So this morning Murphy the Evil Imp of Misfortune came to visit. But first some background:
Last week I switched from using purely soy wax in my batiking to also mixing in candle stubs ( I was running out of wax), the result was that my little candle warmer could no longer heat the wax hot enough to penetrate the fabric. So I invested in an honest to goodness hot plate and waited for it to arrive. The hot plate got here over the weekend so this morning I thought I would knock out some wax work before heading into the sewing room. That's when the trouble started...
I will admit upfront that I made several rookie mistakes that made a bad situation worse than had to be, but that doesn't make what happened any less annoying.
Mistake Number 1: I set up at my work space in my windowless dye room, because that worked out just fine when I was working with soy wax that didn't fume and I figured the vegetable wax from the candle stubs would behave similarly.
Mistake Number 2: I figured heating wax on a hotplate was like heating oil on a gas stove. Turn on High and then adjust the dial when it has achieved the correct temperature.
Mistake Number 3: I put the glass candle jar that held my wax directly onto the cast iron top of the heating element.
The Result....
You ever see those Chemistry Class scenes from movies and television where the beaker all of the sudden shatters for no apparent reason? Let me tell you when a glass jar full of melting wax shatters bottom first on to a hotplate it gets messy and smoky FAST. It took me twenty minutes to get the smoke alarm to shut off and most of the day to get the fumes to depart from the back end of the house. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up the awful mess that had been caused by my carelessness. And I never did make it to my sewing room.
To all my fellow Batikers and friends who do crafts with safety procedures. The rules are there for a reason. I got off easy with some wax covered dye blanks and a mild asthma attack. It could have been a lot worse. Please use my lack of care as a cautionary tale to remember to always:
Work in a well ventilated area
Melt wax slowly and increase temperature as needed (a thermometer can be very helpful)
Heat your wax in a metal vessel that can hold up to the heat being applied
And NEVER leave the room when you wax is on the heat ( Glad I followed that one)
Be safe and every body have a great week
