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Ooo look I'm the first to post in this section

I tried making candles a few years ago and just ended up with exploded wax all over the kitchen so never again Anyway, i bought some fab-u-lous (darling) smeling candles from our local pound shop which seemed to help daisy drop off to sleep but was pretty gutted when the wick got drowned and wouldn't relight. Can any candle makers help me i'd like to melt them down and re-make them but i'm scared of the exploding wax thing

Diode H. Decry wrote:exploding wax?! could be nasty if little daisy was near by.

Yes luckily when it happened before she had been born so nothing to worry about. Thinking about the safety thing did anyone hear recently that burning candles can cause cancer? Has me worried so I'm no longer going to leave any of my scented candles in the nursery for daisy - shame really as she loved the smells and really did help her fall asleep.

OK, I am just learning so am a billion miles from being an expert!

However, so far I have learnt that wax has a flash point a bit like oil which can cause it to "explode" or catch fire. Apparently the melting point of wax is low but once the wax has melted it becomes very, very hot very, very quickly!

One way to prevent this is to not heat the wax directly in the pan but to use a double boiler of some sort. That way the heat distributes evenly and lessens the chance of it reaching flash point!

Another thing I have been taught is a thermometer is a MUST have an NEVER leave the wax unattended!

Ooooh...hark at me ... at least something must be sinking in!!

Hope this helps!

Jo
x

joanna wrote:One way to prevent this is to not heat the wax directly in the pan but to use a double boiler of some sort. That way the heat distributes evenly and lessens the chance of it reaching flash point!

Another thing I have been taught is a thermometer is a MUST have an NEVER leave the wax unattended!

NEVER HEAT THE PAN WITH THE WAX IN DIRECTLY.

You MUST use a double-boiler, just as you might when melting chocolate. In our case that means a large saucepan with an old, scratched saucepan inside it. That method works for us as we had two suitable pans, and using a small milk saucepan (i.e. with a dip in the side for pouring) to hold the melting wax is MUCH easier than using a bowl.

A thermometer is unnecessary with a double boiler. The wax has either melted or it hasn't and it cannot get over 100C so will not spontaneously catch fire.

If you leave it unattended, the lower pan will quickly boil and splash water into your wax and spoil it. Shortly after that, it will boil dry and the wax will then be heated directly from the base of the lower pan. A few minutes later the fire brigade will be called by a neighbour who has seen the flames through the kitchen windows and, with any luck, you will be rescued.


If the phone or doorbell ring when heating wax, TURN OFF THE HEAT. Then no harm will come to anything.

SandJ wrote:NEVER HEAT THE PAN WITH THE WAX IN DIRECTLY.

wish i'd known that before now hahahaha well i won't be making that mistake again

Daisysmum wrote:Did anyone hear recently that burning candles can cause cancer? Has me worried so I'm no longer going to leave any of my scented candles in the nursery for daisy - shame really as she loved the smells and really did help her fall asleep.

A pure white candle is going to burn cleanly. Any black smoke is a BAD sign and suggests complex hydrocarbons are being produced and they are not good for you. (So don't eat burnt toast or meat either; they are also potentially carcinogenic. A good reason for sticking to the salad & bread rolls at barbecues.)

Once the dyes and perfumes go in, things change. However, a few drops of coloured crayon as candle colouring is not likely to produce much in the way of toxicity; a diesel bus driving past the nursery window will be worse.

But "essential oils" are another matter. You cannot be sure to what temperature the oil is being heated so predicting what is being produced is hard. Also, how do you know what it contains? Since you will be using it in a poorly ventilated room (on purpose to keep the smell in and candle burning nicely) you can be sure you will be inhaling plenty of it probably for the next few days too.

Personally, I'm paranoid and do not trust essential oil heaters. But I have no qualms about burning coloured or scented candles as almost everything is going up the wick and through that very high temperature blue-edged candle flame where it is going to be oxidised and rendered safe.

Hello peeps,

Newbie at candle making but I love candles and would really like to have a go at making my own, thing is I have NO IDEA where to start!
Can someone please point me in the right direction? Also is this going to cost me loads of pennys