Beginner Knowledge on Paraffin Wax Candle Making
Wax is the main material of your homemade candles. If you want to protect the quality of the homemade candles, choose the wax type that is suited for your candle making needs. You can qualify the waxes you’re going to utilize according to ease of use, grade and aroma.
It goes without saying that you must choose your wax ingredient to protect your products’ quality and your reputation as a candle maker. For practice, I suggest you use paraffin-type hand crafted candles. These paraffin waxes are different from the other types of wax because of the low cost and high availability.
If you notice, the homemade candles you buy in great quantities for common uses are made of paraffin wax. This material is cheap and because of this you can drop the cost of your candles lower than your competition’s. How are paraffin candles different from other types?
Most beginner candle makers use paraffin wax for practice. Processed petroleum oil has several byproducts and one of these is paraffin. Paraffin wax kinds vary in terms of grades because they were harvested at various points of the crude oil processing.
There are various grades of paraffin, and these may also differ in terms of price and candle wax quality. The grades of paraffin wax vary in melting points and melting consistency.
One necessary strategy to obtain the most excellent paraffin crude material is to ask the clerk or shop keeper about the differences of paraffin wax grades. In particular, ask for the melting point of the paraffin-type wax you’re buying.
The melting point of this type is lower than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the softness of this paraffin wax type, it’s ideal to use for container candle creation. Because of the softness of this type of paraffin, most candle makers refuse to use this paraffin wax type to create carved and molded candles.
The next sort of paraffin changes rapidly from solid to liquid, with a melting point of 130 up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Let me say this again, this type of paraffin is the perfect one for crafting jar candles because they are too soft for molded candle creation.
Molding and carving homemade candles need a special sort of paraffin wax, and this is the hardest variety. Because the melting point of this last type of paraffin is high, approximately 145 up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the resulting wax candle is tougher than the other sorts.
These hard paraffin candles are the ones that get sold for mass consumption, religious practices and common uses. Tough and longer lasting types of candles are perfect to use when there’s a storm.
Beware of the next measures when using paraffin for candle production at home The excessive heat can be hazardous to the user so make sure you wear protective clothing and heat resistant utensils. Most candle manufacturing kits meant for home purposes have these materials, but you’re going to need to check carefully.
You must also remember that you can catch fire and get seriously burned while using the double broiler to melt the paraffin-type wax. Which means you need mittens, safety goggles, a sturdy apron and hair cover.
Here is more information on Candle Making Wax. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Candle Making.
The Different Kinds of Candle Making Wax
Owing to the increase in popularity of candle making, candle making wax has become far better, more available and with a lot more variety than before. Changes have been made to candle making wax, in order to keep up with the changing demands of people.
Most of the wax used in candles today is refined from petroleum like paraffin wax. This is the type of candle making wax that is in most candles. Paraffin wax is readily available and inexpensive. Other types of waxes are natural and refined from vegetable or plant materials like soy, palm, or bayberry.
A natural candle making wax growing in popularity is soy based wax. Hydrogenation of soybeans are done to make them suitable for candles. Soy wax is a renewable resource that is eco-friendly. The states of Illinois, Iowa and Indiana in the United States are the major producers of soybeans and hence, it is a positive aspect.
Another renewable resource for candle making wax and a byproduct of nature is palm wax. Unfortunately with the growing popularity of palm wax, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia are clearing out vast areas of rainforest in order to plant palm plantations. This is devastating to ecosystems and compromises the populations of endangered animals like orangutans, rhinoceroses and the Sumatran tiger.
Fortunately, the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) came to rescue and founded the RSPO. This organization was founded to develop and define the best practices for sustainable palm cultivation. They also help member organizations to implement and verify the procedures. So when you are shopping for palm candle making wax make sure that they are obtaining the wax in an eco-friendly way.
Animal based materials like bees wax are used for making some candles. In the past, candles made out of beeswax, palm and bayberry were offered by companies. Recently there has been a new and growing interest in making candles out of these natural products. One of the more popular natural candle making waxes is beeswax. It is available in yellow or white. Although the cost of beeswax can be expensive, candle makers are drawn to its pleasant fragrance, the burning characteristics it contains, and the hardiness of the product.
Gel candles are also a new kind of way to make candles. There are three different densities in which gel candle making wax available. The amount of fragrance to be used and the type of the candle decides the density of the gel.
For a fragrance load of 0-3%, low density gel wax is preferable. Also, the low density wax can be poured at a lower temperature. The medium density gel wax works well with candles that have a 3-5% fragrance load. It is probably the most popular gel candle making wax to work with. If the fragrance load is heavy, high density gel wax can be used.
With so many different kinds of candle making wax available, candle makers are able to pick the type that works best for them. The candle maker would get double, triple or even quadruple the fulfillment out of the candle making, if they are able to understand the nature of each kind of wax.
Candle Making Wax – Do You Know Which One to Use?
Beginners to the art and craft of candle making are often confused (at least at first) by the many types of candle making wax available today. Here’s a quick run down on the different types of candle making wax on the market.
Paraffin Candle Wax
Paraffin is the workhorse of waxes. Most commercially made candles are made from paraffin wax.
Paraffin is a residual of the process of refining crude oil.
Paraffin has a lot to recommend it as a candle wax. The wax is widely available, relatively inexpensive, very stiff at room temperature, retains dyes and scents well and burns relatively cleanly.
Soy Candle Wax
Soy candle wax is a recent invention. Researchers developed it by hydrogenating (adding hydrogen molecules to) soybean oil. Hydrogenated soybean oil is fairly solid and burns well as a candle wax. The main difficulty is that most formulations are fairly soft and don’t always work well in applications such as making tapers.
On the positive side, it is a great wax to use for container candles. It holds scent and fragrance well. It is extremely clean burning – significantly more so than paraffin.
Beeswax
Beeswax is a great, albeit expensive, candle making wax. The wax comes from bee hives. Bees make the wax to form honeycombs to store honey. When a beekeeper empties the honeycomb, the wax can be used to make candles.
Beeswax has a long burn time and burns even more cleanly than paraffin. It is a firmer wax than soy candle wax so you can use it for tapers. Although it can hold fragrance, many people prefer not to add scent because they enjoy the mild, soft fragrance of the beeswax itself.
Unfortunately, beeswax is relatively expensive. It has always been so. In the past, only the wealthy could afford beeswax. It’s less costly these days, but still more expensive than most other candle waxes.
Where to Learn More
These waxes are the ones most candle makers use most of the time. You’d do just fine if these were the only ones you knew about.
However I suggest at least becoming aware of some of the other choices available. One place to start is the page: Candle Making Wax. You’ll discover some interesting waxes I haven’t mentioned here, as well as some more details about paraffin and soy wax.
Of course wax alone does not a candle make. You can learn what equipment and supplies you’ll need at: Candle Making Equipment
I want to recommend an excellent site for you to find out everything you need to know to start making candles every bit as beautiful as those you buy: The Candle Making Connection. I’ve learned the hard way that you can save a lot of time and frustration if you visit sites like that and get some insider tips and advice before you start experimenting on your own.
Making candles is a wonderful craft and I hope this information inspires you to give it a try yourself.