about all the methods of obtaining a wick that were used by children in the USSR. Among the main components, it has always occupied an honorable place.In those years, it was sold in all agricultural stores, so there were no problems with obtaining it.
How do I use it? To begin with, saltpeter must be dissolved in ordinary water, taking one part of the active substance and three parts of the liquid. The easiest way to make a wick is to soak a regular newspaper in the resulting mixture. More precisely, you can simply dip it in a jar and take it out immediately.
After that, the paper should be thoroughly dried. Attention! Since the products from the evaporation of the working composition are not very useful for human health, it is advisable to do this in the open air.
And how to make a wick for a firecracker from the resulting material? We roll the dried newspaper into a thin tube, tying it with a thread if necessary. A certain skill is required only to bring him to "combat readiness".
To do this, set fire to the very tip of the "sausage", and then bring down the flame. The smoldering light is the goal of all our fireworks. It will easily tolerate even slight moisture, and the burning rate is such that it will reliably protect you from premature fireworks triggering.
By the way, before making a homemade wick, be sure to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of modern products of this kind. Almost certainly what you see will impress you so much that you definitely will not risk approaching an extinct firecracker.
More serious way
The disadvantage of the above method is the fact that a thin newspaper is in no way suitable for the role of a fuse-cord. It can quickly go out, and then burn out sharply right in front of your amazed eyes. The consequences can be very dire.
Therefore, it is advisable to get a high-quality cotton rope. It is also soaked in the above-described aqueous solution of nitrate and dried thoroughly. To make the design as reliable as possible, you can lubricate it with a mixture of potassium permanganate and Moment glue. We have already given the recipe for the "infernal composition" above.
This igniter can withstand even significant moisture without having any effect on its combustion capacity. By the way, what can you make a wick from, if you do not take into account the above methods?
Potassium nitrate again
Unfortunately, it will not be possible to refuse this substance, since only with its help it is possible to create sufficiently reliable wicks. So, we take about two parts of saltpeter and one part of regular granulated sugar.
We grind all this in a porcelain mortar until a fine and homogeneous powder is formed. The resulting composition can be hammered into juice tubes (as in the method with match nitrate).
Important note
Before making a wick with your own hands, do not forget about responsibility for all your subsequent actions. It is possible to launch pyrotechnics only in the absence of a strong crosswind, outside dense urban development. The use of such products in hot and dry weather conditions, as well as their use by minors, is unacceptable.
Here's how to make a wick without using expensive tools.