A candle has a memory. The first time you light it, the melted wax forms a pool, and every burn after that tends to stop at the same edge. Light it for twenty minutes and blow it out, and it will tunnel down the middle for the rest of its life.
Give it two hours
On the first evening, let it burn until the wax has melted all the way to the glass. For our 8 oz jars that takes about two hours. Put the kettle on, find a book and let it do its work.
Trim, then light
Before every burn after that, trim the wick to about a quarter of an inch. A short wick burns cleaner, brighter and slower, and the scent lasts longer.
Keep the jar
When the candle is finished, pour hot water into the jar, let the last of the wax float to the top, and keep the glass. Ours make good homes for pens, cuttings and toothbrushes.
From the Hearth & Hollow journal. Hearth & Hollow is a concept store built as a portfolio demo.
