Troubleshooting gel candles

Why have I got so many bubbles?
The gel candle was poured too quickly and at too cool a temperature. See the section on melting and pouring gel wax.

Why is my gel candle smoking?
Generally speaking there are two reasons why a gel candle will smoke. The first is a wick that is too large and the second reason is that the wick hasn't been trimmed short enough. Read the instructions for selecting a wick to make sure the wick isn't too big for your project.

Why is the glass going black as the candle burns?
The wick is too big, or it has been placed to close to the edge of the glass. If the wick wasn't secured properly with hot glue at the base of the container, it can slip around in the melted gel.

My candle looked crystal clear an hour ago - now it's cloudy! Help!
The most likely explaination is the fragrance oil. Some scents can cause gel candles to go cloudy - your supplier should be able to tell you whether a fragrance oil is gel safe or not. Gel wax also turns cloudy in cold weather - bringing it up to room temperature will restore it's transparent state.

There are black bits in my gel candle
You have probably allowed the wick to get too long so it has mushroomed and the black bits you are seeing are wick debris. Trim the wick after it has burned by turning the *cooled* candle upside down and trimming with a pair of baby scissors or toenail clippers. This will prevent wick debris from getting into the sticky warm gel.

Help! The surface of my gel candle is sparking flames!
Too much fragrance oil. Discard the candle immediately.