# useing a warm woodstove as a  candle warmer



## mario veda (Dec 18, 2011)

After a night of burning the woodstove I do not but any more wood in it during the day time until 7pm depending on evening temps  and the left-over coals will re-start the kindleing easy....The woodstove will stay warm with the nights coals all day with the surface temp being appox. 240' and it cools more as the day goes on .I was wondering if the surface can be used as a candle warmer were as I would place a yankee glass candle  on the surface and melt the wax to give off its scent ?....I have been trying to get information on how hot a candle warmer  teflon base gets but cant find it but it does say you can burn your finger on it if you touch the teflon base when it is on.....I would not think to do it if the woodstove is loaded and burning as it would likely shatter the candle glass with 500 degree temps.....Has anyone tried using a    warm stove surface as a candle warmer or know the contast temperture needed to melt a candle and release its scent ???


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 18, 2011)

With only some coals in the stove it seems that it would work. A soapstone stove would probably work best because the soapstone would give off the heat over a longer period of time. If you do not have a soapstone stove, then perhaps you could buy some soapstone blocks to put on the stove. They would heat during the heating cycle and then while the stove is cooling, the soapstone would cool slower. You can buy small soapstone blocks from Woodstock and I think they still make some larger blocks they sell for Fireview owners which place exactly right on that stove's top. You can contact Woodstock at Woodstock Soapstone


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## begreen (Dec 18, 2011)

I would be very careful trying this. Melted wax on a hot stove top could be dangerously combustible. If you do try it, use a trivet on the stove top to increase the airspace under the glass candle holder and to lower the direct contact temperature. Much safer would be to add a few drops of fragrant oil to the water in a steamer. 

There are also some products on the market designed for this. 

http://www.condar.com/stovescents.html


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## firecracker_77 (Dec 18, 2011)

I'm always paranoid about putting things on the stove.  The guy who had the stove before me put a kettle on it as you can see the circular scratches in one of the stones.


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## BrotherBart (Dec 18, 2011)

Wood heat will melt'em.


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## woodgeek (Dec 18, 2011)

Would def be an unacceptable fire hazard--even on a trivet, if the glass cracked for any reason, the liquid wax could light off on a hot stove!  No combustibles within a certain distance means no combustibles.


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## mario veda (Dec 18, 2011)

Thanks to all .After second thought it will be safer to just buy the proper heating pad that is made for melting candles or get the oil to add to a steamer.....


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## firefighterjake (Dec 20, 2011)

mario veda said:
			
		

> Thanks to all .After second thought it will be safer to just buy the proper heating pad that is made for melting candles or get the oil to add to a steamer.....



Good choice . . . in my own opinion.


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## joecool85 (Dec 20, 2011)

The top of my stove has an air vent between it and the firebox so even when the stove is cranking at 600+ F, the stove top is only 300-320F.  We keep a small oven safe ceramic dish on top of the stove (holds maybe a cup) and we normally have about 1/4" - 1/2" worth of scented wax in it at any given time.  Works well and I feel plenty safe about it.  With a stove that the top gets 600+F I would want it on a trivet...and maybe not at all.  If I spill wax on the top of my stove (happened once), it's no big deal, I just wipe it up.  I think if the top was wicked hot, it could be another matter and probably dangerous.


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## eclecticcottage (Dec 20, 2011)

joecool85 said:
			
		

> The top of my stove has an air vent between it and the firebox so even when the stove is cranking at 600+ F, the stove top is only 300-320F.  We keep a small oven safe ceramic dish on top of the stove (holds maybe a cup) and we normally have about 1/4" - 1/2" worth of scented wax in it at any given time.  Works well and I feel plenty safe about it.  With a stove that the top gets 600+F I would want it on a trivet...and maybe not at all.  If I spill wax on the top of my stove (happened once), it's no big deal, I just wipe it up.  I think if the top was wicked hot, it could be another matter and probably dangerous.



I would be careful with putting wax on a stovetop...I'd have to double check the flash point of most FO's and EO's (the oils used for scent) but some can be rather low, even for candle use.  Most soy wax has a pour temp under 150 degrees and melts at about 170 for candle making.  I would still use a trivet even at that temp.

And definately not put glass on the stove top.  Yikes.  One little air pocket and boom...scary stuff.


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## joecool85 (Dec 20, 2011)

eclecticcottage said:
			
		

> joecool85 said:
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That's why we use ceramic, not glass.  We have a ceramic wax melter that uses a small candle for it's heat source, I should light that up some time and see what temps it gets to since it's designed to be used with those waxes.  Also, I should note that with the stove top at 300F, the wax is normally ~200F.  We've had the wax get up to maybe 230F or so when the stove was cooking at 650F and the top was 360F.

**edit**
Some quick searching online yielded me results of melting waxes having a flash point as low as 250F or as high as 400F.  Certainly not safe on the top of a hot top stove, arguably not safe on the top of any stove...we may need to reconsider having it there.


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