Vessels and Refills: Why I Don't Refill Returned or Vintage Jars

People ask fairly regularly if I will refill a jar they have already burned through, or pour a candle into a beautiful vintage vessel they have brought me. It is a reasonable question. The answer to both is no, and the reasons are structural.

The returned jar

A jar that has been burned has gone through heat cycles. Wax expands when it melts and contracts as it cools, and the glass moves with it every time. Hairline stress fractures are not always visible. A jar that has been dropped, knocked over, or left somewhere very cold at some point may have damage that does not show. I have no way of knowing its history, and I am not willing to put my name on a product I cannot stand behind.

If you have a burned Lunahrin jar you want to keep using, it makes a good pen holder or a home for small things on a shelf.

The vintage vessel

This comes up more often than you might expect. Someone finds a beautiful old apothecary jar or a piece with some history to it and wants it turned into something useful. The idea is thoughtful and I understand the appeal.

Two problems. First: decorative and vintage glass was not manufactured or tested to handle the sustained heat of a burning candle. Candle jars are specifically made and tested for that purpose. Most vintage and decorative glass is not, and thermal stress on an untested vessel is a real risk.

Second, and more practically: every vessel wicks differently depending on its size, shape, and diameter. An unknown vessel means starting from scratch. I would need to burn at least two or three full test candles down to find the right wick, and that assumes I get close on the first attempt, which is unlikely. By the time I have something I would actually sell, I have used multiple rounds of materials and time that cannot be built into a standard price.

So: returned jars, nope. Vintage vessels, unfortunately also no.

A Lunahrin candle in a Lunahrin jar, yes, and once it is done you can do quite a bit with it.