The Wax

[SkepticJ]

I'm looking for a way to make paraffin wax have a higher melting temperature than it does, but without effecting how it drips. (this is for an artwork, so if it does then it spoils the look) Also without effecting the opacity too much. The melting temperature range I'm looking for is 100-110C. Are there any chemicals I can mix into liquid paraffin to achieve these properties? Ideally what I'm looking for would be chemicals that don't cost very much and won't make the wax toxic, or have such a low toxicity that it doesn't really matter if I happen to breath some of it when I'm making it.

[SkepticJ]

Just a bump

[Stevedye56]

I'm looking for a way to make paraffin wax have a higher melting temperature than it does, but without effecting how it drips. (this is for an artwork, so if it does then it spoils the look) Also without effecting the opacity too much. The melting temperature range I'm looking for is 100-110C. Are there any chemicals I can mix into liquid paraffin to achieve these properties? Ideally what I'm looking for would be chemicals that don't cost very much and won't make the wax toxic, or have such a low toxicity that it doesn't really matter if I happen to breath some of it when I'm making it.

Solid parafin wax?

Id say melt it and then add gel parafin wax to it. Gel parafin wax has a higher melting point than regular parafin.


Vybar is the chemical you are looking for if you wanted to add a chemical to raise the mp

[SkepticJ]

Solid parafin wax?

Id say melt it and then add gel parafin wax to it. Gel parafin wax has a higher melting point than regular parafin.


Vybar is the chemical you are looking for if you wanted to add a chemical to raise the mp

Hey, thanks. :)


I might be pushing my luck here, but is there also a way to increase the tensile strength of the wax? I'm not asking for a building material or anything, just something that is perhaps an order of magnitude stronger (considering how low wax's tensile strength is, this isn't asking for much), but I'll take any improvement you can give me, higher or lower
The only thing I've come up with so far is to make an alloy that is not unlike fiber reinforced concrete. Concrete has terrible tensile strenth, but good compressive. I haven't tried it out yet, but just on the basis of a little logical inferring from another material, mixing fibers into wax could work. Time to bring out the old blender and some paper and try it out it seems...

[brewnog]

Mixing fibres into the wax is an excellent idea, if you can tolerate how it would affect your artwork.

Try glass fibres from fine chopped strand mat (from a car repair kit, wear gloves!), or horsehair, or just loads of strands of cotton thread! Bit of experimenting won't hurt.

[Stevedye56]

Hey, thanks. :)


I might be pushing my luck here, but is there also a way to increase the tensile strength of the wax? I'm not asking for a building material or anything, just something that is perhaps an order of magnitude stronger (considering how low wax's tensile strength is, this isn't asking for much), but I'll take any improvement you can give me, higher or lower
The only thing I've come up with so far is to make an alloy that is not unlike fiber reinforced concrete. Concrete has terrible tensile strenth, but good compressive. I haven't tried it out yet, but just on the basis of a little logical inferring from another material, mixing fibers into wax could work. Time to bring out the old blender and some paper and try it out it seems...


Ill look around for you considering this is pretty interesting