More on Wax Play

by M.K. Blackwind

I'd like to offer a few more notes about wax play. The text below is from a document I prepared for a presentation and demo on the subject for a discussion club about 15 months ago. My expertise in wax comes from my work experience: I work for a company in the Pacific Northwest that sells tons of wax and related supplies, wholesale and retail. Wax play is one of my favorites, and just about the only venue in which I "top" people. It works for me as a submissive if I can turn it into a "service" scene, helping someone else gain expertise or explore a new experience. Conducting a demonstration for 115 people worked for me on that level. (And how! :-) )

One point I'd like to stress... the single biggest cause of burns in wax play is people not knowing what kind of candles they've got. There is little visible difference between a taper that melts at 125 (Fahrenheit) and one that melts at 165. Test your candles before using them on a play partner. When you buy candles for play, from whatever source, ask the questions about them to get the info you need. What's the melting point? Are the scents oil-based synthetics, water-based synthetics, or natural essences? What additives were used in the production of the candle?

Some of the most commonly used additives are stearic acid and a polymer compound called Vybar. Both additives are intended to increase the "glow factor" of the candle (by making the wax more translucent) and make the candle last longer (by slowing down the burn). Both compounds, therefore, also increase the melting point of the wax by a few degrees. The difference between 125 and 135 is only 10... but it can be enough to take the experience from pleasantly hot to "ouch!!".

As I read different websites about wax play in preparation for my demo, several times I ran across statements like "red wax burns hotter." This is a complete myth! The color of the wax makes absolutely no difference to its melting or burning point. The melting or burning point is dependent on the chemical formula of the wax, and what's been added to it. The most commonly used pigments in the candle industry are all basically the same, and they're the same ones as are used to make crayons. The temperature of the candle depends on the wax itself, plus any mitigating factors from chemical additives (like Vybar or stearic acid, previously mentioned). There is no good way to gauge the melting point of a candle just by its color or scent -- period. If you take two vats of candle wax, one melting at 125 and one melting at 143, and add red dye to them... you'll still have two vats of candle wax, one melting at 125 and one melting at 143.

One other way that people get burned in wax play is in using "coated" candles. These are the ones you buy in stores where the candle has an outer wax "shell" of one color, surrounding a core candle of another color (usually white). The outer shell is usually of a wax melting at a higher temperature than the core candle. For example, you might have a blue shell of 165(F) wax surrounding a core taper burning at 125 or 143. These "hybrid" candles are made as cost-saving measures by the candle manufacturers. The outer shell slows down the burn rate and functions as a reservoir of sorts for liquid wax from the lower temperature core. They're cheaper to make because the lower temperature waxes are less expensive to the manufacturers, BUT give some of the longer-burning characteristics of working with a higher melt wax. Can you see how folks could get burned by these candles? You play with them expecting a 125 or 143 wax... but when you tip the candle over and the flame melts the shell, it liquefies at 165. An instant ouch, n'est ce pas?

Warmly,
morgan

When playing with wax, you should first know about the wax itself. Most commercially made candles are made of paraffin. Paraffin comes in at least three different formulas that melt and burn at different temperatures. The most common melt points are (in degrees Fahrenheit) 125, 143 and 165. The higher the melt point, the firmer the wax, and the less oily slipperiness you feel when handling the candle. Lower-melt candles tend to sag, droop or bend on hot days or in direct sunlight. Higher-melt candles may break or shatter when dropped.

Know the melting temperature of the candles you plan to use. There's enough temperature difference between low-melt and high-melt candles to cause a seriously uncomfortable burn if you misgauge it. There is no way to tell the melting point just by looking at the candle.

Beeswax is a natural product with a wonderful scent. It burns cleaner than paraffin, but melts at about 145(F), the same as high-melt paraffin. If you do the exact same things with beeswax that you do with low-melt paraffin (like votive candles), you're likely to burn your partner.

Most of the wax play I've seen at parties didn't involve candles. Many folks use crock pots to melt votive candles. Votive candles are almost always a low-melt paraffin, no more than 125. Other types of paraffin, with higher melt-points, can also be melted in crock pots. If you're going to melt wax that way, ALWAYS use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. There are two reasons: first, so you don't burn your subject. Second, if you overheat the wax, it will give off flammable vapors. The boiling point of wax varies by the formula, and you're unlikely to ever heat the wax far enough to actually boil. If you see white vapor rising from the wax, it has reached about 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This is hot enough to cause serious burns. These vapors could also start a flash fire if they come into contact with an open flame.

When working with wax, keep a heavy, wet towel close at hand. In event of spill or fire, use the towel to contain the wax and smother any flames. DO NOT USE WATER to fight a wax fire. Water will spread the flames like a grease fire as the burning wax floats. The wet towel may also come in handy if your wax gets overheated and burns your partner.

Personally, I don't like to use a crock pot, because it's no substitute for the ambience of flickering candlelight. Playing with candles may not offer the "wide-area" coverage possible with a crock pot full of melted wax, but offers more advantages in terms of flexibility and different types of wax you can readily use.

It's common to use container candles of the type you can get at virtually any Wal-Mart or K-Mart. You know the kind, about 10" or so tall, with religious motifs or decorations. These are pretty safe to play with, because they use a wax with a *very* low melting point. You can tell the low melt point by rubbing your finger along the top of the wax: you'll come away with an oily residue, and the wax flakes apart under pressure very easily. It's also handy to have the container to hold the wax as it melts, before you use it. The drawbacks are that if you leave these candles in your car on a hot summer day, they will melt enough to run right out of the container and all over your car seats. (Yes, I am speaking from experience.) Also, the wicks are just as cheap as the rest of the candle. You'd best figure on getting one use out of these candles. When you blow them out, the burned wick is likely to break off at or below the surface of the wax

Try making your own candles for your scene (or having your sub make them). It's not difficult, the supplies are relatively inexpensive, and it's fun. My employer sells 10-pound slabs of 125 or 143 paraffin for about $13. Ten pounds goes a loooong way! The advantage to making your own candles is that you can color and scent them however you'd like. There are literally dozens of preformulated, prepackaged scents to stir into your wax as it melts, and the same with colors. Another possibility is to mix some of your favorite perfume or cologne into the wax. The more volatile ingredients, like alcohol, will be forced out by the heat, leaving just the scent in the wax. This carries the potential drawback of the scent permeating the entire room.

Prepackaged scents use combinations of natural oils, essences, and synthetic ingredients. Some people may have allergic reactions to some ingredients. Test the scent formulas on your partner, with just a little dab on the back of the hand, before you use them more seriously.

Now, on to the scene itself....

When playing with wax, it goes *everywhere.* I recommend laying down a tarp or plastic sheet on the floor, bench, or other surface where you'll be waxing your partner. Lay a towel or blanket over the plastic for their comfort, if desired. You'll never get all the wax off the towel. It's worth designating one towel as a "wax toy," and reserve it just for that purpose.

When you're done, brush or pick as much wax off the towel as possible. I would not recommend trying to wash the towel in your washing machine. Using a hot-water wash cycle will get the wax out of the towel, but there's a good chance that as the wax cools, it will adhere to washing machine parts or your plumbing, possibly causing a clog. Then, if any wax remains in the towel when you put it in the dryer... remember the earlier caution about wax being flammable? Dryer fires are nasty.

There are any number of ways to apply wax to your partner: you can drip, ladle, pour, smooth, scoop... whatever your devious mind can come up with. The most common ways are to drip (from a candle, like a taper) or pour, from a container. Whichever application method you choose to use, the wax will cool as it falls through the air before reaching the body of your partner. You can use this cooling to your advantage, as part of your scene: drip the wax from higher or greater distances when you want to give your partner a little break, as the wax will be cooler... or bring it closer, for greater heat sting as it meets your subject's skin. As the wax meets skin, your partner will feel a burning sting that will passes quickly as the wax cools and hardens.

The temperature of the wax will vary significantly depending on how close to the candle flame it was when you applied it. Example: imagine that you're playing with a container candle and a taper, both made from 143-degree paraffin. You've had the container candle lit for a while, so it's got a reservoir of liquid melted wax in the jar. Pour that on your partner, and then light your taper. When you turn the taper to drip wax onto your partner, the wax you're dripping is being directly melted off the taper by the flame. Even though it's 143-degree paraffin, same as the container candle, the wax dripping off the taper will be significantly *hotter* because it's just been in direct contact with the flame.

Just because the wax has cooled, however, doesn't mean that the fun is over. Another fun thing to do is peel the wax off your partner's skin. This gives them a sensation much like you're peeling their skin off -- great fun in combination with knife play -- and exposes the heated, sensitized skin to cool air. You might then apply ice, or a bit of cool water from a mister bottle, for a real fire-&-ice squirm.

One of my favorite things to do is play with hand rolled beeswax tapers. I generally get into this after warming up with standard paraffin candles. Remember that beeswax melts and burns hot! To avoid burns and augment the fire-&-ice whiplash, I lay a paper towel on the area I intend to wax and dampen the paper towel with water from a mister bottle. When the hot wax hits the paper towel, your subject will get a good sting from it, but the water forces the wax to cool quickly enough that it doesn't burn. The heat dries the paper towel... until I wet it again from the mister bottle. It's also easier to clean up, because all the wax is on a paper towel, easy to pick up and throw away.

Last, but not least... where to apply the wax. I avoid areas with dense hair, either scalp or pubic, because getting the wax back out of those areas is just plain difficult. I don't worry too much about hair on legs, arms, chest, or back. It's generally pretty easy to comb or pluck wax out of body hair in those areas. I pretty much consider the whole body fair game for waxing, but some areas are more sensitive than others. When starting off with someone who hasn't played with wax before, I start with their backs, outsides of their arms, and tops of their thighs. If they find that they tolerate and enjoy the heat sting, then I go on to other areas like chest/breasts, stomach, inside of arms, armpits, and insides of thighs. I never apply wax to the face or neck, and generally also avoid nipples and genitalia. Those parts are just too sensitive and too easily burned. I'd prefer that my subjects remember the scene for reasons other than the uncomfortable burn that gave them trouble sitting down for the next few days.