Is there a difference between candle wax and the wax used in wax figures?

Question

In many TV shows, when a character goes to a place with wax figures, they end up turning on heat and the figures melt like candle wax. So is there a difference?

Answer 1

Sculpting wax comes in many varieties with different melting points, and the most usual one for producing a final piece of work is a microcrystalline wax as it is "harder". This means it doesn't melt so easily, and will slump less than beeswax, it is also formed of fine particles which are ideal for the finished surface. Microcrystalline wax is petroleum based, it is a little different to even paraffin wax (petroleum based also) and is more malleable, making it less prone to cracking.

So yes, it is very different to candles which are usually a beeswax and/or paraffin mix.

Answer 2

There isn';t really any difference. One is stronger than the other (sculpting wax), but the only difference is the way they treat it as they work with it. For instance, you may notice how the human faces in sculptures look soft despite being wax, they actualy use sandpaper on it.

Answer 3

Actually there is no difference but that the wax used to make wax figures are a little bit stronger than the kind used to make candles because the wax figures have to last long.