ASTM D1465 Standard Test Method for Blocking and Picking Points of Petroleum Wax
6. Apparatus
6.1 Wax Coating Device - Any manual- or machine-driven waxer that gives uniform coatings of the desired weights to a strip of paper not less than 51 mm (2 in.) wide.
6.2 Trimming Board, or other device for cutting paper strips.
6.3 Paper Scales, sensitive to 0.002 g, or suitable balance for measuring basis weights of unwaxed and waxed paper.
6.4 Blocking Plate Assembly, consisting of a metal plate 305 mm (12 in.) wide, 13 mm to 51 mm ( 1/2 in. to 2 in.) thick, and 559 mm to 914 mm (22 in. to 36 in.) long. It is heated at one end and cooled at the other end to provide a 457 mm to 762 mm (18 in. to 30 in.) test section having an average temperature gradient of 0.8 °C to 2.2 °C (1.5 °F to 4.0 °F)/in. The temperature gradient across the width of the plate from the longitudinal axis to 25 mm (1 in.) from the edge must not exceed 0.3 °C (0.5 °F). The temperature at any point should not vary more than 0.3 °C (0.5 °F). Details of two acceptable blocking plates are given in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.
6.4.1 Eight Foam Rubber Strips, 25 mm to 38 mm (1 in. to 1 1/2 in.) wide by 6 mm to 13 mm (1/4 in. to 1/2 in.) thick, extending the length of the test section on the blocking plate.
6.4.2 Eight Sets of Steel Weights, 25 mm by 25 mm (1 in. by 1 in.) in cross section made from stock having a density range from 7800 kg/m3 to 8000 kg/m3 (0.28 lb/in.3 to 0.29 lb/in.3). The weights may be in single lengths or in sections to give sets equaling the length of the test section of the blocking plate.
6.5 Temperature Recorder, or indicator for measuring the temperature gradient of the blocking plate. The instrument and thermocouples when calibrated shall consistently be accurate to +/- 0.3 °C (0.5 °F).
6.6 Temperature Measuring Devices:
6.6.1 Thermometers - For water bath and wax bath on the waxing device, use two ASTM Tag Closed Tester Thermometers having a range from -5 °C to 110 °C (20 °F to 230 °F), graduated in 0.5 °C (1 °F) subdivisions, and conforming to Thermometer 9C or 9F as prescribed in Specification E1.
6.6.2 Alternatively, bath temperatures may be monitored with a calibrated thermometer containing a liquid other than mercury or an electronic temperature measuring device of equivalent precision and accuracy to the thermometers described in 6.6.1.
7. Test Paper
7.1 Paper - Cereal glassine of basis weight 46 g/m2 to 51 g/m2 (28.5 lb/3000 ft2 to 31.5 lb/3000 ft2).
8. Sampling
8.1 Select a portion of the wax that is representative of the whole sample. The amount required will depend on the size of the waxing device used.
