Silicone Mould for 12 Round Candles

01 · SIXTY TEA LIGHTS PER KILO

The sum that matters

Each cavity takes about 16 g of wax and the mould holds twelve: 192 g a batch. A kilo gives around sixty tea lights, and five batches empty it.

The figure squares with the geometry: a candle 3.4 cm across and 1.7 high comes to 15-16 cm³, and wax weighs just under a gram per cubic centimetre.

02 · THE POURING TEMPERATURE

What decides whether the comb shows

Beeswax melts between 62 and 65 °C and starts to darken above roughly 85 °C. Pour too hot and the candle comes out darker and full of bubbles; pour it half set and the relief fills only part way.

In a mould with a honeycomb pattern that shows immediately: the detail only comes out complete if the wax runs in fluid. The right point is just above melting, not the hottest the pan will take.

03 · THE TWELVE NAILS

What they are for and when they come out

Every cavity has a central hole and the mould comes with twelve nails: you set one in each hole before pouring, so the wax sets around it and leaves the wick hole dead centre.

Once the candle is completely cold, you pull the nail and thread the wick through the hole. It is the method that avoids the classic failure of threading first: the wick floating or drifting off centre.

04 · WAX SHRINKS AS IT COOLS

And that is why it releases on its own

As it solidifies, wax loses volume. That is why the candle comes out slightly smaller than the cavity and lifts away without force: the flexible silicone only has to follow it.

That same shrinkage can leave a small dip on the top face. You fix it with a second dribble of wax once the surface has set but the centre is still hot. Afterwards the mould washes in warm water and soap.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is the mould: