Advice on molds..

[southerngrace]

What does everyone else do to keep their molds clean? I find that the silicone ones I get I can use maybe three or four times then I have to boil it to soften it up so that I can get the candles out. Just wondering if this is normal?

[EricofAZ]

I use metal and plastic so I am simply not able to address silicone moulds for candle making. I've used silicone for other things, but not wax.

Metal is easy, scrape it off, mould cleaner, the oven, a heat gun... they all work to clean metal moulds.

Plastic pretty much cleans up by letting the wax dry and breaking it out or scraping it out with a wooden tool. (Careful not to scratch the plastic.)

I'm thinking that you can probably freeze the silicone and then bend it to break up and release the wax. I'm also pretty sure you can put the silicone in the oven and melt everything and wipe it out with a paper towel. Silicone is pretty well known for wide temperature tolerance. Boiling sounds like a good idea, but don't toss the water down the drain unless you want a wax blockage and a plumber bill (and greenpeace strapping theirselves to your door in protest).

Edited May 12, 2011 by EricofAZ

[Bernadette]

What does everyone else do to keep their molds clean? I find that the silicone ones I get I can use maybe three or four times then I have to boil it to soften it up so that I can get the candles out. Just wondering if this is normal?

I'm alittle confused by your post. What are you boiling...the mold or the wax?

I use silicone molds all the time, and have never had any wax stick to the inside, but you know, whenever I've purchased second hand molds, they always come with wax stuck inside. Like I said, I've never had the problem myself. I'm hoping one of the moldmakers we have on this board will respond. I'd like to know why this happens myself.:tiptoe:

[Dariablue]

I use metal molds and I just use my heat gun if I have any wax residue on the inside. I take the heat gun to it for 30 seconds or so, then I take a paper towel and wipe out the inside - it gets it good as new. Since I have not used silicone molds before, I am not sure if that could be done with those or not.

[Sharon in KY]

I use silicone and find some are harder than others to get wax out of, but not to the point your talking about. Is this the yellow silicone and just how big are the things you are making? Small embeds or pillar candles? I have thrown mine in the washer with hot soapy water to agitate awhile, also have used the hot gun on them and wiped out with a paper towel. I use only one color per mold with the embeds so a little extra wax isn't as big a problem. You must be using a softer wax like I do so more gets stuck in the groves.