quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB

Those little birthday candles that fit into the hub of a needle are actually paraffin and that is why they burn down as quickly as they do. The problem was not the type of wax but the close proximity at which the wax dripped onto the body. Paraffin wax melts between 130-150 degrees Fahrenheit (enough to cause a second degree burn) but because it is usually dripped from a reasonable distance it has cooled down considerably by the time it hits the body. Normal birthday candle hubs are petal shaped to collect the wax. A needle hub isn't.

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyPact

quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB

Those little birthday candles that fit into the hub of a needle are actually paraffin and that is why they burn down as quickly as they do. The problem was not the type of wax but the close proximity at which the wax dripped onto the body. Paraffin wax melts between 130-150 degrees Fahrenheit (enough to cause a second degree burn) but because it is usually dripped from a reasonable distance it has cooled down considerably by the time it hits the body. Normal birthday candle hubs are petal shaped to collect the wax. A needle hub isn't.

I had hoped that, too. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Some twit bought the birthday candles at the grocery and used them to light someone up. I light paraffin votives on people regularly. That is the candle directly placed on the skin. No, I don't burn them to the bottom, but I do turn them into a human candelabra.

I think it was partially type of wax and a mix with the heat that would be conducted through metal. Burns like that aren't uniform otherwise. The scene could have been conducted safely. It wasn't here.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BitaTruble

Link to Pics - (by permission)


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Those burns would have happened with any sort of candle. It wasn't the candle, it was the flame being to close to the skin and cooking it.. like slow roasting over a spit eventually cooks the meat. The odds are that neither the top nor the bottom would have been aware of the damage being done, especially if they were pumped full of scene chemicals and flying. A lot of scat happens to the meat before it's cooked and well before anything noticable is happening. Think in terms of crock pot and you'll get the idea of why the bottom might not have stopped the scene and why the top might not have realized the consequence of the action.

Had those needles been at a 90 degree angle rather than the 20 or so degree angle they appear to be .. there would have been little evidence of the play other than happy memories. Misplaced needles and a failure to understand the science of cooking caused those burns.. not the 'kind' of candles which were used.

Those are not wax burns.. they are slow-cooked fire burns. A very easy fix is to place the candles at 90 degrees to the skin. The extra length gives the wax time to cool before it drops and elevates the flame to a level that won't cook the skin.

Next time, they'll know better and I do hope this doesn't put anyone off from playing with needles and wax because it can be done and you can even get amazing pics from safer play if that's the purpose of the play.

(Wonders if computer will stay on long enough to even post this!)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LaTigresse

Two quotes immediately came to mind.

Stupid is as stupid does.

and

You can't fix stupid.

The reality........you will NEVER keep stupid people from doing stupid shit. Otherwise, they wouldn't have anything to argue about down in the P&R section.