Surface flaws can be disheartening when making candles, particularly when the blemish on the surface of the candle is your fault. However, if you work with soy wax, like me you will see a lot worse than this.
Soy wax can do it all, uneven surfaces, cracks, holes, blemishes. That is the nature of soy wax. The good news is you have options to fix these surface flaws. How do I fix surface flaws in my candles?
Fix surface flaws by moving the heat gun back and forth over the surface of your candle, melting the surface wax and filling in any flaws. Continue melting wax until the entire surface has been done. When the wax hardens the surface will be smooth.
This method will work for a wide variety of surface flaws, cracks, and sinkholes. It is a common practice for many candle makers to go over the surface of their candles. When you use 100% soy wax you get more of these types of problems than you do with certain blends.
Let’s take a look at the step by step process.
Fixing Surface Flaws (With Pictures)
Tools Required
Heat gun
Identify surface flaws.
Identify the surface flaws in your candles. Here you can see that this candle has several nicks on the surface of the candle.
Begin melting wax around the flaw.
Begin melting the wax around the flawed areas first, letting the wax fill in whatever the blemish may be.
Melt wax across the complete surface.
Once the surface flaws have been removed continue melting the wax across the rest of the surface of the candle.
Here you can see that the surface wax was melted across the entire surface of the candle which lets it create a smooth surface.
Let wax re-harden.
The wax is re-hardening and the surface flaws have been repaired.
As you can see the process goes by pretty quickly and if you have several candles to do, you can easily go between them with your heat gun. I know some candle makers that must do this process every time they pour candles.
That really depends on what type of wax you are using and what type of containers you are pouring in to. I have found that tins are rather forgiving when it comes to candle making.
However, different types of containers experience different problems.
Let’s take a look at how to prevent some of these surface flaws.
How Do I Prevent Candle Surface Flaws
Let’s take a look at some of the ways to prevent candle surface flaws.
How Do I Prevent Candle Surface Flaws
- Do not over stir the wax
- Pour at the right temperature
- Pre-heat your containers
- Tap on the containers
- Let them cool slowly
- Re-pour the surface
Do not over stir the wax.
Over stirring the wax can cause it to take on air which will create air bubbles in the wax and can cause surface flaws during the cooling and burning processes. Stir the wax and fragrance oil mixture gently.
Pour at the right temperature.
Pour at or around the recommended pour temperatures suggested by the manufacturers unless you are using an additive that would otherwise change that requirement. In addition, many candle makers find success pouring on the hot side of the manufacturer recommendations.
Pre-heat your containers.
You can use your heat gun to heat up each container for several seconds before pouring wax in it. This will keep the wax on the side of the container from cooling so quickly, which is known to create sink holes in the center of candles.
This will also help the candles cool more slowly overall which is also known to help prevent flaws that can arise during the pouring process.
Tap on the containers.
If you have air bubbles in your candle wax after pouring then tapping on the container may help those air bubbles rise to the top. These air bubbles can create surface flaws, in addition, these air bubbles can have a negative impact on the burn of the candle.
Let them cool slowly.
Let the candles cool slowly. The ideal temperature for the room your candles are cooling in is between 75°F and 80°F. If the room the candles are in is too cool it can cause the sides of the candle to cool too fast which can create sinkholes and uneven surfaces.
Re-pour the surface.
Once your candles are starting to harden you can pour another layer of 1/8 inch molten wax across the surface of the candle. This will help give the candle an extra smooth finish provided it has not had any other problems during the pour process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fix sinkholes by using a heat gun to melt the wax, filling the hole in and then continue melting the rest of the surface wax until the entire surface is smooth. When the wax hardens you will have a candle with a smooth surface.
If you are sure you did not make an error in the candle-making process such as using the wrong wick for the type of wax you are using then this is likely to not burning your candle correctly. Check out my article titled How To Make A Candle Burn Evenly.
Place your candles on a cookie sheet in a oven on 175°F for between 5 and 10 minutes, just until the surface wax begins to melt. Remove the candles from the oven and place them on a level surface and wait for the candle wax to begin hardening.
Candles are not smooth on top because of air escaping from the candle as the wax hardens or because the candle did not cool evenly enough which can create sink holes and jump lines.
Smooth a candle surface by heating the wax with a heat gun or by placing the candles in the oven on a cookie sheet at 175°F until the surface of the candles appear to be fully melted from rim to rim. Then remove the candles frm the oven and place them somewhere to begin cooling.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is not that difficult to fix surface flaws in your candles. It can be pretty easily done and it can be done after every pour you do without taking up too much time.
However, it is better to never have flaws than it is to be able to easily fix them. That is why you should follow the steps above to help prevent your candles from having any of these surface flaw problems.
If you have to go back and fix some, so be it, but you will save some time by preventing many of them from the start.
