Candle Burning Tips
The right candle?
Different types of candles (pillars, tapers, votives, tea lights, etc.) are designed for different purposes, and it's worth considering your uses, needs and habits before purchasing. Beeswax candles, with a melting point over 150° (great for summer), melt much more slowly than paraffin, so they need to burn longer than a comparably-sized paraffin candle to burn well.
The General Rule:Every time a candle is lit it should be allowed to burn long enough that the wax pool melts to the edge--or as far out as it is able. |
If you want a candle to burn… | choose: | |
| less than 1 hour | > | taper | |
| 1-2 hours | > | taper, tea light | |
| 2-3 hours | > | taper, tea light, votive, 2" diameter pillar | |
| more than 3 hours | > | taper, tea light, votive, 2" - 3" pillar or multi-wick pillar | |
| …per lighting | > | always refer to The General Rule |
Candle burning tips!
A good candle is pure pleasure; its rich, peaceful, living light warming and illuminating our special moments. But when good candles go bad, they can ruin a rug, devastate a dinette, or burn down your home. We take pride in making pure beeswax candles that burn without dripping, smoking or tunnelling, and they burn best with a little know-how, care and attention.
Safety:
Always burn candles in an appropriate, fire- and heat-proof holder, out of drafts and the reach of children and pets and anything that could catch fire. Never leave a burning candle unattended; keep a fire extinguisher close.
General tips:
- Trim wick to 3/8” before first lighting. Wicks normally bend and are "self-trimming", and they should never need to be cut once lit. After a wick has been burned, extinguished and is cold, it is very fragile and should not be touched.
- That said, if a candle begins to smoke or the flame becomes too large, extinguish, check wick length and trim to 3/8” while the wick is still warm and flexible.
- If a candle begins to drip, extinguish; re-light when cooled.
- Candles burned in a strong draft may burn unevenly, drip.
- Raw cotton wicks: at first lighting, apply flame where wick and wax meet so wax absorbs into wick.
Tapers:
- should be firmly stuck in an appropriate holder so they do not tip over. If too small in diameter for a holder, wrap some honeycomb around the base.
- should burn free-standing (not within 2" of any container such as a hurricane or any other object).
- may be burned for any length of time at each lighting.
- extinguish with a snuff.
Votives (and all container candles):
- are designed to liquefy while burning and must therefore be burned in a proper container. The best is a simple, tight-fitting, tempered glass container, the inside of which is the same size and shape as the votive candle.
- perform best if allowed to burn completely in one lighting but:
- should burn at least long enough each time lit so the wax surface melts flat to the edge of the container. Since the wick may bend to one side the wax may melt unevenly, but in the proper container the candle will, in time, completely melt.
- do not extinguish with less than 1/2" of wax remaining, as it may not then be able to melt and burn all the wax and you will need to clean the container; only the burn-control tab should remain after burning. Pop it out and drop the next candle in.
- the container will get very hot while burning and should be on or in a heat-resistant holder or surface.
Tea Lights:
- should be burned in the little plastic cup that they come in.
- burn same as votives, except that tea lights should really be burned fully in one lighting to burn well & may not re-light.
Pillars:
- solid cast, solid rolled and rolled honeycomb pillars, with burn control metal tabbed wick, may be burned free-standing (on a surface) or in a tight-fitting container (like a votive – follow votive directions).
- if burned free-standing, they should be allowed to burn until the melted wax pool almost reaches the edge or to the maximum that it is able to melt at each lighting. If burned longer, they could drip (though they should not, and they generally burn better if burned longer); if burned shorter, they will certainly tunnel, leaving thick walls.
- if it appears the wax pool is not centered due to wick curl and dripping is imminent, use a non-flammable implement to push the wick a little towards the thick side; also, a pillar's wax pool will be pushed "down wind" by a draft and this may be remedied by periodically turning the candle 180° to average the effect.
- if a pillar does drip, it should be extinguished and allowed to cool before re-lighting; and if a channel has formed in the side, it should be plugged with some wax.
- if a thin wall develops during each burn (and you don’t like that), push the wax in from all sides towards the center just after extinguishing – but not while burning.
- if a thick wall develops due to not burning long enough over several burns, the candle will have difficulty burning and the wick may eventually drown. Never pour off wax to expose more wick. Instead, cut the wall down to the level of the wax pool inside and resume proper burning times.
- extinguish pillars by pushing wick into wax pool then pulling it straight. Never pour wax out of the candle, and never touch the wick when it is cold as it may break.
- a carbon cap may form on the head of the wick. This is OK, as it disperses heat and helps melt more wax.
- also, beeswax, although filtered, may contain some natural debris from the beehive and you may see some dark material around the wick as the candle is burning.
Leftover wax?
Beeswax is precious, so please don’t throw it away. Use leftover beeswax for furniture polish (mix with turpentine), batik, driving nails, to wax sewing threads, or, of course, to make new candles.
Bloom?
"Bloom" is the natural frosting that appears over time and only on beeswax. It's a good indicator of whether a candle is, in fact, made of beeswax. To remove (not necessary), wipe candles with expired nylon stockings or by hand - it's good for the skin. Enjoy.