# paraffin vs. beeswax tealights



## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

I can't speak to the tealights as I don't make them. However, I hand dipped some birthday candles that were 1/4" thick and those burned for 30 minutes plus there was some stub left. I was impressed. My tapers burn for an hour per inch. I have rolled some short bullet shaped honeycomb sheet wrapped ones and even those burned for a really long time. Candles should cure for a few days.

Wick size does make a difference on burn time. Which one had the better, brighter flame? Did you notice the glowing ball around the flame of the beeswax candle! Love that!


----------



## Kat (Sep 16, 2010)

A lot of things affect burn time. The wick must perfectly match that particular batch of wax, for example.

My beeswax tealights burn for well over 6 hours. I can't even imagine them going out after 3....


----------



## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Kat,

What do you mean about the wick matching the batch of wax? Evidently all beeswax doesn't burn the same, I wasn't aware of that. I used wicks that were specifically for tealights, cotton core wicks is what they are called. This is puzzling to me because I want to sell tealights but I don't want to claim they burn for 4 hours or more (like all other sellers do) when I can only get them to burn 3 hours. If yours burn for over 6 hours, I must be doing something wrong, but what is it? John


----------



## Kat (Sep 16, 2010)

Hi John,

The wax can vary quite a bit - some is more viscous than others. Try going to Candlewic.com and read through their info on wicks - they have a lot of articles, so dig around - not just on the pages where you order.

You mentioned the composition of the wick was "cotton core" - I use all cotton, not a cotton core - if the core is cotton - what is the outside?

The size, or thickness of the wick, is the other main consideration. Generally, if the wax is getting "used up" too quickly - the wick is too big. If the wick drowns in a pool of melted wax, it is usually too small (or your wick is being clogged by something, not allowing the wax to draw up into it for burning.

Read through the info, pick a size that you think is right, then get that one, plus a size each that are larger and smaller. Then you make tealights and do the famous, fun test burns.

With both tealights and votives, the container they are burned in has an effect as well. Some containers concentrate the heat more than others. That makes the wax melter faster, and burn faster as well.


----------



## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Since beeswax candles burn hotter, I was wondering if the plastic tea light holders melt at all.


----------



## Kat (Sep 16, 2010)

The tealight cups I use are polycarbonate, and I have never had a problem with that. But , I have seen other companies/people offer warnings about that problem.

I suppose....IF your flame was way off center, too near the edge...maybe ut could happen.

All I can do is speak from my own experience. I've been selling tealights for 4 years - so far, so good.


----------



## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Kat, 

I appreciate the helpful suggestions. In the Brushy Mountain catalog it called it a cotton core wick covered with wax, so I think it is 100% cotton, at least it looks that way to me. When I do the test burns between the paraffiin and beeswax I have just been setting the tealights on a flat plate, not in any enclosed container. I forgot to mention that I replaced the wick that came with the paraffin tealight with the same type of wick that I am using in the beeswax, just to make sure everything was identical. Still the paraffin outlasted the beeswax, but not by much. I will go the the Candlewic site and do more investigating. Thanks again. John


----------



## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Cotton core wick is different from a square braided wick. You want something that is square braided and either a 1/0 or a 2/0 depending on your wax. Then you will get a better burn time


----------

