smcatharine Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Hi! I am a nun and this week I was visiting my sister-monastery in Canada. They make candles. They have a friend who has a candle shop in Vancouver and he said to use GAS VENT PIPES for molds NOT PVC. The candle comes out much better! He said to use MOLD RELEASE Powder in the mold as well. He suggested 60% beeswax and 40% soy or paraffin. Gas vent pipes look similar to PVC but it's not the same. Also, Sister said when i use Square braid wick to make sure that V you can see in the weave of the braid goes DOWN! Usually when you wick a mold from the bottom it would go UP! He said that helps it burn centered! I am excited about the mold as I want to make our Easter Candle next year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I use a silicone mold release spray in my molds and the powder in the wax. Good luck, it sounds like it will make a beautiful candle. Be sure to post a picture of the mold (curious on what it looks like) and the candle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Good to see you back around Sister Interesting use of found materials to solve a mold problem. I have resisted making 2" 'pillars' - really thick candle sticks - just because they are a smidge too narrow. I'll give the vent pipe a try and see if the 2 1/4 or 2 1/2" works better. For beeswax (I use it with no parafin) I use metal molds - seamless aluminum and formed unknown metal for most pillars with release spray. Silicone i use for other more intricate designs. Plastics like the clear have been hit or miss for me, mostly because they don't seal easily. THe heat release may be slower with the thick plastic venting, which may help with the overall candle. If you don't mind a flat top, those molds should work great! BWT-Square Braid has no up or down. Square braid has 4 sides - If you look at one side the V will go up. Turn it and the V goes down. Repeat. Two sides go up and two sides go down. What I do to help along an even burn is twist it a few times before pouring the molten beeswax. It will turn slightly as it burns. Though, honestly, even when I've not twisted, the square braids when wicked appropriately burn evenly from top to bottom. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Hi Sister: We have been following your comments and just recently tried making a 3"x 6"pillar candle with hopes to eventually go to 48". We used 3" PVC and recycled 66% bees wax/paraffin mix. Disaster struct!! Eventually had to cut open the mold it was stuck like glue and we did use PAM?? Also a large cavity at the top of the candle - have since read that we should place holes around the wick to allow air in. I'd be really interested to see how your Sisters use the gas vent pipe and if 2 1/2 dia is available. Welcome to Canada!!! - Would love to know where the monastery is and how we can contact them and view their store. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smcatharine Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 Steve, I had the same problem with PVC pipes. Sister said that she was in the candle shop and saw them pull the candle out of the pipe. It seems that the gas vent pipe is easier to get from places like Home Depot than it is in the US. And I think they do make a 2.5" mold. The monastery is in Squamish Valley, about 2 hours north of Vancouver. It's a beautiful area... when it isn't raining! When we were there the river and creek flooded and destroyed the Sisters' bridge so it was quite an adventure getting out in time for our flights home. http://www.dominicannunsbc.ca/Queen_of_Peace/Queen_of_Peace__.html Ayer Sales makes the pipes. They call them CPVC https://www.ayer.com/system-636/cpvc-system-636.htmlI need to double check that this is the correct one. TallTayl, that is what I thought! I mean that is is why it is called Square braid! The sisters use almost all recycled church candles so they use 51% beeswax. I use mostly 100% beeswax. We like to do tapers in silicone. I have metal molds for pillars and I have no problems. Today I dipped 48 pair of tapers! I'm still new to dipping and my biggest challenge right now is getting the wax melter to get down to the correct temperature! I'll let you know when I hear from the sisters and give you the exact info for the molds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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