The Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers
www.NATURECRAFT.net
Beeswax candle information and basic burning instructions.
IMPORTANT - Please read these instructions fully before lighting your new beeswax candle. If you have never burned a pure beeswax candle before, you have not burned a real, true candle. If you have not burned one of our pure beeswax candles, you have not burned a proper beeswax candle. Your candle guarantee depends on following these instructions for the best experience and over all burn time.
Before you burn- We create three standard diameters of pillar candles, 2", 3", and 4"+ wide, our 7”, & 8”+ triple wick candles, plus a variety of jars, novelties & tapers. Each of these diameter candles is designed to burn a different length of time each burn. It is important to know your candles burn times to ensure the longest life and best results. Consult the below table for your most efficient burning times by the hour.
|
2” wide |
7” triple wick |
3”- 4” novelties |
|
3” wide |
8” triple wick |
1”- 2” novelties |
|
4” wide |
1” taper candle |
Jar candles |
You may burn most of our 3” and larger width pillars longer than the recommended burn times, especially if you feed the candles (explained below), but you lose efficiency and over all burn time the more you do so.
What you must know about our beeswax candles
Beeswax is a fuel, other candles typically are not. This means that the wick does not burn a hole down the center, as in paraffin and soy candles where the wax slows the process, creating smoke and soot as it contacts the flame. Instead, the wick burns seldom, while the beeswax soaks into the wick, fueling the flame like a natural lamp oil, smokeless and soot free.
While ideally beeswax is dripless, we always recommend using a candle plate or a bowl in case of accident.
A beeswax candle with a handmade wick is something from another time. Beeswax candles require different types of maintenance. Everything you know about candles does not apply to beeswax as it does to paraffin or soy candles. The following instructions will help you maintain and enjoy your beeswax candle longer, more efficiently, and with best results.
How to burn our beeswax candles
Wicking- You must trim the wick. Our handmade wick will not naturally fall away, it will stay, and as the wax pool lowers, the flame will get higher until your candle melts down. Trim your wick. If your flame flickers, smokes, or is too high, it may need to be trimmed. How to know, and when, is explained below.
Push in the walls- As your 3" and larger pillar candle burns and the flame rises higher, you must push the wax walls forward into the wax pool, raising the wax level higher, lowering the flame. When and how to do this is explained below.
Never blow out your candle- Either snuff out your candle with a snuffer, or, as we prefer, drown your wicking by gently dipping it into the wax pool drowning out the flame and saturating the wick with wax, then gently stand it back up to cool. When and how is explained below.
Burning your candle, start to extinguish- There are two periods we recommend as the ideal times to trim your wicking: in the beginning, and after the candle has burned level (explained below). Trimming at the beginning happens before lighting with a brand new candle, and after lighting with a candle that has been previously burned.
Your wicking should be approximately 1/4" to start with a new candle. If it is much taller than this, trim it down before you light it the first time. With used candles the wicking is brittle and will break if cut so they must be lit first to soften the wick before trimming. To light a previously burned candle, we recommend lighters over matches, especially for thicker candles. It is often easiest to tilt the candle at an angle while lighting.
Pushing in the walls- As your 3" and larger pillar candles burn and the wax is consumed in the flame, the wax pool will lower down into the candle as the flame gets higher. This is where you start to push in the wax walls. Be cautious when pushing in wax walls.
To push in the walls, hold the candle firmly on opposite sides with your hands, keeping the candle stable, while using your thumbs to gently push the wax wall into the wax pool. Repeat until you bring the wax pool level up to approximately 1/4" from the top of the wick, lowering the flame. If once is not enough, or, when the flame is again too high, rotate the candle slightly and repeat until the flame is the appropriate height for your pleasure.
Push in the walls as needed around the full diameter until the candle is level. Once level, the candle is closest to the state it was when first lit with a shallow small wax pool and wide flat walls. As the flame begins to grow higher again, this is the second recommended ideal time to trim your wick, if you wish to keep burning the candle. Once trimmed, you start the cycle of pushing in the wax walls all over again.
Once your candle is level, this is also an ideal and recommended time to extinguish the candle. If you wish to extinguish your candle, do not trim the wick first. It is best to leave a good long wick when extinguishing your candle to make an easier time of relighting it, and then trimming after.
To extinguish your beeswax candle you may use any manner of non-flammable tools from the end of a candle snuffer to a simple metal chop stick. Using your candle tool, push the wicking down gently into the wax pool, drowning out the flame and saturating the wicking with wax. This keeps the wick preserved and makes for easier lighting. Then, use your candle tool to stand the wicking up, push the base of the wick toward the center if need be, gently coaxing the cooling wick to stand up above the wax for a few seconds until stable. Once cool, your candle is ready to light again.
For taper candles we recommend shorter burn periods of 1-2 hours maximum at a time, depending on wick height, for best efficiency. Our cotton braid wick, used only in our tapers, does not fall away on its own and also must be trimmed every 40-60 minutes by most accounts.
For small t-lites, votives, and animal shaped novelty candles we highly recommend a plate or container designed for such candles. These will serve their purpose well compared to other candles of similar design. Our animal, and tiny odd shaped candles are more for cute appeal than practical appeal. All the same, they also have a handmade wick and will burn considerably long and well if maintained a little closely with a shortened wick.
Feeding your beeswax 3"+ diameter pillar candles- Because beeswax is a fuel, and the wick burns many times longer than the wax and has to be trimmed, you can extend the life of your candle by adding 'fuel' to the 'lamp' called feeding the candle. As your wax pool widens and the flame rises, instead of pushing in the walls right away, add a little beeswax from a raw bar or left-over previous pillar to the wax pool. This brings up the flame to the wax pool the same as hugging or pushing in the wax walls, while not using your candles own wax just yet.
How often this can be done depends on the width of the candle and wick, and the ability for the wick to hold flame. You do not want to over feed as eventually the wicking will ash away and leave you with a tall candle and short wick.
Do not throw away any spilled or left-over beeswax- Beeswax has many household uses that can utilize any scraps. Otherwise, all scraps can simply be recycled back into any other Beeswax candle. Break it up or set it on the side of a large pillar to use it as fuel to ‘fill up’ your candle whenever possible.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
If you experience any problems with your candle not covered here, use the contact page on our web site to seek help. Our candles are guaranteed. If we cannot help you fix the candle, we will fix it for you if you bring it in to one of our shows or ship it to us. If the issue is our fault in creation, we will replace the candle and the shipping. If the issue is due to error on your part, we still will help fix the candle, or fix it for you if brought to us. We want you to fully enjoy your candle until it is finished. Most situations can be solved very simply at home.
The most common problem is an off-center wick. This is easily corrected. Light your candle and let it burn for 1 - 2 hours. Using your candle tool, slide the implement down the side of the wick about 1/2" to 1” deep. Do this on the side that is too close to the edge and ‘push’ the wick gently into the center gently. Hold the candle firmly when doing this.
No. Your candle is not growing mold- Over time, beeswax naturally produces a whitish film on the outside of the candle. This is called ‘bloom’ and is simply a natural tannin that is exuded from the wax. It is named Cera Alba, also called beeswax absolute, and it is, in simple terms, the essential oil/wax derived from beeswax. It is very expensive, very concentrate and it takes a great deal of beeswax to yield a gram of absolute.
Beeswax absolute is 100% all natural, when it 'sweats' from your candle. You may handle your candle with warm hands and then rub this oil on your skin or face. This is one of the substances that makes beeswax superior for cosmetics. If you use a hair dryer on a low setting to warm the parts of your candle showing the bloom, you can watch as the bloom disappears and the candle takes on a shining appearance and intensifies its aroma.