As a family business we’re delighted when someone buys a candle from us because we put so much into making our candles. We design and manufacture all our own candles. We spend a lot of time working with fragrances developing new scents that we like and we hope you will too. We test lots of different colour dyes and pigments, trying to find ones that exactly match what we’re looking for and we spend a lot of time sourcing tins, jars and a variety of different candle holders that will perfectly complement our candles. So when you buy a candle from us we feel all that hard work has been worthwhile.
We take great care when making our candles. We’ve been doing it for well over 100 years so we’ve learned a thing or two in that time. How we choose our wicks, the even build up of wax, the temperature they are stored in all affect a candle so we’re very careful when we’re making them. It also matters to us that you get the best out of a Shearer candle when you take ownership of one. With that in mind here are some tips on how to get the best out of a candle.
1. Prevent tunnelling – You might not be familiar with the term tunnelling but you’ve almost certainly seen it on a candle. It’s particularly common on wider candles and is caused when only the wax closest to the wick is burnt. To avoid this try not to burn the candle for less than three hours. It takes that long for the full diameter of the candle to heat up and pool sufficiently to burn down evenly. Burning candles for less than three hours causes tunnelling.
2. Avoid drafts – The most common reason for a candle not burning down evenly is a draft. A draft will push the flame to one side and this will lead to uneven burning. If you can’t avoid a draft try and rotate the candle regularly. Keeping wicks trimmed to approx 1cm will also help prevent smoking flames, especially when drafts are present.
3. How warm is your room? – This might seem like a strange question but it’s an important one. Scented candles diffuse scent in heat, the warmer it is the more you’ll smell the candle’s perfume. This is why the scent is released when the candle is lit. So, if you don’t want your scented candle to give off its scent when not lit store it in a cool place, and if you do keep it in a warm one.
4. Keep out of direct sunlight – There are two good reasons to keep candles away from direct sunlight. Firstly wax is a natural product and if it gets too hot it can warp and melt. Even in winter direct sunlight can get hot, particularly through glass. Secondly direct sunlight can fade or discolour a coloured candle and its packaging. The pigments we use for our candles are specially tested but like all pigments prolonged exposure to sunlight can affect them.
5. Handle the wick with care – A candle only has two working parts; the wax and the wick and both need to be treated gently. If your wick is curling or bending over straighten it shortly after you’ve extinguished the flame. This is easiest to do when the wax around the wick is still soft. Try and make sure no foreign objects get onto the wick. They can affect how it burns and damage the candle. We hope you enjoy your Shearer candles and you get many, many hours of use from them. For great safety advice please click here Kind Regards Shearer Candles
