MLG Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I'm not sure this is in the right place, but there is SO much wrong with this. I ran across this tutorial on Pinterest today. I wanted to post a reply to her channel, but I couldn't find the niceness at the time. I wonder how many fires this misinformed tutorial has caused. Not to mention the money wasted. Maybe I'm just having a bad day, but this seems like a bad idea. I'm using my iPad right now so I hope the video loads for you. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HRXAArUSFgo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Was that a gas stove she was heating her wax on? Hope she has homeowner's insurance and a good medical plan too! Yeah, you see a lot of these 'how to' videos on youtube from amateurs. Some are pretty bad like this one. Edited March 25, 2015 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFyre Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 There are so many of these videos out there, and for beginning candle makers like myself it can be difficult to know what the truth is, what is safe, and what isn't. I am thankful that I found this forum BEFORE I dived into the world of YouTube candle-making videos. Someone even tried to warn her in the comments under the video that heating the pot directly on the heat source is unsafe, and she just replied that she's done it for years and never had a problem. My first thought is that it only takes that one time to burn down your house...but there are others out there that sadly will think, "Well, it worked for her in the video, so it'll work for me." 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trappeur Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Omg was that a horrific video!! What a disaster waiting to happen. And endangerment to other's lives.....Terrible!!!! I have seen other videos that are horrible There is girl who makes quite a few videos of candlemaking...I don't remember what her name is, but I think she has a candle company but everytime I see her in her videos I half expect her hair to go up in flames any moment. She stands over her stove doing a tutorial on how to make candles and her hair is so very long that as she is stirring her wax over the burners, her hair is a smidgeon over the burners and I just watch in awe waiting to see her hair catch on fire and then her... Trappeur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Whoa, people, take a chill pill! What she's doing is fine. If I were using a gas stove for it, I'd want something better than a dinky pour pot, but otherwise no problem. I made zeppole tonight. Deep fried dough, yum! I filled a pot with oil and placed it (GASP!) directly on the stove. That "wax" is vegetable oil like any other. More specifically it's hydrogenated soybean oil, which is also called vegetable shortening. On a cooking show I can watch someone put a thin layer of oil in a pan on high heat in preparation for searing something. I wouldn't make an angry call to the cable channel. This is the same thing but safer because she's not even trying to get anywhere near cooking temperature. You could do that though and make fried chicken. So that tells you all you need to know, but if you want the numbers it would be close to 500 degrees smoke point, well over 600 degrees flash point, and auto-ignition point somewhere above that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLG Posted March 26, 2015 Author Share Posted March 26, 2015 Actually, her heating directly over the burner was not as much of a concern as the rest of the video. My main concern here is the assumption that any wick used is the correct wick. That's really the fire hazard to me. I made a group of candles a couple of weeks ago and used the same wick I always used for that particular jar and wax combination. I can't explain it, but I had a bad feeling about it so I burned one - mainly to make myself feel better. OMG!!!! I'm so glad I did! That wick burned so hot and so fast that I could not touch the jar. The only thing I could think of was that I tried a new fragrance combination. I guess it was such a heavy combo that the wick was literally consuming it at such a rapid rate that the flame resembled a small bon fire! I remelted the wax and tried a couple of different wicks - what a difference the right wick makes. If you noticed in the video - her wicks we're going every which direction and supposedly her three drops of fragrance oil was enough to scent four or five different candles. If that's the case, I should quit wasting my money at various companies and just go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels for my fragrances. The sad thing is - if i had not come across this forum by accident, i would have taken her information to heart! THANK YOU!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trappeur Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 It's horrible to think that someone like the person in this video thinks she knows what she is talking about when in fact knows ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about making candles and could actually think of putting up a video for all to see. I too wanted to go and make a comment to this effect to let the public know what is all wrong in the video..It's especially sad that the ones wanting to learn how to make a candle could actually do what she has said to to and go out and try this and make candles for their loved ones and possibly even sell. Did you see how she tapped the glass thermometer against the pot? Imagine what could happen if that thermometer cracked and broke? How about her not adhering the wick to the glass without a stickum? Just a free floating wick once that wax is melted? And to think that any ole wick will do the job? I see where people posted and asked her what size wick she used and she never even answered. It disgusts me to see a video like this. It would be interesting to see someone come along who knows candle making put up a post to her and give her a little education and advice. I wonder what she would say? And to think she makes these candles for family and friends. Man oh man....! Geesh, Well, that's my take on this...... Trappeur 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFyre Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Whoa, people, take a chill pill! What she's doing is fine. If I were using a gas stove for it, I'd want something better than a dinky pour pot, but otherwise no problem. I made zeppole tonight. Deep fried dough, yum! I filled a pot with oil and placed it (GASP!) directly on the stove. As a newbie, I appreciate this comment because it reminds me there is always research to do and different methods in candle making. I started out researching on sites like Peak and watching the tutorials which caution against heating wax directly on a heat source and to use a double boiler method to be safe, but as Topofmurrayhill pointed out, there may be just as many people that do heat wax directly on their heat source and may have no problems with it. It's similar to the question of whether or not to add real food to "food" candles (like sprinkles to a cupcake candle) or dried flowers, etc. (I still don't know if there is a right answer to this) My first instinct is that this isn't safe, that it's a fire hazard. I've seen plenty of people who say it's dangerous and yet just as many will say they've done it for years and it's fine. Enough to make my head spin, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanda Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I think the major advantage to a double boiler (as opposed to putting your pot directly over the heat source) isn't solely the safety factor; I've found it beneficial to have even heat all around my wax. With a FULL pouring pitcher (like 35+ oz of wax), heat just on the bottom of the pot took a long time to melt the wax, and the wax at the bottom was a lot hotter than the wax towards the top. I use a presto now though. As far as sprinkles: sprinkles are harmless. I use sprinkles all the time. I mod podge them to the inside of the jars and then pour the candle. I've tried AT LENGTH to *intentionally* ignite sprinkles with no luck. I've also tried to intentionally clog the wick by putting a bunch of sprinkles right around the wick and it always still burned just fine. So a few sprinkles on the sides of a candle or a few on top isn't unsafe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 As a newbie, I appreciate this comment because it reminds me there is always research to do and different methods in candle making. I started out researching on sites like Peak and watching the tutorials which caution against heating wax directly on a heat source and to use a double boiler method to be safe, but as Topofmurrayhill pointed out, there may be just as many people that do heat wax directly on their heat source and may have no problems with it. Hi! Let me clarify just a little to make sure there's no misunderstanding. My comments refer to soy wax, not paraffin. The flash point for paraffin is less than 400 degrees. The auto-ignition temperature is less than 500 degrees. In a nutshell, paraffin doesn't have to get nearly as hot as soy wax to be dangerous. A good oven can make it burst into flames. I don't like to do that too often, fun as it is, because ovens are expensive and it's a pain in the butt to recharge the fire extinguisher. Like I said, soy wax is vegetable oil, plain and simple. Is it safer to use a double boiler? Well, sure. And you don't want to put it on the stove and leave the room to do something else. But realistically, it's the same risk as heating up oil for cooking, and nobody says you mustn't do that. So I wanted to put it into perspective.I can think of a number of reasons that candlemaking wisdom doesn't make much distinction between working with the two different materials: (1) You don't have to get your candlemaking oil as hot as your cooking oil, even if they are essentially the same thing, so you have the option of doing it the safer way. (2) The methods simply carried over from paraffin wax to soy. (3) Sometimes there isn't a good understanding of what materials really are. (4) You tend to use the same equipment for both. A candle workshop probably has a melter but maybe not a stove. Mine doesn't. So I hope that's not too much information, but previously it was too little, so there you go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joym Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Haven't viewed the video, but want to point out that a few special candlemaking techniques (not containers) require that wax be heated to over the 212 that can be achieved thru the double boiler method. For these, I use an electric skillet or a presto pot now, but in the past many candlemakers used the stove - just need to stay nearby to monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldGlory Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 My lousy computer will not permit me to view YouTube videos (or any other videos for that matter) and so I have not jumped in yet. I so appreciate the wisdom and the really thought provoking questions that come from discussions like this.And it leads me to add one thing - TESTING.And when I say testing, I mean full on "try it for yourself, using different variables, and see the results for yourself" before EVER believing what you are being told, yes, by even the experts. Why? Because you may think you are following the instructions exactly, but overlook one small detail. That one detail could mean the difference between success and failure, perfection or house fire, etc. Heck, the difference could even be defective or unequally calibrated equipment which isn't your fault but sure will skew the results.Candlemaking is a very detailed endeavor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) That's not a standardized cooking pot she's melting wax in on her stove. Its an aluminum pouring pot. The only thing between that pot and the burner is a thin layer of aluminum foil. I still don't see how that is safe. To me that is not the same as heating oil in a cookpot or frying pan. Nor is it the same as heating the wax in the pour pot inside a cooking pot used as a double boiler. A pouring pot is simply not designed to be used on top of a cookstove or range. When I see that pouring pot on the stove it just sends chills down my spine. Edited March 28, 2015 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 That's not a standardized cooking pot she's melting wax in on her stove. Its an aluminum pouring pot. The only thing between that pot and the burner is a thin layer of aluminum foil. I still don't see how that is safe. To me that is not the same as heating oil in a cookpot or frying pan. Yes, I agree for the most part. I think she's still okay as long as she's using soy wax and monitoring it, but I wouldn't use a pour pot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I'm not positive but she may be stoned. Otherwise, a person would have to be brain dead to use this as a for-real tutorial. The woman gives no specific information about how much color, fragrance or wax to use in the video. The end of the video gives a pretty quick glance at the finished product for obvious reasons. I hate to tell her that Hobby Lobby is ripping her off on the cost of raw materials but that's not really the point of this vid. "You can make your own" is the hallmark of a craft project. Someone just needs to leave her the info about this board and let her find out for herself; if she's interested in a business. Her mom probably got a really shoddy candle that didn't have any fragrance and wouldn't stay lit, oh well. I mean, she is stirring the "burns longer" soy wax so it won't burn and her label is really home made and too cute. Write Hobby Lobby a hate letter. HTH Steve 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I'm not positive but she may be stoned.Steve 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLG Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 And that's why I started this thread! I was hoping I wasn't the only one who thought she was "stoned." 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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