Craft Articles

Safety Procedures for making candles

Making candles is similar to cooking in many ways, and, as with cooking, there is the potential element of messiness, and the possibility of unforeseen accidents. To cut down on these, and to be ready for any mishap, please read the following carefully. Always wear old clothes, cover work surfaces with newspaper and move or cover rugs and carpets.
• Keep a pile of old newspapers close by in case of spillage.
• Always give yourself plenty of room to work in and keep your work space clean and tidy.
• Have all the materials and equipment to hand for whatever project you are working on.
• Keep all equipment clean and keep unused materials in containers away from dust and dirt.

USING WAX

When using wax, treat it as you would cooking oil. Below 100C (212F) it is fairly safe. Higher than this it is likely to catch fire as the wax is turning to vapour. Remember wax will not boil just continue to get hotter and hotter.

Always place your thermometer in the saucepan at the beginning of the melting process. This will not only ensure your reading is accurate, but will prevent you inadvertently overheating the wax.

Never leave melting wax unattended
After use, do not be tempted to pour excess molten wax down the sink as it will set and block your pipes. Instead, pour it into an old baking tray and cut into cubes before it hardens. This can be used to make chunk candles at a later date.

IN CASE OF SPILLAGE

For wax on carpets and items of clothing: Scrape off the excess wax and remove the rest by placing brown paper or paper towel over the stained area and pressing with a hot iron. This will transfer the wax to the towel.

For wax on metal or plastic objects: Place in the freezer for an hour to make the wax brittle. It then becomes easy to simply crumble the hardened wax away. Alternatively, dip the object into boiling water and allow the wax to melt and float to the surface.

SHOULD THE WORST HAPPEN…
• Switch off the heat
• Do not move the pan
• Smother flames with the saucepan lid or a damp cloth/towel.
• On no account attempt to douse with water. This will only spread the fire.
• If wax is overheating, it begins to smoke and gives off an acrid smell. If this happens turn off the heat source immediately and allow the wax to cool.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ATTEMPT TO MAKE CANDLES THE ADVICE GIVEN IS ONLY A OPNION. UKCRAFTWEBSITES AND THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CASUED BY MAKING ANY CRAFTS ON THIS SITE.

Model Earth

Planet Earth consists of four different layers. There is an inner core, an outer core, a mantel and a crust. By following the recipe below, you can make your own edible model of our planet. Before you start making your own little Earth, it is important to learn how deep each layer should be in comparison to the other layers. The earth’s crust is only 20 miles deep while the mantle is over 4,000 miles deep! The outer core is 2,200 miles deep and the inner core is 800 miles deep.  

You will need:
One clear glass bowl with a 10 inch diameter
4 bowls to mix your ingredients in
A plastic bag
Utensils to stir things with

8 oz. pkg. black cherry gelatine dessert
4 oz. pkg. raspberry gelatine dessert
4 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
Water according to the manufacturers instructions
(Some companies sell vanilla pudding that should be mixed with milk; in that case you will of course need milk too.)

12 graham crackers
½ cup of melted margarine
¼ granulated sugar

How to make an edible Earth desert:

1. Prepare black cherry gelatine and raspberry gelatine desert; each in their own bowl. Always follow the instructions from the manufacturer, since the exact instructions can vary somewhat between different companies. You may need to boil some of the water.
2. Prepare the vanilla pudding following the instructions from the manufacturer.
3. Place the three desert bowls in the refrigerator to set. This will take roughly 2 hours.
4. Place the graham crackers in the plastic bag and crush them into fine crumbs.
5. Melt the margarine and measure it to make sure that you have ½ a cup of melted margarine. 
6. Mix crushed graham crackers, melted margarine and granulated sugar in a bowl.
7. Press the graham mixture onto the bottom and along the sides of the 10” glass bowl to create the Earths’ crust. 
8. Take out the deserts from the refrigerator and spoon the black cherry desert into the graham cracker crust. Leave a pocket in the middle of the bowl. The black cherry desert will symbolise the 4000 mile deep mantle.  
9. Spoon vanilla pudding into the hole, but leave small hole in the middle. The vanilla pudding symbolises the 2,200 mile deep outer core.
10. Spoon the raspberry gelatine dessert into the small hole. The raspberry gelatine dessert symbolises the 800 mile deep inner core.