Quote:
Originally Posted by HeavenlyOne
That's a good point. They are liquor scented, so how is selling them in a liquor store going to be a bad witness?
I love candles. Soy ones are my favorite.
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HO,
I would like to address the soy issue, which is a bunch of propaganda.
Facts:
There is no such thing as a smoke and soot free candle. It is about trimming your wick, avoiding drafts and not allowing your candle to smolder after extinguishing.
Soy has white smoke, which isn't as obvious - so much for a candle that is smoke free.
Paraffin is a naturally occurring non-toxic, non reactive solid which naturally exists in petroleum oil. Man does not artificially add or subtract atoms from the molecular chain to create paraffin.
It is refined from the light lubricating oil portion of petroleum and is separated from oil and distilled to remove any impurities or solvent residues, much like you would separate cream into butter.
Other naturally occurring substances related to paraffin are petroleum jelly and mineral oil, both of which have been widely and safely used in the medical, cosmetic and food industries for many many years.
Soy wax is very soft and soap like. It burns poorly in it's pure state. Adding paraffin stabilizes the alternative waxes to produce better quality candles.
You can't squeeze soybeans or palm kernels and make wax. These wax like substances are created by man via a process commonly known as hydrogenation.
These waxes are not simply extracted and separated from natural oils as the manufacturers would like you to believe. They are created by manipulating molecules into chemical chains that don't exist in nature, very similar to the way margarine is made.
Unlike paraffin which is essentially distilled from it's base oil, soy wax is created by manipulating the base oil into a new substance by forcefully attaching an extra hydrogen atom to the chemical chain. Palm and soy oils are hydrogenated at temperatures around 80 degrees Celsius.
Hydrogen is forced through the oil under extreme pressure along with reactive metals such as nickle, which are added as a catalyst to cause the molecular changes necessary to transform the oil into a "wax" like state.
Various solvents are then used to extract the reactive metal and unwanted byproducts from the wax.
Many candle makers represent these waxes as 100% natural alternatives to paraffin. What is in question here is the purity of the refining process and the levels and nature of impurities left in the wax. Especially a big concern about the palm wax production industry which is primarily comes out of Malaysia and is therefore not subject to US candle industry standards.
Very little is known about the properties and combustion by products of these so called "natural waxes".
A paraffin candle, whether scented or not, will primarily produce water vapor and carbon dioxide, the same harmless byproducts humans produce when exhaling.
Statement from the National Candle Association:
Is paraffin wax toxic?
No. Paraffin wax is non-toxic. In fact, paraffin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food, cosmetics, and medical applications. Food-grade paraffin is commonly used for manufacturing candles.
So much for the soy drama!
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