paraffin wax

[Pennie]

I have a customer who wants me to tell here about paraffin wax what would you tell her. I have now idea what she wants to know.

Thanks

[Dustpuuppy]

You could ask her what it is she wants to know.

You could just give her a quick comparison between a few waxes.

Soy is made from soy, paraffin is made from oil, gel is made from whatever the hell gel is made from.

Then she might get more specific.

[joanncat18]

She might just not know what the word means and thinks it is "another new wax"...start with the basics and she can ask questions from there.

[Circle]

Paraffin wax comes in various grades. Fully refined is good and burns very nicely. There is a hype about paraffin wax but there is nothing wrong with it if it is good grade. Makes very nice candles

[mward29]

Does this forum have information on various types of wax? Although I'm a new member I have gained quite a bit of knowledge of different types of wax during my time making candles.

[Scented]

Anything here help you out?

http://www.candles.org/elements_wax.html

[mward29]

Thank You for the response Scented. I've read that before and it is good information.

I only asked because I hear a lot of candle makers talking about how one type of wax is more eco-friendly than another (which is factually false by the way) and so I was hoping to see how the forum presented this information.

I'm really tempted to go off on a tangent right now about the different types of wax but I'll wait until people want to know.

[Scented]

All kinds are here. The argument between soy and paraffin is old and long and doesn't need to be brought up any more, unless to educate I suppose. It won't keep people, even here, from taking a pot shot at another wax whether in a thread, on their website etc. It won't keep the public from being led ignorantly to an opinion etc. For every argument, there's someone here who would love to refute it.

[chuck_35550]

It used to be the wick discussion. Zinc and lead and all that crap. Now its the environmental discussion crap. Tell her your candle is safe as long as she burns it in a well ventilated room, away from curtains or flammable materials and that it does not emit radiation, lead, or cause birth defects. She may be more understanding if you refer to paraffin as "candle wax". There are many chandlers who offer both soy or paraffin candles. Keep the customer satisfied.

[mward29]

I in fact use various types of wax including paraffin and soy. Not to "satisfy" the customer, although that's a great reason, I use both depending on the melting point and other factors I need for the particular candle I'm making.

Ex. I use Soy wax for conch shell candles. Why? Because it naturally has a lower melting point and thus puts less strain on the shell.

I did not mean to bring something old up. I apologize for that. It simply bothers me to see various chandlers false advertising at the expense of their fellow artisans. This is usually due to a lack of knowledge.

[radellaf]

One might be suspicious of bias, but the IGI website ha a pretty good section on how the wax is made a well as study results on chemical and particulate emissions from a few types of wax.

http://igiwax.com/wax-basics/how-wax-is-made/

http://igiwax.com/uploads/candlearticles/07%20Okometric%20report.pdf

Other tidbits I found... 1. Paraffin is biodegradable. 2. 1343 is listed as a special purpose wax rather than a basic no-additives base wax.

I conclude anything I'm "contaminating" my house with comes from how often the wick charts are 2+ sizes off... I'd feel worse if I didn't have commercial containers soot as well but still, perfectionism, it bothers me. I'd rather be able to advertise "no sooting" as a health claim than to try to greenwash customers on soy or palm. Oh, while I'm OT here, I'll throw out that candle cappers (you can make your own, even) generally work to stop a sooting container (or large votive cup) if the wick trim isn't enough.

Edited November 5, 2009 by radellaf
links added

[Scented]

I did not mean to bring something old up. I apologize for that. It simply bothers me to see various chandlers false advertising at the expense of their fellow artisans. This is usually due to a lack of knowledge.

No need to apologize. I was just letting you know it comes up about once a year for a lengthy debate. It should bother all of us about the false advertising, but in reality there's not much we can do to stop it except to continue to educate.

[Scented]

I conclude anything I'm "contaminating" my house with comes from how often the wick charts are 2+ sizes off... I'd feel worse if I didn't have commercial containers soot as well but still, perfectionism, it bothers me. I'd rather be able to advertise "no sooting" as a health claim than to try to greenwash customers on soy or palm.

And I'd ask you not to do it. Can you seriously make a health claim? Do you want the gov't to start regulating candlemaking? Can you prove, beyond a double, back it with scientific evidence, any health claim you make? It's that kind of misleading information that sends more false information out there.

As for wick charts ... simply a starting point for testing. NOT a guarantee that it will work every single time. Some of your statements bother me.

Edited November 5, 2009 by Scented

[chuck_35550]

Right. There are too many variables in a candle to ensure perfect performance and 100% efficiency in fuel consumption. You breath a lot of fumes that are not detectable by the physical senses. Carbon didoxide is odorless and has no color, yet it will kill you deader than a wedge. Our candles produce fumes which may or may not be beneficial under most circumstances. I think its smart to just refrain from promoting an environmentally friendly product that does anything other than freshen the air of your home.

[topofmurrayhill]

Yeah, but what about that issue about the genetically modified soy crops that soak up radioactive groundwater, producing glow-in-the-dark soy wax candles that have been found to cause cancer and radical libertarianism?