# cracks in beeswax



## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

They are cooling too fast. We use some shallower baking pans and we have found laying a piece of cardboard over the newly poured wax keeps it from cracking.
You could also heat the pans up a bit with a heat gun prior to pouring and pour a little cooler, say 160.
Sheri


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Sheri,

I think you are right about cooling too fast, it seems like most of the cracks originate near the edges of the pan where the air is cooling the metal off quicker. Will try covering the pan like you said to help retain the heat longer. Thanks much. John


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

It will be difficult because the volume shrinks a lot as it cools. The wax expands when heated and shrinks when it cools. perhaps some mold release on the pan prior to pouring ?


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

fuzzy,

Yeah, I used mold release on it, the wax came out of the pan real easy. John


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Pour your wax at a lower temperature and cover the top of the pan like suggested. 

Also, wrap old hand towels around the bread pans to slow the rate of cooling down. It makes a big difference. I'll be burning a wide pillar and even the wax pool will crack when it cools.

I put a coffee filter over a thick poly or silicone mold that I pour and then an oven hotpad on that to help insulate to slow the cooling down.


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## Troy (Feb 9, 2006)

Yeah, cooling too fast the the problem. As was stated earlier it shrinks as it cools. The problem is that it cools and hardens on the surface and THEN later the inside cools and shrinks - it has no choice but to crack.

2 ways to stop it.

One is to slow the rate of cooling so that it cools and solidifies all at the same time by insulating it. I've heard some folks put the pan in a cooler and let it slowly cool overnight. A hot slab of rock on top would help. I'm thinking of something like a pizza stone.

Another way is to put a heat lamp over the top and let it cool from the bottom up. If you can keep the top liquid while the rest cools from the bottom up - it won't crack.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

I purchased sheets of styrofoam from Depot and made a 4' X 4' foam surface with lid for insulating soap. I cut an 8' sheet in half and then added a rim to one of the halves to make a 1 1/2" spacer. The soap feels warm to the touch the following day so I think it is working nicely.


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