FO Flash Point

[TheWickedWick]

When ordering FO's I've noticed they also include the flashpoint. Does this mean that you shouldn't add this particular FO until your wax temp is below the flashpoint temp? Example: CS Cranberry Marmalade's FO flashpoint is 147 while their Pumpkin Souffle is 200. I usually pour around 135-140 using GB 464.

Could someone please explain? I've been heating to 180, adding FO around 170. I'm new to this if you couldn't tell already

Thanks

Karen

[ChrisR]

The flashpoint doesn't matter as you are adding the FO to wax. Where it really comes into play would be with oil type burners where you add the straight FO to water or DPG and gets very hot or has direct contact with a high heating source. It actually means the temp. the FO will ignite.

[TheWickedWick]

Thanks..I just now found the thread explaining all this. Good info to know..didn't want to lose what remaining eyebrows I have.

[Debra Phelps]

I will add that I wasn't watching the low flash point on one of my scents. It started bubbling and it turned white and fizzy. The scent was ok, but it scared me. Then I checked the flash point. Oops. I think that one might have flashed if it wasn't cooling down.

[jenscandles]

I will add that I wasn't watching the low flash point on one of my scents. It started bubbling and it turned white and fizzy. The scent was ok, but it scared me. Then I checked the flash point. Oops. I think that one might have flashed if it wasn't cooling down.

That is scary. A few years ago when I was making gel candles all of my oils had the required high flashpoints so I never had to worry about it. Now that I'm working with paraffin and palm I'll have to pay attention to that since the higher FP is not required. I couldn't believe it when I saw Peaks Eggnog at that 85 FP! I thought that was a typo til I searched on here and confirmed otherwise! Will have to wait til winter to try that FO I guess.

[brudil18]

As Chris mentioned above. The Flash point is the lowest temp at which that particular liquid could ingnite in air. Mixing with wax obviously changes that. I use palm wax and in general add my FOs when the waxs temp is at/or below the flash point.

[Stella1952]

I use palm wax and in general add my FOs when the waxs temp is at/or below the flash point.

Again, when the FO is added to wax, it will not flash. The FO needs a source of ignition or high heat source to make it torch off. When it's added to wax, it just became highly diluted. This is more of an issue with other applications and not a bigtime worry with veggie wax candles.

More info on flashpoint can be found by searching both the veggie wax forum and the general candlemaking forum.

[CareBear]

The flashpoint doesn't matter as you are adding the FO to wax. Where it really comes into play would be with oil type burners where you add the straight FO to water or DPG and gets very hot or has direct contact with a high heating source. It actually means the temp. the FO will ignite.

my only change to this would be that the flash point changes when you mix it - more or less your new flash point is an average of the components (water doesn't count as the FO will just sit on top of it and they don't really combine). And the flash point of DPG is 225 (http://www.thesage.com/pub/msds/DipropyleneGlycol.pdf) - so even if the flash point of your FO is lower, it will be brought up by the DPG - to what exactly will depend on your proportions.

But like everyone said, the flash point is basically irrlevent in candles. The flash point of your wax is so high that the average is really high too.

If you are really curious, one of the suppliers here has a flash point calculator on the web site. Hopefully someone here will recall where it is cuz I haven't had my coffee yet!