| Encaustic Art Wax Blocks |
| Our interest lies in how wax changes from a solid to a liquid & how it behaves whilst in these completely different states. Good responsive handling characteristics are combined with radiant colours, some soft & gentle, others vibrant & powerful. |
| Ingredients in the formulation of Encaustic Art Wax Blocks |
 | Beeswax - is a natural product containing many ingredients derived from the locality of its origin. Pollens and oils affect the odour, colour and nature of the wax, but generally speaking beeswax melts at about 62ºC (144ºF). It is the basis of all the Ancient's encaustic paints and some definitions require its inclusion for a mixture to be a true encaustic medium. |
 | Paraffin Wax - has a cloudy transparent colouring, is manmade and derived from oil. It is cheap (often used in candle making and has a lower melting point of around 55ºC (131ºF). In the encaustic art blocks is used to decrease the viscosity (make it run more easily when molten). |
 | Carnauba Wax - melt point about 80C - A natural plant wax of golden colour included to raise the melt point, add a little hardness. It also improves the polishing shine of the wax. |
 | Micro Crystalline waxes - Encaustic Art blocks use one that melts at 68 C - a by product wax of oil origin, this wax type offers adjustment to the melting point and the viscosity of the wax as well as the heat curve that affect the way the wax congeals back into a solid. |
| | Glycerine Palmitate / Stearate - Stearic acid is used to harden the wax formulation and is made out of vegetable fats. Melting point 70C |
| | Silicia – liquitidy improvement, thickening agent. |
 | Pigments - could be described as the right coloured dirt (dyes are not pigments). This dirt is ground into fine powder then mixed with the wax medium. The colour (hue) of the pigment may be very stable and durable over a period of time and is then considered lightfast or permanent. Some pigments are less constant and will fade through time. The blue wool scale runs from 0 to 8 and rates worst fade as 0 and best permanence as 8. It is a measurement of the amount of fade caused by exposure to sunlight over a 3 month period. |
| Blue Wool Scale ( 0 - 8 ) & Lightfastness ratings used below ( 1 - 5 ) |
| The Encaustic Art Wax Blocks are made with pigments that are tested on the blue wool scale. However, where pastel colours are formed and a lot of white is used in the mix the colour fastness could be lessened and some fading of hue may occur over time. All the pigments are chosen to comply with European and USA safety standards and far exceed all legal requirements. In Europe they bear the CE mark whilst in the USA the waxes carry the CL label which indicates safety in the material but caution in its use - careless use of hot implements can cause skin burns! |
| Finishing artwork created with encaustic art wax blocks - the ideal is polishing |
 | Encaustic Art Wax Blocks polish when cool, to a pleasing sheen. Use a soft folded tissue pad or soft cotton fabric; old tee shirtsare good - some people even use old nylon stockings or tights! No coatings or varnish are necessary, but there is a wax sealer available to add a protective acrylic layer to the surface if desired. This is useful for situations where abrasion of the surface might occur - e.g. greetings cards. Ideally the wax artwork can be displayed open to the air, but only where it will not be touched. In other situations it is better to glaze the framed artwork with a space between the wax colours and the glass. Warn customers, by labelling, that the wax artwork should not be displayed in direct sunlight once glazed! Melt point around 65 Celcius. |
