# What are these beads on the wick of my candle?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-beads-on-the-wick-of-my-candle/357951>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 23, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-beads-on-the-wick-of-my-candle/357951 "2006-05-23T20:36:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bic910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@bic910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bic910)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-beads-on-the-wick-of-my-candle/357951/1 "2006-05-23T20:36:10Z")

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A friend gave me a candle recently. Square shaped, about three inches per side, and about five inches tall. It has two small beads on the wick, which is about two inches long (and waiting to be cut before use).

What on earth are they for? One is a half inch in diameter, the other is a quarter inch. They are completely clear - you can see right through them. They remind me of the beads my mother would add to her bath. At first I thought they were meant to be tossed into the candle for some kind of added scent at some point. But there is no mention of them in the instructions on the bottom (allow the candle to burn for 2-3 hours per use, do not use near drapes…).

So I figure they must be strictly ornamental. But this strikes me as odd, they’d be about the last thing you’d notice about the candle when you first see it.

What’s the deal? Does anyone have the foggiest idea what I’m talking about?

😕

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**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-beads-on-the-wick-of-my-candle/357951/2 "2006-05-24T09:52:04Z")

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A pic of these things might be helpful.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-beads-on-the-wick-of-my-candle/357951/3 "2006-05-24T10:46:57Z")

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Some candles have a glass bead threaded on the wick at some point near the bottom of the candle (i.e. embedded in it) - this causes the candle to automatically snuff itself out before burning right through the bottom, to inhibit stupid people from burning their houses down when they place candles on a combustible surface.

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**Author:** ![Otanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Otanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otanx)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-beads-on-the-wick-of-my-candle/357951/4 "2006-05-24T11:09:53Z")

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They are on the end of the wick that you would cut off before use? I would guess they are used during the manufacturing process. Maybe a machine is used to hold the candle by the wick while it is moved along the line. The balls would keep it from slipping through the vice or whatever used to hold it.

-Otanx