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Beeswax not melting properly?


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Hi, i am new to working with beeswax, i usually use paraffin or soy blend to make candles. Could a more experienced member please take a look at this and help me out?

I was under the impression that the wax would melt completely and be dark but clear. Mine has not gone clear at all. The wax is completely liquid and appears to be at 200 deg. F. Per I.r. thermometer. 

I have been heating it for hours at this point and it never went clear once. My water is boiling on med heat. And im using a metal bowl and pot double boiler. Is this a brand/purity issue or am i making a rookie mistake  and doing something wrong? Also what temp do i add my color. 

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Have you stirred it around? My beeswax always goes totally clear when melted.  Melt point is typically in the 145-150 range. 
 

in a water jacket melter it can take mine a full day to melt depending on how much I have in there, but you can always see the clear with an island of unmelted floating around. 

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Stirred many times. No clear at all not even with the solid island. (What i expected to see from all the tutorialsi watched) So by all means this should have gone clear then? 200 was more than sufficient? I forgot to add that i used 1oz wax bars not chips. 24 total Will that make a difference? 

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44 minutes ago, Mommabee1416 said:

Stirred many times. No clear at all not even with the solid island. (What i expected to see from all the tutorialsi watched) So by all means this should have gone clear then? 200 was more than sufficient? I forgot to add that i used 1oz wax bars not chips. 24 total Will that make a difference? 

150-155 should have been plenty.  That wax is awfully cloudy. Bars versus pastilles doesn’t matter. It looks unrefined or blended with something. That makes a big difference. The less clear the wax the less well it will burn.

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After I posted I went back and looked at the product listing and im nearly certain the product is not pure beeswax.  I bought it on amazon and made the mistake of not realizing where it was made. Whether it was misleading on purpose or not, I dont know but im bummed because I still have a pound of it left. It feels and looks more like a soy blend maybe with a touch of beeswax in it. But like you said. This probably isn't going to burn well.

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1 minute ago, Mommabee1416 said:

After I posted I went back and looked at the product listing and im nearly certain the product is not pure beeswax.  I bought it on amazon and made the mistake of not realizing where it was made. Whether it was misleading on purpose or not, I dont know but im bummed because I still have a pound of it left. It feels and looks more like a soy blend maybe with a touch of beeswax in it. But like you said. This probably isn't going to burn well.

Since you have it, you might as well experiment. 
do you have a link to the amazon listing? 
 

beeswax with soy should also melt clear. 

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2 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

Since you have it, you might as well experiment. 
do you have a link to the amazon listing? 
 

beeswax with soy should also melt clear. 

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0899DLNJC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PC4MFbXW344PG

 It wont even show up if you search pure beeswax 😆 

I am going to try it for my home and order real stuff for the gifts im making.

If that blend should melt clear too then Honestly i have no clue whats in it at this point. 

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This is partly set and the purple ish one is almost cool to touch. The sink a lot around the wicks.  pouring at 165 - 155. Its been so long since ive done this, i probably made quite a few mistakes 😅  i moved the orange one too soon and the wick holder popped off and took the wick with it.

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It’s a little bit too early to judge that flame. Keep an eye on it after an hour, two hours, three hours. If it grows or stays the same I would be a concerned in jars. Beeswax flames are a bit taller than traditional wax. And will burn pretty hot  if it’s pure  beeswax. I typically advise people to buy an infrared thermometer so you can keep track of your glass temperature. If your glass hits 170 or above at any point you need to rethink that wick and wax combination.
 

The striations are called “jump lines”. It’s because the mold is cold and the wax that hots the sides of the mold is cooling and solidifying  quickly as you pour it. Basically it cools a millimeter at a time as you’re pouring it into the mold.

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On 10/29/2020 at 8:18 PM, Mommabee1416 said:

After I posted I went back and looked at the product listing and im nearly certain the product is not pure beeswax.  I bought it on amazon and made the mistake of not realizing where it was made. Whether it was misleading on purpose or not, I dont know but im bummed because I still have a pound of it left. It feels and looks more like a soy blend maybe with a touch of beeswax in it. But like you said. This probably isn't going to burn well.

Most commercially available beeswaxes are cut with paraffin, and then they'll add some dye and fragrance. These waxes are usually "American Cheese" yellow, and tend to have a greasy feel when set.

If you can, find a local beekeeper. Chances are you can find out some people they sell raw beeswax to, and possibly buy some good stuff for yourself. 

Ive also found that real, pure beeswax tends to be less expensive than the doctored stuff! 

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