Candle manufacturing system including wick cutting means

A wicking machine for producing candle wicks for use in the production of dipped candles at a wicking station in a candle production system comprising, a frame, means on said frame for movably mounting a supply of filamentary stock material, a cutter device movable transversely of said frame for cutting wick stock from the supply, to predetermined lengths, separate spaced elongated retainer means for suspending laterally spaced strands of the filamentary stock material on said frame and in suspended laterally spaced relation at the ends thereof, said retainer means extending transverse of said frame and being selectively and readily mountable on and removable from mounted condition on said frame, said cutter device coating with at least one of said retainer means generally adjacent the latter and being operable upon predetermined movement thereof to cut the suspended stands of filamentary stock material transversely of the lengthwise extent thereof, whereby certain of said retainer means may be removed from said frame and with the formed candle wicks secured at their ends thereto can be mounted on a carrier rack with such wicks being disposed in generally U-shaped formed by placing a tensioning weight intermediate the held ends of the formed and suspended candle wicks, the other of said retainer means being movable relative to the frame from its initial transverse position on said frame to another transverse position on said frame preparatory to cutting another batch of the filament stock strands secured to said other retainer means.