How to Make a 3 Wick Candle

Making a 3 wick candle is probably easier than you think and this post will show you how to create a beautiful fall scented candle complete with a wick template and a printable label.

It's warm and cozy time with a nice 3 wick candle for fall. I love to burn candles during the fall and winter months. However, you can use this tutorial to make any scented 3 wick candle you want. Why 3 wick? Well, a 3-wick candle has the advantage over a single wick candle because it will burn all the way to the edge. Also, it typically is a larger candle overall and who doesn't like that?

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How to Make 3 Wick Candles

Preparing the Jars for Wax

Step 1 - The biggest issue with a 3 wick candle is centering the wicks correctly. You need to space wicks about 1.5 inches from each other in a triangle placement in the center of the jar. You could use a ruler but the easiest way is using a template. You can buy templates online or print out the one below.

The pdf file has two circle templates. Cut one around the circle to place in the bottom of your jar where you will glue the wicks. The other will be used to hold the wicks straight when you pour the wax.

Step 2 - Use a hole punch to make a hole in the center of the three circles. If you don't have a hole punch you can use scissors to cut an opening in each circle.

Step 3 - Set the template into the bottom of the candle jar. Use a white paint marker to make a dot in each circle. Note: Anything you have to create a mark on the black surface will do. Maybe a white crayon or a sewer's marking pencil.

Step 4 - Put a drop of hot glue on the bottom of each wick tab and set them on the white dots you have marked. You could also use glue dots instead of hot glue.

Step 5 - Use the second template next. However, this time do not cut around the circle. Only cut about 1.5 inches square around it. This way you can set it on top of the jar without sinking in. Cut a small X into each center circle. Then cut a V between two of the circles to leave an opening for pouring the wax. (see below)

Step 6 - Thread the templates onto wicks and center the large circle over the top of each candle jar.

Preparing the Wax

Step 1 - Pour the wax into a candle pitcher set in a couple of inches of water in a pot. Heat the water to a simmer and stir with a wooden skewer or spoon.

Note: I use an old pot for this purpose as you may get wax into it. Also, you may have an old coffee can that you could use instead of a wax pitcher. However, if you think you will want to make candles or other wax based crafts in the future the pitcher is worth the investment.

Step 2 - Weigh the fragrance oil into a plastic cup. You want approximately 8% of the amount of wax for your fragrance oil. Since I have 32 ounces of wax (2 lbs), 8% equals 2.56 ounces which I rounded down to 2.5.

Note: Since this project used 6 jars, I could have bought one 4 ounce bottle and a 1 ounce bottle. Then combined them and used half for each set of three, eliminating the need for a scale.

For this project, I chose the scent Pomegranate and Cider for fall from Candle Science. They have great quality scents for all occasions and seasons.

Step 3 - Add the fragrance oil to the melted soy wax and heat until it reaches 185 degrees. This is said to help the fragrance bind with the wax and work better.

Pouring Wax Into Candle Jars

For the first set of 3 candles, I poured the wax all the way to about 3/4 inch from the top. (you need room for the wicks and the lid to fit). As you can see from the image above there is some cracking, sinkholes, and unevenness going on.

For the second group, I left about 1 inch or a little more from the top. Then I waited a couple of hours before reheating the leftover wax and finishing pouring the wax into the jars.

As you can see this had a much better outcome.

However, even with the second pour the top was not totally smooth and I had three from the first batch that looked pretty bad. So the next day I trimmed the wicks and used a heat gun on low to melt the entire top of each candle. This made the tops look nice and smooth.

Here is the label I used for my candles. Feel free to print some out for yourself. However, the candles don't necessarily need a label.

Here's the warning label that came with the candle jars. If you don't buy this particular candle jar set the information is a good idea for any candle gift.

Making 3-wick candles is a great project to tackle on a weekend and will leave your home smelling incredible.