Candle mould - Reindeer with coat

01 · IT IS NOT 1,000 G OF WAX

And the geometry says so with no room for doubt

The cylinder enclosing the figure measures 8 cm across by 11.5 cm tall: that is 578 cm³, which at the density of beeswax comes to 555 grams. And a figure with legs, antlers and contours never fills its own cylinder.

LYSON puts this figure at about 196 grams per piece, that is about five figures per kilo of wax, a third of the cylinder: normal for a figure with legs, antlers and a coat.

02 · POUR AT 70-75 °C

Which is the data the sheet never gave

Beeswax melts between 62 and 65 °C and is poured at around 70-75: below that it stops halfway and cold lines appear on the surface; above 85 the wax darkens, and on a detailed mould that shows.

The rest is the usual: a clean, dry mould, the wick centred before pouring, full cooling at room temperature and unmoulding without hurry. Flashing comes off with a fine knife or with warm hands. The mould has a slit: before pouring, close it with rubber bands so the wax does not escape through the join.

03 · THE WICK, FOR Ø8 CM

And that is a wide figure

Eight centimetres across is a candle of considerable volume, and LYSON recommends a 3×13 wick: a short tealight wick opens a narrow well, drowns in its own wax and leaves the figure unburnt on the outside.

We stock flat-braid wick on the roll in several sizes, and centring devices to keep it straight. Tell us the figure and we will say where to start, knowing the fine tuning comes from testing: two pours and you have it.

04 · IT ADDS VALUE TO YOUR CAPPINGS

Which is what this is really about

A candle from your own wax turns a by-product of the harvest into an article with a margin, and at Christmas a figure like this sells itself at a market or in the farm shop.

Beeswax burns slowly, with a steady flame and the smell of the wax itself: that is what sets it apart from a paraffin candle, and it needs no dressing up beyond that. The mould is flexible silicone, releases well and stands many pours.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Reckon on about five figures per kilo, not one.