Candle time again
I love burning candles, but way to often
I lose my candles to what is called tunneling.
When the wax burns just in the center,
leaving a hole around the wick
and the candle no longer burns.
Kind of like this:
There are different reasons why candles tunnel.
The main reason given is, it is not burned long enough
the first time it is lit.
On pier 1, web site, they recommend burning
the first time for a total of three hours.
Candle in bad shape. Deeply tunneled
These candles came from pier1 and really
do need to be replaced. But! I wanted to
know about tunneling and if you could fix it.
The remedy I chose, was to
use my old hair dryer. If you had a heat gun
it would work even better.
The other method i read about
used fire. So I went with non fire.
The idea is, to melt the wax build up
around the wick, and make the top
of the candle level again.
There was a lot of melting, digging
melting, digging, going on.
I chose to dig with a spoon, just in case!
I also saved my wax scraps, that I will put
in a cute holder to help make the
bathroom smell better.
So this is what I have now, I just need a
few hours to burn them and see
if they will burn evenly.
With all of this, I am still in need of new candles.
I just hope I take better care of them.
haha, well you fixed them. They look really cute. We save all our old candles to melt down and make fire starters. They smell nice too. I will some times have candles that burn like that. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteSusie, sometimes I just have to see if what I read, really works. We used to use candles as fire starters but no longer have a fire place.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting. I didn't know it was called tunneling. That happens to me sometimes. And I definitely don't burn a new candle for three hours - that sounds like a long time. Would it be easier to cut the edges with a knife instead of a spoon? Your candles look brand new and really nice, Nonie. You did a great job with this project. I love candles, and can you believe I think they are charming even when they look tunneled? : )
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Sheri, I used a spoon for two reasons. One it allows me to scoop deep in to the soft wax and two, if the spoon slips, it will do less damage (I think). One place I checked said to burn new candles for one hour--Pier one said three hours.
DeleteGreat solution. Do you ever have a need for fire starters . . . We make them from all of our used up candles. Great if you go camping and build campfires.
ReplyDeleteI will keep that in mind for summer camping. Never thought of doing that.
Delete