Candle Making Safety Information

Candle Making Safety Information Recommendations

Candle Making Safety Information – Candle making is a rewarding creative art which can never altogether be exhausted, the possibilities are endless!

However there are a few important Candle Making Safety considerations to bear in mind when making candles:

Never heat wax directly over a heat source. Wax – like chip oil – can ignite if heated above its flashpoint. For this reason we cannot too strongly recommend using a double boiler.

If you dont use a proprietary double boiler, you can use two pans, one inside the other, with the outer pan being a hot water jacket around the inner wax pan.

If wax does catch fire, dont panic, but act swiftly. The procedure is exactly the same as for cooking oil:

Do NOT throw water on the flames, this would cause the burning wax to expand (if not explode) out of the pan!

Turn off the heat source.

Smother the fire with a metal lid or damp cloth. (To starve the fire of air is the best way to stop the fire). Allow the pan to cool off for a considerable time before removing the lid. (Larger quantities take longer to cool).

Do not try to move the pan to another place. The act of moving it could increase air to the wax, causing flames to whoosh up in your face – even if it wasn’t flaming when first moved. Also. dropping the hot wax could be catastrophic!

Avoid breathing the smoke as far as possible whilst dealing with the fire. Once the pan is covered and the fire definitely out, open windows and doors and keep an eye on the situation from a clear vantage point.

Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher and fitting smoke alarms in your house anyway. However, an extinguisher would only be necessary if the fire had spread beyond the pan. (Note that very small cheap extinguishers have a very short shelf life and could let you down.

To restate: Use a double boiler and always keep melting wax under close supervision!

Other hazards can be minimised by organising your work area properly and keeping safety uppermost in mind.

In the event of burns from hot wax or other heat source; immerse the afflicted part in cold water and keep it there until the pain has subsided.

If in doubt as to severity of any injury, always check it out as soon as possible with medical expertise.

By being aware of, and having respect for the dangers, you can safely have a great deal of creative enjoyment.

We wish you many happy and safe hours of candle making!