Melt Points

[jmspgh]

Over the summer I decided to do an experiment and I am still wondering about it.  Let's preface this by saying that I am still pretty new to candle making and so far have only been working with coconut wax blends.  I was curious about melt points and potentially shipping candles during hot months.  Although I am not looking to immediately sell candles I want to have a good understanding of issues that could come up down the road.  Following my wax research I liked most aspects of coconut wax but the low melt points gave me some concern.  I don't know if this "test" is relevant or not but here it goes...

 

I used Calwax CCN1 from Swans candle (melt point 126 degrees) and Coconut Brew from Candles and Supplies (melt point 115 degrees).  Following the recommended melting and pouring temps of each, I made 5 samples using each wax and poured approx 2 oz into a small plastic condiment container.  The samples were 1. 100% coconut,  2. 95% coconut and 5% white beeswax,  3. 90% coconut and 10% white beeswax,  4. 85% coconut and 15% white beeswax,  and 5. 80% coconut and 20% white beeswax.  I put all of the little cups into a box and placed in the trunk of my car which was sitting in the sun.  It wasn't the hottest day but it did reach upper 80s outside.  I should have measured the temp in my car but I didn't think of it at the time.  I checked occasionally throughout the day but mostly left the box undisturbed.

 

The Coconut Brew samples all stayed solid with no real change or distinction between the ratios.  The CCN1 samples were a completely different story.  The 100% CCN1 turned into a complete oily sludge.  It really wasn't until the 10% beeswax sample that I wasn't able to easily poke my finger through the wax and even that one had a decent oily residue to it.  I was expecting the opposite since the melt point of CCN is higher than the Coconut Brew.  The days started to get cooler after that I didn't have the opportunity to do a repeat test like I wanted.  The samples are now sitting in my unheated basement to see what happens in cooler temps.

 

Any thoughts as to why this would be the case?  Or if this information is even useful? 

[TallTayl]

Fun experiment.  A lot has to do with the additives in the blend.  I did a similar line test series using just coconut 92 with beeswax and a few with soy also added and had different results depending on the heat and humidity. All were lacking in some area, until I added polyboost. Polyboost, a polymer like vybar, glued it together well.  I sat one in the sun on a glass table that registered 112*F and one on my pellet stove while it burned during the winter. Both looked perfectly uNbothered by the heat.

 

i am not saying what I did was optimal for the burn or hot throw, it just made the melt point less significant as it formed a kind of gel matrix. 
 

it sounds like coconut brew with that low of a melt poin out of the box will be problematic as fragrance is added. I watch the coconut Facebook group in a mix between  bewilderment and horror as 12% FO and multiple wicks in most all vessels are the norm. That much FO in a wax like brew needs help to remain safe. 
 

beeswax can certainly help to some extent, as it can create a salve like product. Not all beeswax lots are the same.  Some become darned near impossible to burn.  Some are refined with chemicals that make HT more challenging than necessary. 
 

if you don’t mind paraffin, I liked 4786 as an additive.  It is stretchy versus brittle and can really help blends that are lacking in stability without creating nuisance problems to contend with. 

[Kerven]

Like @TallTayl said, the additives made the difference. Some additives have high (>150F) melt points and create a sturdy crystalline structure/lattice/matrix/network/<insert appropriate term> that withstands higher temperatures while keeping the lower melt point materials trapped within. Some of the lower melt point materials might sweat or leak out through openings in the crystalline structure but the overrall wax will try to hold together, even if it turns soft and squishy until it finally begins to fail. Other additives gel or thicken the oils and keep them from turning runny up to a point. It could be a combination of the two. Rice bran wax, castor wax, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, resins, polymers, etc. Oily residues are the lower melt point materials. When they resolidified, did you notice any distinct layers or pockets that appeared different than the rest? Increased frosting? That could have been some of the higher melt point materials that may have softened but not fully melted and reincorporated. That's why it's important to fully heat fancy blended waxes or waxes known to have additives; you need to melt and fully incorporate those high melt point materials.

 

Some of the proprietary blends lack documentation such as MSDS/SDS sheets, so it's difficult to get an idea of what data they're using to base their claims on. Was a formal test such as the drop test used to determine melt point or did they simply average the melt point of the materials in the wax, for example.

 

[jmspgh]

6 hours ago, TallTayl said:

it sounds like coconut brew with that low of a melt poin out of the box will be problematic as fragrance is added. I watch the coconut Facebook group in a mix between  bewilderment and horror as 12% FO and multiple wicks in most all vessels are the norm. That much FO in a wax like brew needs help to remain safe. 
 

beeswax can certainly help to some extent, as it can create a salve like product. Not all beeswax lots are the same.  Some become darned near impossible to burn.  Some are refined with chemicals that make HT more challenging than necessary. 

I haven't tried the test with fragrance added as quite honestly I didn't think of it at the time but I would be really curious to see how that changed things.  I'm guessing that different FO would change the results in different ways.  So far I have been doing 8% FO for my burning testers.

 

I also haven't tried burning any Coconut Brew/beeswax candles yet.  I did make quite a few mixes with beeswax and CCN1 (no FO) and what amazed me was how much I had to wick up in the candles with even a "small" 10% beeswax in them.

[jmspgh]

6 hours ago, Kerven said:

Like @TallTayl said, the additives made the difference. Some additives have high (>150F) melt points and create a sturdy crystalline structure/lattice/matrix/network/<insert appropriate term> that withstands higher temperatures while keeping the lower melt point materials trapped within. Some of the lower melt point materials might sweat or leak out through openings in the crystalline structure but the overrall wax will try to hold together, even if it turns soft and squishy until it finally begins to fail. Other additives gel or thicken the oils and keep them from turning runny up to a point. It could be a combination of the two. Rice bran wax, castor wax, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, resins, polymers, etc. Oily residues are the lower melt point materials. When they resolidified, did you notice any distinct layers or pockets that appeared different than the rest? Increased frosting? That could have been some of the higher melt point materials that may have softened but not fully melted and reincorporated. That's why it's important to fully heat fancy blended waxes or waxes known to have additives; you need to melt and fully incorporate those high melt point materials.

 

Some of the proprietary blends lack documentation such as MSDS/SDS sheets, so it's difficult to get an idea of what data they're using to base their claims on. Was a formal test such as the drop test used to determine melt point or did they simply average the melt point of the materials in the wax, for example.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if we were actually told what the additives were?  I know this will never happen but I can dream right?  Visually and by feel I really didn't notice any differences with the coconut brew wax samples.  The CCN1 had a distinct sludgy/oily layer with both the 100% and 95% coconut wax...after that that oil could still be distinguished but not quite as readily.  From what I can remember, I could easily poke my finger into the CCN1 at 100%, 95%, and 90%.

[ErronB]

I find that the more 'plasticy' or 'rubbery' waxes hold up a lot better like Candlewic's custom blends I've never had an issue with them melting (I think the melt point is around 130), but they do shrink a bit after cooling properly.

 

The only coconut wax I tested in heat was Northwoods which is around 125 MP and it was 'okay' but not good enough for me to be confident it would survive, although there's more to it than just that, the way you package candles makes a BIG difference IMO.