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Old 10-22-12 | 08:31 AM
  #78  
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wphamilton
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Joined: Apr 2011
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From: Alpharetta, GA

Bikes: Nashbar Road

Originally Posted by cyccommute
If you are going to heat it; none. Molten wax is already a flammable mixture. Adding solvent is only going to increase the flammability. White Lightning, Finishline, etc. all add mineral spirits to dissolve the wax...which is the same as adding solvents to bring down the melting point.

Now I'm going to put on my safety nanny hat: There are all kinds of safety issues that you need to take into account when using molten wax. As a molten mixture, the stuff presents a constant burn hazard. Spill it on your skin and the wax will trap the heat and cause a much more severe burn than other materials. If you use it like Alupang does, you will have to melt it somewhere and carry it to the bike. The possibility of spilling large amounts on yourself increases greatly when you start moving it around.

Canning wax does burn, as in flames. I learned this at a very tender age. My brother and I were doing Viking funerals with carved boats. We added canning wax to help consume the 'body'. It melted nicely and was burning steadily until it flared. It shot a flame 4 feet into the air from about a tablespoon of wax. We quit doing Viking funerals. Candles don't flare like that because of additives, like stearates, are used to slow down the burn process. You wouldn't want to add stearates to wax you use as a lubricant because it hardens the wax which is already almost too hard for lubrication applications.
So is there any appreciable advantage to using paraffin wax over white lightning, with or without solvents?
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