Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: neilep on 27/03/2006 18:25:02
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Wifey went and bought some dripless candles !!
What's that all about ?.. They use bees wax...presumably this has something do do with it eh ?...as compared to your regular candle wax...what ever that is !!
So, my question...what makes dripless candles non-drip ?
Please enLIGHTen me with your answers..I can Candle the truth !!
Men are the same as women, just inside out !
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I guess they are made from a wax with a higher melting point, or that is more viscous when molten, so it will solidify closer to the flame and not get to make a drip.
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DOH !!...seems perfectly apt to reason it that way.
Thanks Dave.
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I thought it was because the wax used burned more completely, no soot.
?????
If I only had a little humility, I'd be perfect.
--Ted Turner
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Bee's wax is made up of long stranded molecules (called long-chain
hydrocarbon esters and ethers) whereas normal candle wax is made up of
shorter
chain molecules (fats). Without getting too technical, imagine the difference
between cooked spaghetti noodles and elbow noodles. Since bee's wax are made
up of long molecules (like spaghetti) they get entangled more with each
other,
they form knots and loops around each other. The shorter fats of candle wax
(like elbow noodles) are not long enough to get entangled. So at the candle's
temperatures, tallow will drip, but bee's wax (since the molecules are
holding
on to each other) does not.
What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
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Does this increase the melting point as well as the viscosity?