Following Wilma, in Palm Beach Co. alone eleven houses have been
destroyed due to fires started from candles. Some were expensive homes
with presumably reasonable inhabitants. If there must be an open flame
on an iffy holder in yours, your friend's or your customer's houses
during the holidays, think about it!

Need to make lots of modest Holiday gifts and won't be making
candlesticks or other flame throwers? Consider decorative 'no flame'
ones with turned 'candles' from cheap wood and twine wicks. Funky?....
or quick & easy fun to make solid spindle turnings with lots of room for
innovation?
What are some other quick to make, proud to give, glad to receive and
_safe to use turned gifts? OTOH, what gifts should I think carefully
about before making to keep, give away or sell? Why?
I'm not asking for knee kick answers like "people should be personally
responsible" or "everything we make carries a risk; allergy, choking,
puncturing, or a bowl full of egg nog falling on a head full of same.
That's true carried to an absurdity, but I hope for some common sense
ideas that help ...and quick! I need to get going.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Just a quick suggestion, In the UK Habitat stores you can buy small T/lite
candles in metal cups that run with batteries in them, you just press them
and they switch on, press and they switch off. They come in several flame
colors one of which is a bluey white that has fooled many of my customers
when lit at craft fairs. It also means that at events where you are not
aloud to light candles you can still display them as if they were. About
£1.50 each, usually kept right by the sales till.
If you are over the pond I would think that these would still be available
but I wouldn't know what store does them.
Hotfoot



"Arch" wrote in message
...
Following Wilma, in Palm Beach Co. alone eleven houses have been
destroyed due to fires started from candles. Some were expensive homes
with presumably reasonable inhabitants. If there must be an open flame
on an iffy holder in yours, your friend's or your customer's houses
during the holidays, think about it!

Need to make lots of modest Holiday gifts and won't be making
candlesticks or other flame throwers? Consider decorative 'no flame'
ones with turned 'candles' from cheap wood and twine wicks. Funky?....
or quick & easy fun to make solid spindle turnings with lots of room for
innovation?
What are some other quick to make, proud to give, glad to receive and
_safe to use turned gifts? OTOH, what gifts should I think carefully
about before making to keep, give away or sell? Why?
I'm not asking for knee kick answers like "people should be personally
responsible" or "everything we make carries a risk; allergy, choking,
puncturing, or a bowl full of egg nog falling on a head full of same.
That's true carried to an absurdity, but I hope for some common sense
ideas that help ...and quick! I need to get going.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Arch wrote:

Following Wilma, in Palm Beach Co. alone eleven houses have been
destroyed due to fires started from candles. Some were expensive homes
with presumably reasonable inhabitants.

Unfortuantely, money doesn't keep you from doing stupid, careless
things. I make and sell (and give as gifts) many candles and votive
candles every year. I am also thinking of my significant other
surrounded by candles in the tub after a long day at work, the smell of
bath oils.... hey.... I'm going OT on my own response!

Seriously, I don't know of any candle manufacturer or lamp maker that
worries about liability since these items are single purpose items that
are designed to do one thing, and one thing only. Capture fire.

If you make an oil lamp that has the fit up well into the wood itself,
you might have it catch fire. Same with the candles, which is why I
ONLY sell votive style candle holders that contain the flame. No
spindle style. I don't worry anymore about the liability from these
anymore than Target, Walmart, Garden Ridge, my local grocer, Dollar
General, Big Lots, etc. worry when selling a candle or holder.

I don't think I have enough money to make it profitable to be a legal
test case for some young lawyer trying to cut his teeth.

I make 'em and sell 'em, but only to responsible adults or friends. No
kiddos.

Robert