Editing Wax (section)

== Uses ==

Waxes are mainly consumed industrially as components of complex formulations, often for coatings. The main use of polyethylene and polypropylene waxes is in the formulation of colourants for [[plastic]]s. Waxes confer matting effects (i.e., to confer non-glossy finishes) and wear resistance to paints. Polyethylene waxes are incorporated into inks in the form of dispersions to decrease friction. They are employed as [[release agent]]s, find use as slip agents in furniture, and confer corrosion resistance.<ref name=Ullmann>Uwe Wolfmeier, Mr. Hans Schmidt, Franz-Leo Heinrichs, Georg Michalczyk, Wolfgang Payer, Wolfram Dietsche, Klaus Boehlke, Gerd Hohner, Josef Wildgruber "Waxes" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002. {{doi|10.1002/14356007.a28_103}}.</ref>

=== Candles ===
[[File:Montana 10 bg 061905.jpg|thumb|Wax candle]]
Waxes such as [[paraffin wax]] or [[beeswax]], and hard fats such as [[tallow]] are used to make [[candle]]s, used for lighting and decoration. Another fuel type used in candle manufacturing includes [[soy]]. [[Soy wax]] is made by the hydrogenation process using soybean oil.

=== Wood products ===
Waxes are used as finishes and coatings for wood products.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/specialty-products/minwax-paste-finishing-wax |title=Minwax® Paste Finishing Wax &#124; Specialty Products |publisher=Minwax.com |date=2012-01-31 |access-date=2012-12-15 |archive-date=2012-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105162357/http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/specialty-products/minwax-paste-finishing-wax |url-status=live }}</ref> Beeswax is frequently used as a lubricant on drawer slides where wood to wood contact occurs.

=== Other uses ===
[[File:49-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FABRIC.jpg|thumb|A wax coating makes this [[Manila hemp]] waterproof.]]
[[File:Lavalampe.jpg|thumb|upright=.5|A [[lava lamp]] is a novelty item that contains wax melted from below by a bulb. The wax rises and falls in decorative, molten blobs.]]
[[Sealing wax]] was used to close important documents in the [[Middle Ages]]. [[Wax tablet]]s were used as writing surfaces. There were different types of wax in the Middle Ages, namely four kinds of wax ([[Dubrovnik|Ragusan]], [[Montenegro]], [[Byzantine]], and [[Bulgaria]]n), "ordinary" waxes from [[Spain]], [[Poland]], and [[Riga]], unrefined waxes and colored waxes (red, white, and green).<ref>The rational arts of living: Ruth and Clarence Kennedy Conference in the Renaissance, 1982, page 187, Studies in History, No 50, Alistair Cameron Crombie, Nancy G. Siraisi, Dept. of History of Smith College, 1987.</ref><ref name="Cosman Jones 2008 p. ">{{cite book | last1=Cosman | first1=Madeleine Pelner | last2=Jones | first2=Linda Gale | title=Handbook to Life in the Medieval World | date=2008 | isbn=978-0-8160-4887-8 |lccn=2007000887 |oclc=77830539 |ol=11359718M |publisher=Facts On File, Infobase Publishing |volume=2 |page=202}}</ref> Waxes are used to make [[waxed paper]], impregnating and [[coated paper|coating paper]] and card to waterproof it or make it resistant to staining, or to modify its surface properties. Waxes are also used in [[shoe polish]]es, [[wood polish]]es, and automotive polishes, as [[mold release agent]]s in [[mold making]], as a coating for many [[cheese]]s, and to [[waterproof]] leather and fabric. Wax has been used since antiquity as a temporary, removable model in [[lost-wax casting]] of [[gold]], [[silver]] and other materials.

Wax with colorful pigments added has been used as a medium in [[encaustic painting]], and is used today in the manufacture of [[crayon]]s, [[Grease pencil|china markers]] and colored [[pencil]]s. [[Carbon paper]], used for making duplicate [[typewriter|typewritten]] documents was coated with [[carbon black]] suspended in wax, typically [[montan wax]], but has largely been superseded by [[photocopier]]s and [[computer printer]]s. In another context, [[lipstick]] and [[mascara]] are blends of various fats and waxes colored with pigments, and both [[beeswax]] and [[lanolin]] are used in other [[cosmetics]]. [[Ski wax]] is used in [[skiing]] and [[snowboarding]]. Also, the sports of surfing and [[skateboarding]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=How To Make Skateboard Wax: A Home DIY Guide|url= https://blackspell.co.uk/how-to-make-skateboard-wax/|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.blackspell.co.uk|date= 28 July 2021}}</ref> often use wax to enhance the performance.

Some waxes are considered food-safe and are used to coat wooden cutting boards and other items that come into contact with food. Beeswax or coloured synthetic wax is used to decorate [[Easter egg]]s in Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. [[Paraffin wax]] is used in making chocolate covered sweets.

Wax is also used in [[wax bullet]]s, which are used as simulation aids, and for [[Wax sculpture|wax sculpturing]].