Tealights and votives also burn in glass, but in a tall cylinder they sit far down and the light stays at the bottom. A pillar puts the flame higher, where the glass shows it off.
Which candle goes in a hurricane or glass holder?
A pillar candle (block candle): a solid round candle that stands on its own base inside the glass. It must be narrower than the glass so air can reach the flame, and shorter than the cylinder so the flame stays inside it.
Pillar sizes for each holder
Those are the largest sizes, not the best. A slimmer or shorter pillar than the maximum is fine and often burns cleaner. Candles are not included, so you choose your own.
| Holder | Candle | Largest candle | Flame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas, floor | Pillar | ø9 x 15 cm, in a 20 cm glass | In glass |
| Tom, table | Pillar | ø9 x 11 cm | In glass |
| Vera, floor | Slim dinner candle | Held in a crown | Open |
The glass gap: how much space around the candle?
Leave air all round. The flame needs it, and a candle pressed against the glass heats one spot and soots it.
The flame should sit below the rim. If the candle is so tall that the flame stands above the glass, it is no longer shielded, and a draught will make it flicker and smoke. As the candle burns down, the flame sinks into the cylinder and the glass does more of its job.
If the glass darkens fast, the candle is too wide or the wick too long. Try a slimmer pillar first.
Burn time: how to make a pillar last and burn clean
Give a new pillar a long first burn, until the melted wax reaches the edge. A short first burn starts a tunnel down the middle that the candle never recovers from.
Trim the wick to about 5 mm before you light it, every time. A long wick makes a tall, smoky flame. Put a little water in the bottom of the glass before the candle, and the last of the wax lifts out.
The packet gives the burn time. A wider pillar burns longer than a slim one of the same height.
LED or a real flame?
LED where nobody will be watching: a hall at night, a windowsill when you leave the room, a home with small children or a cat. An LED pillar of the same size fits Thomas and Tom like a wax one, and the glass softens its light.
A real flame where people sit: a dinner, an evening on the sofa. It moves, and that is the point. Never leave a burning candle unattended, in glass or not.
Which candle goes in a taper holder like Vera?
A slim dinner candle (taper), standing straight in the crown at the top of the stem. A pillar will not sit in a taper holder.
Choose straight, unscented dinner candles that stand upright without leaning. The flame is open, so Vera belongs away from curtains, shelves and draughts. The taper candle holder guide covers heights and safety.
Scented or unscented?
Unscented at the dining table, so the food smells of food. Scented in a hall or a bathroom, one at a time.
Colour is a matter of taste. A deeply coloured candle can mark the powder coat if wax drips on the frame; the wax removal guide shows how to lift it off the glass and the steel.
A pillar with air around it, a taper standing straight
- Vera
- slim dinner candle
- Flame
- below the rim
- Candles
- not included
