How to Make Candles with Soybean Wax
Contents
Methods to use soybean wax for candles
Add in the fragrance at 1 ounce of fragrance for one pound of wax.
Here are other instructions:
Q. What temperature should soy wax be poured at?
A. soyawax container blend should be poured at 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit (between 54.4 and 57.2 degrees Celsius.)
Place 1/8 inch in the bottom of the container. Set your wick in center. let the small layer of wax harden to hold your wick.
Once the wick is set, pour in the volume of wax you need, leaving room at the top for a "top pour".
Let the container wax set for one hour for every 3 ounces of wax. Example, in a 12 ounce glass, let it set for 4 hours.... then top off with an 1/8 inch "top pour" for the very best top surface texture)
soyawax Pillar and Votive Blend should be poured at 150 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. As a general practice, soy wax should be processed at a lower temperature than paraffin. The melting point of container blend Phytowax C-1 is 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The melting point of pillar and votive blend Phytowax P/V-1 is 155 degrees Fahrenheit)
Votive wax is a "one pour wax" pour right up to the very brim of the mold, ready to overflow. In about 30 seconds, before the top surface starts to harden, put in your wick.
Q. How do you control the hardening of soy wax? Are additives required such as stearic acid that is used with paraffin wax? Are additives such as Vybar or other such polymers usually required for color and scent integration in paraffin wax necessary with the soy waxes?
A. Soyawax blends Phytowax C-1 and Phytowax P/V-1 are complete candle wax formulas. No additives are required except for scent oils and color dyes of your choice. The pillar/votive blend P/V-1 is a hard wax formulated for easy mold release.
Q. Can the same coloring or dyes be used that are used in paraffin candle waxes?
A. Yes, the same dyes used in paraffin wax can be used in the new soy wax. Both oil base liquid dyes and powder dyes can be used in soy wax. Mix your dye or coloring agent in a small blending batch of melted soy wax, then blend in the small blending batch to the large production batch. Our soy wax blends Phytowax C-1 and Phytowax P/V-1 are specially formulated for easy and even color integration for a lustrous quality candle finish.
Q. Do we need to change our wax melting tanks, molds or any other part of our candle manufacturing equipment and process systems to change from petroleum base paraffin waxes to natural soybean base waxes?
A. No changes are required in equipment. Process soy wax in the same systems as paraffin, just maintain your heat source at the lower temperatures recommened above.
Q. Since soy wax is a natural vegetable product and not a petrochemical product like paraffin, how long is the shelf life of soy wax?
A. Phytowax C-1 and Phytowax P/V-1 are processed and refined to be a stable product. The shelf life is one year from the date of purchase. Use your stock in the time sequence of shipment, first shipped-first used. Our wax is all vegetable, with no chemical or petroleum.
Q. How much longer does soy wax burn than paraffin wax?
A.You can expect soy wax to burn 25% longer than paraffin. There are many grades of paraffin wax used in the candle industry that provide various burn times. Also, conditions specific to the location of candle use such as draft and air flow patterns will cause variations. These variable factors make it impossible to state an exact burn time comparison. In our own internal tests of burn time, soy wax burns 25 to 30 % longer than paraffin in a similar candle.
Q. Because soy is a crop, what kind of price fluctuation and supply variation is soy wax subject to? Can we assure the availability of this wax if there are crop fluctuations?
A.The majority ingredient of our 100% vegetable wax formulas is derived from soy beans. We use other vegetable ingredients to provide such performance characteristics as color blending, mold release and desirable surface texture. Soybeans are one of the most abundant crops grown in the U.S. American farmers produce over 18 billion pounds of soybean oil each year. The entire U.S. candle industry uses about one billion pounds of petroleum wax at present. The very abundant production of soybeans as a U.S. crop insures that adequate supplies of your new soybean base candle waxes will always be available. Various market forces cause price fluctutation in all products whether from agricultural, industrial or petroleum sources. The soybean components used in the production of our waxes have however traditionally not had wide price fluctuations. We expect the price of soy wax to be stable. The quantity of soy wax can always be plentiful because of the sheer volume of soybean production by the U.S. agricultural sector.
Q.How consistent is soy wax from batch to batch in terms of color, hardness, texture?
A. The quality control standards are very consistent. You can expect consistency in each of these characteristics of color, hardness, melt point and texture. These are quality waxes for the professional candle manufacturer
Special Instructions for Glass Container and Candle Tins
Glass or tin candle containers are impervious. When any type of wax is poured into a container, the only location that the heat and air can escape as the wax cures is out of the top surface of the wax. This air and heat release will leave a few pock marks, air bubbles, dents, dips or other slight imperfections in the top surface of the wax.
All candle manufacturers in the industry, whether they use petroleum wax or soy wax must do a "top re-surface" to complete the candle. This is standard procedure.
This is the only way a candle made with any wax can have a good, smooth top surface.
There are two common methods to achieve this:
1. Large manufacturers, that are sending thousands of candles each hour down a conveyor line have a final stage in the production line that is called a "cosmetic re-melt". With this method, the candle passes under a high intensity heat bar that will re-melt the top 1/8 inch of the top surface of the wax.
2. The very best method for a smaller candle producer that does not have all of the equipment of a large scale producer, can accomplish the exact same result with a quick and easy production method:
a. let the wax in the container cure for one hour for every 3 ounces of wax in the container. (For example, a twelve ounce candle must cure for 4 hours.
b. then you pour a 1/8 inch top pour as a final step. This will result in a perfect top surface.
You cannot rush this; If you do the top 1/8 inch too soon, air and heat will still release from the wax and leave the same problems on top.
If you are producing ten, one hundred or a thousand candles in a batch, fill all of the containers. Let the entire batch cure for the number of hours necessary according to the total ounces in the container. Come back later and do the 1/8 top pour on all candles.
Industry leaders use this exact same wax, and they have perfect top surfaces because they use this "top pour" resurface.
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Links
For more information on soy wax go to www.soyawax.com
