Common Issues and How to Solve Them: Wet Spots

In our experience, soy wax provides the best balance of ease of use, and consistent results out of all candle waxes available. As a candle maker, it’s important to be able to trust your ingredients and we feel soy wax offers just that. Whilst this is the case, you may from time to time experience a handful of results that aren’t your liking. In this next article of the series, we look at ‘Wet Spots’.

What are Wet Spots?

Have you ever noticed that some of your candles seem to have air bubbles or wet looking patches between the wax and the glass jar? These are known as Wet Spots and it’s a common issues amongst candle makers and it can be extremely annoying.

What can cause Wet Spots?

As your candles are cooling down, a variation in temperature or environment can cause the wax to cool down too quickly. When this happens, the wax pulls away from the glassware creating air bubbles. It leaves an uneven finish around the jar, leaving both candle maker and customer displeased with the appearance. Luckily it doesn’t affect the performance of the candle in any way, but once this happens, it can’t be undone.

How can I avoid Wet Spots?

Although you may not be able to get rid of Wet Spots every time, there are a number of things you can do to reduce their likelihood. So here’s 5 tips to get you started:

1. Wash your glassware with mild soapy water and make sure you dry it thoroughly. Any dirt or wet patches could prevent your wax from setting flat.
2. Try and control the temperature of the glassware. Preheat the jars before you pour the wax and allow them to cool down gradually. If the room temperature is too cold, turn up the heating!
3. Placing the candles on a wire rack will also allow them to cool down evenly on all sides, and stop any surfaces from extracting the heat out of them too quickly.
4. Pour the wax slowly into the glassware. This will stop any heat escaping from vigorous movement and will help prevent air bubbles from forming.
5. Giving your jars a few gentle taps after you’ve poured the wax will allow any air bubbles that are present to be released.

As big advocates of soy wax, we’re always keen to offer support and advice where we can, so if you need more help with avoiding wet spots, get in contact via our online chat, email or telephone.You’ll also find a wealth of advice from fellow candle makers via our very supportive Facebook Group. Please also feel free to comment directly below to share your thoughts, ideas and questions. Happy Chandling!