Soy vs Paraffin wax

[Smokey2]

I've always used paraffin wax and when I needed to buy more wax I decided to try soy.

Soy wax feels greasy and I'm afraid I'm gonna cause fingerprints if I'm not careful. 

When I dip it takes way longer to harden and the wax seems to draw into the bisque and doesn't do as good a job resisting the glaze

It seems to harden quicker when I brush it on. But all it takes is one drip when applying to mess things up. It also takes longer to brush on.

Is it me? I hate this stuff. Did I got the wrong type? As far as I know soy wax is soy wax. (melting point 140° 160°)

[neilestrick]

I've never used hot wax so I'm not going to be any help there, but is there any specific reason you're using hot wax instead of liquid wax resist?

[Min]

For hot wax I use soy wax from a candle making place. There were two types available, one had a slightly higher melting temperature that was used for soy pillar candles rather than container candles. When I first started using soy wax I bought the pillar candle type wax then the candle supply stopped carrying it and they suggested adding a small amount of palm wax to the container soy wax to help it firm up a bit. I just eyeball it at about 9 parts soy : 1 part palm wax. It's still softer than paraffin but doesn't smell nearly as horribly as paraffin does when burning off.  

I dip then quickly drag the pot across a sheet of newspaper to get the excess off then flip them over to dry.

[oldlady]

my hot wax is made from candles that have been damaged but given to thrift shops.   i  made a deal with one or two in the past to save me a boxfull and call when it was ready for me to buy.  a few dollars at a time has built up a supply so i do not expect to run out this year.   after reading an article somewhere, i added a little oil lamp oil but see no difference so i stopped that.

hot wax is faster, easier and since i use it on greenware, it is easy to remove an mistake or splash with a sharp tool.   anything i have to brush on and wait for it to dry is just too slow.  my wax is much hotter than 140 degrees, more than twice as hot.  it dries very quickly and i can wax a full shelf and stack the first ones on top of each other wax to wax when they are cool and dry.  it is not for people who do not have perfectly steady hands.  any trembling will result in burns to fingers.

 

[liambesaw]

Wow this amazes me, I make soy candles and the wax strikes me as something that doesn't soak in well and hardens really fast in contact with something cold like ceramic.  Very interesting!  I have only used the soy wax made for no-waste candles, maybe it's different than the stuff you can use on pots.  It's soy 444 for reference, and is quite a pain but doesn't shrink much which is why I use it for candles (no cracks or reflowing)

[Smokey2]

13 hours ago, neilestrick said:

is there any specific reason you're using hot wax instead of liquid wax resist?

Its way faster, I can easily wax 50 pots within an hour. If I choose to I can dip a pot in paraffin and in about a minute or two I can dip that same pot into a bucket of glaze. Can't do that with liquid resist. I do have some liquid resist that I use on occasion.

13 hours ago, Min said:

For hot wax I use soy wax from a candle making place.

This is the product I use

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0855LRHQ7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

13 hours ago, Min said:

I dip then quickly drag the pot across a sheet of newspaper to get the excess off then flip them over to dry

I use an electric skillet and drag the bottom against the rim so the wax flows back into the pan. I'm wondering if I have the heat to high which is set @ 250°. Lower and the wax easily peeled off. Plus, since my bottoms are concave and when I thought the wax has set then flipped it over the wax ran down the sides. Luckily a heat gun burned the wax off. 

15 hours ago, Smokey2 said:

(melting point 140°)

This should have been 160°

11 hours ago, oldlady said:

my hot wax is made from candles that have been damaged but given to thrift shops

Great Idea

[Min]

@Smokey2, I use soy wax.  I have the frypan set at 250F, it doesn't make any problems soaking in. It is softer than paraffin when dry but I haven't had any smudging problems.

  

 

 

[Mark C.]

We hot wax in a large electric pan (I posted a  thread  on this old brand found on ebay once here  that is teflon coated and super wide) I think you are to hot. It should never smoke . I use paraffin -buy it by the case and as oldlady said have used thrift shop candle wax as well. I use so much the case thing works well. I always have a spare case at ready-like i said we go thru the stuff. Any pot with a trimmed foot I use the other liquid wax I have written about here a lot. I can sponge the feet very fast with that turning in my hands in a few quick motions. That wax is a little slower drying and likes to stick to paper. 

I have a few of these new in box box for cheap  as backups-we kill one every 5-10 yaers or so from use (Dazey Round-a-bout Plus Electric Skillet Wok)

We can wax up many many  hundreds of flat bottom forms very fast every two weeks-I like about 1/4 inch in bottom and pan is tilted a little so I roll the form to a small degree to get the same coverage

Since the waxer is just outside studio door the dry time depends on the weather-but as a general statement it dries really fast. You can dip and put the pot down in seconds without the wax sticking to a surface

I have zero soy was experience . I think I'll keep using the wax I know as it works so well.I do use alot of soy/low salt  in the kitchen if that helps-we like Kikkoman