Raising a Wax's Melt Point?

[jasonth]

Hello there! This is my first post here. I just started making candles and I absolutely love it. I've been working with Golden Brands 464 and am really making progress! My dream is to one day come up with something that I can sell online and in shops. I did tons of research before I decided to start testing with 464. This forum is so helpful, I haven't found myself needing to ask a question that wasn't answered until now!

My question is mainly about the wax I'm using. I have come so far with it now only to have some major worries crop up that I didn't consider before

First off, I am extremely worried that once I am ready to sell my candles online (which is still a while away) they will melt in transit. 464 has such a low melt point and I didn't consider that! I'll only ship at the beginning of the week and send them priority to reduce the amount of time they might sit in extreme temperatures, but I'm afraid it's just not going to be enough. I have chosen the classic tumblers from candle science, which have no lids and I'm also afraid the wax will leak out all over the package. I have looked into cold packs but they are so far from cost effective it's not a possibility. Is there a way to lower the melt point of a wax? What about Stearic Acid?

I know that selling, for me, is not something I will be doing anytime that soon, but I would hate to come up with my dream candle and not be able to ship it without it becoming a hideous mess. Any tips for shipping with these types of containers and wax would be beyond appreciated. Thank you so much!

Edited January 22, 2014 by jasonth

[Vicky_CO]

Any additive you add will change the melt point on wax but not as much as I think you are hoping for unless you added a lot. If you really want to change the melt point of low melt point wax to a higher melt point the only way to really do it is mix in a higher melt point wax.

Now let really talk about shipping wax products. As long as you use common sense wax products can be shipped year round. So far you are good with shipping on Monday and only by a service that will get to the customer 3 to 4 days after shipping. You might even want to add to your shipping policies that do not ship to certain states between June and Sept. If you chose to ship during those months to all states then there are some thing you can do to make sure your product reach the customer intact.

When packaging line you box with at lease an inch or more of bubble wrap it will act as an insulator around your product. Paper will work but not as well. Check out you packaging, line a box like you are going to ship put a few candles in it and then leave it out in the sun keep track of the temp. and look in to you package regularly every hour or so. Make sure you wrap you candle as if you were really shipping them. You can even put a thermometer in so you know the exact temp. This method actually works best if you live in a hot area.

[rjdaines]

Unless you live in Arizona (like me) or Florida and ship in the heat of the summer, I think you don't need to worry. Besides, anything you add will mean retesting. What I have found is that shipping is so expensive these days that people don't want to order and ship; it doubles the price of the order.

[jasonth]

Thank you guys so much! I'm already beginning the process of retesting by adding small percentages of paraffin as i go. I can already tell a huge difference in texture. I need to find a hotter wick though. Thank you again for assurances! I wish it were summer already so I could do that heat test