Candlemaking Safety

Candle Making Safety

While melting wax may seem relatively straight-forward, you can avoid accidents and enjoy the fun of candle making by carefully observing a few safety tips:

• NEVER LEAVE MELTING WAX UNATTENDED. Make it a habit to constantly monitor the temperature of your wax. If wax reaches its flash point vapors become flammable. Since the flash point of wax is typically above 300°, you’ll always be safe by never exceeding 200º.
• ALWAYS USE A WATER POT. A water pot helps distribute heat and allows for more stable temperatures. Never melt wax directly on your stove.
• AN ELECTRIC HEAT SOURCE IS RECOMMENDED. If you accidentally over heat your wax, electric heat with no open flame, is less likely to ignite. Careful temperature monitoring will ensure a safe, fun experience no matter what heat source is used to melt your wax.
• USING SAFETY GLASSES IS ADVISED. This helps prevent splatters to the eyes.
• ALWAYS USE A THERMOMETER. Use it to monitor your wax temperature.
• ALWAYS HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WITHIN REACH. Review the instructions on the fire extinguisher to familiarize yourself with proper operation. For small wax fires, use something like a pot lid to smother the fire. Never use water to extinguish a wax fire. Liquid wax behaves much the same way as oil, and therefore needs to be treated like an oil fire.

Source: http://www.nussentials.com/product_candles_details.ashx