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
Candle tunnels down the centre
Wax left on the wall, narrow burn pool.
Wick mushrooms and carbons up
Carbon ball on the wick tip, sometimes glowing red.
Visible soot or black smoke
Black trail off the flame, deposits on the vessel.
Wick drowns in the melt pool
Flame dies, wick goes under.
Flame jumps, flickers, or pops
Unstable flame, often paired with crackling.
Candle burns down one side faster
Asymmetric melt pool, scorching on one side.
Flame flickers constantly
Restless flame even in still air.
Scent throw
Appearance
Sinkholes form around the wick after pour
Caverns under the surface as the wax contracts.
White frost crystals on soy candles
Cosmetic crystallisation, harmless but ugly.
Wet spots between wax and glass
Poor adhesion, the wax pulled away from the wall.
Rough or grainy tops after cure
Surface looks pitted, not glassy.