Troubleshooting

What went wrong with your candle?

Pick the symptom that matches what you're seeing. We'll walk you through the likely causes, how to diagnose, and what to change next batch.

Burn behaviour

Wax left on the wall, narrow burn pool.

Carbon ball on the wick tip, sometimes glowing red.

Black trail off the flame, deposits on the vessel.

Flame dies, wick goes under.

Unstable flame, often paired with crackling.

Asymmetric melt pool, scorching on one side.

Restless flame even in still air.

Cold throw is fine, hot throw is dead.

Cold throw is muted, no scent at counter.

Strong at week 1, weak at week 6.

Caverns under the surface as the wax contracts.

Cosmetic crystallisation, harmless but ugly.

Poor adhesion, the wax pulled away from the wall.

Surface looks pitted, not glassy.

Hairline or wide cracks across the top.

Beads of oil on the candle surface.

Visible ring where the wax shrank away.

Wick drifted before the wax set.