Using Beeswax

Whether you are a large manufacturer, or a home hobbyist, it is truly amazing to sit down with kids, friends, family, and coworkers to roll and burn candles made with sheets as a way to enjoy each other’s company, or to make candles that can be sold for profit. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the beeswax sheets they are exactly what they sound like – sheets of beeswax, but they come in a variety of patterns and colors.

Typically a square braid wick is used for rolling beeswax and the type of wick depends on the size of the finished candle. I recommend you get a roll of a small, a medium, and a large wick to start (4/0, 1/0, and #2). We have books available that show the many wonderful things you can do with beeswax sheets. I recommend BK-3, BK-4, and BK-5 to get started.

Not sure which to try? I suggest getting a sampler pack of mixed colors and textures. You do not have a choice of color or style, but it is usually a good sampling across the board and it comes with a free book. For those of you who are patriotic, we have a small kit that comes complete with instruc

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Natural Wax

Solid animal fats and natural waxes were the very first candle fuels. Animal tallow, bayberry wax and beeswax were among the early raw materials for candles that filled the requirement of being solid at room temperatures.

With the discovery of petroleum and the refining processes that followed, candle makers soon shifted their production to the more plentiful, less expensive, and more consistent petroleum wax, which became their raw material of choice. 

Today, with petroleum wax prices increasing and talk of depleting oil sources, candle makers seem ready once again to return to natural fats and waxes as a source of solid fuels for candle making. We continue to see a trend in our industry to manufacture candles using renewable, biodegradable, all-natural products. Soy and palm based waxes along with beeswax are just a few of the ever increasing natural wax products used in making "all-natural" candles. 

Natural oils and fats are routinely hydrogenated using today's modern processes to create many grades of natural wax products, which equal and exceed the consistency of petroleum waxes. The resulting products burn cleanly and efficiently when a proper wicking system is used. In many instances, burn times can be increased using all-natural wax products.

Highly crystalline products offer different and interesting structures and textures which make it possible to create many new products for the ever-changing retail candle market.

Since there are so many new materials available on the market today it is important to move slowly and test thoroughly before introducing your "all natural" wax candles. 

For more information about pouring temperatures, colorants or fragrances to use with natural waxes, or to order natural waxes, go to http://www.parkscandles.com/