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Forgot the 1st Rule of Candlemaking


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After preaching safety, I made the most basic mistake. I forgot to expect the unexpected. Got some palm wax in and decided to try my 1st Everlasting pillar. Sealed the wick hole (I thought :embarasse ), set the mold on a rack for even cooling and poured 210 degree wax into a heated mold.

Notice I didn't set the mold in my little cake pan just in case the wick hole wasn't sealed like I have every time before. Never had one leak before. 1st time I didn't use the pan I had a leaker. Now I have hot wax running out the mold, across the counter, down the front of the cupboards and onto the floor. Set down the pour pot, grabbed the cake pan, grabbed the hot mold, burned my fingers, and set it in the pan. Now I have a royally messed up kitchen and burned fingers.

Good thing I've been invited out to dinner tonight. I'm going to slink off :tiptoe: and face the mess later tonight.

Moral of this sad story: Always expect the unexpected!

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After preaching safety, I made the most basic mistake. I forgot to expect the unexpected. Got some palm wax in and decided to try my 1st Everlasting pillar. Sealed the wick hole (I thought :embarasse ), set the mold on a rack for even cooling and poured 210 degree wax into a heated mold.

Notice I didn't set the mold in my little cake pan just in case the wick hole wasn't sealed like I have every time before. Never had one leak before. 1st time I didn't use the pan I had a leaker. Now I have hot wax running out the mold, across the counter, down the front of the cupboards and onto the floor. Set down the pour pot, grabbed the cake pan, grabbed the hot mold, burned my fingers, and set it in the pan. Now I have a royally messed up kitchen and burned fingers.

Good thing I've been invited out to dinner tonight. I'm going to slink off :tiptoe: and face the mess later tonight.

Moral of this sad story: Always expect the unexpected!

I'm so sorry!!! This has happened to me before too. A couple times. You just get going to fast & forget. I have gotten to where i sit there & watch the mold for about 5 minutes to see if its gonna leak. I have learned though if you place a paper towel under & around the bottom of the mold if a leak starts, It soaks up some wax & cools sealing your leak. You waste alittle wax, but beats having to re pour your mold again...This is if you catch it in time..lol

Just get up & brush it off..lol :D

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awww, that sucks - Poor Sharyl - I had the first leaker I've had in a couple of years a couple of weeks ago - luckily I had it in a box of beans (which I use even for straight pillars) and all I had to do was change out the beans. Hope your little fingers are ok! Oh, and don't feel too bad, because I flooded my kitchen Monday, which in turn flooded the basement. What a wreck.

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awww, that sucks - Poor Sharyl - I had the first leaker I've had in a couple of years a couple of weeks ago - luckily I had it in a box of beans (which I use even for straight pillars) and all I had to do was change out the beans. Hope your little fingers are ok! Oh, and don't feel too bad, because I flooded my kitchen Monday, which in turn flooded the basement. What a wreck.

I feel for you on the flooding. I will spare all the details on the hows, but our basement flooded for the third time since we have been here. The first time was a broken water filter under the sink so both floors flooded and we have a finished basement so the carpet, drywall ceiling, etc were affected. This time only a sump so all the water stayed on the carpet. We are so sick of this that we are putting in ceramic tile this weekend instead of carpet so everything is being put in the garage tomorrow. The basement is where my "factory" is so I will be out of commission for a few days.

Sorry to hijack-bummer on the burned fingers. Sometimes I wonder if my fingerprints have changed since starting this business.:o

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You know, that's the sign that you needed the night out...I had something similar happen a few weeks ago, I just cleaned it up, and gave up for the night, it only would have frustrated me. Hope a few martinis made the fingers not feel so bad!;)

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Thanks for the condolences. Fingers are OK and I poured another palm everlasting tonight. Will find out in the morning if it is any good.

Judy, I would much rather scrap off some wax than mop up a flooded kitchen and basement. Can't imagine how traumatic that was.

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I have done that a few times but it is generally when you are trying to rush things. I remember I had a pound of wax in the pot put it on the counter after taking it out of the boiler but I had only balanced it on the edge of the counter and you guessed it it came crashing down. I had wax everywhere, all over my shoes, my clothes, the whole kitchen was covered in it because when the pot landed all the wax bounced right out of it an all over the place - ow it was a mess. I spent hours and hours scrapping the cupboard doors, the floor, the walls, the bin everything. It was so bad I ended up having to do the brown paper trick and iron the cupboard doors and walls.

That was a lesson well learned - never ever leave a pot of just melted wax anywhere near the edge of the counter top!!

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Thanks for the condolences. Fingers are OK and I poured another palm everlasting tonight. Will find out in the morning if it is any good.

Judy, I would much rather scrap off some wax than mop up a flooded kitchen and basement. Can't imagine how traumatic that was.

Yeah, it SUCKED. But, unlike GingerKay, our basement is not finished, although we have a lot of boxes full of stuff down there - at least it wasn't over my shop area (gasp!) lol - I think everything is going to be pretty much ok, aside from the fact that some of the flooring in the kitchen seems to be warping :undecided - and it was all due to a stupid mistake on my part :undecided

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I am the one who left the spigot turned the wrong way and filled my presto with wax (I know I am not the only one who has done this here so I don't feel alone :)) Anyway....if you have wood cabinetry, toothpicks are wonderful for getting the wax out of the details and lines. On tile floor, heat gun and paper towels.

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I'm doing OK. Remembered a tip someone had posted about using those plastic cards you get in the mail as a wax scrapper. They worked great on the counter, cabinet and floor. My 1st everlasting palm pillar even turned out half way decent. Feathering wasn't great but I did get the oyster cup centered. Will work to use as a tester. Can't post a pic. DH has been in IA for 2 months with his sick father and took the camera with him.

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