Violet_21
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- Jun 30, 2016
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My family owns property on an island off the coast of Maine. Recently we have realized that we have an abundance of Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) bushes growing there. For fun, we would like to boil down the berries to get the wax. With the wax, we are looking into possibly making soap and candles. So this is when we would like to ask, has anybody used the wax for these reasons?
After some research, it appears there isn't much information about using it in soap as the wax fairly rare. The wax doesn't appear on SoapCalc or Soapee, so I don't know what the SAP value is. Another strand of bayberry wax from Myrica cerifera is said to have a SAP value of 205-217. So should I assume this is the same for Myrica pensylvanica? Also, is there another oil that I can use in the soap calculator in substitution for the wax in order to calculate the correct amount of lye needed?
We would like to make tinier candles measuring about 2.5" tall and 1.5" in diameter. Would any chandlers recommend a specific size and material wick that could be used? I have seen that #2/0 square braided wicks have been used by one person, but I don't know what the difference is between the different sizes and what it would mean for the length of time the candle burns.
Thank you all in advance for your help! (and sorry for this super long post!)
After some research, it appears there isn't much information about using it in soap as the wax fairly rare. The wax doesn't appear on SoapCalc or Soapee, so I don't know what the SAP value is. Another strand of bayberry wax from Myrica cerifera is said to have a SAP value of 205-217. So should I assume this is the same for Myrica pensylvanica? Also, is there another oil that I can use in the soap calculator in substitution for the wax in order to calculate the correct amount of lye needed?
We would like to make tinier candles measuring about 2.5" tall and 1.5" in diameter. Would any chandlers recommend a specific size and material wick that could be used? I have seen that #2/0 square braided wicks have been used by one person, but I don't know what the difference is between the different sizes and what it would mean for the length of time the candle burns.
Thank you all in advance for your help! (and sorry for this super long post!)