How to Fix Candle Sinkholes (And Prevent Them Next Time)

You poured your candle, it looked perfect, and then a few hours later a dent appeared around the wick. Maybe a shallow dip, maybe a crater deep enough to swallow the flame. This guide on candle sinkholes how to fix covers exactly what’s going on and how to sort it out — both on the candle in front of you and on your next batch.

What Sinkholes Are

A sinkhole is a collapsed air pocket. As soy wax cools, it shrinks — and it shrinks most right around the wick, where the wax is hottest and stays liquid the longest. The surface sets first, trapping liquid wax and air underneath. When that trapped wax finally solidifies and contracts, the surface caves in.

Why They Happen

• Natural wax shrinkage. Soy wax shrinks noticeably as it cools.
• Pouring too hot. Wax poured at a high temperature takes longer to cool, which means more shrinkage and bigger pockets.
• Pouring too cool. Wax poured too cool can set unevenly and trap air around the wick.
• Cooling too fast. A drafty room or a cold surface under the jar speeds up the outer set while the inside is still liquid.

How to Fix a Sinkhole

The Relief-Hole Second Pour (Best Fix)

1. While the wax is still soft (not fully set), poke 3–4 relief holes around the wick with a toothpick, skewer, or chopstick. Push them down deep, near the bottom of the jar.
2. Let the candle finish cooling completely.
3. Do a second pour — a thin layer of the same wax at 130–140°F — just enough to fill the holes and level the surface.
4. Let it cool undisturbed in a draft-free spot.

The Heat Gun Top Melt (For Set Candles)

If the candle has already fully hardened, use a heat gun (or a hair dryer on high) to melt the top 1/4 inch of wax. Keep the gun moving in slow circles so the whole surface liquefies evenly. For a deep crater, follow up with a thin re-pour at 130–140°F after the melt.

The Chopstick Method (Quick and Dirty)

For a shallow dip: heat a chopstick or the handle of a spoon, press it into the dip to melt the wax locally, and smooth the surface with the back of the spoon.

How to Prevent Sinkholes Next Time

• Pour at 130–140°F. The sweet spot for soy.
• Cool slowly. No drafts, no fans, steady temperature. Don’t move jars until fully set.
• Poke relief holes before the top fully sets.
• Warm your jars before pouring.

A Note on Burn Time and Curing

A candle with a hidden sinkhole can burn oddly — the flame may flicker or drown when it hits the pocket. If the candle burns fine but you can’t smell it, that’s a fragrance issue — give the candle a proper candle curing time of 7–14 days before judging the throw.

Quick Fix Checklist

• Sinkhole in a warm candle? Poke 3–4 deep relief holes around the wick, let it set, then second-pour at 130–140°F.
• Sinkhole in a fully set candle? Melt the top layer with a heat gun and let it re-level.
• Next batch: pour at 130–140°F, cool slowly with no drafts, warm the jars first.
• Relief holes + second pour is standard practice, not a sign you did something wrong.

For the full rundown of everything that can go wrong with a soy candle — including tunneling — see the soy candle troubleshooting guide, and the candle tunneling fix if the melt pool isn’t reaching the edges either.

Want the Shortcut?

The Soy Candle Maker’s Troubleshooting Toolkit is a printable PDF with the full wick size chart, fragrance load calculator tables, and step-by-step fix checklists — every fix in this guide, condensed onto pages you can keep at your pouring station.