on February 20, 2001. The ban against manufacturing, importing, or selling candles in the US with lead wicks became effective in October 2003. Pretreatments of wicks Virtually all wicks are treated with various flame-resistant solutions in a process known as mordanting. Without mordanting the wick would be destroyed by the flames and the flow of melted wax to the flame would cease. Beyond that, wicks can be treated with substances to improve the color and brightness of the flame, provide better rigidity to keep the wick out of the melted wax, and improve the flow of that wax up the wick. Common treatments are borax and salt which are dissolved in water in which the wicks are soaked. See also Fuse (explosives) References External links Wick