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How to Prepare a Mold With a Wick Pin

A wick pin sets the wick channel before you pour, so a votive comes out perfectly centered with no fishing a wick through hot wax. Set the pin in the mold, pour, let it set, then pull the pin and thread the wick.

Metal votive mold with wick pin upright inside, a separate wick pin beside it, eucalyptus and tealights around

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Lone Star Candle Supply

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A wick pin is a straight metal rod on a flat round base that you set inside a mold before you pour. The wax sets around it, and when you pull it out it leaves a clean, centered channel for your wick. That removes the most fiddly part of making a votive: getting the wick straight and centered through wax that is already cooling. Set the pin, pour, pull the pin, thread the wick.

We sell wick pins for our votive molds, which have no wick hole in the base, so there is nothing to seal before you pour. The pin seats on the closed base, you pour around it, and the wax forms the channel as it sets. This guide covers the entire process: set the pin, pour, pull the pin, and thread the wick.

See the full process: seating the wick pin in a votive mold, pouring around it, and pulling the pin to leave a clean, centered wick channel.

How to Wick a Votive Mold With a Wick Pin

The pin does the centering for you. Set it in the mold, pour, and the wax forms around the pin instead of around a wick you are trying to hold straight.

Wicking a Votive Mold With a Wick Pin

  1. 1

    Set the wick pin

    Stand the wick pin upright in the mold so its flat base sits on the bottom and the rod runs straight up the center. The base keeps the pin centered and upright while you pour.

  2. 2

    Set the mold in a small pan

    Place the mold in a shallow pan before you pour. The pan catches any wax that spills or drips and saves your workspace.

  3. 3

    Pour your wax

    Pour your prepared wax around the pin to the level your candle needs. New to wax prep? Start with How to Prepare Wax for Pouring.

  4. 4

    Let the candle set, then pull the pin

    Once the wax has fully set, twist and pull the wick pin straight up and out. It leaves a centered channel exactly where your wick goes.

  5. 5

    Thread and secure the wick

    Run a primed wick down through the channel the pin left, then seal the base end and trim the top. Size the wick to the candle's diameter using the guide to wicking.

Because the pin forms the channel before the wax sets, the wick lands centered every time. That is the difference between a votive that burns straight down the middle and one that tunnels to one side.

Where This Goes Next

A wick pin is one piece of the larger process. To see it in a complete project, see How to Make Votive Candles, which walks the pouring and finishing steps end to end. For sizing the wick to the candle, the guide to wicking maps wick series to diameter, and the Different Types of Candle Molds for Candle Making guide compares mold profiles when you are choosing one. Votive molds sized for a pin live in our votive molds selection.

Sources

  1. Candle Safety National Fire Protection Association, 2024 ↩

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you put a wick in a votive mold?

Set a wick pin in the mold before you pour. The pin stands upright on its flat base at the bottom of the mold, you pour your wax around it, and once the candle has set you pull the pin straight out and thread your wick through the channel it left. The pin centers the channel for you, so you never fish a wick through hot wax.

How do you make a hole in a candle for the wick?

Set a wick pin in the mold before pouring. The pin is a straight metal rod on a flat base; the wax sets around it, and pulling it out leaves a centered channel sized for your wick. It is cleaner than drilling or melting a hole after the candle has cooled.

Do votive molds need a plug or seal before pouring?

No. The votive molds we carry have no wick hole in the base, so there is nothing to seal. The wick pin seats on the closed base, the wax pours in around it, and pulling the pin after the candle sets leaves a clean channel. Setting the mold in a small pan still catches any drips while you pour.

What size wick pin do I need for a votive?

Match the pin to the height of your votive mold so the rod stands a little above the wax surface, where you can grip it to pull. Size the wick itself to the votive's diameter using our wicking guide once the channel is set, since the pin sets the channel, not the wick size.

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