I think the problem may be with using a standard MagLite. What you want in a candler is three things: 1. the light concentrated, 2. powerful light; and 3. eggs kept away from the heat of the light.
If you notice commercially available candlers from the cheap to the expensive, the light shines through a tube.
If you want to use the MagLite, first thing, I would do is change out the bulb and put in an LED bulb -- you can upgrade a MagLite to LED -- all of them -- you\'ll get 5x or more the brightness out of the light, with less heat. I would do this for all the other uses you put your MagLite(s) to, so it\'s a worthwhile investment.
I\'m definitely going to do it to mine, especially when I take up night flying once more (I won\'t do that till I have my instrument rating, but that\'s another conversation for another board).
Next if you really want to go crazy...go to a pilot supply store and get a plastic tube that affixes to the MagLite to make it a flight line baton -- now you don\'t use this to mashall your chickens
but you set the egg atop the tube.
Failing that, eggcartons.com sells a small candler with a 4-watt bulb (incandescent) for about $10.
Do your candling in a darkened room, also.
--Ron