It all depends on the wax your useing and the temperature around the candles as they set up. I use j-223 for containers and depending on the weather i sometimes have to poke holes till cool, then repour. Waxes can be tricky sometimes because so much can change day by day,lol. We have all had alot of the same problems starting out, so my best advice would be to read threw the forum as alot of your questions are probley all ready asked and answered. Reading everyone elses questions helped me alot when i started out. Good luck and welcome to the board. Lin