Candle Mould – Shepherd

01 · THE NECK IS THE WEAK POINT

Open the mould, do not pull the head

On an elongated figure the whole weight hangs from the neck when you pull from above, and that is where it snaps. The correct release is to open the mould sideways, the way you peel a banana, until the shoulders are free, then push from below.

And with the piece completely cold. Warm, the wax still gives and the head stays inside.

02 · STANDING UP, WITH FOLDS

The drape of the robe traps air

The folds of the clothing are what give the figure its character and also where the bubbles hide. Pour slowly and tap the base of the mould steadily as it fills, so the air rises before the wax sets.

Beeswax pours between 70 and 75 °C — it melts at 62-65 and darkens above 85 — fluid enough to reach into the drape without leaving flow lines.

03 · NO WAX FIGURE? MEASURE THE MOULD

And that settles the wick too

The maker publishes neither the wax weight nor the wick. Solve it by filling the mould with water, weighing it and multiplying that volume by 0.96: that is the grams of wax.

The wick goes by the diameter of the base, which is the section that burns, not by the height. Tell us the measurement and we will tell you which one it takes.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A nativity figure, standing, with clothing detail.