Wax for Making Candles

Today, with the growing popularity of candle making, candle making wax has made strides to become better, more available, and with more diversity then before. People are constantly looking for the new thing and since wax is the main component in candle making, the changes have been there.

Most of the wax used in candles today is refined from petroleum like paraffin wax. This is the type of 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 wax growing in popularity is soy based wax. It is processed by hydrogenating soybeans which makes them suitable for candles. Soy wax is a renewable resource that is eco-friendly. The best part about soy wax is that the majority of soybeans are grown in the United States primarily in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. Palm wax is also natural and a renewable resource. Unfortunately with the growing popularity of palm wax, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia were clearing our 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. Thankfully, the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) stepped in and founded 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 wax make sure that they are obtaining wax in an eco-friendly way.

Some candles are made from animal based materials like beeswax. Candles made from beeswax, palm, and bayberry were offered by companies in the past. Recently there has been a new and growing interest in making candles out of these natural products. One of the more popular natural 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. It is a clear, rubbery texture but works the same as wax. Gel wax is available in three different densities. The density of the gel that the candle requires depends upon the type of candle you are planning to make and how much fragrance you are planning to use. Low density gel wax is best for candles with a 0-3% fragrance load. Also, the low density 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 wax to work with. High density gel wax is better for candle with a heavier fragrance load.

With so many different kinds of wax available, candle maker are able to pick the type that works best for them. When a candle maker is able to understand each kind of wax, they are able to fully experience every inch of the candle making market and get double, triple or even quadruple the fulfillment.

 

History of Candle Making

Candle making is a relatively simple craft with its origins firmly grounded in ancient history. The necessary materials and equipment are ready available from craft and specialists shops everywhere, in fact you will probably find most of the basic equipment in your kitchen. This site will help explore this creative and satisfying craft.

The basic methods of candle making remain the same as in centuries past. Essentially , a candle is a cylinder of solid fuel with a central wick. Traditionally, most candles for domestic use were made out of tallow, a substance obtained from animal fat, and wicks were made from rush or flax. However tallow would smell revolting when burning, and rush or flax wicks smoked terribly. The only alternative material available for candle making was beeswax, which due to its costliness, was reserved for use by very wealthy and the church. And even then, because of the quality of the wicks, the candles very often did not burn evenly.

In the early nineteenth century, due to research and experimentation of a French chemist called Michael Chevreul, it was discovered that a substance called stearin could be separated from tallow. Stearin could be used to harden other fats, giving rise to the production of cheaper, ordour free, better quality candles. As the century progressed, petroleum oil and coal began to be used increasingly as energy sources. A by product of this industry was the extraction of paraffin wax. These two basic ingredients, stearin and paraffin wax transformed the burning quality of candles, and, with the exception of beeswax, repalced all other substance used in the candle making process. They remain the principal ingrediants today, though stearin is now made from palm nuts, and paraffin wax is a by product of refining petrol. Another great advance, which took place during the same period was the introduction of plaited wicks.

Experimentation with different materials resulted, in 1825, with another Frenchman M. Cambaceres, producing a wick made from plaited cotton threads, which was found to give a brighter more constant flame. There still remained, however, the problem of the ash which was produced by the braided cotton. It was eventually discovered that if wicks were soaked in boric acid they became self consuming when lit. Concidentally, it was just at that time, when candle making was finally perfected, that the use of electricity as a source of lighting became viable and widespread.

Today, the use of candles is enjoying s revival, and candle makers have access to a vast array of wax products, moulds and decorative materials with which to experiment.