AY Honors/Small Mammal Pets/Requirements

2. Know the two kinds of wax used for candle making and their uses.

Paraffin

today, fuel is nearly always some form of wax, with paraffin wax being the most common. Paraffin is a byproduct of petroleum distillation, and as such is cheaply available in great quantities. Wax ranges from liquid at room temperature to wax that melts at a couple of hundred degrees F. The stickiness or malleability of waxes also varies from blisters that are sticky like honey at room temperature, through to hard carving waxes which are brittle and melt at high temperatures. Different waxes will give you different effects for your candles.

Beeswax

Beeswax candles burn cleanly, with little or no wax dripping down the sides and little visible smoke. A beeswax candle flame has a "warmer," more yellow color than that of paraffin, and the color of the flame may vary depending on the season in which the wax was harvested. Beeswax is a natural product.