Candle Making Molds



Posted: Saturday, August 22, 2009

by Ruky Walsh
http://candlemakingtips.net

When it comes to candle making, there are a variety of molds available in the market which can be used to make candles at home. As more and more people are trying their hand at candle making, the manufacturers are flooding the market with new styles and types of candle making molds.

A candle mold can be defined as the vessel in which the wax is poured to cool. After cooling, the wax gets molded to the shape of the mold. These days there are different varieties in terms of shapes, styles and sizes of candle making molds. Some candle makers like aluminum molds since they give the candle a smooth finish besides being heat resistant and durable. Hence, the candles get a professional kind of finish. These are generally employed in the making of pillar and votive candles. Moreover, they are cheaper than the rubber molds. Another advantage of aluminum molds is that they can be easily cleaned by just putting them upside down on a baking sheet and heating them in the oven. The residual wax will melt and flow out of the mold. Make sure your baking sheet has a lining. The drawback of aluminum molds is that besides requiring a release agent to release the candle from the mold, they are not flexible hence not available in too many shapes and sizes.

Other molds made from rubber like latex, silicone and polyurethane are quite flexible. The stretch ability of polyurethane mold is not much despite their flexibility. Moreover, though they are cheaper, they also need a releasing agent and have a strong odor which can be picked up by your candle. These molds are used for pillar and taper candles. Silicone molds are expensive but have great characteristics. These include a great stretch ability, no residual parting lines and don't need a release agent. With the advent of new kinds of rubber molds, latex molds are not as popular as before. However, if you want some home make molds, then all you need to do is to paint liquid latex on the structure you want to make a mold of. With numerous coats of latex, you can get a mold of your choice.

Though they are the least expensive, plastic molds are brittle and hence don't last long like the other molds. However, they are more manageable and can be cleaned easily with some warm soapy water. A precaution here that needs to be observed is that make sure your mold is totally dry else you may get bubbles in your candles. These molds are great for newbies but for people who want to turn their hobby into a business, you need different and better molds.

Ruky Walsh is a candle making expert. For great information on candle making molds, visit http://candlemakingtips.net.

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