Heating wax over a gas flame or electric range element is also highly
dangerous. I know a hobbyist candle maker who lost her kitchen, and darn
near her whole house doing that. Don't heat any of these materials directly
over heat source unless it is specifically designed for the purpose. (There
is such a thing as a wax pot with self contained electric element that can't
get hot enough to cause trouble.)
It is less dangerous to heat oils or waxes in a double boiler, but not
completely without danger as the vapors (if things get a little too hot or
ventilation is inadequate) will possibly attain a fuel/air ratio suitable
for combustion. If you have the stove going to keep the water in your
double boiler hot, you have a source of ignition right there handy and there
you are, too, so you not only burn your house down, you get to go directly
to hospital.
The safest way to do this is to be patient and let stirring plus the solvent
action of the turps do most of the work. If you want to encourage the
process a bit, put the wax and turps in a tin can and set that in a larger
can or pot filled with very hot water. Renew the hot water as it cools, but
don't put the pot on the stove. Heat the water separately, drain off cooled
water, then add the fresh hot water. Do ventilate your workspace adequately
when working with solvents, even at room temperature.
This will keep the vapors from the solvents at a much lower level of
concentration, which will eliminate the possibility of flash fire and also
be a whole lot better for your lungs. The vapors from overheated wax, by
the way, will really do a number on the efficiency of your lungs. You don't
want to go there.
One more thing: turpentine is a sensitizer, which means that even if you do
not exhibit any allergic reaction to it at first, exposure to it eventually
causes many people to develop an allergy to it, sometimes in quite dramatic
fashion. A safer alternative for many processes involving turps is odorless
paint thinner or mineral spirits, which is less toxic, not a sensitizer, and
also somewhat cheaper. It may be a better choice for this application.
Jim Knight
|