Candle Wax & Wicks for Making Soy, Beeswax Candles

Candle wax and wicks are the essential items you need to make your candle. Before making your first candle you will need to educate yourself on all the different types of waxes that are available to you, including soy & beeswax, and then decide which wax suits your candles best. Wicks also come in different sizes and varieties.

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Paraffin Wax: made from petroleum wastes and is the most common wax used in candle making. This wax is odorless colorless, and inexpensive. Paraffin's melting point ranges from 120 all the way to 160. Paraffin wax can be bought in pellets or in blocks. To decide which melting point temperature is best for your candle you should read the following information:

If you are making a container or jar candle you will want to use a wax with a softer consistency such as the 127mp wax (which means 127 degree F melting point). This type of wax has a lower melting point and candles made in containers do not need to be strong enough to stand on their own. So this type of wax is better for candles of this nature.

Wax with a melting point of 139/140 degrees, also referred to as dipping and carving wax, is used to make tapers and molded candles. They are at a higher melting point which gives them a harder thicker consistency of wax which gives the candle the capability to stand on its own.

Types of Wax and Wicks for Making Candles:

An even higher melting point say 145 mp is a specially blended wax which allows for shaping and even carving. This is an exceptional wax to mold

Another type of wax is microcrystalline wax, which comes in an off-white color, and is used to altar the hardness and softness of your wax. Microcrystalline wax comes in pellets. Hard Microcrystalline wax is placed into paraffin in a ratio of 1%. It will add strength to the candle and you can also use it as a dip. Soft Microcrystalline is added to paraffin wax at a ratio of 10% to make a more moldable wax.

You will also find that certain ingredients can be added to your waxes to aid the appearance and functioning of your candles. Stearin is taken from palm oil and is added to the paraffin wax because it shrinks when it cools making the removal of the candle from its mold easier. A Plastic additive is used to improve your candle's malleability. Vybar is used in rubber molds because Stearin cannot be used. The stearin will rot away at the rubber. Vybar can be used instead in a rubber mould.

Beeswax: Made from the honeycombs of bees. This wax is more expensive and isn't as easy to work with, but is completely natural. Delight in its very delicate and wonderful aroma when burned. Beeswax comes in sheets or pellets. It is usually sold in bleached white or natural shades of brown. Beeswax has a longer burning time than paraffin.

Wicks are just as important as your wax. You will find that wicks come in different sizes. Wicks are made of braided cotton but do not use just cotton thread. Wicks are sold in different widths. The width of the wick depends upon the diameter of the candle. To determine what size wick will work best for your candle, check your supplier's wick size tables. These tables will tell you the size of your candle and which wick to use.

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