This is a quick tips guide for burning candles; what I have learned and found about burning beeswax candles. I use most of these tricks while burning my candles and testing them.
The wick on your candle when new is going to be longer than 1/4". Before you light the wick, cut it down to 1/4" (about 4 pennies stacked... oh we don't use pennies anymore okay well then 3 nickels stacked, or 5 dimes or 4 quarters equal 1/4"). When lighting the candle, light at the base of the wick to help soften the wax and/or melt it so that the wick has fuel to burn. A wick works as a siphon. When there is a hot pool of wax around a lit wick, the heat from the flame draws wax up the wick and it is used for fuel to create light and more heat. The wick is still burnt but much slower then the wax. If lighting the wick from the tip you will burn more of the wick before it has a chance to create a pool of wax to feed from.
When deciding to burn a candle, estimate the time the candle will be burnt for (how long is the candle going to be lit). That's when you can choose what size of candle you should light. A candle that has time to make a pool of wax right to the edge, or with in an 1/4 - 1/8" of the edge, is a candle that is burning properly. A candle that only has time to make a small pool of wax around the wick, is a candle that is going to tunnel.
If a candle wants to start tunneling there are some tricks that are easy to do.
First is hugging the candle, where you can wrap your hand around the outside of your candle and put gentle pressure on the outside, squeezing in. Be careful when doing this so as to not spill wax on yourself. The wax is very hot and will do some serious damage to your skin.
Another method of hugging is just using your thumb or finger and pushing the edges in to the center, raising the pool of wax, to allow for 1/4" of the wick to stick out.
Alternative method is adding more wax. If you have wax drippings from a previously burned candle than you can add some pieces to the pool if it looks like it is starting to tunnel. Again, just add enough to bring the pool up so 1/4" of the wick is protruding.
Some people like the tunneling look of the glow of the flame behind a golden wall of beeswax. So if that's what you like than go for it. Just keep the shell of a candle and break it up to feed other candles so you don't waste any of the wax.
When you have decided that you have had enough, and want to extinguish the flame. It is recommended that you push the wick into the pool of wax to put out the flame, so to essentially wax the wick. After dunking the wick in the wax push back up to straighten out, and you will have a prewaxed wick to re-light.
The wick on your candle when new is going to be longer than 1/4". Before you light the wick, cut it down to 1/4" (about 4 pennies stacked... oh we don't use pennies anymore okay well then 3 nickels stacked, or 5 dimes or 4 quarters equal 1/4"). When lighting the candle, light at the base of the wick to help soften the wax and/or melt it so that the wick has fuel to burn. A wick works as a siphon. When there is a hot pool of wax around a lit wick, the heat from the flame draws wax up the wick and it is used for fuel to create light and more heat. The wick is still burnt but much slower then the wax. If lighting the wick from the tip you will burn more of the wick before it has a chance to create a pool of wax to feed from.
When deciding to burn a candle, estimate the time the candle will be burnt for (how long is the candle going to be lit). That's when you can choose what size of candle you should light. A candle that has time to make a pool of wax right to the edge, or with in an 1/4 - 1/8" of the edge, is a candle that is burning properly. A candle that only has time to make a small pool of wax around the wick, is a candle that is going to tunnel.
 |
| Oh no my candle is tunneling, don't worry we can fix it. |
If a candle wants to start tunneling there are some tricks that are easy to do.
First is hugging the candle, where you can wrap your hand around the outside of your candle and put gentle pressure on the outside, squeezing in. Be careful when doing this so as to not spill wax on yourself. The wax is very hot and will do some serious damage to your skin.
 |
| squeezing the sides in enough for the heat from the flame to start melting the tunnel. |
 |
| Press the sides in and down towards to wick evenly all the way around, while raising the pool of wax, with out drowning the wick. Make sure to leave a 1/4" of wick above the pool of wax |
Alternative method is adding more wax. If you have wax drippings from a previously burned candle than you can add some pieces to the pool if it looks like it is starting to tunnel. Again, just add enough to bring the pool up so 1/4" of the wick is protruding.
Some people like the tunneling look of the glow of the flame behind a golden wall of beeswax. So if that's what you like than go for it. Just keep the shell of a candle and break it up to feed other candles so you don't waste any of the wax.
When you have decided that you have had enough, and want to extinguish the flame. It is recommended that you push the wick into the pool of wax to put out the flame, so to essentially wax the wick. After dunking the wick in the wax push back up to straighten out, and you will have a prewaxed wick to re-light.
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