Is Machinable wax safe ?

[Mike Stevenson]

I think the best thing to use would be a Crock Pot set to a low temp in a completely ventilated area.

[awerby]

melted wax acts like a solvent does at room temperature, filling the atmosphere with hydrocarbons, which are not good to breathe. You definitely don't want to melt wax in an inadequately ventilated space. Also, it's important to control the temperature precisely. Electrically heated pots are better than melting directly over a stove, but unless your pot has an infinite range control (not just High Medium Low) you're unlikely to get it just right. If it's too low, the wax won't melt, and if it's too high you get a lot of fumes - just before the Towering Inferno kicks in. Really, wax has a flash point; over a certain temperature, it will act like a fuel - think of Sterno on steroids. So if you don't have the ventilation set up, do this outside, with nothing combustible nearby or overhead.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com