Special Wick No. 5 – Round Wick for Beeswax Candles

From the Servus workshop

Special wick no. 5 is a round wick of 100% braided cotton, with one flat face carrying a V-shaped braid: unwaxed, with BF-21 treatment, borax-free. It is made by Schreiber GmbH (Neuhof, Germany), RD series, and the manufacturer's documentation lists it explicitly for beeswax candles (tealights or pillars), alongside 100% paraffin and blends of paraffin with stearin, rapeseed or beeswax. No other wick type in the Servus range has beeswax named directly by the manufacturer in its data sheet. That is why it is our choice for pure beeswax candles and for makers working towards “natural product” claims: the wick brings nothing into the recipe apart from cotton, because you prime it yourself, in your own wax.

Sînziana says: “Our candles rolled from honeycomb sheets, for events and decorative pieces, in many colours, rely on this wick. The secret isn't the wick itself, but two steps before rolling: you soak it in a thin coat of melted wax, so the first lighting has something to live on, and you lay it with the V of the braid pointing down, towards the base of the candle. The manufacturer's data sheet gives it for 2–4 cm in poured candles; in rolled candles, where there is air between the layers, it easily handles 4.5 cm. What we haven't tested, we tell you needs testing.”

Behaviour in production

• The data sheet is written for poured candles; rolled candles follow different physics. The manufacturer gives no. 5 for Ø 20–40 mm, a range calculated on poured, solid candles. A candle rolled from sheets has air between the layers and weighs almost half as much at the same diameter: at Ø 40 mm and 4.5 cm high, poured paraffin weighs ~600 g, rolled sheet ~310 g. Less wax to feed, the same wick: that is why in rolled candles no. 5 handles up to 4.5 cm, even though it wouldn't on a 45 mm poured candle. The data sheet isn't wrong; it is made for a different type of candle.
• Unwaxed means priming is a must, and that is its advantage. Before use, the wick is soaked in a thin coat of melted wax (in the workshop we use wax left over from other batches). Without priming, the first lighting is temperamental. With it, the wick becomes part of the same recipe as the candle, and the formulation stays clean for claims and certifications.
• Positioning isn't optional. The flat face with the V-shaped braid is laid with the V pointing down, towards the base of the candle. Fitted the other way round, the wick burns, but the flame isn't steady: checked in the workshop.
• A new batch, even when it is made to order. Batches are identified by the RD series, but the behaviour belongs to the recipe: beeswax varies from one batch of combs to the next more than any industrial wax. With a new batch of wax or wick, burn a test piece; change one variable at a time.

Compatibility and sizing

The recommendations come from workshop practice; the manufacturer's data sheet covers poured candles, and the range for rolled candles is measured by us.

A complete system tested in the workshop: this wick + waxes for moulds (pillar); in the same place you'll also find the honeycomb wax sheets for rolled candles. If you pour or roll steady volumes, we'd like to see you in Servus Club.

Stated limits

• It is NOT waxed and does NOT have a metal tab: for container candles ready to stick down and pour, use the waxed cotton wick with tab for container candles. In a container, no. 5 needs a tab fitted by you, and priming.
• It is NOT documented for soy or coconut wax: the manufacturer's documentation covers beeswax, paraffin, stearin (max. 15%) and rapeseed. For containers in soft plant waxes, the tested choice is the waxed wick with tab.
• It does NOT cover large diameters: above 4 cm poured / 4.5 cm rolled, no. 5 tunnels. That is where no. 7 comes in.
• It is NOT a wick for every candle: between diameter ranges, or with a new recipe (wax, dye, fragrance), the test is still yours to do.

Full diagnosis: the Servus guide to choosing a wick.

Even when the specs are clear, the result depends on the diameter, the wax and the type of candle. Before a large production run, make one test piece on the final recipe.

Technical properties

Sizing for your recipe isn't in the data sheet: it is set by testing.

Step by step

1. Choose the size by candle type: poured Ø 2–4 cm or rolled Ø 2.5–4.5 cm → no. 5; above that → no. 7.
2. Prime the wick: soak it in a thin coat of melted wax and let it harden straight.
3. For rolled candles: lay the wick with the V of the braid pointing down, towards the base, and roll the first sheet tightly around it.
4. For poured candles: centre the primed wick in the mould before pouring.
5. Burn a test piece on the final recipe; if it tunnels, go up one size; if it smokes or the flame flickers, go down.
6. Supplied as 5 m: a single continuous length, with no knots.

Servus Collection

Since 2010, from craft to real distribution.

We sell selected materials, tested and explained from real workshop experience. From Maramureș, for workshops in Romania and abroad.

Servus. See you at the pouring table.