Candles are great fun to make and bring unbridled pleasure when lit. Making candles, however, is not without dangers. Wax burns. It can burn you, or it could cause a fire. In this article we will discuss the dangers of candle wax, and steps you can take to protect yourself from injury.
With regard to making candles, you must always remember that candle wax is hot. Not only that, but it is also sticky.Signature Wax Melts If you get hot candle wax on your skin, then it will stay there and continue to transfer its heat to your skin until equilibrium is reached - that is until the candle wax and your skin reach the same temperature. Ouch!
You have to heat wax to near or above the boiling point of water (212 F or 100 C) for it to be thin enough to pour. Then you have to transfer the hot wax from its melting pot into the container or the mold which you are going to use to make a candle. Thinking about this process, several potential dangers come to mind.
You have to remove the wax from the melting pot and then transfer the molten wax from the melting pot to the final container or mold. Unless you have a room dedicated to candle making, you are probably going to be doing all of this in your kitchen; you will most likely be moving the wax from the stove to a table. This process could cause several problems. Molten wax that splashes or gets spilled could come in contact with the front of your body, including your face; or with your hands or feet. The container of wax might fall from your hand, or you might bump into something or trip as you move the wax across the kitchen.
When you consider all the possible ways that an accident can happen, then you can identify the safety precautions that you will need to take: First and foremost, ban and all children and pets from the work area. Put up physical gates if necessary. Next, wear welder's gloves to protect your hands, and wear a rubber apron that covers your entire front. Definitely do not make candles while barefoot or wearing sandals. In fact, you should be wearing a closed-toe shoe made of leather. (You would not want to wear cloth shoes, because the cloth would act as a wick, and would allow hot candle wax to soak through them right to your foot.) You will need to have a clear path between the stove and your table. No toys or brooms or sacks of potatoes that you could trip over. And no open drawers that you could bump into. Avoid loose-fitting clothes that could get snagged. Finally, don't allow anything to extend off the counter or stove that you could bump into and cause to crash to the floor - especially the candle wax melting pot!
There's nothing quite like a homemade candle, and the process of making your own candles can be quite rewarding. If you make safety a habit, then you will be free to enjoy the pleasurable aspects of this hobby.
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