This is kind of messy, a little bit of a hassle, and you won't get a factory-perfect result (that just ain't gonna happen no matter what you do short of melting and remolding), but it works to even things back out and get a very flat top. I learned it when I took a candlemaking class - it's actually intended to salvage candles that didn't pour quite right but it'll work here too. Buy an old 10-12" non-teflon frying pan at Goodwill, yard sale, etc. You won't be able to cook food in it, so don't spend more than a buck or so. Warm it on the stove on VERY LOW heat. While it's warming, trim the big chunks off your candles with a utility blade. When the skillet is warm, set the candle upside down on the pan and gently push it around in circles so the top melts flat and nice. If you like you can tilt and turn the candle to make a beveled edge. Turn it right side up and while it's still warm use the point of the knife to flip the wick up so you can light it. If you let the wick burn too short you may have to dig it out a little with the knife point, but a quick lighting will make a nice little "pit" to disguise that dug-out spot. Scrape the melted wax out of the skillet once it cools and solidifes a little but not completely or it will be hard to remove. If you decide to make candles, you can use this same skillet to melt your wax - put it in a metal can with one side bent into a spout shape or metal pitcher (the kind that are used with espresso machines to steam milk work wonderfully) and set that into the pan with some water over very low heat. The instructor said that the wide frying pan does a better job of keeping the wax away from flame than a narrow pan with a higher water level, but you still want to watch it closely. In addition, keeping the wick trimmed to 1/8-1/4", burning a pillar for one hour for each inch of diameter, and keeping the lit candle out of drafts will promote more even burning. Another thing you can do is blow/snuff out the candle after it has burned for a while and the entire top of the candle has softened, carefully press in the rim of the candle toward the melt pool in the center (mind that hot wax, this is not a job for klutzes, youngsters, or wimps!) so that it will melt when the candle is relit. This is called "hugging" the candle and if done carefully creates a neat rounded-over top. A gadget called a candle follower will do this automatically - those are those peculiar metal things you see on top of the candles in many churches. The heat of the flame warms the metal which then slightly melts the candle rim, pushing it down into the melted wax well. Mostly you see them for tapers but ones for pillars are out there. Google "candle follower" for sources, although a good candle specialty shop (not something like Wicks & Sticks or Yankee Candle), if you have one, may either carry them or be able to get them. Church supply companies are also good sources - then again, they're also excellent sources for high quality candles, too! DH and I used to get partially-used beeswax candles, sometimes used only once, from the church his parents attended and they were some of the best candles I've ever had. If you are daring, you can also hold the candle above a folded newspaper (in case of drips) and tip it to the side so that the flame melts the edge of the candle, turning it slowly and evenly so it burns all around. This is a little tricky so I wouldn't recommend it unless you have "nerves of steel". Last, try changing candle brands or materials to find one that burns in a pattern that pleases you. Most pillar candles are actually manufactured to create this "well" with a high rim around it to avoid spilling and dripping wax as well as to create a pleasing glow through the wax on the candle's sides, but some burn with a nicer edge than others. Oh, and just a random related something - pinch-type candle snuffers are fantastic, IMO so much better than the cap-style snuffer. They are useful for a wider range of candles, keep the wick nice and vertical for future lighting, don't get gobbed up inside with wax, and minimize wax spatter should you blow a candle out a little too enthusiastically. (Ask me about the time when I blew out a red candle and spattered wax on a white wall. On second thought, don't. LOL) Some of them trim the wick at the same time they snuff them! I found a website for the one I have: .

You get what you pay for as far as candles are concerned. The quality of wax, jar, and wick varies. Longevity of use is related to quality (price) and proper usage. Very inexpensive candles are scented by putting a perfume on top after the candle is made. High quality candles are scented throughout the wax with wicks that are tested to be the proper size for the container. They are not made in China. The amount of scent a candle can produce is a product of the surface area of the melted wax, and the amount of scent within the wax. In regard to keeping old wax, I say absolutely! In addition to using it to make your own candles, sachets, and melts, you can add small chunks to other candles. I prefer to do this after it starts to cool off and shrink. Just push new chunks of wax in the soft candle to offset the shrinkage and it will all melt together next time you light it.

Are you wanting to do the "angled" tapers, or just tall thin straight ones? Here's a link to roll the angled tapers. Here is a link that might be useful: Rolled tapers

LOL! Have you thought about adding a red artificial candle for the holidays, just to give them some oomph? I think all that silver with two small touches of red would be beautiful! The reason I say that..not just because I love red at Christmas, is because I did an apothecary jar with two different tones of gold in the kitchen. Next to a lamp. And I never noticed it! I finally switched the bulbs out with color. I think red would really draw the eye to the setting.