Tabitha Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 (edited) I have been making B&B for 12 years. I used to make paraffin candles also. I used an electric stovetop & it was approx 10 years ago. I now have a gas stove top & am considering adding soy candles to my line. I have been refamiliarising myself with the process & see gas stoves should not be used because of the open flame & flash point. Given this risk, I am thinking the microwave is my best bet. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. Edited November 11, 2011 by Tabitha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mzphee Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I have been making B&B for 12 years. I used to make paraffin candles also. I used an electric stovetop & it was approx 10 years ago. I now have a gas stove top & am considering adding soy candles to my line. I have been refamiliarising myself with the process & see gas stoves should not be used because of the open flame & flash point. Given this risk, I am thinking the microwave is my best bet. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.Hello Tabitha I am new at candle making and saw your post, I too use a gas stove but I use the double boiler method to melt wax, many others use the Presto pot and also electric plate here is a link to the forum that discuss this. have fun and welcome back http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?60780-melting-wax-with-a-gas-stove Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandleMakinCutiePie Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I have a gas stove and have been using the double boiler method.If that's wrong to do...this is the first time i've heard it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deb426 Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Get a presto pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandleindulgence Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Hi Tabitha,You can purchase an electric hot plate at the following stores: Wal-Mart, Target or Home Depot. I would not use a gas stove top at all for soy candle making. You can use the microwave but it's not a very good use of your time when you get to the point in filling orders.HTH,Jameel D. Nolan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I started on a gas stove with double boiler pots of water & huge veggie cans of melting wax. It was messy. I have wax dye stains on my white flooring. It took longer to bring the wax up to temp, ESPECIALLY palm wax! Waiting for a can of palm wax to get up to 205° in a pan of simmering water gives new meaning to the adage, "a watched pot never boils." It was the chandler's version of waiting for Godot...We bought Prestos and real pour pots and used the dining room for awhile... which became tedious. When the kids moved out, I took over their bedroom for candles and I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Stella you've got nerve! I'd be too scared of using a stove with an open flame. I'm just way too accident prone!!I started out using the double boiler method on my electric stove but hated it intensely! Eventually I got a wax meltor and love it. But I suggest for a beginner to go with a presto pot. They are cheap, easy to use, and a whole heap nicer to use than the double boiler method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturallyTru Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I started with the microwave. The container would get super hot, so it was dangerous. I bought a Presto pot and love it. Just recently I got another one so I can make bigger batches of votives, since my v wax is a different mixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Making candles on a gas range is no more dangerous than frying chicken in a skillet on the same range. You MUST pay attention.However...The inevitable dripping of wax, etc. in a food cooking area is unacceptable for many reasons. There are so many choices for small heating vessels, from the Humble Fry Baby all the way up to huge professional melters, it seems foolish to use burners of any kind for melting wax. Griddles, electric fry pans, roaster ovens all have their place in a home candlemaking operation, but a cooking stove, gas or electric, is not necessary nor even desirable.Microwaves are great for quick meltdowns of wax under certain conditions, but they are truly impractical because of the way they heat the wax and the difficulty in controlling the temperature of the wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabitha Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share Posted November 12, 2011 I read several places the gas stove was dangerous because of the open flame. This is what Peak has to say about it:"Use an electric heat source if possible. If, by accident, your wax reaches the flash point, it is less likely for the vapors to find a flame and become ignited on an electric heat source. Any open flame, such as that found on a gas stove, will ignite wax vapors." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabitha Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) I will look into presto pots. Thank you! Edited November 12, 2011 by Tabitha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I read several places the gas stove was dangerous because of the open flame...Again, I give you fried chicken, fried fish, hush puppies & french fries... "Use an electric heat source if possible. If, by accident, your wax reaches the flash point, it is less likely for the vapors to find a flame and become ignited on an electric heat source. Any open flame, such as that found on a gas stove, will ignite wax vapors."Well, duh yeah... If there's no flame, the chances of finding one are greatly diminished! It would have been more accurate to use the word "can" than "will". That statement assumes that the wax vapors have a place to concentrate OUTSIDE the pot where the flame is and remain hot enough near the flame to ignite. That's pretty unlikely unless one is extremely remiss, in which case, one deserves what they get.This speaks as much to never putting a melt pot on a direct heat source as it does to the use of gas stoves. If you are using a double boiler, your wax will not get over 212°F unless the pot boils dry or you wander off and leave it all unattended. The wax vapors have to be contained in some manner to remain at a temp high enough to ignite. Arguably, an electric melting device can heat wax to a far higher temperature in a shorter amount of time than if contained in a gas heated double boiler.The point to remember is that melting wax is something to never leave unattended no matter WHAT you are melting the wax in or over... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdaines Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I used a gas stove for quite a while with the double boiler method until I "discovered" the Presto pot. Since I have more waxes than Presto pots, I do occasionally revert back to the stove. Good Rule of Thumb - never leave flames unattended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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