Different Types of Candle Making Molds

There are as many candle making molds available for buying, as the amount of candles themselves. It is realistic to think that with such a popular hobby like candle making and the popularity of people buying candles for their homes, there would be a lot of different types of candle making molds available on the market.

A candle mold is a container that the wax is poured into while it cools. Once completely cooled, the wax will retain the shape of the mold. Candle making molds are made out of a variety of materials, sizes, shapes, and styles. They also offer a variety of different uses.

Aluminum molds are a very popular type of mold that candle makers use. Durability and heat resistance are some of its properties. Plus, they leave a smooth finish without leaving any seams in the finished candle. This provides the candles with the appearance of a professionally made product. These types of metal molds are widely used in making votive and pillar candles. There are also cheaper than rubber candle making molds.

A plus about aluminum molds is that they are easy to clean. All you have to do is put them on a baking sheet in the oven. Placing them upside down and heating them to about 150 degrees will melt the wax and drain it onto the cookie sheet. Just remember to line your cookie sheet. The downside to aluminum candle making molds is that they are not flexible so there are very little choices when it comes to varying the shapes or textures of the candles and that they require a releasing agent to get the candle out of the mold.

On the other hand, rubber candle making molds like polyurethane, silicone, or latex molds are very flexible. Polyurethane molds are flexible but they do not stretch well. They are usually a little bit cheaper than silicone molds. Unfortunately, they have a strong odor that may get passed along to your candle and they will need a releasing agent to get the candle out of it. Often times pillar and taper candles are made from these types of molds.

Silicone molds are another type of rubber mold. They are the most expensive candle making molds because of their outstanding qualities. They leave no parting lines; they are flexible but also stretchable to a point so getting the candles out of the molds is easier and requires no releasing agent.

Although latex molds used to be used very often, with the advances in other types of rubber molds they are losing their luster. However, making your candle making molds molds at home is easy, by using liquid latex and painting it onto a structure. Lots of coats of latex are required but the flexibility it provides for making a variety of molds is infinite.

Plastic candle molds are the cheapest but they are not always the best. They are brittle and hence, their lifespan is limited. The ease of cleaning plastic candle making molds is an advantage, though. All you need to use is some warm water and a little soap. Just make sure that the mold is completely dry before you use it again or you will get water bubbles in your candles. They are good molds for beginners but if you were to take your candle making hobby to the next level and turn it into a business you are probably going to have to invest in different types of molds.