How Does Palm Burn

[Oh-MYo]

Okay, I have discovered through the search feature that palm wax is quite hard, or perhaps dense is more accurate. And that as it burns it is almost either hard or melted, very little softened wax in between, which agrees with my own experience.

Now my question is basically about the melt pool. I find the melted wax is more viscous than paraffin or soy, almost like corn syrup. I bought a cheap made-in-china palm candle and am wondering is the melt pool of this consistency because of the way it is made or because that is just what palm wax does.

I havent decided if I like palm wax yet but as a candle lover I just need to know and experience the different options.

TIA

[Stella1952]

OhMyo, I started a reply to you, but I am not truly sure what you are asking... if simply about the consistency of the wax in the melt pool, mine is not as viscous as you describe; in fact, it would be more on the watery side.

But if you are asking for more in-depth about how palm wax burns vs. paraffin or soy wax, my best suggestion is to make some palm wax candles and discover for yourself "how they burn." I have posted a lot on the subject and wouldn't want to bore anyone with repetition.

[MoonShadow]

I agree with Stella. The melt pool, melted wax, on my palm pillars isn't viscous either. Watery side is a good description.

[Oh-MYo]

Hi Stella. Thanks for your reply.

At this point I am wondering if I bought a candle that was just made to look at rather than burn. I found it way underwicked, although it was easy enough to just put a bigger wick into it because it was either made with a wick pin or "pressed" that way.

Still with the biggest wick I had it almost seemed like it was clogging the wick, thus I mention the viscous melt pool.

The label did say 100% palm oil although the price was probably a lot less than I would have expected to pay for palm wax.

In fact I am getting more than a little miffed with this candle in particular and by association palm wax in general. However I am still open to those palm wax lovers on this board to turn my aggravation into fascination if they so choose.

Thanks again

[Stella1952]

I have seen the "pressed" palm tealights and votives... they looked pretty yucky to me...

Palm wax is as difficult to wick as soy. Some wicks just won't work out with veggie waxes. I haven't had that much problem with the kind of wicks I use (CDN - Stabilo KST). I chose them because from the description I read, they sounded like the best wick for the wax, and fortunately, they have worked well.

I think the candle you have is probably not a good representative of palm wax candles. Get 5# of palm wax to sample and see what you can come up with - I have found that the effort put into making ones own candles really pays off, even if only making for your own use and gifting others. With a little knowledge and care, you can end up with a product that is superior to the ones that are mass manufactured.