Candle mould - Cylinder with leaves

01 · HOW MUCH WAX, REALLY

The figure squares with the geometry

The cylinder the candle occupies comes to about 202 cm³: in wax, a ceiling of 194 g. The 180 g quoted fit inside that, so the figure adds up — 5.5 candles per kilo.

Even so, weigh the first one: in a mould this full, the second top-up moves the number.

02 · THE WICK AND THE RELIEF

3×13 for 5.5 cm across

For this diameter the recommended wick is 3×13: beeswax melts higher than paraffin and asks for more wick at the same thickness. Too short, and the flame digs a well and the candle drowns.

Check it on the first one: if the pool of molten wax does not reach the edge, the wick is short.

03 · POUR IT TWICE

Wax shrinks as it cools

Pour at 70-75 °C: at 62-65, its own melting threshold, it sets before it fills the bottom of each leaf and the relief comes out blunt.

And it shrinks as it cools: on a piece this size it sinks around the wick. Top it up again once the surface has taken, and turn it out cold. The mould has a slit: before pouring, close it with rubber bands so the wax does not escape through the join.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is a large-piece mould: reckon on 180 g of wax per candle and a second top-up on each one.