Candle Mould – Decorative Star

01 · IT CLOSES WITH BANDS

It is a two-part mould, and the wick goes in before

The order matters: first thread the wick and tension it with a stick, then close the two halves and secure them with elastic bands. If the seam is not tight, the wax escapes along the closing line and you lose both the piece and the wax.

Before closing, spray the inside with silicone spray. On a mould with small relief it is not a nicety: it is what lets the wax reach the microdetail and then come out without tearing off any ornament.

02 · THE TEMPERATURE HAS TWO LIMITS

Not cold, which will not fill, nor too hot, which marks

Below 70 °C the wax starts to thicken on its way down the mould and never quite enters the relief; above 85 °C, besides darkening, it contracts far more as it cools and that contraction shows on the decorated face. Between 70 and 75 °C both problems disappear.

And pour it in one go, with no pauses. A stop-start pour leaves visible cooling lines exactly where people look, which is the patterned face.

03 · THE BASE, WHILE IT IS WARM

That is when you correct it, not once it is cold

As it cools, the wax at the base contracts and leaves an uneven surface, so the star stands crooked. The fix is made with the piece still warm: trim the excess with a knife or run the base over a warm pan until it is flat.

Cold, it no longer works: the wax chips instead of cutting.

04 · HOW MUCH WAX IT TAKES

The maker does not publish it, and it is two minutes' work

For this model there are no published figure dimensions and no grams per piece. You settle it by measuring the cavity: the cylinder that wraps the figure, 3.1416 · radius² · height × 0.96, gives the absolute ceiling of wax, and the real piece usually lands between 60 and 75 % of that.

Then weigh your first candle and your yield per kilo is settled for good. It is the same method that works for any mould, including the ones that do publish a figure.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A detail mould asks for two consumables that are not in the box.