Before You Start
Now that you are really keen to get started, before you do, you need to consider the equipment involved and how it works and where to get it. Waxes
Now let’s look at the types of wax you will need.
Paraffin wax: This is easily bought through any of the supplier links mentioned at the end of this book or at your craft store. It is usually a low to medium melt-point paraffin wax, suitable for making container candles and maybe votives but definitely not suitable for pillar candles. Paraffin waxes come in several different grades and melting points for the different types of candle applications.
Refined or fully refined paraffin: These are harder, lower oil content waxes, usually with an oil content of 1.0 mass percent or less, white in colour and meets Food and Drug Administration standards for safety and purity. The quality is determined by the extent of the refining process. Food grade paraffin wax produces less smoke than other paraffin and burns more slowly.
Slack wax: this is a semi-refined wax and is distinguished from scale wax by its generally higher oil content. Semi-refined slack waxes may have oil contents up to 30 mass percent. Slack waxes with oil content blow 10 mass percent are used for manufacture of religious candles. Slack wax is the crude wax produced by chilling and solvent filter-pressing wax distillate. There are three types of slack wax produced, the type depending on the viscosity of the lube oil being de-waxed; low neutral, medium neutral and heavy neutral.
Scale wax: this is soft, semi-refined wax, different from slack wax as it generally has lower oil content; is usually derived from slack wax by extracting most of the oil from the wax. Waxes with an oil content up to 3.0 mass percent are generally referred to as scale waxes.
Microcrystalline wax: these differ from refined paraffin wax because the crystal structure is more branched and the carbon chains are longer. They are tougher, more flexible and have higher tensile strengths and melting points. They are more adhesive, bind solvents, oil etc therefore preventing the sweating-out of compositions. Typical oil content by weight is between 0.5 percent and 2 percent.
Bayberry wax: rare and expensive it is also known as Myrtle wax or candle berry. It is a natural wax derived by boiling the berries of the bush. The wax has a natural green tone and a fresh, natural scent with a melt point of 116-120 which makes it very hard and brittle. This wax consists of glycerides of stearic, palmitic and myristic acids and a small quantity of oleaic acid.
Beeswax: is available online and at candle making supply companies and you may well find it at your local beekeepers. (See resources section.) It is much more expensive than paraffin. It has a melt point of around 146 and makes a very high quality candle. Pure beeswax burns for longer and is cleaner with minimal dripping and less smoke than candles made with other waxes. It is a light to golden yellow wax, naturally produced by honey bees and has a slightly sweet honey-like scent. You may like to add beeswax to paraffin wax to save money and still create a better candle.
Palm wax: is 100 percent natural wax from a palm. It’s hard, with a high melt point around 140 and will produce a crystalline look. It usually comes in flake form and can be used straight or as an additive to other natural or synthetic waxes.
Soybean wax: all natural waxes, made from soy bean. They have several melt points depending on the application. They are usually a clean burn, producing little soot. These waxes are non-toxic, biodegradable, safe, longer burning than paraffin and environmentally friendly. Usually they only require one pour. You can clean up afterwards with just hot water and soap and they are just ideal with fragrance oil and essential oils.
Recycled wax: use pieces of old leftover candles and recycle them. Save all the old taper and pillar stubs and pieces of wax from old jar candles to re-melt and make into new candles.
Wax additives: several additives come in handy for candle makers to enhance the appearance and burning quality of candles – stearic acid, micro wax, vybar and poly crystals. You may find some other additives around the home – petroleum jelly, vegetable oil and mineral oil as well as vegetable shortening. These types of additives are generally used only in container candles as they soften the wax and lower the melting point.
Paraffin wax: This is easily bought through any of the supplier links mentioned at the end of this book or at your craft store. It is usually a low to medium melt-point paraffin wax, suitable for making container candles and maybe votives but definitely not suitable for pillar candles. Paraffin waxes come in several different grades and melting points for the different types of candle applications.
Refined or fully refined paraffin: These are harder, lower oil content waxes, usually with an oil content of 1.0 mass percent or less, white in colour and meets Food and Drug Administration standards for safety and purity. The quality is determined by the extent of the refining process. Food grade paraffin wax produces less smoke than other paraffin and burns more slowly.
Slack wax: this is a semi-refined wax and is distinguished from scale wax by its generally higher oil content. Semi-refined slack waxes may have oil contents up to 30 mass percent. Slack waxes with oil content blow 10 mass percent are used for manufacture of religious candles. Slack wax is the crude wax produced by chilling and solvent filter-pressing wax distillate. There are three types of slack wax produced, the type depending on the viscosity of the lube oil being de-waxed; low neutral, medium neutral and heavy neutral.
Scale wax: this is soft, semi-refined wax, different from slack wax as it generally has lower oil content; is usually derived from slack wax by extracting most of the oil from the wax. Waxes with an oil content up to 3.0 mass percent are generally referred to as scale waxes.
Microcrystalline wax: these differ from refined paraffin wax because the crystal structure is more branched and the carbon chains are longer. They are tougher, more flexible and have higher tensile strengths and melting points. They are more adhesive, bind solvents, oil etc therefore preventing the sweating-out of compositions. Typical oil content by weight is between 0.5 percent and 2 percent.
Bayberry wax: rare and expensive it is also known as Myrtle wax or candle berry. It is a natural wax derived by boiling the berries of the bush. The wax has a natural green tone and a fresh, natural scent with a melt point of 116-120 which makes it very hard and brittle. This wax consists of glycerides of stearic, palmitic and myristic acids and a small quantity of oleaic acid.
Beeswax: is available online and at candle making supply companies and you may well find it at your local beekeepers. (See resources section.) It is much more expensive than paraffin. It has a melt point of around 146 and makes a very high quality candle. Pure beeswax burns for longer and is cleaner with minimal dripping and less smoke than candles made with other waxes. It is a light to golden yellow wax, naturally produced by honey bees and has a slightly sweet honey-like scent. You may like to add beeswax to paraffin wax to save money and still create a better candle.
Palm wax: is 100 percent natural wax from a palm. It’s hard, with a high melt point around 140 and will produce a crystalline look. It usually comes in flake form and can be used straight or as an additive to other natural or synthetic waxes.
Soybean wax: all natural waxes, made from soy bean. They have several melt points depending on the application. They are usually a clean burn, producing little soot. These waxes are non-toxic, biodegradable, safe, longer burning than paraffin and environmentally friendly. Usually they only require one pour. You can clean up afterwards with just hot water and soap and they are just ideal with fragrance oil and essential oils.
Recycled wax: use pieces of old leftover candles and recycle them. Save all the old taper and pillar stubs and pieces of wax from old jar candles to re-melt and make into new candles.
Wax additives: several additives come in handy for candle makers to enhance the appearance and burning quality of candles – stearic acid, micro wax, vybar and poly crystals. You may find some other additives around the home – petroleum jelly, vegetable oil and mineral oil as well as vegetable shortening. These types of additives are generally used only in container candles as they soften the wax and lower the melting point.
Specialist Waxes … Sculpture wax; letter sealing wax; letter sealing wax dots; bottle sealing wax and wax sheets.
A general note about wax…most paraffin waxes are rated by the melt point (abbreviated to MP). This gives the candle maker an approximate guideline as to the hardness of the wax: generally a wax with a 130 melt point is relatively softer than a wax with a 140 melt point.
IMPORTANT to remember that melt point is only one of many factors of wax properties. Never expect wax from different suppliers to behave the same, even though they have the same melt point. It doesn’t pay to get too bogged down in the actual statistics of the wax, find the one you like, get good results and stay with it.