Finish for a scented candle rack?

[Jim Willemin]

A friend of mine is in the business of making and selling scented candles

She is just getting started with the local craft show circuit, and over dinner the other night we discussed making some display racks for her stock (she is presently using cheapo cardboard holders much like egg cartons). Anyhow, I offered to whip up a prototype display rack for her - the candles sit in holes in 1/4" poplar shelves. I intend to stain it (Minwax dark walnut). The question is this: Will a few coats of polyurethane seal the wood against contamination by the scented oils in the candles? Her present cardboard holders are all stained and oily from one show. All advice greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Leon]

It is hard to say what may or may not ooouuzzz out and stain the finish or dissolve the finish. What if you make the racks and sell her square wooden candle bases to be sold with the candles? That would eliminate the worry of the candle staining the rack.

[Amused]

Probably not. But, if you're going to worry about it, wrap the candle bases in aluminum foil.

James... I'd be more worried about a candle burning down too far, myself.

[J T]

Wed, Nov 16, 2005, 7:36pm (EST-1) [e-mail] (Amused) doth say: Probably not. But, if you're going to worry about it, wrap the candle bases in aluminum foil.

Or, try it with a piece of scrap wood first. Or, use those glass candle holders. Or, those metal candle holder.

JOAT Just pretend I'm not here. That's what I'm doing.

[Andy Dingley]

it'l seal against scented wax, but not against charring from the flame.

Candle holders should be metal or glass, not wood. Otherwise a candle chars the holder when it burns out. You'd have to have an unlucky combination of circumstances to make this a fire hazard, but it looks bad.

I use 22mm copper pipe end caps as candle holders.

[Mike Berger]

[Andy Dingley]

Nope, the atmosphere gets there first. They only get warmed up in the bottom centimetre of the candle and most people will change it before then. It's just a safety measure for people who leave them burning.

Hey, it's a candle holder. The ones I make are faked gothic tat anyway (arched mirror frames). It's not oxidation, it's patina.