Not to be confused with Candle warmer.
Photograph of a beeswax melter
Wax melters are used in the packaging and candle-making industries to melt wax.
The type of tank used to melt candle wax differs significantly from adhesives, solder, and tar. For example, tanks used for bonds may need to be heated up to 260 °C (500 °F), while an organic soy wax will be ruined at over 60 °C (140 °F) and should never be heated above 93 °C (200 °F). A delicate soy wax used to make candles would be destroyed and burned if not heated, even at lower temperatures than solder or tar. Also, since soaps and candles are scented and colored, tanks designed for melting these substances must be incredibly polished to ensure no contamination between different aromatic/colored candles or soap. For this reason, there are melting tanks specially coated for candle wax melting.
Types
Wax melters, such as melting tanks, are generally classified as either \'direct heating\' or \'water jacket heating\.' A third type is known as the convection melter.
A water jacket melter is generally preferred if more than 40 liters are to be poured.
A melter should be polished with a coating to prevent cross-contamination if heavily scented or colored substances are used.
Direct heat
Direct heat melters are generally made from aluminum and can heat up to over 260 °C (500 °F). The uses vary from wax to solder. These melters have the heating element placed in contact with the aluminum, which is directly against the melting substance, hence the name \'direct melter\.' Since these melters apply heat now, they generally cannot be larger than 20-40 liters.
Water jacket
Water Jacket Melters function more like a giant, commercial double boiler in that they keep substances evenly heated but generally heat up to only 100 °C (212 °F) since that is the boiling point of water. They can be made of aluminum but are typically made of stainless steel. Unlike direct heat melters, water jacket melters can be almost unlimited, with 580 liters being standard and up to the larger ~3800-litre melters and more.
Convection
There is another type of melter that uses convection heating similar to an oven., Still, these are generally more expensive than standard heaters, even though they are inefficient and take a long time to heat simply because they rely on air. Since wax is flammable, another concern with using convection melters is that the flash point of wax will be triggered, and there will be an explosion. Convection melters are dangerous when heating flammable substances and should not be used.
