melting paraffin safely

[clueless]

Tonight I'm giving my hand at paraffin wax. I will be melting 1lb of this. To do this safely should I keep my stove on a low setting throughout the entire heating process since paraffin has a flashpoint much lower than soy. What temp is ideal for paraffin and what should I not exceed.

[IwantItgreen]

clueless, you should be able to find that info at the suppliers or manufacturers website. Most heat and pour paraffin at a higher temp than soy. What paraffin are you pouring tonight? I'm not sure about the flashpoint thing.

[clueless]

All it says is Paraffin wax and low oil content. Which I'm not entirely sure what that means. Melt point is 133-135. I picked it up at HB. I know I know....I should always purchase from well know suppliers for a good quality, But I just wanted to try it

So unfortunately that's all the info I have on it. I just don't want to blow up or anything. Has anyone ever reached the flash point??? Scary!!!!

[ksranch]

You'll be fine! I use pariffin - the good thing about using a double boiler is that once water boils it doesn't get any hotter. It boils at 212 degrees. This is why a low simmering boil is just as sufficient as a hard rolling boil. I would attach the links to where this info is found, but I'm in the middle of pouring and can't go google right now. Get your water on a low simmering boil and put your pot in (I'm assuming you're setting the pot on something, not just the bottom of the pan of water), watch your temp and add your stuff at about 185 - 190. Even with the low boil, it'll take a bit to get this hot, so be patient and keep an eye on it!

Edited October 27, 2011 by ksranch

[JanetsCandles]

Sounds like Hobby Lobby's wax. I don't know the exact flashpoint either, but like ksranch said, you'd be fine if you use a double boiler. Otherwise I'd suggest not letting it get above 225-250 or so. I've had some weird experiences with wax at higher temps, it's like it changes it's properties slightly.

[ksranch]

Sounds like Hobby Lobby's wax. I don't know the exact flashpoint either, but like ksranch said, you'd be fine if you use a double boiler. Otherwise I'd suggest not letting it get above 225-250 or so. I've had some weird experiences with wax at higher temps, it's like it changes it's properties slightly.

Agreed - I NEVER let mine get over 200 personally

Edited October 27, 2011 by ksranch

[Georgia]

Do not heat directly on your stove - always use a double boiler. Get your water boiling then turn the heat down and, as others have said, don't let the temp get too high.

Using a double boiler you are highly unlikely to "blow anything up". Direct heat will get your wax too hot and cause a fire. I learned that lesson once.

[clueless]

Thanks everyone! I feel much better!!

But...I must confess this.....when I melted my soy wax last night, I did not put something in my pot while do the double boiler method. I just put some water in a large pot and then sat my pyrex glass filled with wax in that. So the glass was directly in the water....is this bad??

[Stella1952]

NEVER heat wax (any kind) on direct heat - electric element or flame. There was a thread about this just yesterday...

Heat in a double boiler or Fry Daddy, Fry Baby or Presto. The heating element should never be in direct contact with the wax. Do not heat at temperatures much over 200°F unless instructed to do so by the wax manufacturer. Soy should not be heated over 200°F and palm not more then 210°F because it will cause them to smoke, burn, discolor and break down. Even in a presto, the hottest part of the pot is directly over the element which is why you should stir the wax while it's melting to insure that the stuff on the bottom closest to the element doesn't sit there and overheat while the stuff on top is melting.

Understand that most heating elements are on/off. Just because a thermostat is set at 200°F does not mean that's the highest temperature the element achieves... it's the point where the element stops heating the contents. Typical electric stoves don't have thermostats - they have settings which make part or all of the "rings" of the element glow. But where that element is glowing is one heckuva olot hotter than 200°F!!

So the glass was directly in the water....is this bad??

The pyrex was sitting directly on the metal bottom of the pot set on a heating element (that's a no-no with glass, but it sure won't hurt the wax). It should have been sitting on something that held it off the bottom. A cleaned out veggie can or coffee can would have been fine. HTH

PS You should have a thermometer in the melting pot at all times. Live by the thermometer and do not allow its tip to come into contact with the bottom of the pot.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Stella1952

[ksranch]

It should have been sitting on something that held it off the bottom. PS You should have a thermometer in the melting pot at all times. Live by the thermometer and do not allow its tip to come into contact with the bottom of the pot.

I use a canning jar "ring" - you can get them at Walmart cheap. You can also find a themometer at Walmart that is metal, flat, and is made where you can't put the bottom of the actual themometer on the bottom of the pan - and it has a handy clip that is adjustable so you can use it on any pan. Until you are to where you want an instant read (expensive) this is a really good choice, or was for me (cheap).

[clueless]

I use a canning jar "ring" - you can get them at Walmart cheap. You can also find a themometer at Walmart that is metal, flat, and is made where you can't put the bottom of the actual themometer on the bottom of the pan - and it has a handy clip that is adjustable so you can use it on any pan. Until you are to where you want an instant read (expensive) this is a really good choice, or was for me (cheap).

Thanks for the advice! I canning ring sounds perfect. I just ate some tuna salad and was going to use the can from the tuna haha. But the canning ring sounds alot better. I have one of those glass candy thermometers. But I'm going to try and get something digital soon because I have a hard time reading the others.

[Beth]

Thanks for the advice! I canning ring sounds perfect. I just ate some tuna salad and was going to use the can from the tuna haha. But the canning ring sounds alot better. I have one of those glass candy thermometers. But I'm going to try and get something digital soon because I have a hard time reading the others.

I use a metal cookie cutter..

[clueless]

I use a metal cookie cutter..

In the cookie cutter department all I have are the plastic ones

[ksranch]

The important thing is to keep your pour pot off the bottom of the pan - therefore not on direct heat. Any one of the suggestions, or a tuna can will work! Have fun!

[EnvyCandles]

We use old metal tea light cups in the bottom of our pots, keeps the pour pot off the bottom of the pots. At the very least, be sure that no water gets into your pouring pots!

[coconut]

PS You should have a thermometer in the melting pot at all times. Live by the thermometer and do not allow its tip to come into contact with the bottom of the pot.

Very good point. Also, calibrate the thermometer before you use it. You can place it in boiling water and it should read 212 degrees. If not, make a note how much it is off and use always add or subtract that much when you use it. I have to add 13 degrees to get the actual reading on mine.

With a little practice, you will figure out what setting on your stove or burner will let you keep the water hot but not boiling. Best not to boil the water as the breaking bubbles can splash water into your wax; also the wax may get too hot. I know that setting my burner to 3 will melt my wax just right. HTH.

[CandleRon]

I have used the ol Hobby Lobby Paraffin and have brought it up to 190-195 with no issues of FP to date. The one thing to keep in mind, is that not all wax is created the same as the last batch. So if you had a wax that was fine at 190, the next batch may be not the same and the FP could be off a little. As everyone says keep your eye on that thermometer and never take a number for granted, just because it was fine the last time, it might not be the same for each batch. My 2 bits!

[CaftCandles]

Very good point. Also, calibrate the thermometer before you use it. You can place it in boiling water and it should read 212 degrees. If not, make a note how much it is off and use always add or subtract that much when you use it. I have to add 13 degrees to get the actual reading on mine.

I strongly dissagree! I read several post throught this forum with people saying "use a double boiler because the temperature never gets above 212 F" and now some talk about calibrating your thermometer with boiling water. You sould never use boiling water to calibrate a thermometer. Not to get scientific but water does not boil at the same temperature all over the world. The reference that we all use (212 F) is at sea level. For example water does not boil at 212 F in Denver Colorado, it boils at 203 F. The higher the altitude or the lower the barametric pressure the lower the boiling point is. Another problem is there are different stages of "Boiling Water" that can span over 50 degrees depending what your opinion is of boiling, that is a suggnifigent error. The temperature of the water once boiling does not stay at 212 F, it continues to rise so even if you did get a reading at the exact point of boiling it wouldn't stay there long enough for you to get an accurate reading of error. If you wish to calibrate your thermometer you must find a more reliable reference to do so. I have been working in my career for 25 years now which consist mainly of standards for weights and measures and while writing this I realized that in the average household there is only one thing I could think of to use as a standard for this is yourself. You can use your body as a reference just like taking someones temp. when they have a fever, at least the error wouldn't be more than a degree or two.

Sorry for the rant I just like accuracy.

[Stella1952]

I appreciate your years of expertise and I TRY to remember to say 212°F at sea level, but I assume that people who live at higher elevations know these rules for their areas. Since I live 19' above sea level (gotta watch out for nosebleeds when I get on the elevated highways!), I don't think about making adjustments for everyone else.

However, unless the pressure increases (as in a pressure cooker), the temp of boiling water does NOT rise above 212°F according to this nifty slide show below:

http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=ELE2107

Here's a link to a table for different boiling temps at different elevations:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/boilpoint.htm

Again - since most of us do not have laboratory grade equipment nor access to calibration equipment, the suggestion to test at boiling and at freezing is the best we can do and better than not testing at all.

Edited November 16, 2011 by Stella1952

[coconut]

I appreciate your years of expertise and I TRY to remember to say 212°F at sea level, but I assume that people who live at higher elevations know these rules for their areas. Since I live 19' above sea level (gotta watch out for nosebleeds when I get on the elevated highways!), I don't think about making adjustments for everyone else.

However, unless the pressure increases (as in a pressure cooker), the temp of boiling water does NOT rise above 212°F according to this nifty slide show below:

http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=ELE2107

Here's a link to a table for different boiling temps at different elevations:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/boilpoint.htm

Again - since most of us do not have laboratory grade equipment nor access to calibration equipment, the suggestion to test at boiling and at freezing is the best we can do and better than not testing at all.

What she said. Thank you for the correction and additional information. I live at 11 feet above sea level, so I know just what you are talking about!

Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that when you buy a thermometer, don't automatically assume it is accurate, especially if it is an inexpensive one you picked up locally. Calibrate it based on the elevation and the means at your disposal. I would trust boiling water over body temperature which also varies a lot, especially depending on where you stick that thermometer. :lipsrseal

[crazzie]

Buy a Presto pot - awesome!!

[CaftCandles]

Stella! I stand corrected; it appears that I have broken one of my own golden rules “Never base opinions on logic until you have the facts to support it!” I was wrong and owe you and everyone on here an apology. I have never used water at work related to the boiling point and I shouldn’t have voiced my opinion until I verified the facts. I set up a test in my own kitchen and wouldn’t you know it, as soon as the water started boiling my brain engaged and it all became clear (Duhh!), the “boiling point” is the point at which liquid turns to a gas. After a day of testing and research I have realized that in a kitchen environment water will not increase above 212 degrees F (at sea level of course) and using that as a standard for calibrating your thermometer is as accurate you’re going to get.

I humbly apologize for my brief flash of STUPIDITY!!!

[Stella1952]

Caft, I am glad you brought up this point which we should all remember: this IS science and environmental conditions are not the same everywhere. It seldom occurs to me to remember that I live near sea level - around here, children think overpasses are the mountains. When we talk about calibrating, it IS important to consider your elevation and the atmospheric air pressure because that changes the temperature at which water boils. I hope when folks test their thermometers that they will take this into account and use those handy dandy tables to adjust the temperature that water boils at THEIR house (and not at mine).

It's good that we keep one another on our toes and I hope you will always chime in! : )

OK so maybe this is a stupid question (and I'm too lazy to Google it), but if water boils at a different temp depending on atmospheric pressure and elevation, does it FREEZE at different temps depending on elevation & atmospheric pressure, too?

[CaftCandles]

OK so maybe this is a stupid question (and I'm too lazy to Google it), but if water boils at a different temp depending on atmospheric pressure and elevation, does it FREEZE at different temps depending on elevation & atmospheric pressure, too?

Not a stupid question at all but a very difficult one. The simple answer is YES, it does affect it but not until an incredibly high altitude (130,000 feet or more) or certain impurities in the water like salt. You live in Louisiana right? Ever notice when it gets below freezing here in Louisiana and you have ice forming around your house but the local waterways (bayou's) do not freeze (assuming you live near the coast). That is due to the salt in the water which increases the freezing point. As far as for every day use, including calibrating a thermometer, you would find extreamly little to no deviation. I would have put a couple of links on here but they could confuse a college proffessor so I thought I would spare you the grief.