Candles Made from Recycled Wax Burn Down Much Faster

By

louel53

I haven't made candles for years, but based on the previous posters remarks, I am wondering if you are using a large wick that would cause the candle to burn down faster. I don't think that simply reusing the wax would make it melt any differently than it did the first time, unless the size of the wick is a whole lot different.

By

Jilson

There are different kinds of wax for different kinds of candles. Some are hardened (with additives such as stearic acid), for use as tapers or other longer burning candles. Some wax is softer, intended more for contained candles. Wick size also influences how fast they burn. There are also parrafin based waxes, beeswax, soy based waxes, and other plant waxes. Each has different characteristics.

I would suggest reading up on candle making and experiment with different additives until you get a burn time that works better for you. The public library may well have a book or two; and you can probably find good resources online. You can get some of the common additives at the craft store.

Good luck! I always like collecting the stubs from the Christmas Eve candles at church to recycle! (They're cheap wax, but I mostly use them to make votives, so I don't mind if they are not particularly long burning.)