Jump to content

Wicking a silicone mold?


Recommended Posts

Maybe I'm just having a really dim moment but it occurred to me that as I'm having vague thoughts about creating future pillar molds from silicone......well I haven't contemplated how to wick them.

Say for example I wanted to create a Buddah head mold.

Something where I'd have to split the top of the mold (Like a cross shape at the top?) in order to peel the head out.....

Well, how do you wick that ?

At the risk of being embarrassed, co's the answer may suddenly dawn on me after I've posted it.........well... I'll post it anyway! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are basically two ways of doing it that I know and use. The first is to pierce a small hole in the middle of the bottom of the mold(top of the candle). This is best done with something like a larger darning needle. Then when making your candle, you thread your wick thru the hole, secure tightly and straight, and pour. The other way is to insert a wick pin, press into the bottom of the mold and make sure it's straight. Then pour and cure your candle. When you remove it from the mold, you thread your wick thru the hole. I hope this makes sense the way I wrote it. There's alittle more to it than that, but this should get you started. HTH:tiptoe:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Tracey, there are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of wicking in silicone. I've been using only silicone molds for at least 10 years, as my first candlemaking endeavors with molds were in freestanding gel, branching off into other waxes a couple of years ago. I have found that on shorter molds, wick pins work better. On taller molds, I prefer to thread the wick because it's next to impossible for me to keep the wick pins straight on those. The type of silicone, I guess, can be prohibitive to wicking too. I've seen some molds that I have where over time, if you're not careful, pulling the wicking thru that hole again and again, some of the silicone will break off. Then you have to make/purchase a replacement alot sooner than you'd like. And anyone using silicone molds knows that good ones don't come cheaply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You make some good points there Bernadette. Thanks!

I guess it will be trial and error once we have made the molds.

I know it's not going to be cheap making them either because the things I have in mind will require a LOT of silicone.

It's going to be a bit different from the simple tart molds we've made so far.

All good fun and games I expect! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use #2 square braided wick so it's pretty thick. Just look for needles with big eyes. You might try looking in the craft needles. I think one needle I have is a needlepoint needle and has a really big eye. My taper wicking needle I spread the eye out enough to get the wick through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would use a drill. Mark you hole where you want it and drill with a small drill bit. Or - When you are looking for molds some mold makers(Like me) make the wick hole already in your molds. So you just insert and pour.

Is the silicone and the wick itself enough to keep from wax leaking out the wick hole? Or is there a proper way to seal the hole? The wax leaking is my biggest concern.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't usually have any concerns about leaking when I poke the hole myself. I have had some problems with molds that have holes, but only a small amount of wax leaks out anyway. To be on the same side, I always put the mold in a small pan, just in case....:tiptoe:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...