Candle Mould – Alpaca

01 · 32 GRAMS: 31 CANDLES PER KILO

Eight centimetres of a very slender figure

The candle comes out at 8 cm tall by 3.4 cm across. At that size, 32 grams is less than half the cylinder that encloses it: which is what you expect from a figure with a neck and legs, where there is more air than wax.

The specified wick is the 3 × 9. Before pouring, centre it and keep it taut with a stick resting on the rim, and close the mould with rubber bands: the side cut that makes demoulding easy is also where wax leaks out if it is not held shut.

02 · THE FLEECE IS WHAT TRAPS AIR

And the temperature decides whether it fills

The curly fleece texture is the reason to buy this mould and also its delicate point: every curl is a place for air to sit. Pour slowly and tap the sides so the bubbles rise before the wax sets.

Beeswax melts between 62 and 65 °C, so pouring there means pouring it barely melted — thick, with no push to get into the curl. The working point is 70-75 °C. If shrinkage worries you — and there is some, more the hotter you pour — work at the low end of that range and top up the sink hole afterwards; what cannot be fixed is fleece that never filled.

03 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A small figure for turning leftover wax to account.