Your Time™ Candles ...especially for you. 100% PURE BEESWAX “Honeybees on a pumpkin flower” - photo courtesy of Chris Higgins YourTimeBeeswaxCandles.htmlhttp://www.chrishiggins.com/shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1
BEESWAX CANDLES have an extensive history with mankind beginning earlier then the Middle ages. Beeswax has always been considered sacred and has maintained its value through to today. Although we no longer use it as Tribute and other gifts, or as currency like in the Middle Ages we still value and revere the special substance created by phenomenal beings - The Bees. The following information provides simple answers to the most commonly asked questions such as, why beeswax candles available today differ in quality and colour and what makes Your Time™ Candles different. INSIDE THE HIVE, the bees use the comb to store honey and raise their brood, and because of this activity there are different grades of beeswax available. Once the comb is full, the bees seal the honey with a thin layer of wax known as the "cappings”. When the bees first secrete the wax from glands on their abdomen the wax is white. It is this thin layer of “cappings” wax that beeswax chandlers cherish to make clean burning candles. DURING THE EXTRACTION of the honey, the beekeeper removes the “cappings” wax from the comb recovering as much honey as possible. The wax is then rendered. It is at this critical stage of the process that the quality of the “cappings” can be determined. If the heat used is enough to melt the wax but not scorch the honey, a sweet yellow wax results. If the heat is too high, the honey in the wax will darken and the dirt will bond to the wax. The resulting wax will be poor quality and cannot be used to produce superior quality candles. The old honeycomb and brood comb, usually dark brown, is the lowest grade of all the wax in the hive and is not suitable for good burning candles.  WHEN A BEESWAX CANDLE BURNS it is vaporized wax that is actually burning. The solid wax first has to be melted by the heat of the flame and, through the capillary action of the wicking be drawn up to the combustion zone where the wax is vaporized and then burned. Presuming a candle is made with clean yellow “cappings” wax, along with a properly matched, quality, 100% pure cotton wicking, the wax will be consumed efficiently. It won’t require a lot of maintenance, in turn, producing a bright, clear, steady flame and beautiful illumination. NOT ALL BEESWAX CHANDLERS make their candles using superior quality yellow “cappings” wax. Some use the old honey comb, brood comb and scorched beeswax, which is masquerading as “buckwheat” beeswax or as beeswax coming from “exotic” nectars. Some will hide these dark, lower grades of beeswax in the center of their candles by pouring a lighter, cleaner wax over the surface.  These chandlers compensate for the low quality of wax by using a jute, hemp or hand rolled coarse ‘natural fiber’ wicking. This type of wicking is more tolerant of the dirt in the wax. However, these types of wicking contain oils within the fibers which, when burning, produce a pungent odour, and unlike the 100% pure cotton wicking, the liquid wax around the wicking will darken. THE WAY BEESWAX IS FILTERED is another critical step in producing excellent quality, clean burning candles. The dirt that clogs the 100% pure cotton wicking is the invisible microscopic suspended particles in the wax, which, if left unfiltered, will clog the 100% cotton wicking. Some chandlers claim to “triple filter” their beeswax. They pour the melted wax through three layers of “J-cloth” or nylon pantyhose. This however, is highly ineffective as the pores in these fabrics are too large to filter out the microscopic suspended particles that would clog the 100% pure cotton wicking. The most effective ways of filtering beeswax, are, by using a simple natural methods of gravity and patience, filtering the wax through 1 - 5 micron filters or through an expensive “pressurized” 5 micron screen system. BEESWAX - an Amazing Natural raw material brought to us by the esteemed bee...  10 flowers contain 1 drop of nectar 1 Bee can carry 1 drop of nectar 10 drops of nectar, yield 1 drop of honey 10 drops of honey equals 1 drop of wax 1000 Flowers yield 1 drop of Beeswax - Merrilland Apiaries Your Time™ Candles are made with superior quality, naturally refined beeswax collected from apiaries in Ontario, Northern Alberta and the Eastern Townships of Quebec. We work closely with the beekeepers to ensure quality and purity are maintained throughout the entire process. All of our beeswax is purified through either 1 or 5 micron filters guaranteeing the highest quality raw material. We create our candles using what we call our ‘fresh intention’ method. Each batch of candles is handmade fresh to order especially for you using finest quality raw materials. j _____________________________________________________ Home Pillars Tapers Votives & Tealights Contact ©YourTimeBoutique.com All rights reserved. http://www.kmaisch.comYourTimeBeeswaxCandles.htmlPillars.htmlTapers.htmlTeaLights%20%26%20Votives.htmlContact.htmlshapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5