elizabeth priddy on mon 10 apr 00
I can't tell you about the technical safety, but
just from my direct experience...
The hot wax works better but gave me a headache
and a nasal irritation when I did it indoors.
I moved the whole process out onto the throwing
porch and problem solved. I use straight
canners wax and wax the feet of everything that
goes through my kilns. I keep the doors to the
kiln areas open wide until I cannot smell
anymore wax burning out during firing and a fan
directing the air away from the kiln and out the
door.
I think the headache that I got consistently
from working in a closed room with the wax could
only mean that it is not good for you. I don't
now of any headache that can be a good sign...
And regarding the wax, I sometimes benefit from
the proliferation of candle fancying friends who
have all these stubs in colors that are no
longer aestheticly aroma therapy appropo. I
throw them in with the wax and alongside the
smell of spring outdoors or crisp winter air,
it now smells GOOD when I wax, also with a faint
color that helps identify second producing drips
that I can dremel off before they cause their
little problem.
Also religiously used candles make me feel like
I have an extra good karma edge in my work.
I have found a few good applications for the
cold wax though, not the latex resist, but the
water based. With kids I am not afraid they
will burn themselves on the hot plate, and when
I just need one little thing to finish out a
load, I don't have to set up the pan and wait
for the melt, but I have found the fumes from
the little jar a little unpleasant as well and
use that outside too.
And also regarding the melting of hot wax:
I found my old fryer pan too small for the large
plates and bowls that I wanted to wax. I had
seen Jepson's add for his big wax pan and was
inspired but not willing to buy (enough credit,
mel?)...
I sacrificed my kitchen griddle to the pottery
tool gods and came up with this set up. A
griddle set fairly high with a broiler pan,like
from the oven, in the griddle and filled with
wax. It is heavy and the metal keeps it hot
fairly well. The even heat of the griddle and
the wide surface area of the griddle make it
very stable and safe. I have two broiler pans,
one large and one very large for various size
waxing jobs. The indention, look in your oven's
pan to see what I mean, makes a perfect depth
well of wax for evenly dipped but not overly
dipped feet of any size pot up to about 14
inches. I found the very large pan in some
old canning supplies at a goodwill store ($1).
For anything larger, I would probably
apply the cold wax. But I love this setup, it
is much better than the old electric fry pan and
the covers for the broiler pans keep the wax
clean while alowing me to stack the griddle both
pans and the electric skillet in its own nitch
out of the way. I let the students use the
skillet as I am fussy about my wax for personal
use and they somehow get stuff in it, so they
get to live with the stuff. My wax is clean!
---
Elizabeth Priddy
email: epriddy@usa.net
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/clayworkshop
Clay: 12,000 yrs and still fresh!
On Sun, 9 Apr 2000 21:07:46 Christopher Greenman wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi all,
>
>I am using a mixture of paraffin and sometimes mineral oil (70 % par. 30% mo)
>which is kept hot =300-350 degrees F. I have a colleague that is complaining
>about the fumes. I need to know anything about the danger of wax fumes. The
>information in the archives is that parafin can coat the lungs but under what
>conditons? I much prefer hot wax to the commercial cold wax. ...and would
>rather use 50 paraffin and 50 kerosene....but that will have to wait.
>Shouldn't the fumes from parafffn be similar to fumes experienced with
>melting parfin for canning, candle burning/ making or even buring those fake
>logs which are mostly made of paraffin ( I believe that these "logs"must be
>producing bad air)?? Is there a safe temperature for melting wax without
>getting fumes?
>
>
>Thanks always for clayart.......
>
>
>Christopher Greenman
>Alabama State University
>Kelldogn@aol.com
>
--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
| |
|
