I made a torch! It’s got a decorative twist, which I saw on torches like those sold here.
First, I drilled 3 holes in some 1/4″ iron stock. Their purpose comes later.
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Then, I heated the iron in a forge, tapered the end, and added 3 twists. I learned how to do this in MIT’s blacksmithing seminar. After this, I cut the stock to about 15″, ending at the series of holes.
Adding twists requires heating a short section of the iron and possibly quenching the adjacent areas with water to limit the length of the twist.
I cut off the extra stock with a cutoff wheel.
Next, I added about 9 inches of 1 inch kevlar wick to the end. I used a needle to sew a few meters of kevlar thread through the wick and through the holes to secure the head.
I used a straight needle to sew through the wick and the holes at the beginning. Then, I used a curved needle to sew through the wick.
Here’s the final product!