Most of you guys probably haven't made many candles, etc, so here are some tips about wax.

Melting points vary according to type of wax or candle (candles can be composites of different types & have additives to control melting points):

Regular paraffin........................115-126?F
Votives ..................................131? - 141?F
Tapers ...................................141?+F
Beeswax.................................147?+F
Tealights????vary all over the place depending in additives
Additives like microcrystalline wax granules or sterine (stearic acid) can raise the melting point to about 190?F if it?s been included.

Sources of wax:

Plain PARAFFIN (petroleum-based) is still used for canning, so check where canning lids and pectin are found, or hardware stores. It usually comes 4 palmsized slabs in a 1lb box for $3-4 & is usually white in its basic state.

BEESWAX is something of a specialty item. You can sometimes get the flat sheets of it (often colored) from a craft shop, or small 1oz disks from sewing shops (used to keep handsewing thread from tangling, $2-5), or from your friendly local beekeeper/honey man. Its natural color is tan.

VOTIVES are those short, squat candles that start about 1.5' w x 2"t, and go up to maybe 4" w x 6"tall, in pillar form.

TAPERS are regular dinner candles. The dripless ones have higher melt points.

EMERGENCY CANDLES often say they have a high melt point, esp the ones in the cans. I don?t know about the common stick types.

DECORATIVE & MOLDED candles are often not designed to be burned. ?Hurricane candles? have a hard wax shell & a soft wax core that actually burns, & they don?t have anything to do with hurricanes, & should never be used in wind due to the high fire hazard.

MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX is granular petroleum-based wax usually sold in bags or boxes in craft stores for candlemaking use. Their physical characteristics vary widely from soft & tacky to hard & brittle, with usual melting points ranging from 160?-190?F & that info should be obvious. They are usually mixed with paraffin. Someday I will try a high-melt variety with cotton balls.

There are also waxes made from natural sources: lanolin, tallow, carnauba, candelilla & soy, and synthetic waxes that I doubt would apply here.

A cheap source for candles is your local thrift shop. Just keep in mind their original type so you can at least guess at their makeup. Ugly colors are usually always available, no matter the type!

SAFETY ISSUES

Melting wax is a fairly high-hazard endeavor if you aren?t paying attention. Most waxes & their additives melt at temps 190?F & below. Water boils at 212?F. Boiling water will melt wax, so it?s safer to melt wax in a dedicated* double boiler. If you don?t have a double boiler that you are allowed to use, use a regular pot with water & glass marbles or metal rings in the bottom, & set a tin can with cold wax on top of the marbles. The water will not usually boil until the wax is already melting, so don?t get impatient.

If you insist on melting wax on the stove without a double boiler (real or makeshift) <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />, use the absolutely LOWEST setting on the stove, and don?t get impatient or distracted. Smoking wax is a BAD SIGN, a warning that it is close to its flashpoint (360?F). The VAPORS of overheated wax are FLAMMABLE. Always keep in mind that many/most candle ingredients are petroleum products.

*Using your SO?s best double boiler is asking for trouble. You will have to replace it or spend 3 months removing the wax. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Thanks for the wax info. The way I melt wax for small experiments, ie. tinder, is to make a "double boiler". I take a tin can & punch holes in the sides near the open top. Then fill about half way with water. Place a dish (yard sales) with the wax on top, & put the whole thing on the stove. The water boils, steam comes out of the holes, & the wax melts. I did not know all about the melting points etc. TNX 0311

Nice post - I've always prefered a double boiler OUTSIDE on a gas BBQ. I don't like fires - and if there is going to be one, I prefer it be outside - where I can sit there and watch it burn, with no worries

Oh yeah- got to watch someone who was unsure of the concept once. Fortunately, this was outside. He put wax in a can over a live flame. It did melt. It also eventually ignited.

The best part was when he through water on it. The steam explosion threw a wonderful, mushroom-like fireball about 12 feet in the air. :P

I did warn him.

This is very useful info Susan. Thank you!

I gently melt leftover candle wax and pour it onto cardboard egg boxes that have had the egg holders filled with sawdust. When it solidifies you get break off firestarters that burn really hot, but are also in their own little "box".