By Andre Collins · November 5, 2026
Tunneling happens when a candle burns straight down the middle and leaves a wall of wax around the edge. It almost always starts on the first burn.
Wax has a kind of memory. If the first melt pool only reaches halfway across, every later burn tends to stop at the same line. So the first time you light a candle, let it burn until the melted wax reaches the glass, usually two to three hours.
Trim the wick to a quarter inch before every burn. A long wick makes a tall, sooty flame that burns fast in the middle. A short one may drown in its own pool.
If a candle has already tunneled, wrap foil around the top of the jar with an opening over the flame and let it burn for an hour. The trapped heat melts the edges back level.
