Paraffin wax properties
We have already covered the main differences between vegetable and paraffin waxes in another blog article. But to recap, here are some of the properties of paraffin waxes.
Paraffin waxes:
Higher melt point and working temperature 60-70c.
Are not affected by polymorphism.
Shrinks as it cools, leaving dips to fill.
Great cold and hot throw with lower fragrance concentration.
Low glass adhesion.
Selecting wicks
Selecting wicks for paraffin candles is a little more difficult than selecting wicks for vegetable wax candles.
Paraffin candles are less forgiving and will give off soot if not correctly wicked.
To select the most appropriate wick, start with Candle Shack recipes listed below. The most suitable wick families for paraffin waxes we have found are.
LX Family wicks
TG Family wicks
PGS Family wicks
SIGNS YOU'VE CHOSEN THE CORRECT WICK FOR YOUR CANDLE:
• Little to no flickering of the flame(s)
• A full (or very close to full) melt pool no deeper than 5mm after a 4 hour burn.
• A cleanly burning wick with little to no mushroom and no soot.
• A pleasant aroma which fills the room with no chemical or 'hot' burning smell.
If you have made vegetable wax candles in the past, you will understand some of the challenges that come with vegetable waxes. Overcoming issues such as cracking and making sure that the temperature is perfect at all times to reduce the chances of polymorphism can be a real challenge and take time and effort to master.
You will be glad to know that working with paraffin removes the majority of those issues, however it is not without its own set of challenges to overcome.
Lets look at some of these and how to mitigate them!
Staring with Jump lines.
Jump lines
Jump lines are caused by pouring hot wax into vessels which are cold. This temperature difference causes the wax to solidify on contact with the vessel. This causes visible rings on the inside of the vessel.
The best way to stop these jump lines forming is to pre heat your vessel to 30-50c before pouring your wax mixture.
The jump lines do not affect the way that the candles burn and are only visible in transparent vessels.
Troubleshooting jump lines
Dipping wax
As paraffin wax cools from liquid to solid, the wax will contract, and because a candle will always cool from the outside in, the centre of the candle will contract the most as it cools. This leaves a dip in the middle of the candle.
There are two main ways to fix a dipping candle to give it a lovely smooth surface.
This effect is also seen with pillar mold candles and large wax melts. It may be necessary to add more wax to fill these dips.
Single pour method
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1. Pour your candle as normal
CS1 RecipesPour your candle into the vessel at a temperature of around 60c. Then wait for the candle to cool.
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2. Prepare the candle
When the candle has reached around 32c internal temperature (Use a temperature probe to check the centre of the candle near the wick). Snip the wick and remove the wick tool. You can also use a tool at this point to open any cavities in the wax.
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3. Melt the surface wax
Using an overhead heat source or a heat gun, gently re melt the surface of the candle to allow the liquid wax to fill in the dips. When a full melt pool has been achieved, remove from the heat and let cool on a flat surface for a smooth top.
The single pour method works very well for paraffin candles but it works especially well with smaller candles and when using a paraffin blend which does not dip a great deal. If your candle is larger or the dip is very large then this second method may give better results without needing to use excessive heat and possibly damaging the wick.
Double pour method
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1. Pour most of your wax mixture
In this method you start by only pouring 80-85% of your wax mixture into the vessel and let it cool. Keep the remainder warm for later.
For a 30cl, 220g candle we recommend 190g first pour with a 30g top up. -
2. Prepare the candles
When the candle has reached around 32c internal temperature (Use a temperature probe to check the centre of the candle near the wick). You can use a tool at this point to open any cavities in the wax. You can keep the wick tool on or take it off for the next step.
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3. Pour the remaining wax onto the candle
carefully fill the cavities and dips with the remaining wax then leave to cool. Once it has solidified, snip the wick and you can gently use a heat gun to make the surface smooth.
Top up lines
Sometimes when using the double pour method you will see a line where the extra wax has been poured. This should not affect how the candle burns and if you are not using clear glass, this will not be an issue.
