1) Why do my candles turn yellow to brown in the sunlight?
Your paraffin wax is not a hydrotreated quality and still contains sulphur and nitrogen compounds. You should buy wax with a RAL certificate to avoid this photo oxidation.

2) How can I avoid the bending of my drawn candles?
You can use an overdipping wax like Sasolwax KTM 17 or KTM 23 to strengthen the candles.
For through-coloured products you have to use a harder wax e. g. our Sasolwax 5805.

3) I would like to produce more opaque candles, what can I do?
There are several ready-to-use wax types available. For good results you can use VaraPlus 06 in an amount of 1 or 2% as well.

4) Is the viscosity figure on your data sheet of any practical meaning for my production?
We measure the viscosity in mm²/s normally at 100 °C. Paraffin waxes will have a viscosity of 3 - 5, intermediate waxes up to 10 and micro waxes up to 20 mm²/s.
A low number indicates a thin liquid. If the finished candle contains a great percentage of a high viscous wax, the wick must be adjusted (in this case a larger size) to obtain a good flame.

5) What is the difference between the melting point and the congealing point?
In our PDS we will normally state the congealing point. This value is more relevant for the production process. For paraffin waxes the congealing point is approximately 0.5 - 1.0 °C below the melting point. For micro waxes and blends the difference can be up to 4 - 10 °C depending on the determination method.

6) My overdipped candles have a strange odour and feel a bit sticky. What could be the reason?
The wax is most probably heavily oxidized. Avoid direct heating. You have to dump the wax and clean the dipping tank. Do not dilute with new good material. Oxidation cannot be stopped this way.

7) My candles are sooting, does this indicate that the oil content of the wax is too high?
If you are not trying to burn unrefined slack wax the answer is no. You should reduce the wick size. If you measure a wax consumption of below 8 g per hour there should be no sooting.

8) After overdipping my candles sometimes show bubbles. Is the wax too soft?
This is hard to answer without knowing the exact circumstances. In more than 80% of similar reports, the candles were still too warm when packed and stored. If the internal temperature of the candles is around 30 °C when packed, they will certainly blister. If the internal temperature is below 25 °C, there should be no problem.
A good control of temperatures in all steps of production is of the utmost importance for an even and successful production run.

9) If I use your wax 56/58 in jar candles it shrinks too much. For moulded pillars it works fine. Do you have an additive to make it usable for the jars?
There is no sensible way to transform a paraffin wax with a congealing point of 56/58 °C to a low melting wax as required for jars and containers. The amount of `additive´ would easily exceed 50%. I would advise using a properly formulated jar wax like our Sasolwax 6213 or similar products.

10) The perfumed candles have white spots. Some customers like this, others do not. What can I do?
If you do not want the white spots (these are wax crystals formed by the interaction of liquid fragrance and the paraffin wax) you could try our SCENTI MASTERBATCH solid fragrance line. The use of micro wax is an option.

11) Some of my overdipped coloured pillars are dripping others not. Should I change the wax?
First have a look at the colours. Some pigment colours will clog the wick and the flame will get too small. Even a small flame will melt the wax and the pool will eventually overflow because the flame does not consume enough wax. In some cases it is sufficient to choose a larger wick for the critical colours.

12) My container candles have a very oily surface. The fragrance is bleeding out. I am looking for a suitable additive to avoid this.
SCENTI MASTERBATCH solid fragrances will help, otherwise you have to reduce the amount of liquid fragrance and add micro wax.

13) I add the same amount of colour to waxes from different suppliers. As liquids they all look the same but in a solid state I can see vast differences. Is there a trick to get around this problem?
Unfortunately there is no trick. The colour of the solid end product depends on the crystallinity of the waxes. Translucent paraffin waxes will give a more greyish hue, opaque material forms a white background colour. Polymeric additives will have a great influence as well. To be on the safe side do not change materials too often and talk to your colour supplier. He has the capability to produce adjusted colours.

14) Are natural waxes safer in comparison to paraffin waxes?
Waxes conforming to RAL conditions are all safe to use in the production of candles.
Tests performed by independent institutes show that there is no difference in the burning and fumes emitted by paraffin waxes or any other RAL approved material.

It should be mentioned that the crude oil base material for paraffin wax has perhaps a bad image with the public but it is a natural product coming directly from the ground and originates from plants and plankton. Paraffin wax is an extracted and highly refined part of this oil. Other `natural´ waxes do not grow on trees either.
Extraction and very often chemical treatment is involved before the materials find their way into the candle.

15) By which production method will I obtain the most heat resistant candles? I cannot use stearic acid because my melting equipment and pipes are made of iron (no stainless steel).
By taking an appropriate wax compound, and using a proprietary model of moulding machine, you will produce a candle with the greatest level of density and stability. To a lesser degree a candle produced by the drawn process, followed by a candle produced by the dipped process, will also give you a decent level of heat resistance. It is generally considered that an extruded candle has the loosest structure and is, therefore, the weakest. To modify and improve the finish of a candle we would draw your attention to our over-dipping grades such as Sasolwax KTM 17 or KTM 23. Both of these are suitable for overdipping. If overdipping is not possible, you may choose a paraffin wax with a higher congealing point since, correspondingly, the higher the congealing point the lower the penetration.

It is generally accepted that a phase of stearic acid – between 10 and 30% - can be used to enhance a paraffin wax to make it more suitable for the moulding process. It must be borne in mind that when working with a percentage of stearic acid, your mould should be made from either aluminium or stainless steel. Iron, copper and brass will slowly degrade and corrode. The result will be a discolouration of the wax blend and could also lead to burning problems.

16) I produce wax powder on a drum. Sometimes the wax granules are not flowing well and the finished candles have an uneven weight. Should I use a harder more expensive wax?
There may be no need to use a harder wax although this is of course the easy way to get rid of the problem. If sometimes the granules do not flow well, the reason could be that you are probably not producing round spheres but more likely flat chips.

Of course these flat particles will not flow well and the compression moulds are not filled evenly. The powder temperature obviously varies and if the granules are too warm the drum scraper flattens them. You must record temperature conditions of `good´ and `bad´ production conditions. In general the spray temperature of the wax is ten degrees above the congealing point and the spray height one meter above the drum.