We want you to have a great experience with your Fontana Candle so we are sharing tips we have discovered to create an optimal burn! Because Fontana Candles are hand-made from natural ingredients, slight variations are to be expected. Beeswax expands and contracts, resulting in small cracks. Always store your candle in a cool, dry place at room temperature and keep it away from direct sunlight and high humidity. Be sure to store your candle with the lid on. The first time you burn your candle is extremely important: allow the candle to burn until the melted wax reaches the edge of the container. This should take between 2 and 3 hours in our 14 oz candle. Burning the candle this length of time will prevent the wax from tunneling on the side of the jar. Candles that have tunneling have severely reduced burn time. It is also important to limit your burn time to approximately 3 to 4 hours. The wax and container get extremely hot. Please do not touch the container while your candle is burning. As always, burn your candle on a flat, flame retardant surface and never leave it unattended. If your wick becomes unstuck from the bottom of the jar or tin and travels to the edge, please stop burning it immediately. The jar can shatter if this occurs for too long. This typically occurs at the very end of the candle's burn. We recommend burning our tins on a coaster, and not directly on your furniture. The tin lid makes a perfect coaster! Please read the Candle Warning label located on the bottom of the candle. We have found that the optimal burn for our candles is achieved with a short wick. Our wicks burn best when they are trimmed to approximately 1/4." This will require you to periodically trim the wick. No special tools are needed! This can be done by snapping the burnt ends off with your fingers. If your flame gets larger than 1 ½”, please extinguish the candle and allow it to cool. Once your candle cools, you can trim your wick to approximately ¼” to ½”. Remove the wick trimmings before relighting your candle. If your candle turns black it’s probably because it was burning in a direct draft, or it was burning for too long. Once it cools and hardens, the scorched wax can be wiped away with a rag or cloth. Discard your candle once ½ inch of wax is remaining in the jar.